Mesa Modern Mexican, a downtown Easton, Pennsylvania, restaurant, was cited for an alleged liquor law violation by the Pennsylvania Police Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement in August, according to a Sept. 12 article by The Morning Call.
Mesa was one of three Lehigh Valley establishments cited in the article. The violation alleges that members of Mesa’s management did not complete a necessary training program within the timeframe required.
According to the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board, which regulates Pennsylvania’s alcohol industry, any newly appointed manager in an establishment that sells alcohol must complete the Responsible Alcohol Management Program. The program must be completed within 180 days of approval of appointment by the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board.
“If they don’t get that training done, then the Liquor Control Board notifies us, the State Police Bureau of Liquor Enforcement, that it hasn’t been done and we do an investigation,” said Paul Smith, the enforcement officer and supervisor for the State Police Bureau of Liquor Enforcement.
“If they didn’t do the training within six months we charge their liquor license with failing to have their board-approved manager take the training,” he continued. “Once they get that citation, they can either have a hearing or basically plead guilty to it, which is called a waiver in this line of work.”
According to The Morning Call, fines tend to fall between $50 to $1,000 for minor violations and can reach up to $5,000 for more serious offenses. Smith says that fines for the kind of violation Mesa may have received tend to be around $200.
Some students feel the alleged violation will not impact the restaurant’s business.
“I did not hear about that at all,” Marc Dawson ’27 said, referring to Mesa’s violations.
Dawson emphasized that he did not think the restaurant’s reputation on campus would be affected.
Mary Romashchenko ’27, who goes to Mesa with friends on occasion, agreed.
“I don’t drink and as long as the violations don’t affect me, I don’t really care that much,” Romashchenko said.
The owners and management of Mesa Modern Mexican could not be reached for comment.
