CapeCodOnline.com – For the second time in three months, the owner of Red Face Jack’s Pub on Route 28 will meet with selectmen to discuss whether his staff served alcohol to customers who already had had too much to drink.
Selectmen have set a disciplinary hearing tonight with restaurant owner Ted Zambelis and his manager Kerry Nealon, prompted by an arrest made by Yarmouth police on May 8.
The board has the authority to modify, suspend or revoke the bar’s liquor license.
The May 8 incident involved a driver pulled over on Seaview Avenue at 1 a.m. for traffic violations. Ultimately he was arrested for failing field sobriety tests and having a blood alcohol level of 0.163, double the legal limit.
The violator told police he had come from having “four or five beers” at Red Face Jack’s.
The following day, Red Face Jack’s bartender Ben Lawlor, who had been working the prior evening, told police he knew the customer well and served him “six or seven beers.”
Lawlor told police the customer said he wasn’t driving himself home. Under state law, however, a bartender can’t serve drinks to someone who is drunk, regardless of whether he is driving.
When contacted Monday, Zambelis said the violator had been picked up at the bar by another driver and given a ride, but he was later returned to his car and got behind the wheel.
Let me get this straight. This guy had some beers at a bar, he then got PICKED UP by a friend and was not driving. When he got back to his car at a totally different location, he then got in his car and drove? Only then was he pulled over, and now the bar is in trouble? What planet am I on? Was the bartender supposed to get in this guys buddies car with him and tuck the fucker into bed when he got home to make sure he didn’t go anywhere else that night?
I get that drunk driving is a very bad thing, but the dude WASN’T DRIVING when he left the bar! So the problem here is that bars can’t serve anyone over the legal limit of.08 even if they take a cab? Well then shut down every single bar on earth, because that’s just insane. There are people on Cape Cod right now who haven’t touched a drop of alcohol since Memorial Day Weekend and still have a blood alcohol level over .08.
Shit, my blood alcohol level is probably .14 right now and all I’ve had today is a box of strawberries and a sleeve of Chips Ahoy. (Don’t judge, they cancel each other out)
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The violator told police he had come from having “four or five beers” at Red Face Jack’s.
The guy who was driving said he came from the bar. He didn’t say he came from chillin and sobering up at his friends house. Doesn’t it sound like the owner is just lying to cover his ass?
That was a stupid comment actually, he still could’ve just got a ride from the bar to his car and drove right away. Nothing the owner could do about that.
Red Face Jacks as been subject to over 28 instance of over serving intoxicated patrons since May 2013. This isn’t an instance of the “fun police” as you called it. Mr. zambelis has been given multiple opportunities to take care of these issues. Unfortunately these issues were not addressed in a more aggressive manner. Thus, Mr.Zambelis is now in the situation he’s in.
Prohibition rears its ugly head. Don’t the cops have anything else to do? Blaming the bartender is idiotic. Does he have to do blood alcohol tests on his customers?
Ridiculous.
Bartending/Restaurant Etiquette 101, if someone gets pulled over intoxicated coming home, the establishment, the bartender, and the waitress are all held accountable. This is like stuff you learn first day of training, whether you’re tips certified or not. If you’re serving them alcohol, it’s your job to set the limit when they’ve had enough to keep them safe.
I say is about time! There was a while there where I just figured the owner was in the ypd’s back pocket. There were sooo many times and he’s never had his license suspended where if it were other restaurants they would have.
Its OK to have a badge and drink and drive though. Go to the beach tree that’s were they like to drink. I doubt there calling cabs not funny I’ve seen first hand
As a bartender myself the ypd has given seminars on these topics also you should be tips certified if you serve alcohol!!!! Its hard to turn people down but you could save a life or an inicent family’s life. I’m no angel but the owner needs to take responsibility.
How would the bartender feel if that guy killed a family. There are warning signs we look for when serving alcohol. I’ve been shut down many of times and been great full when I look back at it. The owner is an ass anyway And a list he spends more time flirting with staff than noticing if some one is getting in to a friends car.