The Ames City Council voted to deny the liquor license renewal for La Casa Maya restaurant at its Tuesday meeting. The restaurant, located at 631 Lincoln Way, failed too many alcohol compliance checks.
Three checks: The restaurant failed two out of three compliance checks in the past year. During these checks, police send someone younger than 21 to try to buy alcohol. If the restaurant sells alcohol to the underage person, it fails the test. The restaurant failed twice. On Nov. 22, an employee sold alcohol to a 20-year-old after checking an ID, and on May 2, another employee made the same mistake with a different 20-year-old customer. The restaurant passed a compliance check on June 26.
Training offered but not used: After each failure, police offered free training to help employees learn how to check IDs properly. The police held two training sessions — one in February and one in May. No employees from the restaurant attended either session. Police also recommended using the Iowa Age to Purchase app and taking online alcohol compliance training. The restaurant’s manager said employees received no formal training beyond being told to “check IDs.”
Appeal possible: Police Chief Geoff Huff said that the restaurant could file an appeal, apply for an eight-month license and continue to serve alcohol during the appeal process.
Liquor licenses renewed: Businesses the council approved renewal of a liquor license were:
- Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill and Bar, 105 Chestnut St.
- Sportsman’s Lounge, 123 Main St.
- AJ’s Liquor II, 2515 Chamberlain St.
- HuHot Mongolian Grill, 703 S. Duff Ave., Suite 105
- Rinconcito Hispano Tienda y Taqueria, 823 Wheeler St., Suite 1
- Northcrest Inc., 1801 20th St.
