Laguna Beach PD to notify businesses when DUI arrest is linked to their establishment

LAGUNA BEACH, Calif. (KABC) — Moulin in Laguna Beach prides itself in giving customers a real French experience.

“If you’ve been to Paris, if you’ve sat at a café, we have it here,” said owner Laurent Vrignaud.

The bistro specializes in traditional French baked goods, wine, champagne, beer and more. Vrignaud said rarely do his guests have one too many alcoholic drinks, but he’s seen it happen.

“We’ve called Uber at noon, at 1 o’clock in the afternoon, for a couple of customers,” he recalled. “Of course, we’re ultimately responsible. We want our customers to come back, have a great time on day one, come back the following day, and never get in trouble with the police.”

Vrignaud supports a new initiative by the Laguna Beach Police Department that will notify businesses that serve alcohol when a DUI arrest is directly linked to their business.

“If we serve one too many drinks, we’re not in the bar business, we’re not even open at night, but the fact of the matter is businesses such as ours should be responsible for how many drinks they’re going to let someone have before they go, ‘No more.’ Call them an Uber and send them home,” he said.

The goal is to raise awareness of the role businesses play in preventing drunk driving and its dangers.

It also gives them a chance to evaluate their practices and ensures they’re in compliance with the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control.

“I think it’s a great move,” said Vrignaud. “As a matter of fact, it starts with us, with our employees, for example. No employee is allowed to drink on the job, and then with the consumers [who] come in, we make sure we go through training with the ABC.”

Laguna Beach police said the notifications aren’t meant to be a punishment. It’s a move businesses like Moulin said should be welcomed.

“The last thing you want is serve one too many drinks to a customer which either is going to kill someone or kill themselves,” said Vrignaud.

The Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control could investigate businesses linked to DUIs and could hold them liable for overserving.