Johnnie Fox's Irish Pub in Vancouver.

Image Credit: GOOGLE STREET VIEW

A BC Irish pub that accidentally let its customers play pool when its licence didn't allow "games" has been barred from serving booze for three days.

BC Liquor inspectors caught several customers playing pool at Johnnie Fox’s Irish Bar when they stopped by for a routine check last October.

According to a June 3 Liquor and Cannabis Regulation Branch decision, the Vancouver pub has a food primary licence for its restaurant as well as a liquor primary license for another area.

However, two pool tables were situated in the area licenced just as food primary.

According to the Liquor Board, games that "may require the patron to get up from the food service area... and are likely to shift the primary focus away from the service of food are not permitted."

The Irish bar had fallen foul of this rule previously and was fined $1,000 after patrons were found playing pool a year earlier.

In response to the fine, the bar had put covers on the two pool tables and taken away the cues.

This, however, hadn't stopped customers from playing or trying to play pool.

The pub testified at a hearing that customers were regularly requesting to play pool and were always told they couldn't.

In an email to staff, the bar had reiterated the pool tables were closed and that if a customer wanted to use them to apologize and tell them they were working on it.

The email also said the bar would see if it could get their licence changed or move the pool tables to the liquor primary area where they were allowed.

In pleading their due diligence with the Liquor Board, the pub said it was busy the night the inspector caught their customers playing pool and they hadn't noticed. The bar also said the customers must have brought their own cues.

However, the reasoning wasn't enough for the Liquor Board.

"The licensee could have removed the balls; the licensee could have blocked the mechanism for the release of the balls by disabling it. The licensee could have... removed the pool tables," Liquor and Cannabis Regulation Branch Delegate Nerys Poole said in the decision.

The Liquor Board said there was no "satisfactory explanation" as to why the pub hadn't done this after getting the first fine.

"I find there was a failure by management here," Poole said.

Ultimately, the pub failed in its defence and was barred from serving alcohol with food for three days, although will be allowed to stay open.

The bar testified it would lose "tens of thousands of dollars" if made to close over a weekend.

The Liquor Board suspended its licence for the first weekend in July.

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