Fiesta Cantina says sale of alcohol to minor was ‘honest mistake’

Owners of Fiesta Cantina in West Hollywood say a staffing shortage and an “honest mistake” led to the accidental sale of alcohol to a minor in December.

The Alcohol Beverage Control (ABC) is pursuing penalties against the establishment for allegedly serving an alcoholic drink to an underage patron working as a decoy for the department. 

“We would never ever intentionally sell to a minor and jeopardize our ABC license, our business, the community, and the jobs of all our team members,” the owners said in a statement released to WEHOonline. “Unfortunately, this time ABC visited while we were understaffed, our host did not show up for work, and our team member made an honest mistake.”

The restaurant employs “professional personnel” and stages them at entrances to check IDs during the evenings. They’ve invested in a Patron Scan device with ID verification technology and have instituted several company policies to help track IDs, the statement said.

Fiesta Cantina has run afoul of the ABC before. A similar sale to a minor occurred in fall of 2021, and the restaurant has racked up a number of other penalties with the department.

“We do our best,” the owners said. “Out of 24 years in business and selling to 100s of thousands, if not millions of customers over the 24 years, we have been cited twice. We are committed to operating a safe and responsible restaurant venue.”