Council notes owner’s

absence



By RUTH HEIDE

ALAMOSA — A no show at a show cause hearing Monday night earned East-West Grill more time under liquor license suspension than if the restaurant owner had appeared before the Alamosa City Council.

In a 4-2 vote with Councilor Charles Griego excused because his wife holds a liquor license, the city council on Monday found the restaurant in violation of liquor regulations by selling to an underage person cooperating in a compliance check on July 9 and imposed a 15-day suspension of East-West Grill’s hotel-restaurant liquor license to be served consecutively in the next 30 days.

In the past the council has held some of those days in abeyance on a first violation.

Alamosa Mayor Farris Bervig and Councilor Leland Romero voted against the 15-day suspension and Councilors Greg Gillaspie, April Gonzales, Josef Lucero and Kathy Rogers voted for it.

Romero said he favored revocation of the license.

Although this was the restaurant’s first liquor code violation the city council imposed a harsher sentence because liquor license holder Chuck Hsu did not attend the hearing. Alamosa Police Detective Jeff Martinez who conducted the July compliance check informed the council that he personally served notice of the show cause hearing on Hsu who responded that he thought it would be best if he did not appear because he might lose temper, so he planned to send a business representative.

Councilor Romero said whether Hsu considered himself hot headed or not he needed to try and control his temper and come and present his case before the council during the show cause hearing.

City councilors said this is the second time Hsu has not appeared in relationship with a show cause hearing. The other matter dealt with Hunan’s.

Chris Dausey represented East-West Grill at the Monday hearing. He has been general manager of the restaurant for four and a half years but is not the registered manager for purposes of the liquor license, a fact that generated some concern and discussion among the councilors during the show cause hearing.

City Clerk Judy Egbert explained that the manager for liquor license purposes is the person who orders alcohol, hires/fires employees and maintains the checking account for the business. Dausey said he did not order alcohol or write checks for the business.

City Prosecutor Gene Farish said the liquor license violation occurred at about 5:30 p.m. on July 9 when a 19-year-old female who was cooperating with police in a compliance check entered the East-West Grill at 405 Fourth Street in Alamosa and purchased a bottle of Coors Light without being asked for identification by the waitress. Dausey said the waitress is no longer employed at East-West Grill as a result of this offense.

Dausey was not present at the restaurant when the violation occurred.

Dausey said Hsu asked him to apologize to the city council on behalf of the business. He explained that the policy of the business is to ID everyone in connection with alcohol sales and reminders to that effect are posted in more than one location throughout the restaurant.

“This young lady apparently just failed to follow procedures,” Dausey said. “She simply failed to comply and we apologize.”