Annual meeting gets liquor license holders up to speed

Alcohol license holders in Waltham attended an annual meeting on Wednesday, where they prepared to renew their licenses for the next year and brushed up on the responsibilities of being a license holder. 

Executive Director Ralph Sacramone of the Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission (ABCC) gave a seminar to licensees to review violations and common misconceptions about alcohol sales in Massachusetts. Giving seminars such as this has reduced liquor license violations by up to 50%.

Sacramone began by reviewing changes that licensees might be making to an existing license they are renewing. Then he demonstrated how to use the ABCC website, which offers services in 12 different languages. The website’s FAQ list is designed to help licensees straighten out issues after hours rather than having to wait until business hours to deal with a concern. The site also includes information about happy hour regulations, which have been in place in Massachusetts since the 1980s and prohibit licensees from offering “happy hour deals” such as an open bar offered to customers at a fixed price.

Sacramone emphasized continuous vigilance in checking IDs. While checking IDs is not required by law, he said, it is a tool that licensees can use to help ensure alcohol doesn’t get served to someone who is underage. 

The ABCC does yearly compliance checks for anyone who holds a liquor license by sending an underage patron into their establishment to buy alcohol. If the individual’s ID is checked and alcohol is denied, the licensee passes. Sacramone also reminded the audience that no employee 17 years old or younger is allowed to handle alcohol, and alcohol cannot be served to a child even if a parent is present and gives permission. An establishment itself can determine whether an underage individual can sit with a parent at a bar in the restaurant.

Another portion of the seminar covered the license holder’s duty to protect patrons from foreseeable harm. If licensees see aggressive or unwanted behavior in their establishments, the licensees are liable if the behavior escalates and results in injury. Calling the police removes that liability, and Sacramone encouraged attendees to call the police at any sign of trouble.

“The only way to be off the hook is to call the police,” he said. 

Sacramone also warned against overserving, as anyone charged with operating under the influence has to identify the establishment that served the last drink. 

Licensees were also told that drinks or food containing CBD, THC or other cannabinoids cannot be sold to customers, despite marijuana being legal in Massachusetts.

To conclude the seminar, Sacramone reviewed labor laws. 

Darlene Wansiewicz, an administrative assistant to the Licensing Department, reminded licensees of the specific forms that they needed to fill out and return to the city by Nov. 30. 

Commission Chair, Wayne Brasco, finished the meeting by thanking the licensees for attending. “You’re our customers, we love you,” he said. “Thank you for being here.”