The Lake View Seafood Restaurant was given the punishment at an alcohol regulatory and licensing authority hearing in Queenstown earlier this month.
The matter arose from a controlled purchase operation carried out on December 19, when two volunteers, both aged 17, entered the restaurant, the authority said in its decision.
They ordered a glass of red wine and a bottle of beer. The drinks were served without them being asked for IDs.
The staff member who served the alcohol later admitted to the police she had not checked the customers’ ages, and she believed they were both 22 years old.
At the time of the incident, the only certified manager on the premises was Guijing Chen, also known as Ivy Chen, although she was not in the restaurant at the time of the offence.
She told police she trained her staff to check the age of anyone who appeared to be under 22 years old, and acknowledged the law required staff to verify the age of anyone who appeared to be under 25.
The failure to check their IDs was a clear violation of the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act 2012.
The New Zealand Police did not seek the cancellation of the restaurant’s liquor licence but, instead, requested a suspension.
The authority accepted this approach, considering the circumstances of the offence and the co-operation from both the restaurant and Mrs Chen.
In April last year the restaurant was penalised for serving a bottle of spirits to patrons in a private room, an offence for which Mrs Chen was directly responsible.
The restaurant’s repeat offending contributed to the decision to impose a longer suspension period than would typically be applied.
For the restaurant itself, the authority decided on a four-day suspension of its liquor licence, effective from September 15-19.
Mrs Chen’s six-week suspension from managing the restaurant is set to run from September 8 to October 19.
The authority took into account the suspension, combined with the restaurant’s suspension, would result in significant financial consequences for the Chen family, who own the business.
Under the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act 2012, any establishment or manager who accumulates three negatives within a three-year period must face an application for the cancellation of their licence or certificate.
The authority said the restaurant was “skating on thin ice”.
— Allied Media
