44 Of 45 Danvers Bars, Restaurants Pass Alcohol Compliance Test

DANVERS, MA — While Danvers bars and restaurants were overwhelmingly in compliance with rules against serving alcohol to those who are underage during a December police test, the Danvers Select Board has summoned ownership of one Newbury Street business accused of failing to ask for identification and serving an 18-year-old girl during the Dec. 20 checks.

Danvers Police Chief James Lovell spoke before the Select Board on Tuesday night and said of the 50 businesses with alcohol licenses in the town the department was able to perform a compliance test on 45 of them on Dec. 20. The test was conducted using a 19-old-boy and 18-year-old girl trained to enter a bar or restaurant as a "decoy" and order an alcoholic beverage.

While 44 of the 45 passed, Lovell said the 18-year-old girl was served at Torito Mexican Restaurant at 10 Newbury Street. Lovell said the girl entered the bar alone at about 4:25 p.m. and sat at the bar, ordered a Bud Light, was asked if she wanted a bottle or draft, and was given an open bottle of beer without being asked for identification.

Lovell said the girl followed protocol and then walked out of the restaurant, leaving the bottle on the bar. He said the bottle was still there when police entered the establishment soon thereafter.

"According to the report, they were met with less-than-cooperative employees," Lovell told the Select Board, adding that officers were told the bartender on duty was "smoking a cigarette outside," that the manager was out getting things for the restaurant, and that the girl had been served by another employee.

"After much resistance and lack of cooperation," Lovell said, "the parties were identified and informed of the violation.

"This was our one and only violation during the compliance checks."

Lovell said a notice of the upcoming compliance checks at an undisclosed day and time was posted via social media on Nov. 20. While he said the notices are no longer published in a local newspaper, Patch did publish the compliance test notice from the department both in 2021 and 2022.

"It's not a sting, it's a compliance check," Select Board member Gardner Trask said. "The town takes very seriously the liquor licenses and we appreciate the police going out and affirming they are being used in the way they are intended.

"I am actually heartened to hear that all but one (passed)," he added. "It's good to hear that they are taking it seriously."

The Select Board voted to request restaurant ownership to appear before it, along with Chief Lovell, for a license hearing at its March 7 meeting.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)