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Buffalo restaurant fined $1,500 after employee 'squirting' alcohol in customer’s mouth; board orders end to practice
Summary
The Authority imposed a $1,500 penalty on Kobe HR Inc. after investigators recorded an incident where a hibachi chef 'squirting' alcohol resulted in a sale or service involving a 14‑year‑old patron; the board ordered the practice stopped and required payment instructions by email.
The State Liquor Authority told the owner of Kobe HR Inc. to stop the restaurant’s hibachi practice of squirting liquid into customers’ mouths and imposed a $1,500 civil penalty at its March 13 hearing. An interpreter joined the Buffalo call and the owner, Nong Kai Huang, explained that the hibachi show was a longstanding service practice; board members said the incident involved a patron under 15 and treated the matter as a serious sell-to-minor enforcement case.
Chair Lily Fan explained two discrete issues: the potential sale to a minor (the board said a 14‑year‑old was involved) and the separate prohibition on giving free alcohol to patrons. The chair set the penalty at $1,500 and told the licensee that a letter with payment instructions would be sent to the licensee’s email. The board also required the licensee to stop the ‘squirting into the mouth’ practice immediately and reiterated that “no free alcohol” is permitted.
The board noted mitigating facts — the incident was self-reported and police and the parent cooperated — but said the agency would monitor compliance and that repeated violations can lead to license cancellation.
