A Korean restaurant in the Australian state of New South Wales is facing the threat of legal action after it served a whopping 86 shots of alcohol to a group of five diners.
The party, who were out celebrating a birthday, were later discovered in various stages of distress, with several covered in vomit and needing to be rescued from the road.
According to local police, the incident took place in the Haru Fusion Soju Lounge in downtown Sydney - a spot specializing in the traditional Korean spirit, soju. The group worked their way through estimated two-and-a-half liters of liquor over the course of an epic six-hour binge, leaving them in severe danger of acute alcohol poisoning.
Reports from ABC News state that authorities found two members of the group passed out on the road and pavement outside the restaurant, covered in their own vomit. One of the pair had originally been discovered collapsed in the middle of the road, but had been dragged to safety by nearby road workers.
Both were subsequently taken to hospital by ambulance in the early hours of the morning, following the drinking session.
Authorities have since stated that Haru Fusion has been issued with a strike under the state’s “three-strike” system, whereby businesses can face a serious of increasingly severe punishments if they are deemed to have acted irresponsibly. However, it has also been suggested that other sanctions may be implemented.
Speaking to the media after the incident, chairman Phillip Crawford of the NSW Liquor and Gaming Authority said that:
"It is almost beyond belief that venue staff could serve such a large amount of alcohol to a group of five patrons and not take any steps to avoid extreme intoxication. The fact one of the patrons was passed out on the road highlights the risk of serious injury or death. The authority will consider imposing a range of special conditions on the venue's liquor license, as well as winding back the venue's trading hours."
Crawford went on to add that the violation revolved around “a pretty serious amount of alcohol” and that “the proof is in the pudding.” He eventually concluded that: "This is a life-threatening incident which we just cannot tolerate. If they were unconscious from drinking too much alcohol, that's a serious breach of the responsible service of alcohol regulations" - suggesting that he hasn’t quite finished with Haru Fusion.
