INSPECTIONS & ENFORCEMENTS

LIQUOR INSPECTIONS

A liquor inspector may arrive at any time to check books and records to assure liquor purchase and sales are in compliance with the law..  You must be able to produce records showing receipts for every bottle of liquor in your inventory and be able to show the liquor came from an approved source (see the section on Records you must keep).

The inspector may check liquor to assure it isn't adulterated or watered down, liquor is in the original bottle and there is no illicit liquor (purchased from sources that aren't approved or home made)  in the restaurant  They may also spend time observing service.  

Things they might look for include:

• Are young people asked to produce identification?
• Are intoxicated people given more drinks?
•  Does liquor service end when it’s supposed to?
•  Are staff drinking liquor?
•  Is alcohol being purchased for consumption elsewhere (off sales)?
•  Are most customers eating meals, not just having drinks?
  

The inspector may also ask to see guest checks for evidence of over serving or of excessive numbers of guests drinking without eating.

You must allow inspectors free access to any information they require and allow them to interview employees if they ask.  The inspectors are knowledgeable about your business and the hours of operation.  They will not make unreasonable or disruptive demands.

ENFORCEMENT

If a liquor inspector has reason to believe the law has been broken, you will receive a notice telling you the enforcement action that has been recommended and the facts and evidence supporting the recommendation.  If you agree with the enforcement decision (usually a fine or penalty) you can choose to pay, or you may dispute the evidence and the enforcement decision before a hearing. 

The person conducting the hearing is a neutral person who will decide to uphold, vary or cancel the enforcement recommendation. They will make this decision by listening to the facts presented by both the Liquor Licensing Branch and the person who has the licence (or their representative), hearing what witnesses say, and looking at any documents or records that help show what happened.  A decision will be made by applying the law to the facts that were presented at the hearing.

TIP: Serving it Right training helps prevent enforcement problems.  Over service (serving drinks to patrons who appear to have had too much or serving drinks in rapid succession) is serious and must not be permitted.  It may be awkward for a server to tell a patron they can’t have more drinks, and there should always be a senior person on staff who will reinforce and back up the server's decision.

TIP: It is good for business and good for customers to have a designated driver program or an account with a cab company to assure patrons get home safely and don’t hurt anyone in the process.