An Okanagan pub and grill has avoided a hefty penalty or liquor licence suspension after an employee reportedly sold a minor alcohol earlier this year.
According to a decision posted by the Liquor and Cannabis Regulation Branch (LCRB), the owners of 1516 Pub & Grill in Vernon admitted alcohol was sold to a minor inspection agent on Feb. 19, 2025.
The decision said at no point during the sale of an alcoholic beverage did any employees check the ID of the minor, who was employed under the LCRB’s minor agent program.
However, the establishment’s argument of “due diligence” was accepted by the LCRB.
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The licensee’s representative said when the inspection was happening, the two managers who were working that day were the only employees on the floor and were “run off their feet” after an unexpected mid-week rush.
The licensee said the manager who took the minor’s order was only recently hired but has more than 20 years of senior level management experience in liquor service, the LCRB decision said.
According to the licensee, with all that experience manager #1 should have asked and it did not make sense, except in consideration to how “unexpectedly” busy it had gotten.
That manager no longer works for the licensee.
The other manager is described as a long-term employee but is normally responsible for administrative duties like ordering supplies, setting the menus, hiring, training and managing other staff.
The licensee said the establishment’s currency policy is to ask for ID for anyone who looks under 30 or 40 and most servers always used 40. He also said all staff need their Serving It Right certification and interview questions focus on potential staff’s experience and how they would deal with difficult situations.
According to the decision, hiring is followed by extensive shadowing with senior staff.
The licensee said manager #1 was trained directly by the licensee’s representative and at a "higher level” than a typical server.
Since the contravention, nine additional measures have been introduced to the pub and grill to ensure consistent ID checking.
“While I find the Licensee’s training and systems need improvements, the standard to be applied is not one of perfection and is, instead, reasonableness in the circumstances,” said Dianne Flood with the LCRB.
“On that basis and in these particular circumstances, I find that the Licensee has adequate training and an adequate system of ongoing supervision. “
Ultimately, the defence of due diligence was upheld and the pub and grill avoid a fine of up to $7,000 or a seven-day licence suspension.
