Similar violations of Bismarck's ordinances regarding the sale of alcohol to minors did not receive the same consideration of the city commission as it handed out penalties.

The city commission held hearings Tuesday to determine suspension or revocation of the International Restaurant's and Hong Kong Restaurant's authority to sell alcohol. Both establishments had judgments rendered against them for having sold alcohol twice to minors within a year's time.

Sammi Wu, one of the owners of International Resaurant, appeared before the commission admitting the violations and asking leniency from the commission.

"The first time it happened (March 6, 2006) it was my fault; I did it," Wu said. "The second time it was an employee who was under the age of 19 who told an older employee to take the beverage to the table. We plead guilty on both, and I ask you to give us another chance. We've improved things a lot. Everyone who looks younger than 40 now has their identification checked. We've learned our lessons."

Wu said that the staff has weekly meetings and the need for checking identifications is stressed.

Commissioner Connie Sprynczynatyk asked city attorney Charlie Whitman what action the city has taken in the past in similar situations. Whitman said that the city has ordered a five-day suspension of alcohol sales, which was deferred for a year and if no further violations occurred in that time the suspension was dropped. The last time the commission took this action was last summer.

Whitman said that the involved employees and the business were fined $250 for the first offense and $500 for the second. Commissioner Sandi Tabor said that violations were much more strict in Grand Forks and Jamestown, with a first-time violation getting an automatic one-day suspension and a second a five-day suspension.

Sprynczynatyk made the motion to give International Resaurant a five-day suspension, which will be deferred for a year, and if there are no further violations, dropped.

Commissioners weren't as lenient in the violations for Hong Kong, particularly because no one represented the restaurant at the hearing. Sprynczynatyk later said that in her long tenure as a commissioner, while there have been such hearings, this was the first time no one appeared on behalf of the business.

"I think we're always willing to suspend a violation if someone is here to tell us what training they are doing or explain how they are handling the situation," Tabor said. "In light of no one being here I am not comfortable in deferring."

Sprynczynatyk made the motion to suspend the license for five days. The suspension will begin Monday, April 2, and run five consecutive days.

(Reach reporter Gordon Weixel at 250-8255 or gordon.weixel@;bismarcktribune.com.)