Editorial: Restaurant’s penalty could have been stiffer

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Applebee’s got off light.

On Monday the Rosemount City Council agreed to impose a five-day liquor license suspension and a $2,000 fine on the restaurant. The penalty comes after the restaurant failed an alcohol compliance check last April. It was the third failure there since 2005.

The penalty is a lot less serious than it could have been, and than it perhaps should have been. Under city rules the restaurant could have had its license suspended 10 days, with another 11-day suspension stayed.

Applebee’s also apparently got to decide when it would close. Attorney Kate Becker said the restaurant would serve the suspension immediately because Easter weekend is typically slow for alcohol sales anyway.

There are some mitigating factors here. The Rosemount restaurant is under new ownership, and this is the first violation since Applebee’s Restaurant North took over. Restaurant management has promised new measures that will make future violations less likely. That’s good news, but they’re hardly off to a flying start.

Keeping alcohol out of the hands of minors comes with the privilege of holding a liquor license. It’s a responsibility to the community as a whole.

Applebee’s has been a valuable community partner in a number of other areas. The restaurant frequently holds fundraising breakfasts for local organizations. Council member Mark DeBettignies apparently factored that into his decision on the suspension, seeking leniency for “a good community member.”

We just hope from now on they will carry that sense of civic responsibility behind the bar.

Tags: opinion, applebees, liquor, suspension