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Knoxville Beer Board escalates enforcement of annual CAST training; some outlets sent to hearing
Summary
Following an internal audit, the board voted to refer several permits to hearing officers for failure to complete required annual CAST training and missed remedial deadlines, while postponing other locations to allow managers time to complete background checks and training.
The Knoxville Beer Board moved on March 17 to enforce annual CAST (alcohol-server certification) requirements after staff reported an audit found numerous permit holders out of compliance despite repeated notices.
Officer Presley and Mr. Bird explained that the department sent initial letters on Jan. 28 and hand-delivered follow-ups on March 12 to licensees who remained delinquent. Staff reported recurring noncompliance at multiple locations, with examples including a Quality Restaurant Concepts location operating as Applebee's that last attended CAST on April 13, 2023 (so the certification expired April 13, 2024).
After hearing explanations from managers and staff, the board voted to send the Applebee's/Quality Restaurant Concepts permit to a hearing officer; board members said a hearing is likely to prompt swift compliance. The law department had already filed a non-compliance complaint in at least one separate case (Union Jacks) after the permit holder missed a remedial-plan deadline, though the board chose not to refer that particular permit to a hearing after the owner paid the fine and filed a revised remedial plan the day before the meeting.
Multiple Dollar General locations were treated differently depending on local circumstances. The Board voted to refer the Southerntherland Avenue and Amherst Road stores to a hearing officer after staff confirmed multi-year nonattendance. The South Rich Road manager (Megan Inman) was present, explained chronic turnover and recent managerial changes, and the board voted to postpone that location for 30 days to allow her to complete background checks, be listed on the permit and attend CAST class. Strawberry Plains Pike and several other stores were likewise postponed for one month, while other independent businesses (e.g., Galaxy Smoke) were given 30 days after they pledged to attend the next available class.
Board members emphasized that the CAST requirement is longstanding and that the city is now taking steps to enforce compliance rather than merely sending informational letters. Officer Presley said the CAST class is offered many times annually (she estimated "probably 50 times a year, every Thursday"). The law department advised that referrals to a hearing officer could lead to suspension or revocation; board members said they prefer to offer a chance to comply when managers appear in person but will pursue hearings when a permit holder repeatedly fails to respond to notices.
The board directed staff and the law department to proceed with hearings or provide one-month postponements as recorded on the meeting agenda.
