3 more businesses face liquor license suspensions after defying COVID-19 restrictions

The Minnesota Department of Public Safety Alcohol and Gambling Enforcement Division has notified three restaurants they could have their liquor licenses suspended for 60 days after they violated state COVID-19 restrictions on indoor dining.

Cornerstone Cafe, in Monticello; The Interchange, in Albert Lea; and The Pour House, in Clarks Grove, all face liquor license suspensions pending a hearing before an administrative judge, the DPS said in a statement Saturday. The establishments were all observed serving customers alcohol for indoors on-premises consumption, going against Gov. Tim Walz’s executive order prohibiting indoor dining.

“We’re asking the small percentage of bars and restaurants that have opened for inside dining and drinking to stop and comply with the executive order,” Public Safety Commissioner John Harrington said in a statement. “Thousands of our neighbors have died from COVID-19 in Minnesota. That should be enough of a reminder that the health of our communities has to come first. Bars and restaurants that don’t abide by the law will face the consequences of their actions.”

According to the DPS, investigators with the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office saw that Cornerstone was open for business on Wednesday. The Attorney General’s Office then sent them a letter on Thursday warning them against staying open, but a DPS agent who visited the premises on Friday reported the business was still open for indoor dining.

The DPS was told that The Interchange had failed to comply with a cease and desist order from the Minnesota Department of Health, and the business was seen serving food and alcohol on Friday in violation of Walz’s executive order.

Patrons were seen drinking what appeared to be bottles of beer inside The Pour House on Friday, and the Albert Lea Director of Public Safety also received a notice that the bar was at "full capacity."

These three establishments join four others that defied COVID-19 restrictions and face 60-day liquor license suspensions: Boardwalk Bar & Grill in East Grand Forks, Alibi Drinkery in Lakeville, Mission Tavern in Merrifield and Neighbors on the Rum in Princeton. Alibi and Boardwalk will have virtual hearings next week, and Mission Tavern has a hearing scheduled for Dec. 30.

On Friday, the Dakota County Circuit Court granted Attorney General Keith Ellison’s request for a temporary restraining order against Alibi. Ellison’s office has also filed lawsuits against Cornerstone; Cork, in Anoka; Neighbors on the Rum, which halted indoor dining after the lawsuit was filed; and Boardwalk, which was ordered to shut down.

The MDH has issued cease-and-desist orders to four restaurants that have violated state restrictions by offering on-premises dining: Alibi; The Interchange; The Pizza Depot, in Becker; and Hooligans Lakeside, in Lake Park.

Gov. Walz’s executive order banning on-premises indoor dining was extended through Jan. 10 on Friday. As of Saturday, restaurants can seat customers outdoors at half capacity with a maximum of 100 people and no more than four people at a table.