Downtown restaurant facing second liquor suspension

The Canton Select Board on Tuesday voted to impose a 10-day liquor license suspension for Panda Gold, a Chinese restaurant located at 599 Washington Street, following a December 20 altercation between patrons that apparently spilled into the Walgreen’s parking lot.

While the exact dates of the suspension are still being finalized, it marks the second time in as many months that the restaurant’s owners have been temporarily barred from serving alcohol, with the previous penalty lasting for five days and impacting the New Year’s holiday.

Following that five-day suspension, which the Select Board had imposed due to multiple liquor violations and a long list of Police Department complaints, the restaurant was ordered to stop serving alcohol at midnight and was not permitted to have a DJ or allow patrons to use the pool table until further notice.

The restaurant’s owners declined to appeal the board’s decision, and the suspension took effect from December 29 through January 2.

At the previous hearing on December 6, Police Chief Helena Rafferty and CPD Sergeant Mike Brady detailed multiple instances where police were called because of noise complaints, alcohol being served after hours, altercations in the parking lot, and patrons leaving the premises with open containers of alcohol.

Jonathan Ash, attorney for Panda Gold, apologized to the town and Select Board on behalf of his clients and said they accept responsibility for the infractions. He added that they have ordered all waitstaff, bartenders and security staff to be retrained and they plan to hire a bar manager and additional security personnel.

At the most recent hearing held Tuesday night, Sgt. Sean Goode said that when police responded at approximately 12:15 a.m. on December 20, there was a fight in progress in the parking lot and two restaurant patrons were assaulted.

According to the bartender, who spoke at the hearing, the suspect drank three beers inside the restaurant and departed around 10:45 p.m. He later came back into the restaurant around midnight and asked to use the restroom. At that point an argument ensued and the suspect was taken outside into the parking lot. Panda Gold owner Lucy Liu, whose first language is not English, said she then locked the restaurant and one of the customers called police. Liu told the board that the suspect has been barred from the restaurant and the matter is now in the courts.

Both Goode and Rafferty said they do not believe they are getting the full truth as it pertains to restaurant operations. For example, the restaurant reportedly has a bar manager, but police were not told of the identity of the person. They have also been unable to confirm the number of drinks that were served to the suspect and whether other patrons provided him with drinks …

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Posted by Mike Berger on Jan 13 2023. Filed under Business. Both comments and pings are currently closed.