Allure liquor licence suspended again for underage patrons

A popular nightclub on George Street in St. John's has had its liquor licence suspended again, amidst concerns that underage patrons were at the bar.

Last year, CBC News reported on Allure's liquor licence suspension after photos showed underage teenagers partying at the club.

At a tribunal hearing last week, the regulatory board with the Newfoundland and Labrador Liquor Corporation laid out evidence that club owners broke those rules more than once.

Allure was issued a second 90-day suspension of its liquor licence.

The bar's liquor licence was previously suspended for 11 days, after online photos showed underage people at the club.

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Photos from the club's opening weekend made it to Facebook and showed drunk and topless women. In one group shot from the festivities, five minors were identified by family.

Months later in September, another minor was photographed in the bar.

The minors in the club were the most serious of the offences listed in an agreed statement of facts at the hearing.

Some other infractions included renovations done at the site without a permit and breaking the minimum pricing rules, when a promotion in May offered free shooters upon entry.

The club will stay closed until May.

Minor says club notoriously hard to get into

However, one of the club's owners said NLC officials have visited the club many times since the initial suspension and haven't found any violations on the premises.

He said the minors were identified only after the fact on social media, and the NLC acted accordingly in light of those findings.

The club has decided not to appeal the 90-day suspension because they know they're in the wrong; despite increased security measures at the door, minors did make their way into the club.

One of the minors who was photographed in the club told CBC News she and her friends had fake IDs, and the bouncer at Allure's door did indeed ask them for ID before entry.

She added that Allure is known as one of the harder clubs on George Street for minors to get into because they have strict policies at the door.

The owners said having the club closed until May will be hard on employees who now find themselves without work.

He said the owners will now have to work harder to rebuild the club's reputation yet again.