Copyright Baltimore News
With technology constantly improving, preventing underage customers from buying drinks at bars and restaurants is becoming more of a challenge, say some Baltimore County business owners and liquor license officials. Several owners testified Monday before a hearing of the Baltimore County Board of Liquor License Commissioners, and others spoke with the Baltimore Sun on the subject, detailing the problems they deal with. The greater restaurant and bar scene around Towson University has seen several liquor license penalties since the beginning of the fall, including one that led to the end of “Thirsty Thursday” programming at (and the eventual closure of) sports bar The Greene Turtle. At Monday’s hearing, two other local bars — World of Wine Tavern and Kent Island — faced the board to show cause after allegedly selling alcohol to individuals under 21, while an additional bar, Charles Village Pub, has the same type of hearing scheduled for November. In the case of World of Wine, two police cadets were accompanied by two adult police officers. One of the adults ordered drinks for the group, and staff at the bar only checked the ID card of the ordering customer. World of Wine’s attorney David Mister argued that commissioners should consider the “somewhat unusual” nature of the situation when making their decision.
