New Jersey law enforcement officials investigated 29 restaurants after receiving complaints that customers were not getting the drinks that they ordered.
Braid Restaurant Group owns 13 of the TGI Friday’s that were investigated.
Investigators seized 250 bottles of liquor as part of “Operation Swill.”
Authorities tested the contents of the bottles. The results clearly indicated that customers did not always receive the drinks that they actually ordered.
Authorities say that premium liquor bottles were sometimes refilled with water – or worse – in order to increase profits.
"Briad's restaurants were scamming customers by serving them a cheap substitute for what they ordered," acting New Jersey Attorney General John J. Hoffman said in a statement to USA Today.
In some cases, customers got rubbing alcohol mixed with caramel coloring instead of scotch.
Braid will pay a $500,000 fine for cheating customers by serving them imitation liquor at premium prices.
The Attorney General’s office will only prosecute 8 of the TGI Friday’s locations, MSN News reports.