7 Businesses Fail in Liquor Sting; Oliveira's License Suspended 3 Days

Seven Peabody businesses, mostly restaurants, will be appearing before the city Licensing Board for possible disciplinary action after each of the establishments failed an alcohol compliance check last month and served a drink to a minor.

The conducts random alcohol stings throughout the year at every business within Peabody that sells or serves alcohol. An officer or detective will monitor from outside while an underage operative, oftentimes a college student, enters the establishment and attempts to get a drink.

Infractions are then reported to the Licensing Board for a public hearing. In most cases, the board issues a warning to first-time offenders and encourages the businesses to have all their employees involved in serving alcohol take a free training course. Subsequent offenses, however, are often met with harsher response.

An official report has not yet been submitted to the board nor a hearing date scheduled, but police did confirm that seven businesses failed a compliance check on the evening of April 23. They are: Buddha's Tavern, , , , , Santarpio's Pizza and .

In each case, police said, an underage customer was served alcohol.

Also that same evening, the board held a public hearing for an incident at Oliveira's Steak House that occurred on March 25.

On this occasion, police reported there were patrons inside after hours (around 1:30 a.m.) and alcohol was being consumed. Officers said the management also failed to control the premises.

The board unanimously decided to suspend the restaurant's liquor license for three consecutive days: May 12-14.

Police also responded to , but the board has not yet received a report on that, according to clerk Julie Rydzewski.

Police arrested four people (two from Lynn and two from Salem) that night and issued a summons to a fifth person from Beverly after responding to reports of several fights going on inside the Walnut Street restaurant.

According to police, the restaurant/bar had offered a promotion targeted to ages 18-20 and the minors mingling with an older late night crowd ending in brawling -- at one point 30 people were yelling at each other.