'Jersey Shore' Deena Banned from Seaside Restaurant for 2 Years
You can take the "Jersey Shore" off the air, but you can't take the "Jersey Shore" out of Seaside Heights.
Looks like cast member Deena Cortese won't be able to get her Mexican food fix for two years; she's been banned from the Seaside Heights Spicy Cantina & Mexican Grill.
On Sept. 13, New Jersey liquor regulators said they fined the Cantina $15,000 for a June 10 incident. The restaurant served a "visibly intoxicated" Cortese just before she ran out of the establishment, danced in a street intersection and fell several times while the MTV film crew followed her, according to The Associated Press.
Cortese also left the bar with an alcoholic beverage, which is against the law in New Jersey. In accordance with a court agreement negotiated by the restaurant and liquor regulators, Cortese is banned from the Cantina for two years.
"This settlement is a cautionary tale for licensees who might think ignoring the law for the sake of air time is good for business," said Michael Halfacre, Director of New Jersey's Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control, to the AP. "By turning a blind eye to the mayhem that can be associated with reality television, you are risking your livelihood. That is, without a doubt, bad for business."
The reality TV star was arrested by Seaside Heights police for disorderly conduct, and officials said her behavior restricted the flow of traffic. Cortese admitted she had been drinking all day.
At a municipal court appearance in July, she pleaded guilty to failing to use the sidewalk and paid a $106 fine. Cortese also had to pay $33 in court costs, but was not criminally convicted after pleading guilty to a violation of the motor vehicle code.
In the state settlement, the Cantina also admitted that Cortese was served drinks she had not ordered, which is illegal in New Jersey.
The restaurant faces a 10-day suspension of its liquor license if it fails to follow New Jersey alcohol laws anytime during the next two years.
