The Edgartown select board voted this week to suspend the liquor license of a popular restaurant and bar that was found to have violated its license this past fall. 

The board unanimously passed a one-day suspension for The Wharf Pub after Edgartown police detailed an incident where a bartender had over-served a woman, who later fell inside the bar. The bartender, according to a police report, was also drinking at the time. 

The incident took place on Halloween, and the police report provided by police Chief Christopher Dolby was connected to a larger investigation. Police claimed surveillance footage showed a bartender serve a woman at least three glasses of wine and six shots, before she proceeded to fall.

The bartender also took six shots with the woman, as well as one with another person, according to police.

In a letter to the select board, Wharf owner Geoghan Coogan wrote that he was disturbed by the incident and terminated the bartender after talking to police. 

“We have tried very hard over the course of our nearly twenty-two years in operations at the Wharf to minimize these types of events and continue to learn from them when they happen,” Mr. Coogan wrote. “We addressed this immediately and we take responsibility for this violation.” 

Town administrator James Hagerty told the board Tuesday it had several options to deal with liquor license violations, and the board opted for the one-day suspension, which is set to take place on Jan. 27. 

The town also noted that the Wharf has had several other violations in the past few years. The state Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission found the pub was serving underage patrons in 2023 and 2024. For the earlier incident, the pub had its license suspended for four days, though the punishment was reduced to one. A suspension has not yet been handed out for the 2024 incident.

The license was suspended in January 2023 for two days for another incident of overserving.