Lynn license board laying out liquor law

LYNN – The License Commission is drafting a new supplemental rule that would force restaurant and club owners to re-certify any employee who served alcohol to a minor by sending them back through TIPS training.”It’s not disciplinary, but it is mandatory,” said Chairman Patricia Barton. “It’s for education.”Barton said the violator will have to become re-certified within a certain period of time and show proof of re-certification to the commission’s clerk or the establishment could face disciplinary action.Training for Intervention Procedures, or TIPS, is a program aimed at educating and training servers, or anyone, for the responsible service, sale and consumption of alcohol. Bartenders and servers are required to become TIPS certified.The new rule is a tweaked version of a supplemental rule the commission was set to vote on Tuesday until member John Krol offered an amendment. The original wording, a copy of which went to all liquor license holders in the city, called for every employee to become re-certified if an establishment was found to have served to a minor.”I would recommend a change in the wording to just the individual found selling the alcohol, not all employees,” he said. “Honestly, I don’t feel the need for an establishment with 10 or 12 waiters, waitresses, bartenders to all be re-certified because of one individual.”Police Officer Rich Fucci said his only concern is if a minor is served and there are three or four bartenders working and no one admits to it – who gets re-certified?”Then all of them,” Barton said.Commission attorney Vincent Phelan agreed that if the individual who served the drink cannot be identified then everyone on duty would be subject to re-training.Brick Yard Bar and Grill owner Rocco DiFilippo called the tweaked rule fair.”If they did it the other way and I had to send seven, eight or 10 employees back through the program after they’d already been once ? that could break us,” he said. “I don’t have a problem with the new change though.”DiFilippo said it can cost anywhere between $25 and $75 to send an individual through TIPS training because everyone charges their own rate. In 32 years the Brick Yard has never been in trouble for serving to a minor, DiFilippo said, but he can see how it could happen.”Someone can slip in and slip through the cracks,” he said. “You can turn away for a second and someone else sits down. It happens.”Because the change to the supplemental rule is so drastic it will have to be redrafted, re-advertised and subject to another public hearing, Phelan said.”I think I can have it ready for the next meeting,” he said.The committee is to meet again March 27 at 6:30 p.m. in the community room at the Lynn Police Station on Washington Street.Chris Stevens can be reached at [email protected].