Boathouse Given Maximum Penalty For Customers Taking Drinks Onto Riverwalk; Management Does Not Show For Hearing

  • Thursday, June 7, 2018
  • Gail Perry

The Boathouse Rotisserie & Raw bar, 1011 Riverside Dr., was cited to the Chattanooga Beer Board on Thursday, for violations of the open container law. The problem was first noticed in August 2017 when nine people were seen standing on the Riverwalk in front of the restaurant with beer and mixed drinks. On two other occasions last fall, Hamilton County Park Rangers found other people on the Riverwalk consuming alcohol originating from the Boathouse.

Each time, the park rangers spoke to managers of the business about reconciling the situation.

 

About two dozen more people were found this spring on the trail with alcohol which came from the restaurant, and the rangers spoke to the managers each time. They finally called Chattanooga Police Officer John Collins with the Chattanooga Beer Board, who recommended issuing citations. The restaurant was cited on May 25, and the very next day another person was found with beer on the trail. That night, the manager on duty told the park rangers,“I’m busy tonight and I don’t have time for that.”

 

Assistant City Attorney Keith Reisman told the board that with a consumer or carryout beer license, a person cannot walk off the premises with an open container. The county is now in process of constructing a chain link fence to define the park property.

 

Lawton Haygood, owner of the Boathouse, is well known in Chattanooga and well respected, said Chairman of the Beer Board Ron Smith. He questioned if Mr. Haygood had been notified of the infractions. Ranger Kevin Moses said the general manager had been in contact with the sheriff’s Office many times about this situation, and he had been told the owner was notified. "I feel like we have made numerous attempts to work with the managers," said Ranger Moses.

 

Officer Collins then hand delivered a citation to the restaurant and presented it to a manager who referred him to a second manager who referred him to a third supervisor. He said there was a sign in the lobby saying that no alcohol was allowed on the Riverwalk, but there was no monitoring. While he was there, Officer Collins stopped a customer who was walking out the main entrance with a beer.

 

Despite the notifications and communication from various managers to the beer board personnel and park rangers, no representative from the business appeared at the beer board meeting in response to the citation. The board chose to hear the violation without them. Chairman Smith called the response from the restaurant “flagrant arrogance.”

 

Board Member Christopher Keene made the motion to suspend the beer license for 10 days or the option of the business paying a $1,500 fine - the maximum allowed, for the offenses. He also noted their "arrogance" for not appearing for the hearing. The motion passed on a vote of five for and two against. The suspension will start on June 21 if that option is chosen. The TABC will also be notified since the violations also involved alcohol and wine. Board Member Trevor Atchley said, for the record, such a significant penalty was because of the multiple violations and repeated attempts to warn the managers, and because they did not appear at the hearing.

 

Vicky Food Mart, 6800 Shallowford Road, was cited for the offense of selling beer to a minor. On April 3, the clerk on duty checked the ID of an undercover buyer sent from the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office. The sale of a beer was made despite the buyer being only 19. Murad Gilani, owner of the store, told the board that the clerk entered the information in a Point of Sale (POS) system and the sale was approved.  The clerk must have punched in the wrong numbers, he said, while showing the board a printout for proof the ID had been checked. The print out does not show the date entered, and Board Member Andre Harriman said the date entered might not have been a mistake, but could have been just a date that would allow a sale to be completed. He suggested this could be a habitual practice. Mr. Atchley said this is a common problem when stores rely totally on a POS system. He made a motion that passed for a three-day suspension that will start on June 14.

 

The Chattanooga Waterfront Triathlon sponsored by the Chattanooga Track Club will take place at Ross’s Landing, 120 Riverfront Parkway, on Friday, June 22, from 6-10 p.m. and on Sunday, June 24, from 7 a.m. until 3 p.m. Race Director Jennifer Berz was given a special events beer permit for two days. A volunteer party will be held on Friday night where wrist bands will be issued after age is verified when participants check in. Each person will be allowed two beers. On Sunday beer will be available after the race. The event organizers are expecting around 1,200 athletes from 13 different states for the event.

 

One new consumer beer permit was issued by the board at the meeting. The New China Buffet and Grill, 531 Signal Mountain Road, Suite #129, was approved to sell beer. This restaurant is a Chinese buffet with the seating capacity of around 150. Only bottled beer will be sold.

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