3 Framingham Establishments Get Alcohol License Suspended

FRAMINGHAM, MA- Three establishments are having their alcohol licenses temporarily suspended after employees were caught selling alcohol to a minor in a sting operation conducted by the Framingham police in November 2018.

Framingham Beer Works, Legal Sea Foods and Tesoro Supermarket faced penalties by the Board of License Commissioners and were among the 17 establishments cited in the sting.

An 18-year-old working with police was able to order a beer from both Legal Sea Foods and Framingham Beer Works without being asked for identification. This is the second offense for both establishments, resulting in a five-day suspension of their alcohol license. They must stop selling alcohol for three consecutive days, including a Monday, and the extra two days will be held for one year, only to be served if the establishments break probation.

The employees who served the underage boy at each establishment were fired. The attorney for Framingham Beer Works said the company will submit proposed dates to serve the sentence after checking its calendar of upcoming events. The company was caught in a sting once before in September 2016, resulting in a license suspension of two days and a $300 investigation fee to the city.

Legal Sea Foods also had a previous suspension for serving alcohol to an intoxicated person in October 2009. The restaurant served a two-day suspension, with two days held in abeyance. Tom Clancy, director of operations for Legal Sea Foods, told the Board of License Commission he was embarrassed about having another incident happen. "We apologize for having to even stand up here before you, and we’re going to do everything we can to see that this never happens again."

This was the first offense for Tesoro Supermarket , where the 18-year-old was able to buy a 12-pack of beer without being asked for ID. The supermarket's alcohol license was suspended for one day.

The manager of the store said the employee who sold the alcohol was new and was not supposed to be selling alcohol. Board Chairman Adam Barnosky said the supermarket should be more vigilant and always have a manager on duty to take over in case another new employee were left alone in a similar situation.

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