The Waltham License Commission will hold a hearing next Tuesday for The Stein's Nov. 10 citation by Waltham police for serving alcohol to two underage customers.The Stein faces a one to three day suspension of its liquor license, according to Lieutenant Joseph Brooks of the Waltham police department, who said the License Commission has recently changed its penalty structure for this type of case.

"For the first sting, it's up to a three-day suspension . . . the second time it's up to six days, the third time it's up to 12 days," Brooks said. "The fourth time around would be a revocation of their license."

Brooks said these new penalties apply only when multiple citations on an establishment occur less than two years apart. Previously, according to Brooks, the first violation resulted in just a warning, and an establishment's history was cleared after just 12 months.

According to the Waltham License Commission office, no previous violations have been recorded of serving underage customers at The Stein.

At the hearing, Brooks said, "three representatives from the License Commission will listen to the police report and decide on a punishment within the written guidelines, and then vote on the date of the suspension."

The manager of The Stein Brian Wilson refused to comment on the situation.

Head of University Services Mark Collins, who oversees the Aramark contract with Dining Services, will represent the University at Tuesday's hearing. While Collins called the citation "an accident, an unfortunate incident with a great, great student employee," he added, "no accident with alcohol is a minor one. We take seriously the issue of underage drinking."

Collins was unsure as to the specific punishment The Stein will face, but said he felt optimistic about next week's hearing. "I think that [the University's] reputation stands, and hopefully the board will recognize that, see that we've taken some necessary steps, created a more heightened awareness of the need to check IDs and prevent this from happening again."

Alcohol sales make up a minor percentage of the total sales at the Stein, Collins said.

Director of Dining Services Michael Newmark said policies and procedures were reviewed with all the staff during additional trainings. "We treat proper alcohol service to the highest importance," he said.

The Waltham Police performs compliance checks at least twice a year, according to Brooks. "The stings are supposed to be more 'educational' to make sure that people are doing the right things and checking IDs, at least asking for IDs and scrutinizing the patrons," he said.

Collins said The Stein had another sting two weeks later and "passed with flying colors." He said he hopes this will weigh in the restaurant's favor at the hearing.

"I trust the Commission's experience with this," Collins added, "and their ability to assess the situation for what it is and hopefully reach a conclusion that is fair.