Arvada – A restaurant owner whose employee allegedly served whiskey to an already-intoxicated customer had his liquor license suspended for 15 days by the Colorado Department of Revenue’s liquor license division.
“An alcohol sale to a visibly intoxicated person is a very serious liquor violation because it puts the health, safety and welfare of the public at risk,” said Carla Benner, a liquor licensing investigator for the Arvada Police Department.
The customer, a man police declined to identify, rode a mountain bike to the Red Lantern Chinese Restaurant at 8770 Wadsworth Blvd. on April 18.The man stopped at the bar and ordered a double shot of whiskey. Shortly thereafter, police said, they were called by restaurant workers after the man fell off the bar stool and passed out.
The cyclist, who was not hurt, told police that he had been drinking “cheap booze” all day. Police said they found empty bottles of Smirnoff vodka and Gatorade in his backpack.
The man was neither hospitalized nor arrested but driven home, according to a police report.
Rong Zhang has owned and operated the restaurant for 16 years and this was his restaurant’s first liquor-license suspension. He fired the waitress who served the cyclist, he said.
The restaurant was prohibited from serving liquor from June 23 through the 27th.The other 10 days of the liquor license suspension will be held in abeyance for 12 months. Zhang must not have any further violations, must provide his employees with written instructions for detecting intoxicated customers and employees must attend liquor training within 90 days.
“It’s fair. I guess,” Zhang said. “Hopefully no more drunks come in here.”
Staff writer Annette Espinoza can be reached at 303-820-1655 or aespinoza@denverpost.com.
