A local sports bar in the city of Yorba Linda, The Canyon Inn, an establishment in the area since 1965, has been recently charged with serving alcohol to minors, consequent to an incident that resulted in the death of a teenager in December 2022. The situation raised many concerns about the business and the underage drinking happening under its wing. Like every story, there are always two sides to it.
The Canyon Inn was a local spot where people gathered for a good time with friends. The bar’s steady, positive reputation changed when there was talk about underage drinking in the parking lot. The owners notified the police of this, but there seemed to be no changes to these events.
There was an occasion where NBC and the sheriff’s department showed up unexpectedly, but again, nothing happened. Rather, they recognized that the business is doing the right things and following correct precautions, such as calling the police when they see people drinking in their parking lot.
Everything changed on a Friday night, when around 11:30 p.m., the owner, Paul Ambros, got a call from one of his employees saying there had been an accident. Soon after, the news released, “One young man killed, another facing a decade in prison all because of something the victim’s family says could’ve been avoided.” Quickly, the owners of Canyon Inn did what they could to help the police officers during the investigation by offering camera video footage and other things to cooperate with the authorities.
Regardless of the situation, consequently of the incident, the bar owner began to receive an overflow of hate and negative comments claiming that he did nothing in order to stop what was happening.
According to the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, ABC’s investigation stated that a doorman let two underage people into the bar with fake IDs, and a bartender served them alcohol before they left and got into the fatal crash. As a result of that investigation, ABC suspended the bar’s liquor license for 35 days and enforced a three-year conditional revocation. This means that if the business commits another violation within three years, its liquor license could be permanently revoked.
Opposers compare the owners to drug dealers and even murderers, while supporters of the business argue that staff took precautions and contacted authorities when necessary. An example of the prior precautions the business took is that after the first time they noticed the drinkers outside their establishment, they added more staff and doubled the people at the door checking ID’s.
The tragedy with The Canyon Inn shows how quickly a long reputation can change after the matter of a devastating event. Despite the fact that the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control stated that underage individuals were served alcohol and imposed penalties, the owners stand on the fact that they had taken precautions and cooperated with authorities. After all, the incident demonstrates the serious responsibility businesses assume in preventing underage drinking and the lasting impact when their security fails.
