How to Serve Alcohol Responsibly

Introduction
Crafting a beverage-alcohol service policy
Training your employees to serve alcohol responsibly
Handling an alcohol-related incident

Important Note
The information below is intended only to inform and not to be a substitute for the reader's seeking legal counsel. Any information given here should be examined by the reader's attorneys as to such information's applicability.

Introduction

Alcohol sales are an important source of revenue for many restaurants, but establishments that do sell liquor also face the potential for civil and criminal liability. This course will give tips for serving alcoholic beverages responsibly, training employees to recognize warning signs when serving alcohol and handling an alcohol-related incident at your restaurant.

Crafting a beverage-alcohol service policy

The first step is to create an effective beverage-alcohol service policy.

Review your records. If you're a new manager, or if you have assumed ownership from another party, check to see if your establishment has prior alcohol-related incidents. Find out what happened and why, how they were handled and the outcome of the incidents. This will help you focus on potential problem areas.
Identify your establishment's special needs. For example, if you cater large parties, explain the laws to the host when booking the party and include a clause indicating the host's responsibility in the party contract.
Review local laws. Some municipalities require restaurants to ask intoxicated guests to leave a bar or restaurant. Even in those circumstances, the owner should make every effort to arrange alternative transportation and allow guests to stay in the establishment until their ride arrives.
Establish a designated-driver program in which one person in the group agrees not to drink. As an incentive, offer designated drivers free nonalcoholic beverages or appetizers.
Establish a relationship with a dependable cab company and post the company's telephone number near all phones in your establishment, including public telephones.
Include in your written policy a statement of purpose, a point-by-point statement of requirements and all employees' dated signatures. Have your attorney and insurance agent review your policy and, if possible, ask your local regulatory agency and police department to review it. Go over your policy with your staff at least once a year.
Hire responsible employees. Don't forget to obtain proof that applicants are of legal age to serve alcohol.
Once you have written your beverage-alcohol service policy, you must train your employees to follow it to the letter. The next step will help you accomplish this task.

Training your employees to serve alcohol responsibly

Train your employees in responsible alcohol service with the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation's ServSafe Alchohol^TM program.

The key to proper alcohol service is to teach your employees to prevent problems before they occur.

Use the "Traffic Light System" to monitor customer drinking. Green means the customer has had little or nothing to drink and can be safely served alcohol. If servers begin to see behavioral changes — a quiet person becoming loud and boisterous, for example — that may be a sign that the customer is being affected by the alcohol and has entered the yellow-light zone, meaning service should be slowed. Your staff should make sure that customers never become intoxicated and enter the red-light zone, where service must be stopped.
Train servers to track how much alcohol guests have consumed. Make sure they're aware of the alcohol content of different drinks. To keep an accurate count, servers should use specific-size glasses, measuring jiggers or automatic pouring devices that dispense an exact amount of alcohol.
Encourage your bar staff and servers to hand out menus and suggest food specials to patrons enjoying alcoholic beverages. Food, especially fatty and high-protein items, decreases the rate at which alcohol is absorbed into the bloodstream.
Encourage communication among all employees and guests. Servers need to let managers know when and why a patron has been refused liquor. Guests should know about your beverage-alcohol service policy and your designated-driver program.
Check identification. Many establishments check IDs of anyone who looks younger than 30. In general, the only valid IDs are a state-issued driver's license, a state-issued ID, a military ID or a current passport.

Even well-trained employees may be faced with alcohol-related incidents. The following section will help you and your staff deal with such problems.

Handling an alcohol-related incident

The key to handling an alcohol-related incident is to react quickly and document your actions. Here is what you should do:

Document the details of incidents such as refusing alcohol service, arranging transportation for a guest, refusing the false ID of a minor and calling police to your establishment. An incident report can be used internally to assess your alcohol service and can be helpful in the event of a lawsuit.
Write a report on all incidents involving alcohol. This step should be taken immediately after an event occurs while the facts are still fresh. Include in the report the date, time, and server and manager involved. List the names of the guests and employees who witnessed the incident and physical descriptions of all intoxicated guests.
The National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation offers a variety of training materials related to responsible beverage-alcohol service. For more information about the Foundation's ServSafe Alchohol^TM training materials, call (800) 809-6032.

Last updated: June 12, 2005

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