Needham board suspends Jamesliquor license for seven days after third compliance check failure

The Needham Select Board voted July 22 to suspend the section 12 all-alcohol restaurant license held by Henry Hospitality LLC, doing business as The James, after concluding the establishment committed two violations during an underage compliance check on March 19, 2025.

The board found that a bartender served an alcoholic beverage to an underage person and that staff failed to request or scan proof of age. The board recorded that the March 19 incident was the third compliance-check failure for The James within the five-year lookback period the town uses for penalties.

Miles Tucker, Needham Support Services manager, summarized the licensee's compliance history: a verbal warning in December 2021, a sale-to-minor compliance failure on Oct. 30, 2024 that led to a two-day suspension under a signed agreement, and the March 19, 2025 failure. Chief John Schlittler told the board that on March 19 an underage tester entered The James at about 4:38 p.m., was served a beer by a bartender identified as David Adams, and left; Officer Broderick then informed the bar staff and provided a notice of violation.

Licensee Stuart Henry and general manager Mary Kiley attended the hearing and acknowledged the facts. Kiley told the board the server in question had been on staff only a short time and had finished training within weeks, that the employee had been terminated after the incident, and that the establishment had instituted in-person TIPS training, in-house checks and portable ID scanners at the bar. "We had everyone retrain, tips training," Kiley said. Henry said he was "sincerely regretful and embarrassed" and that The James is a longtime community business.

Miles Tucker told the board that town policy recommends a six- to ten-day suspension for a failure to use a digital ID scanner and up to five days for a compliance-check sale-to-minor violation. After discussion, board members accepted a compromise penalty. The board voted to suspend the license for a total of seven days: one day for the underage sale and six days for the scanner regulation violation. The suspensions will be served as three consecutive days and then four consecutive days on dates chosen by the licensee within 45 days of written notice of the decision. The board also authorized the town manager to send the decision notice to the licensee and the Massachusetts Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission.

Board members emphasized that the town requires consistent, defensible enforcement and that repeat violations will trigger stronger penalties; staff and town counsel advised the board on the town's look-back and the distinction between warnings and enforceable penalties under state guidance. The board recorded the roll-call vote approving the finding of violations and the suspensions.

The board's action follows the town's compliance protocols and the licensee agreement history; the select board noted the licensee's steps to reinforce staff training and use of scanners but said the repeated failures required sanctions designed to reduce future risk.

Ending: The James will receive formal written notice of the board's decision in the mail and the board directed staff to transmit the ruling to the state Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission per usual procedure.