Popular Southwest RivCo Restaurant's Alcohol License Suspended After Minor Involved In Crash That Hurt 3

MENIFEE, CA — A BJ's Restaurant & Brewhouse in Menifee was temporarily banned from selling alcohol after investigators determined its staff served a minor alcoholic drinks before a serious crash in 2023, officials said.

Beginning Feb. 17, the license to sell alcohol at BJ's Restaurant at 30208 Haun Road was suspended for 25 days, according to the state Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control.

According to ABC, the crash involving the minor happened on Nov. 20, 2023, in Menifee and seriously injured the minor, an adult passenger and another driver.

The Menifee Police Department said the crash occurred around 10:30 p.m. at the intersection of Menifee Road and Camino Cristal, less than two miles from the restaurant, NBC Los Angeles reported.

Officers responded to the scene and found a Hyundai driven by a 64-year-old man and a Nissan Altima occupied by a 17-year-old girl and a 23-year-old man who was ejected from the car, per NBC Los Angeles.

The driver of the Nissan lost control and travelled into oncoming traffic, colliding with the Hyundai. Both men were critically injured, and the teen sustained major injuries, authorities said.

ABC said it opened a TRACE (Target Responsibility for Alcohol Connected Emergencies) investigation immediately after the crash to determine the source of the alcohol the minor consumed.

Investigators from the TRACE unit and Menifee police officers determined that on Nov. 20, 2023, the minor was served three alcoholic drinks by a server at BJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse, officials said.

"Restricting alcohol access for minors is critical to preventing incidents of this nature," said ABC Director Paul Tupy. "Licensees must uphold their responsibility to serve lawfully and refrain from providing alcohol to underage individuals."

In a statement emailed to Patch on March 11, BJ's Restaurant said:

"We take this situation, our responsibility to serve alcohol, and our guests’ and team members’ safety seriously. At the time of the incident, in November 2023, we conducted a thorough investigation and took immediate action. We’ve always followed industry best practices and continue to reinforce robust training on laws and policies to ensure proper procedures are consistently upheld when serving alcoholic beverages with a zero tolerance policy for any violation."

According to ABC, the TRACE program is funded by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The grant provides funding for ABC investigations of alcohol-related incidents that involve a person under the age of 21 causing great bodily injury or death, or anyone charged with vehicular manslaughter that was under the influence of alcohol regardless of their age.