Elk Grove Village restaurant cited for serving alcohol to minor

The Elk Grove Village Liquor Commission Tuesday found the Rose Garden restaurant guilty of serving alcohol to a minor.

The citation was the result of a sting conducted in December.

However, the commission waived the minimum $250 fine and held the owner liable only for the $135 cost of hiring a court reporter for the hearing because it was the first violation at the establishment, which has been in town 15 years.

“I feel very confident that this is not going to occur again,” Elk Grove Village Mayor Craig Johnson said.

The Greek food restaurant generally is not popular with younger clientele and was the only restaurant to get caught in the sting because of a new employee, Johnson said.

Johnson said since the village started its “three strikes and you’re out” policy the number of violations for serving alcohol to minors has gone down significantly.

In 2000, the commission held hearings for 13 violations. There were zero hearings in 2011. “That’s because we got tough on the mandatory carding,” Johnson said. “We’ve really cut down immensely that problem.”