Swampscott businesses withdraw liquor suspension appeals

SWAMPSCOTT – Two of the three businesses that had received temporary reprieves from their one-day suspension from citations for selling alcohol to minors withdrew their appeals late Thursday afternoon and will serve their suspensions today.Red Rock Bistro and Café Paradiso dropped their appeals while the third, Hawthorne by the Sea, will be open for business today.At a special selectman’s meeting Thursday morning members voted 3-2 to delay the suspensions until the Alcohol Beverage Control Commission has ruled on the appeals.The three businesses had filed appeals with the ABCC, but now only Hawthorne by the Sea will have to wait for the ABCC decision. If the ABCC upholds the suspension, its liquor would be suspended Friday, May 16 or the first Friday after the ABCC upholds the ruling.The owners of Red Rock Bistro and Café Paradiso had filed a joint civil suit in Salem Superior Court seeking a stay to give them time to appeal their one-day liquor license suspensions and a hearing was scheduled in Lawrence Superior Court Thursday.But Attorney Joseph Dever, who represented both establishments at the meeting, told Town Manager Andrew Maylor that the two establishments had dropped their appeals and would serve their suspensions today.Selectmen Marc Paster, Eric Walker and Jill Sullivan had all voted for the delay while Anthony Scibelli and Adam Walker voted against delaying the suspension until the ABCC had time to make its ruling.The selectmen are the licensing authority in town and on March 18 imposed liquor license suspensions on eight businesses caught in an ABCC and police department sting conducted Feb. 8. At that meeting selectmen were adamant the suspension be served on a Friday because the infractions occurred on a Friday evening.Fiory’s Variety on Burrill Street, Uno’s Chicago Grill, C&L Package Store, Gourmet Garden, Thai Thani, Hawthorne by the Sea, Café Paradiso and Red Rock Bistro all sold alcohol to a minor without asking for identification.Selectmen voted to impose a one-day liquor license suspension for first time offenders and a three-day suspension for C&L Package Store and Thai Thani because they had previous offenses.Fiory’s Variety on Burrill Street, Uno Chicago Grill and Gourmet Garden are scheduled to serve their one-day suspensions today. C&L Package Store and Thai Thani started serving their three-day suspensions Wednesday and will be able to serve alcohol again starting Saturday.