An Anchorage restaurant is accused of employing 24 minors without permits

Twenty-four employees between the ages of 13 and 17 are alleged to have worked at Little Italy Restaurante in Anchorage without approved Department of Labor work permits, from January 2024 to March 2026, according to a notice of violation the state Alcohol & Marijuana Control Office issued June 15.

The office counted a minimum of 1,279 violations over that span, including 207 involving employees aged 13 to 15. No information was provided for one employee and very little for another, according to the notice, issued to licensee F. Scott & Ernest LLC.

State labor rules require a work permit on file for all minors 16 and under, and for 17-year-olds when the employer is licensed to sell alcohol. Minors under 16 are prohibited from working at licensed establishments at all.

The finding followed a March 26 inspection at the restaurant on East 88th Avenue. Investigator J. Hamilton wrote that the employment records came through voluntary requests and a production letter signed by the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board director. As of the notice date, no signed work permits had been provided. The notice states it is not an accusation or a criminal complaint.

It follows an April warning, when the office's director reported a rise in violations involving minors working at alcohol-licensed establishments without valid permits.

Vasilios Gialopsos, a member of the licensee, responded in writing June 24. "Little Italy currently has no employees under the age of 18," he wrote. He said alcohol service would be limited to staff 18 or older holding valid Training for Alcohol Professionals cards, and mixing to staff 21 or older. Future employees aged 16 or 17 would need written parental consent and a Department of Labor exemption. "Little Italy will not employ anyone under 16 years old," he wrote.

The Alcoholic Beverage Control Board meets Tuesday. Little Italy's 2026-2027 renewal appears on the routine list, not in the separate section for renewals carrying notices of violation.

No fine is listed on the notice. If the board decides to act against the license, the licensee would receive an accusation and notice of a right to an administrative hearing. A Fairbanks restaurant cited in November 2025 for lacking a work permit for a 17-year-old had its notice reviewed in February, when the board ordered an accusation. A settlement in that case is on Tuesday's agenda.