Six Maple Grove Businesses Fail Alcohol Compliance Checks, Blame Placed on Staffing Shortages

Six Maple Grove businesses face liquor license suspensions and fines after getting caught serving alcohol to minors during recent compliance checks conducted by police.

Common themes heard for the failures range from staffing shortages to difficulties finding good employees.

“I have been in this industry for 36 years, the last three [violations] have been very problematic. Since COVID, we’ve had a really hard time hiring. My policy is always to card everyone,” said Angel Erickson, owner of Angel’s Liquor.

Erickson added, “My guy simply did not ask for the ID. They did not even try.”

Angel’s Liquor has had three compliance violations since July 2020. Under Maple Grove’s city ordinance, a fourth violation in a three-year span results in a license revocation. For its latest violation, Angel’s Liquor received a $2,000 fine and a license suspension for seven consecutive days.

In handing out penalties this week, council members expressed frustration that the violations keep happening.

“How many people come in there that are getting alcohol that aren’t being checked? I mean that’s what we worry about,” said Maple Grove City Council member Judy Hanson. “It’s not the times you get caught. It’s the times you haven’t been caught.”

For most of the businesses, it was their first violation since getting approved for their license. Those include Max’s on Main, Crave, Pizza Karma, Haskell’s and Walmart. Each received fines of $2,000. The eating establishments also received a two-day license suspension. The businesses that solely rely on alcohol sales had their two-day suspensions stayed.

Mayor Mark Steffenson emphasized that driver’s licenses for those under 21 are vertical and those of legal age are horizontal.

“‘The license clearly says on it under 21. You really don’t even need to be able to read. You just need to figure out if the picture is vertical or horizontal,” said Steffenson.

However, in some of the violations, clerks or servers never bothered to check licenses. In another, an employee overrode the system by entering an erroneous birth date.

Places like Angel’s Liquor have since invested in technology where licenses have to be scanned with legal birth dates for a sale to go through.

But Steffenson also points out the issue is not just on businesses, but the employees who conduct the sale.

“If you don’t card and you get caught, you’re going to get charged criminally.”

Related: Seven New Hope Businesses Fail Tobacco, Alcohol Compliance Checks

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