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Fast Stop Markets tells Knoxville Beer Board it fired employee after underage sale; board takes no immediate action
Summary
At the May 26, 2026 Knoxville Beer Board meeting, Fast Stop Markets described steps it has taken after an underage sale at a Middlebrook Pike store — including firing the employee, increased mystery-shop visits and ID-verification tools — and the board declined to send the case to a suspension hearing.
At its May 26 meeting, the Knoxville Beer Board heard an administrative presentation from Fast Stop Markets after an alleged underage alcohol sale at the chain’s Middlebrook Pike location. Randy Byers, director of retail for Fast Stop Markets, told the board the company had terminated the employee involved and was increasing monitoring and training to prevent future violations.
“We have a zero tolerance for underage alcohol sales,” Byers said. He told the board Fast Stop employs a third-party mystery-shopping service, Spies in Motion, and that he asked the company to increase the frequency of visits to that store. Byers also said the company requires staff sign-offs on refreshed training materials and is deploying a National Association of Convenience Stores–approved tool called True Age to verify customer age in addition to ID scanning.
Byers described procedural changes including district-level reinforcement of ID-checking, new training acknowledgments for newly hired staff, and handbook sections reiterating that violations lead to immediate termination. He said Fast Stop operates 24 beer permits across Tennessee and is focusing local management and daily shift conversations on compliance.
Board members pressed for concrete safeguards. A council member asked what guarantees the company could provide to ensure a minor would not receive alcohol again; Byers pointed to the combination of increased mystery shops, mandatory scanning, and the True Age verification tool as the company’s remedial measures.
Mister Frost (KPD) suggested a motion. After discussion, a motion to take no further action was made on the floor; the board did not move the case to a suspension/revocation hearing that night. The board’s decision left open the possibility of future enforcement action if subsequent violations occur.
The administrative hearing followed staff briefings earlier in the meeting about other active cases, including agreed orders and default motions affecting other permit holders. The board concluded the session and adjourned later in the evening.
