SNOW HILL – Officials fined an Ocean City restaurant $12,000 for letting patrons take alcohol off the premises.
The Worcester County Board of License Commissioners (BLC) fined Jonah and the Whale, the restaurant attached to the Flagship Oceanfront Hotel, $12,000 for serving alcohol in fountain drink cups that some patrons carried onto the Boardwalk. Chris Ruppert, the license holder, said the practice had started during the pandemic and he’d made a mistake in allowing it to occur this summer.
“In hindsight it was a horrible decision to make,” he said.
According to the BLC’s report of investigation, on three occasions during the summer police identified multiple people taking alcohol off Jonah and the Whale’s licensed premises, which includes the Riptide Pool Bar. During Wednesday’s liquor board hearing, Joe Moore, Ruppert’s attorney, said he and his client didn’t contest the contents of the report.
“We are here totally for mitigation,” he said.
Happens when rules change and everyones attention span is different. Stay downtown where the problems exist. You really dont want to try that uptown or many will get very angry.