Salem Restaurant Fined $10,700, Temporarily Loses Liquor License

SALEM, NH — The Happy Crab restaurant in Salem will have its liquor license suspended for 40 days and the owner will pay a $10,700 fine through a settlement reached Friday, WMUR first reported.

Investigators say two teenagers were allegedly served alcohol underage inside the Happy Crab restaurant before getting into a crash that left three people severely injured on Nov. 10, 2021.

The driver, Andrew Dzioba, now 20, and a passenger were served more than a dozen drinks combined in a short amount of time, police say.

"They ordered alcoholic beverages, they were not ID'd by the server and they were served those alcoholic beverages," Deputy Chief Danielle Ellston, of the New Hampshire Liquor Commission Division of Enforcement, said. "They later moved to the bar lounge area inside the establishment where they were served by a different employee who did not request their age, and the amount of drinks they were served in this case was an amount a reasonable person should have known that they were intoxicated."

In a hearing Friday morning, the owner of the Happy Crab restaurant appeared with his attorney in a zoom meeting. The owner did not admit any wrongdoing but agreed to pay the maximum penalties on multiple violations totaling $10,700.

Patch has reached out to the Happy Crab for comment.

In addition to the fines, every employee at the restaurant must attend training sessions.

Two employees of the restaurant are facing misdemeanor charges in connection with the crash, and the driver is facing felony charges, according to WMUR.

The restaurant will get its liquor license back on March 23.