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Carroll County board fines Blaze Pizza $600 after sale to two underage people
Summary
The Board of License Commissioners found Blaze Pizza culpable of selling alcohol to two underage volunteers during an undercover compliance check and assessed $300 fines per violation, totaling $600, payable within 30 days.
The Carroll County Board of License Commissioners found Blaze Pizza culpable of selling alcoholic beverages to two underage volunteers and assessed fines totaling $600 at its October meeting.
Case 6521 was called after an alcohol compliance check on July 22, 2024. Inspector Sherry Warner sent two underage volunteers into the restaurant; one volunteer later texted that staff had served a bottle of Blue Moon and a Coors Light. The server was identified in the file as Bharati Patel.
Kenneth Brewer, who testified that Restaurant Retail and Real Estate LLC does business as Blaze Pizza at 265 Baltimore Boulevard, said the sale resulted from a breakdown in the chain of training when a recently hired employee was allowed to serve despite not having completed alcohol-server certification. “We got a new employee in and failed to actually do all the things we should have done as an organization,” Brewer said, adding that the employee was “immediately separated.” Brewer said the store will require TIPS (alcohol-server) certification before an employee can operate a register and that the remaining staff are or will be certified; he said the separated employee was scheduled for TIPS training on Nov. 4.
Inspector Benfer (presenting for Inspector Warner) entered photos and the compliance report into evidence and noted the prior compliance check on July 27, 2022, in which Blaze Pizza passed. After testimony and deliberation, a commissioner moved to find the licensees culpable of sales to two underage persons and to assess $300 for each violation; another commissioner seconded the motion. The board voted in favor. The commission ordered the fines to be paid within 30 days of the board’s written notice.
The board record notes that Blaze Pizza had been open a short time and that the commission typically expects stricter early compliance. Commissioners praised Brewer’s acceptance of responsibility and the corrective steps he described while emphasizing that carding and consistent enforcement are the primary safeguards against underage sales.
The board closed the case after announcing the fine and payment deadline.
