Despite the owner of Tres Amigos, Janet Hamill, investing $4,500 for software to check a customer’s age, a server at the restaurant managed to sell beer to a minor. During a compliance check made by TABC at the business on April 22, an underage customer ordered a beer and was asked for an ID. Store officials said the scanner was working correctly, but the server did not check the results of a scan and went ahead and served the minor.
Tres Amigos has been caught three times in around a year selling alcohol to a minor. The first time was July 16, 2015, the second time was Jan. 26, 2016, and the third time was April 22. The TABC penalized the restaurant with a suspension of 25 days for the sale of alcohol and informed the Chattanooga Beer Board of the repeat violations. If the beer board also finds that business guilty, it must at least mirror the penalty.
This restaurant is in the process of closing at the location where the violation occurred and came to the board not only for the hearing but to surrender its license. The restaurant will reopen downtown in the location of the Mystery Theater on Market Street. The suspension is effective today, and no beer can be served at the new location for the next 25 days.
The state of Tennessee has changed the law so that wine and alcohol can now be sold in movie theaters. Regal Cinemas, Inc. at Hamilton Place 8, 2000 Hamilton Place Blvd. applied Thursday, and was given a license to sell beer. All customers that buy a beer will be wrist banded, and the band will be marked each time a beverage is sold. The limit will be three per customer, only one beer can be bought at a time, and no one will be allowed to purchase a beer for any other customer. It will be sold at dedicated beer stations and served in special cups. The theater will have monitors in the theater checking that anyone drinking has a wristband and the special cup.
Maulik Shah, owner of Quick Mart, 9117 E. Brainerd Road, has been in business for 10 years. The location was recently annexed from Hamilton County into the city of Chattanooga. This required the business to apply for a Chattanooga beer license, which was granted on Thursday.
The “911 Heroes Run-Chattanooga” is a combination of the 911 memorial stair climb with a 5K race and a one mile fun-run. It will be held on Sept. 18 from noon until 9 p.m. Beer will be sold at a small beer garden set up in Miller Plaza for the special event, where three vendors have donated beer to the non-profit organization. Including runners and spectators, 600 people are expected to attend.
On the weekend of Sept. 10-11, from noon until 6 p.m., Ruby Falls will hold “Football @ the Falls.” Large screen TVs will be set up on the patio so people can watch football games after touring the cave. This is considered added value for the guests, said Hollie Baranick, representing the attraction.