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Two Towson bars were fined for serving minors after their owners testified in front of the Baltimore County Liquor Board on Monday. Kent House and the bar side of the store World of Wine were recently hit by undercover stings, where police cadets weren't asked to show ID when they ordered drinks. Before issuing the fines, the board did commend each establishment for quickly admitting what had happened. How the violations happened Gundeep Singh, along with his lawyer David Mister, tried to get some leniency with the board when describing how the violation happened. Singh, the owner of Socialize at Towson and World of Wine on York Road, said the bartender was confused because the undercover police cadet ordered four drinks and then passed them down. At no point did the bartender ask for ID. Singh recounted he was notified pretty quickly and the bartender was very apologetic for what happened. Since it happened during the afternoon, there was no security on the bar side of the business. Singh said they rely on security personnel to check IDs. After noting the business had passed several other checks by law enforcement, Singh said they're working with a vendor to get an ID scanner for bartenders. "I'll be calling them again and, if it's possible, then we will be able to scan the ID's," Singh said. "The bartender will be able to scan the ID's with a handheld device." The board liked Singh's honestly. He also said the bartender hasn't done her alcohol awareness training yet. The board fined Singh's business $750. George Georges, owner of Kent House, said a police cadet got inside his business when a doorman for the front door was running late. Since no one under 21 is allowed inside, a bartender then served the police cadet without question. Georges committed to looking into some kind of scanner and just being stricter overall. "We will increase our priority mindset on this. I will be very, very surprised if you see me here again," Georges said. The board fined Kent House $250, after seeing there had been no underage violations since 2015. "That's pretty remarkable in Towson," said Susan Green, the board's chair. "Even the best establishments get fooled by the cadets now and again." Charles Village Pub also has been charged with serving a minor. While it was originally set to testify Monday, its hearing has been postponed to November. Concern for Towson businesses This all comes after The Greene Turtle announced it will be closing its Towson location by the end of the year. The decision came after the business lost its liquor license for Thursdays in October. A large crowd spilled out of the bar during one of its Thirsty Thursday events. People WJZ has talked to hope businesses around the area stay open. "Towson be popping on Thursdays. Everybody be outside," said Coumba Faye, a Morgan State University student living in Towson.
