Pepperell Suspends Tea Cafe Liquor License Two Days After Alcohol Incidents

PEPPERELL — September 23, 2013 — Pepperell suspends Tea Cafe liquor license for two days following three alcohol-related police incidents. The Board of Selectmen voted unanimously Monday to suspend the license of Tea Cafe Inc. on Tarbell Street for October 17 and 18 after Police Chief David Scott submitted memos documenting a disoriented man found lost in an apartment complex after consuming drinks at the cafe, a street fight leaving one patron with multiple stab wounds, and a visibly intoxicated man screaming inside the restaurant — all within two weeks in late August and early September. The cafe's owner said staff had served the first man only two drinks, not the four to five he told police, and that the two fighters had been refused service. One selectman said she wanted to see chronologically ordered receipts to verify those claims before determining suspension length but could support two days regardless. Chief Scott recommended a suspension outright. The board also directed the owner and all staff to obtain TIPS alcohol service training certification, noting the absence of certification was itself a violation, and warned that any future incident would bring a significantly longer suspension.