The universitys Stein restaurant received a warning from the Waltham Liquor Commission at a hearing Tuesday after failing a recent compliance check, according to Waltham police.
The warning puts no restrictions on the Steins ability to serve liquor. However, the restaurant could be subject to a 3 to 6 day suspension of their liquor license if there is another offense within 24 months of the last, according to Waltham Police Lieutenant Joseph Brooks.
The compliance check, or sting, occurred on Nov. 10 of last year. Two underage students who were employed by the Waltham police received draft beers from the Stein, despite presenting under-21 IDs to one of the restaurants waitresses. No charges were pressed against the on-duty manager or the waitress.
The Stein received a relatively light punishment for the offense, mostly due to its incident-free history and admission of the violation, according to Brooks.
If a total 4 violations occurred in the Stein within 24 months, the restaurant would lose its liquor license, according to Brooks.
Brooks warns that the Stein should be careful, and use due diligence in light of the warning.
They got off easy, said Brooks.
The Village Market, a convenience store located on South Street, near the university campus, also failed a compliance check on Nov. 10. During that check, and 18 year old clerk failed to ask underage customers for ID when they attempted to purchase alcohol, according to Lieutenant Brooks.
As a result, the Village Market received a one day liquor license suspension at the same Waltham Liquor Commission hearing which the Stein received its warning.
The Faculty Club also received a compliance check on Nov. 10, but passed, said Brooks.
Though underage drinking at the Stein is not directly a matter of public safety, Director of Public Safety Ed Callahan said that the issue at the Stein is an institutional concern. Aramark is taking measures and training its employees to prevent this kind of issue from happening again, said Callahan.
Vice President for Campus Operations Mark Collins considers the Nov. 10 incident a legitimate accident, but nevertheless is determined to prevent another incident from happening.
The university doesnt take things like this lightly, said Collins. We need to ensure that theres no underage drinking, and we must prevent a degradation of service.
He considers the school very fortunate regarding the recent Waltham Liquor Commission decision. Were grateful to the board, he said.
The Aramark corporation, which owns the Stein, claims it is taking steps to prevent future incidents, according to Michael Newmark, Director of Dining Services. Policies and procedures have been reviewed with all staff Additional trainings /meetings have been held to reinforce existing policy and procedure, wrote Newmark in a written statement.
In the short run, were putting more emphasis on looking at those IDsWere making sure this kind of thing doesnt happen again, said Collins.
Present at the Tuesday commission hearing were Chief Callahan, Collins, Roman Cermak of Conference and Events, and Aaron Bennos, Director of Operations for Dining Services.
