The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) has issued a notice of proposal to pull the liquor licence from a downtown Kitchener restaurant.
The governing body alleges that the Afro-East Restaurant, which is located on Queen Street, has violated a wide swathe of rules.
“There are consequences for license holders who do not operate with integrity and honesty,” stated AGCO CEO Tom Mungham.
“While the AGCO takes a compliance-focused approach to regulation, in cases that involve multiple significant breaches impacting the safety of patrons, the AGCO will take strong regulatory action to protect the public.”
According to AGCO, inspectors have caught someone working at the restaurant who is not allowed to be connected with the establishment.
AGCO also says that the Kitchener Fire Department laid charges against the restaurant after the backdoor was found to be chained shut, which closed off the emergency exit.
The government agency says that its inspectors have found the back door to be chained shut in subsequent inspections.
It also noted that the restaurant had not notified AGCO of the charges it was facing.
AGCO says the Afro-East Restaurant has also had servers who were not officially licenced servicing alcohol and inspectors also spotted customers leaving the restaurant with liquor.
A spokesperson told Global News in an email that the decision is not final and the restaurant can launch an appeal.
“The licensee has15 days to appeal the AGCO Registrar’s action to the Licence Appeal Tribunal, which is an adjudicative tribunal independent of the AGCO and part of Tribunals Ontario,” they said.
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