Six more Arlington Heights businesses fined for selling alcohol to minors
Six more Arlington Heights businesses were fined this week for selling alcohol to minors, on top of a dozen violations issued in September.
The 18 citations for the calendar year are a slight uptick from the 14 issued in 2019 - the last time the police department conducted what is normally an annual undercover sting.
The fines issued by Mayor Tom Hayes during a special hearing Monday ranged from $500 to $750; earlier penalties at the Sept. 20 hearing ranged from $500 to $1,500. The penalized Arlington Heights businesses were both big and small, as the compliance checks covered all 110 liquor license holders in town.
One of them, the Courtyard by Marriott hotel at 100 W. Algonquin Road, involved an employee who checked the ID of a 17-year-old, who was working undercover for police, but still sold the minor a 12-ounce bottle of Goose Island beer, village officials said.
The sale occurred even after the employee consulted with a manager from a different department who was temporarily filling in at the front desk.
"That concerns me that she allowed this to happen," said Hayes, who doubles as local liquor control commissioner. "Courtyard's a big company that hopefully would be able to prevent sales like this from occurring."
The sale occurred Sept. 27, just days after the first set of liquor license violation hearings in village hall.
New hotel general manager Tjeerd Geurtsen, who started just four weeks ago, said the hotel, like a lot of businesses, has been stretched thin and short-staffed during the pandemic. But he told Hayes that an underage sale wouldn't happen again.
"One of my main priorities is making sure we're following all the city's guidelines," Geurtsen said. "It will never happen again. That's a promise I can easily give to you."
Hayes leveled a $750 fine on the management company that runs the hotel.
The other fines issued Monday were to:
• Hanshin Pocha, 1918 S. Arlington Heights Road ($750).
• Honey-Jam Cafe, 2944 W. Euclid Ave. ($750).
• 7-Eleven, 1418 E. Hintz Road ($500).
• Rokbonki, 876 W. Dundee Road ($500).
• San Korean Cuisine, 234 E. Golf Road ($500).
Hayes said he issued the $750 fines because they involved two violations: sale to a minor and selling alcohol without state-certified BASSET training.
All violations also came with a $75 administrative fee, with court reporter and attorney's fees still to be determined.