Several Winona businesses sell alcohol to underage buyer, fail compliance checks

(KWNO)-11 businesses in Winona that sell alcohol failed compliance checks conducted by law enforcement.

The Winona Police Department and Winona County Sheriff’s Office partnered with volunteers from the Alliance for Substance Abuse Prevention. Working with a city police officer or a sheriff’s deputy, two volunteers visited a total of 24 bars, restaurants and liquor stores in Winona.

The volunteers were under the legal drinking age and if the business sold them alcohol, law enforcement informed the business they had failed a compliance check. Officers then advised the businesses about best practices for selling alcohol such as always asking customers for identification and how to ascertain if an ID is real. The businesses weren’t cited and according to a police spokesperson there won’t be any repercussions for the businesses or follow up by law enforcement.

Every business in the city of Winona that has a liquor license was informed earlier this year that compliance checks would be conducted in the near future.  

The following businesses failed alcohol compliance checks conducted by Winona Police and the Winona County Sheriff’s Office: Signatures Restaurant, East Side Bar, Sinclair (Mankato Avenue location), Winona VFW, Sammy’s Pizza and Restaurant, ZaZa’s Pub and Pizzeria, Fifth Street Liquor, El Patron Mexican Grill, Mango’s Mexican & American Grill, Kwik Trip (Cottonwood Drive), Discount Liquor of Winona