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Buffalo bar owner fined $3,000 after underage sale; board cites staff training and one-off mistake
Summary
Owner Christopher Fantuzo told the board an uncertified barback served drinks shortly before closing, was fired, and the licensee has reinforced ID‑checking; the board imposed a $3,000 civil penalty after treating simultaneous sales as one offense.
Christopher Fantuzo, owner and operator of Studio Lounge (Fantuzo Enterprise LLC), appeared before the State Liquor Authority in the Buffalo docket and described an underage‑sale incident that happened shortly before closing. Fantuzo said the server was one of the bar backs who was not certified and that he “took it upon himself to do it.” He told commissioners that the employee has since been terminated and that the establishment has ongoing ID checks and door screening.
Authority staff explained that the case involved two sales that ordinarily would carry delegated fines totaling $9,000, but because they occurred at the same time staff would treat the incident as a single sale for penalty purposes and recommended a $3,000 fine. The board concurred and set the civil penalty at $3,000. Fantuzo said he has trained staff and uses scanners and wands at entry and emphasized the incident was a “one‑off.”
The board advised the licensee to maintain an ID‑checking system and warned that repeat offenses can carry increased penalties including license cancellation on the fourth sale classification. The licensee will receive a letter with payment instructions.
