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Boulder beverage board suspends Fringe Pizza liquor privileges for two days, denies fine-in-lieu request
Summary
City of Boulder Beverage Licensing Authority accepted a stipulation in the Fringe Pizza show-cause hearing, ordered two days of active suspension with nine days held in abeyance, and denied the licensee's request to pay a $1,000 fine instead of serving suspension days. The suspension will run July 21–22, 2025.
The City of Boulder Beverage Licensing Authority on July 16 accepted a stipulation of facts in a show-cause hearing for Fringe Pizza LLC, dba Fringe, a well-tapped eatery at 2900 Valmont Road, and ordered two days of active liquor-license suspension with nine days in abeyance.
The hearing addressed whether the restaurant's hotel-restaurant liquor license should be suspended or revoked based on an alleged sale to a person under 21. The authority first voted to accept a stipulated set of facts presented by the city and the licensee.
Licensee representatives told the authority the incident was the business’s first violation in roughly five years of operation. Dewey Brown, who identified himself for the record, said, “This is our first violation,” and described the business as having operated through the COVID period and taking corrective steps since the incident. Whitney Rejotte and manager Harry Cianas also testified that the employee who committed the violation had attended court, paid the fine, and renewed tip-training certification.
Chair Sherylia Roberts and other board members cited those corrective steps and the operation’s clean record as mitigating factors. “I really appreciated how quickly they responded to this,” Roberts said during deliberation.
After deliberation, the authority voted to impose two days of active suspension and to keep nine additional suspension days in abeyance as a conditional penalty. The motion recorded the decision as two days served with nine days held in abeyance; the board members present voted in favor.
The licensee asked to substitute a monetary fine in lieu of suspension and proposed a $1,000 fine. The board then took a separate vote and denied the request, with members saying fines in lieu of suspension are rarely granted and could set an unfavorable precedent. Member Haggerty noted the bartender had multiple opportunities to verify age before serving and that a suspension was an appropriate sanction.
Finally, the board set the two consecutive suspension days to begin the following Monday. Licensing staff said suspension posters would be available for pickup the next day; licensees must post a suspension notice by 11:59 p.m. Sunday, July 20, so the suspension will run Monday and Tuesday (July 21–22, 2025).
The authority directed licensing staff to produce the required suspension poster and emailed instructions to the licensee about posting and related procedures. The board also told the licensee that, if it wanted to pursue a fine-in-lieu after penalties were set, it could notify the authority before posting and provide an estimated per-day dollar amount for consideration.
The hearing record shows the authority applied its disciplinary procedures for noncriminal licensing violations and relied on the stipulation of facts to reach its decision.
The authority adjourned the hearing after confirming posting logistics with licensing staff.
