Bar on Canterbury Street in Worcester losing license for 4 days. Here's why
WORCESTER — The city License Commission has suspended the liquor license of Fat Chops Sports Bar on Canterbury Street for four days, finding that it had been operating without anyone on site holding required certifications and had not properly informed the city about a potential ownership change.
The license will be suspended from Nov. 15 to 18.
The License Commission also added a stipulation that current owner and manager John Brower has to be on site during the bar's hours of operation, or the bar must close for the night.
Fat Chops was the subject to both violation and status hearings Thursday that went well over an hour.
Worcester police Sgt. Thomas Needham read a recounting of events from Officer Patrick Harrington.
Harrington entered Fat Chops on Oct. 20 and approached the bartender. When he asked to speak to the owner, the bartender pointed to Clinton Wilson Jr., who is in the process of purchasing the bar.
Harrington requested various documents, TIPS certifications and purchase orders. The documents had Wilson's name, but Wilson did not have his TIPS certificate with him.
TIPS, or Training for Intervention Procedures, is a training for the service and sale of alcohol.
The bartender could also not produce her TIPS certification and later only produced an expired certification. She said she had worked at the bar for about three weeks and had been hired by Wilson.
Harrington said the business could not operate that day without a TIPS-certified employee and that Wilson was only a proposed manager. Brower could not be reached.
At the Thursday hearing, Brower said he was unaware that the bartender's certification had expired and acknowledged he failed to do his due diligence.
Needham said bars cannot hire employees without current TIPS certifications.
Harrington also said there were no certification documents on the premises. Brower said he keeps his certifications electronically.
At the status hearing, Needham said police were concerned that a change of management had occurred without proper notification when they saw a social media post in June about a celebration to welcome new management. The post was later taken down.
While acknowledging he might have "jumped the gun," Brower said he made the post.
Representatives for the police brought forward documents showing that Wilson had signed onto paperwork for deliveries from distributors and that his name had been listed in the corporate structure.
Brower compared the signed paperwork to signing off on a mail delivery for a property owner who is not on the premises.
Brower and Wilson said Wilson was on the payroll so he could learn the trade of operating a bar, but they did not refer to him as a current manager or supervisor.
Wilson acknowledged he had made a money transaction related to the bar.
Wilson said it felt "very coincidental" that Harrington arrived at Fat Chops on the same day he was talking to representatives of the city about changing management.
"I feel like there's a lot of action on this specific matter, and I don't know why and to me I'm just a little confused," Wilson said.
License Commission Chair Anthony Vigliotti took offense to any suggestion that the city had any agenda against Wilson or Fat Chops.
"Nobody targeted you individually for any other reason except for these violations," Vigliotti said.
Deputy City Solicitor Alexandra Kalkounis said she has probably seen fewer than five hidden ownership issues in 15 years of attending License Commission meetings, and any extra attention came with the seriousness of the violation.
License Commission member Charran Fisher suggested suspending the license until the transfer of ownership had been completed.
However, Brower said closing the bar for that duration would be financially ruinous for him as the sole caretaker for his granddaughter.
Vigliotti ultimately suggested the four-day suspension and the stipulation that Brower has to be on the premises during hours of operation.
The License Commission unanimously approved the suspension.
Beer Garden goes into hibernation
The Worcester Beer Garden and Taproom's three-day suspension of its liquor license was waived because it will be shutting down for the winter months.
On Oct. 19, the License Commission issued the suspension for the first three Fridays of November after police found the outgoing manager had not completed a week's worth of crowd-management safety checks.
Joseph Donovan of Grid Management said at a status hearing that the Beer Garden on Franklin Street had a disappointing 2023 and the decision was made for it to close for the remainder of the year beginning in November.
The License Commission determined that it would be appropriate for the penalty to be served during the closure period.
This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Fat Chops Sports Bar license suspended for four days in November
