The investigation of the Ginger Hill Tavern in Slippery Rock has delivered a clear message to all businesses that sell alcoholic beverages. That message is that when an establishment sells liquor to someone under the legal drinking age, the hassle associated with that offense is much more uncomfortable than a hangover.

For the owners of the Ginger Hill — owners who a state investigator said strived to be conscientious since the business opened in January 2004 — the finding that an underage person had been served at the tavern 40 times between Sept. 1 and Feb. 1 was a shocking disclosure. In addition, it was reported that an off-duty employee was found to have supplied a six-pack of beer March 3 to a 19-year-old in the parking lot of the bar.

The secrecy surrounding that six-pack transaction began unraveling when the 19-year-old was later stopped by Slippery Rock police.

According to an article in the July 2 edition of the Butler Eagle, information regarding the illegal sales inside the tavern was collected from interviews with employees and patrons.

Sgt. James Jones Jr. of the state's Punxsutawney office of Liquor Control Enforcement, which covers the Slippery Rock area, said the Ginger Hill investigations have been completed. However, completion of such an investigation doesn't necessarily end the headaches and anxiety for a tavern owner.

In Ginger Hill's case, the tavern was awaiting word on whether penalties would be issued by a Liquor Control Enforcement judge. The July 2 article said the minimum fine for serving alcohol to minors is $1,000.

Jones said the Ginger Hill owners, Susan O'Donnell and John Garlow, had made significant changes since the problem surfaced. Presumably those changes include safeguards that such a situation can never be repeated on or around those premises.

Still, it remains eye-opening that the inside-the-tavern sales to the 19-year-old persisted for so long without another tavern employee, or another tavern patron, becoming suspicious about the young customer not being routinely carded.

While it is to be presumed that the Ginger Hill owners have "cleaned house" of all who might have had any involvement in the illegal sales, they and the owners of other alcohol-serving establishments should reflect on an observation made by Jones: "One thing about a licensee, they are only as good as their worst employee."

That's an unfortunate reality even for taverns, like Ginger Hill, that routinely strive to take all possible steps to avoid becoming a "problem bar."

To its credit, Ginger Hill is not regarded as a problem bar by state liquor officials, and it's safe to assume that what has occurred will cause the owners and employees — and other establishments — to be more careful that liquor sales rules under which they operate are followed to the letter.

That's better than a "hangover" resulting from a Liquor Control investigation.