Alcohol Beverage Control (ABC) recently released an updated action of legal filing proceedings. The Garden of Taxco, located at 8470 Santa Monica Boulevard, in West Hollywood, is accused of selling alcohol to a minor decoy. According to file number 623467, the action was received on February 12, 2023 and registered this month on May 16 , 2023. The action against Garden of Taxco Inc has not yet cleared as of the posting of this piece.
Garden of Taxco was on Harper Avenue in West Hollywood for nearly a half-century. The restaurant known for serving you a meal as if you were at a guest in someone’s home in Mexico City (meaning no menu and no burritos) opened in 1971. It moved to a new location on Santa Monica Boulevard in 2016.
Eater Los Angeles reports that landlord issues forced the 45-year-old restaurant to move out. A big rent increase was a factor for their relocation. The had to re-imagine their business motto. Gone is the experience of dining in Mexico City, but the food still gets raving reviews.
Today, Garden of Taxco is a West Hollywood hidden gem. It currently operates as a ghost kitchen at 8470 Santa Monica Blvd, not far from its original home. People drive/walk by it and don’t even know it’s there. The restaurant currently offers the same menu (sans their signature margaritas and other alcoholic beverages) for takeout and delivery only (text “GARDENS” to 33733 to see our full menu).
ABC states that under a law passed by the state legislature in 1995, licensees face increased penalties for sales to minors. A first time sale may result in a fine or license suspension. A second sale to a minor within a three-year period is an automatic license suspension. A third sale to a minor within a three year period may result in license revocation.
The Minor Decoy Program allows local law enforcement agencies to use persons under 20 years of age as decoys to purchase alcoholic beverages from licensed premises. As of October 1st, 2004, the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) has been using its own decoys.
The Decoy Program has been recognized as an excellent method to attack the problems associated with the unlawful purchase and consumption of alcoholic beverages by people under the age of 21.
In 1994, the California Supreme Court ruled that the use of minor decoys was not entrapment and did not violate due process requirements. Since the Supreme Court ruling hundreds of law enforcement agencies have used the Decoy Program. When used on a regular basis, the percentage of licensees selling to minors drops dramatically.
Immediately following the Supreme Court ruling licensees in some communities were selling alcohol to minor decoys 50% of the time. After continuous use of the program over a period of time, that percentage dropped to less than 20% in some cities.
State regulations that took effect January 2, 1996, require that the decoy be less than 20 years of age; display the appearance of a person under 21 years of age; shall either carry his or her own identification showing the decoy’s correct date of birth, or shall carry no identification; a decoy who carries identification shall present it upon request to any seller of alcoholic beverages; and shall answer truthfully any questions about his or her age. Following the completed sale, but not later than the tie a citation, if any, is issued, the peace officer directing the decoy shall make a reasonable attempt to enter the licensed premises and have the minor decoy who purchased alcoholic beverages make a face-to-face identification of the alleged seller of the alcoholic beverage (Rule 141).
After the violation and face to face identification is completed, the decoy and suspect should have their photograph taken together. A decoy should also be prepared to write a report and willing to testify in court.
In addition, the Department strongly encourages law enforcement agencies to notify all licensees by letter of the results of a pending Decoy Program. The objective of this notification is to minimize the sale of alcoholic beverages to minors.
Local agencies are also urged to consider notifying the local media of the Decoy Program. This gives licensees a second notification and may elicit editorial and community support for the agency.
Don’t the authorities have anything better to do then undercover operations to catch a restaurant that served someone who is underage. How about the use the money for the Decoy program to stop some serious crimes.
“Garden of Taxco is a West Hollywood hidden gem. It currently operates as a ghost kitchen”
It really is a gem!
Not many little reasonable places like this left in weho sadly. But I guess I never thought of it as a “ghost kitchen”. I always think of those tacky concepts that are ONLY conceived for ubereats, doordash etc. The food always is disappointing because they do like 10 different cuisines.
But Gardens of Taxco ALWAYS hits the spot. So good
This article is a mess. Is it about the Gardens of Taxco, The Bayou Bar (down the street at Robertson) or the decoy program itself? I feel like an had a few too many of whatever one of them served the decoy..
Hi Tom. Thanks for reading and commenting. That was all me. I had a lengthy convo about how there was no update resolution on The Bayou which is the last article I wrote about an ABC minor decoy, and Miss Bayou somehow made it into this article. Thanks for catching that. And oh how I wish it was the case that I had been served what that minor was served, but alas, I have not been served what that minor was served for the past 16 years.
Well I somehow wrote “an” when I meant “I” so clearly 5-ish dry years on my part didn’t help my typing skills.