Published: September 11, 2008 04:02 pm         

Beer Board revokes license of R & B's Cafe

The Crossville City Council, sitting as the city's beer board, heard about three consecutive violations of a beer license serving and stocking liquor by the beer licensee for R & B's Cafe and voted to revoke the owner's license, meaning that no one can have a beer license in the building for at least one year.

The beer board let beer licensees know it was serious about those granted a beer license taking their responsibility and the law seriously. Two beer licensees that had also been charged with serving and stocking liquor and served six months' probation under the General Sessions court. Both BJ's Lounge and Porky's Barbeque have not had any further trouble and were placed under 30 days' probation by the beer board. They will be allowed to keep their beer licenses with no fine to pay.

Bobbie Lambert, owner of BJ's, got a chuckle from the audience when she told the beer board she had not sold or drunk any liquor since she was caught.

The owner of Porky's BBQ also said she had learned her lesson and she had children at home so she planned to follow the rules.

The difference between these two and the revocation of R & B's Cafe was that in addition to the first charge for selling liquor, the establishment had been charged two more times for the same infraction. According to the testimony of Captain Mark Rosser of the Crossville Police Department they continued to get complaints about the bar and went back again and were able to purchase liquor again a second time in May of this year.

The final straw came just last Friday when the Crossville Police made a drink purchase at the business for a third time. According to Capt. Rosser, the first two charges have had several continuances and remain outstanding on the docket of the General Sessions Court.

Rosser described the actions of the bar as, “Insulting to me as a police officer in this town.”

The bar's owner, Richard Barnett, told the beer board the first two times he was present and approved the sale of the drinks because he was having a hard time making ends meet. The third time he was out of town when the sale occurred. Barnett also told the board members that if a bar was not selling liquor it couldn't survive. He added that his customers pushed hard for him to serve liquor.

When it came time to decide on the penalty, city attorney Ken Chadwell advised the board they could choose probation, suspension up to six months or revocation of a beer license.

Captain Rosser recommended the bar's beer license be revoked saying the pattern of repeated violations was highly egregious.

Councilman Earl Dean said it seemed to him that the bar owners were laughing at the beer regulations.

Mayor Pro-Tem Boyd Wyatt who acted as the chair in Mayor J. H. Graham's absence agreed, saying, “It appears to me they just kept selling. I don't see where we have much choice.”

A motion to revoke the beer license of R & B's Cafe passed with all four beer board members present voting in favor.