Arlington Hts. hits businesses for liquor violations

Mayor Arlene Mulder meted out punishments to five restaurants and grocery stores Monday for serving liquor to minors who were caught in an undercover sting.

All of the clerks and servers who were charged with serving minors were dismissed from their jobs except for a 10-year employee at Valli Produce.

The findings:

• Dominick's Finer Foods, 325 E. Palatine Road, must decide whether to pay $500 and suspend its liquor sales for one day, or pay $1,000 with no suspension. Mulder said she was tough on the store despite this being its first violation because there was a discrepancy between the testimony of the clerk and what attorney Irene F. Bahr said was corporate policy about education for those selling alcohol.

• Chili's Grill & Bar, 640 E. Rand Road, chose a $1,000 fine rather than a $500 fine plus two days suspension of liquor sales. It was considered a first offense because the business got new owners and a new license in 2007. The previous offense was in 2002.

• Jimmy's Place, 640 W. Northwest Hwy., was fined $100 after Ernest Blomquist, village prosecutor, dropped one of the two counts against them to give her more leeway.

“They deserve a break,” said Blomquist. “Nobody's run a business better in this town than these two people.” And they have donated considerably to charities, he said.

James Stevens, who said he sold the restaurant to his wife, Mary Lou Stevens, in 2000, returned to help her because she had knee surgery. He said the 19-year-old he served looked older than his 27-year-old granddaughter. ”I was closing at 9 o'clock and I wasn't paying attention,” he said.

• Harry's of Arlington, 1 N. Vail Ave., was fined $200 after a 10-year employee sold a bottle of beer to a 19-year-old.

• Valli Produce, 450 E. Golf Road, took a $1,000 fine rather than suspend liquor sales and pay a lesser fine. The store had a previous offense in 2005.

• The hearing for Red Moon, 70 S. Arlington Heights Road, was continued until 10 a.m. Jan. 18. Blomquist said the company is charged with its third violation.

An eighth grader at Thomas Middle School who is shadowing Mayor Mulder this week, sat through the hearing, and agreed with the mayor that these are serious offenses.

“My cousin's best friend died at 18 because of drunken driving,” said Brianna Kolbus. “I usually wear a bracelet to commemorate this,” she said after the hearing.

The 14-year-old was particularly surprised that the businesses had sold alcohol to minors, even after being warned in a letter they would be tested.

Mulder said the state of Illinois tries to make it obvious for businesses by printing drivers licenses for those under 21 vertically, while those for people old enough to buy alcoholic beverages are printed horizontally.

“It makes me think the training is not good,” Mulder said after the hearing.