While the Grille's membership demonstrates the restaurant's commitment to prevent underage drinking, the commission could also hold the Grille to a higher standard because it was aware of the law, Scali said.

"The committee will look into everything in a fair and objective way. We have no predetermined conclusions at this time," Scali said.

The Grille would have to share responsibility with any students who illegally consumed alcohol, said Cheryl Alavi, clerk and former president of the Advisory Board.

"There are many youngsters who make it their job to find ways to get alcohol. Unfortunately, there are adults who [help them.] If the situation is that, I don't know how much responsibility can be placed on the Crimson Sports Grille," she said.

Alavi called for a community organizations to embark on a program of "negative reinforcement" to combat the use of fake IDs by underage students to obtain alcohol.

"Education is not enough. The people who have this problem already know that it's against the law. Perhaps some repercussion would serve to be more of a deterrent," she said.

"There has been a reluctance to charge [underage drinkers] because in Massachusetts it's a felony and [the courts] are very reluctant to put that black mark on a youngster's record. As a parent, I would much rather see that black mark than see my son not reach the age of 21 because of [drinking]. When someone is caught, they should pay the price," she added.

Alavi, who also serves as food and beverage director at the Hyatt Regency hotel in Cambridge, sympathized with the Grille in its struggle to detect fake IDs.

"[Underage drinkers] risk the livelihood of a business person. To have that [livelihood] placed in the hands of a youngster who doesn't understand the finality of [the offense] is a very sad thing," she said