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Faneuil Hall bar apologizes after woman was locked inside after closing
"This was an unfortunate error... The staff literally failed to do everything they should have," a lawyer for Ned Devine's said.
A lawyer representing a bar in Faneuil Hall told officials last week that staff made an “unfortunate error” when they closed and locked up for the night while a woman was still inside passed out.
Lawyer Dennis Quilty and managers from Ned Devine’s in Boston answered questions from the Boston Licensing Board Feb. 11 about a possible drugging that allegedly took place in September at a private work event.
“This incident is really troubling to me,” Board Chair Kathleen Joyce said at a Feb. 13 vote. “The fact that this young woman was left alone, was asleep in the bathroom. I don’t want to even imagine what potential dangers she could have faced.”
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Members of the Boston Police Department told the board that they responded to Ned Devine’s Sept. 26 around 2:15 a.m. after a woman called 911 when she woke up inside the bar’s bathroom alone. The establishment had been closed for hours, according to Quilty.
The woman told police she had one espresso martini but didn’t remember anything around 8:30 p.m., so she suspected she “may have consumed a contaminated drink,” according to police. She refused medical treatment and was driven home by a friend.
Managers representing the restaurant clarified to the board that she had two drinks, according to video surveillance. A police officer also said her toxicology screen came back negative.
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“There were two closing managers that night, and we just weren’t on the same page,” a manager said about not checking the bathrooms.
Quilty told the board that staff at Ned Devine’s made a mistake when they didn’t clear the area before closing. “We have retrained everybody,” Quilty said.
“This was a private event the night in question, which was over at 11 p.m. This was an unfortunate error, mistake… This was not a normal 2 a.m. closing,” Quilty said. “The staff literally failed to do everything they should have.”
In a Feb. 13 voting hearing, the Boston Licensing Board determined there to be no violation in connection with the drugging, but the incident will be docketed on the restaurant’s record. The board also requested a security and operations plan from the restaurant to address the lapse.
“The management did apologize, but I don’t think that goes far enough,” Joyce said. “Management and staff have a fundamental duty of care to protect their patrons, and there was a clear undeniable breakdown of supervision and responsibility.”
Ned Devine’s parent company Briar Group did not return a request for comment.
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