MANCHESTER, Conn — A bar and restaurant was cited by police for serving customers on premises.
Their sign said "take out," but it turns out, they were doing a lot more.
FOX61 has gotten several emails from concerned residents who said The Hungry Tiger was conducting business like usual.
FOX61 Photojournalist Jeff Foss then went inside to see what was going on.
"On my way out, I noticed there were three people sitting at the end of the bar. One woman was at the end of the bar. There was a take out container in front of her, a closed container. She had a small mixed drink in a short glass with a straw in it. There were also two gentlemen sitting in front of the bar right next to her. Nobody practicing social distancing. Both men had open bottles of beer," said Foss.
Minutes after Foss stepped outside, a manager who identified himself as Al Devin approached him.
Foss: How can you be serving drinks when it's take out only?
Devin: GrubHub and to-go food - that's all I'm doing. Just trying to survive.
Foss: There were two men with open beer and a woman with a mixed cocktail. can you explain that?
Devin: I have nothing else to say here.
FOX61 later learned police had also received multiple calls about the restaurant serving alcohol under the radar.
"It's a concerning matter when you have somebody disregarding something designed to protect others from being exposed to something that could potentially be deadly for some individuals," said Lt. Ryan Shea of the Manchester Police Department.
Not long after FOX61 left, police showed up to issue the manager a summons for violating the governor's executive order.
The order specifically states:
Restaurants and bars that serve food are required to provide take-out and delivery services for off-premise consumption only. These establishments must limit entrance of customers to the minimum extent necessary to pick up and/or pay for orders, and use touch-less payment if available. This remains in effect until May 20, unless otherwise modified
Lt. Shea with the Manchester Police Department said from now on, his officers will be stepping up patrols around town to make sure businesses are complying.
"One of the things I think we're going to do after today is step up operation in terms of looking at what essential businesses are open and operating and making sure that they're operating in compliance with the order," said Lt. Shea.
While restaurants may be counting down to reopen on May 20th, they will only be able to do so if they have outdoor seating and no bars are allowed for now.
"Just a little tougher to social distance in a bar situation," said Governor Lamont.
Lamont said if any restaurants or bars violate his executive order until May 20th, they will be dealt by local law enforcement.