Delia’s owes $500 fine for serving alcohol without license in 2024; 2023 case remains under investigation
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Delia’s Mexican Grill has agreed to pay a fine after a Missouri Division of Alcohol and Tobacco Control investigation found the restaurant served alcohol without an active liquor license in 2024.
It is one of two cases the ATC has opened involving the restaurant, according to records obtained by ABC 17 News.
An ATC report shows Delia’s alcohol license expired June 30, 2024. On July 1, 2024, an ATC investigator visited the Delia’s on Stadium Boulevard in Columbia and ordered shrimp tacos and a Bud Light from the bar. After taking a sample of the beer to his vehicle, the investigator returned to the restaurant and asked to speak with a manager, who contacted owner Delia Garcia.
Garcia went to the ATC’s district office July 2, 2024, and told investigators she had attempted to renew the license but was unable to do so. According to the report, Garcia said “no one told her she could not sell alcohol.”
Delia’s liquor license was then renewed on July 3, 2024.
The restaurant was cited for two violations: Selling alcohol without a license and unlawful consumption of alcohol on the premises. Delia’s agreed to pay a $500 fine, according to a July 29, 2026, email obtained by ABC 17 News.
The other state case involving the restaurant dates to 2023 and involves allegations of “unlawful sale or supply to intoxicated person” and “fail to cooperate with law enforcement/ATC during investigation.”
While the ATC has not disclosed additional details about that case, a Columbia Police Department report obtained by ABC 17 News shows CPD investigated the restaurant in December 2023, three months after a crash that ended up killing Jesus Celestino Mendoza-Chavez and John Searle.
The ATC has not confirmed whether its 2023 case is related to the CPD investigation.
According to the CPD report, officers responded to a crash on Stadium Boulevard just after 11 p.m. Sept. 26, 2023, after a black GMC truck driven by Mendoza-Chavez crossed the center line and hit a white Mazda head-on driven by Searle. Searle was taken to the hospital and later died from his injuries.
Delia’s bartender Oksana Sawelenko arrived at the scene and allegedly told officers Mendoza-Chavez had been at the restaurant earlier that evening. According to the report, Sawelenko said Mendoza-Chavez was “drunk when he showed up” and “continued to drink beers while at Delia’s on Stadium Restaurant.”
Sawelenko also told officers Mendoza-Chavez was supposed to get a ride home with her but instead left the restaurant in his truck, according to the report.
A blood sample later showed Mendoza-Chavez had a blood alcohol concentration of 0.201, more than twice Missouri’s legal limit for driving, as well as a metabolite of cocaine.
On Nov. 30, 2023, Columbia police and an ATC agent contacted Garcia about the incident and requested video from Sept. 26, as well as receipts from transactions involving Mendoza-Chavez. Garcia allegedly told investigators she was unable to access the video at the time and that the receipts were at her home. She also told investigators Mendoza-Chavez was drunk before he entered the restaurant, according to the report.
Police obtained a search warrant Dec. 1, 2023. After searching the restaurant and conducting interviews, investigators determined Mendoza-Chavez had been served four Bud Lights, according to the report. Sawelenko also told investigators she had agreed to be his ride home, but he left the restaurant before she could drive him, the report indicates.
Investigators asked Sawelenko whether Mendoza-Chavez had been drugged, an allegation she vehemently denied. According to the report, she responded, “Absolutely not on my life and my son’s life.”
Another Delia’s employee, Abbie Pikey, was also questioned. According to the report, Pikey called the allegations “absurd” and told police she had also served Mendoza-Chavez a Bud Light. Two receipts obtained by police confirmed he had ordered four Bud Lights, along with food.
Documents state charges were filed against employees, but information did not appear on Casenet in 2026.
ABC 17 News reached out to Delia Garcia for comment, but she referred questions to her attorney.
