Department Name
Serve Responsibly
After Midnight
Resolutions for Ringing in a Safe New Year
Right about now, everyone is undoubtedly thinking about their New Year’s resolutions. We
checked in with some leaders on the
responsible alcohol service (RAS) front
to see what they’re resolving to do differently in 2010 or what they hope bar
operators will resolve to do to ensure a
truly safe New Year for everyone who
walks through their doors. Here are their
RAS Resolution recommendations:
“I’d like to challenge operators to resolve to come up with three new ideas or
best practices that would help operators
reinforce RAS training — essentially tips
and tricks that are used — and then share
them with the industry so other operators
can enhance their programs. My personal
resolution is to teach my friends and family
how to serve more responsibly at home
parties.” — Sam Stanovich, NRA Solu-tions/ServSafe Alcohol
By Donna Hood
Crecca
Donna Hood Crecca
is editorial director
of Nightclub& Bar
magazine, and has covered
beverage alcohol service in bars
and restaurants for nearly two
decades.
“My resolution would be to appoint a dedicated manager to the task of
responsible alcohol service. This ‘RAS
Czar’ would not only be responsible
for keeping him- or herself certified to
instruct an RAS course (saving money
by not having to outsource that task
and ensuring quicker certifications), but
he/she also would devise shift meetings
and daily reminders to help keep the staff
on track. The manager would be partially
bonused/incentivized on training and
certification percentages and successful
compliance checks.” — Tim Kirkland,
Renegade Hospitality
“I hope operators think more broadly about responsibility. Nightlife venue
operators can tap into two growing markets
— those over 50 and those under 30 —
each of which brings new expectations for
value, safety and vibrancy. Because these
two groups socialize on split schedules
— before and after 10 p.m., respectively
— reorienting business plans and design to
focus on sociability and entertainment, rather than simply being places to drink, shifts
revenue streams toward the value of the
space rather than the price of a drink. This
is a fiscally sound, holistic and responsible
approach to the business.” — Jim Peters,
Responsible Hospitality Institute
Resolve to Implement Best Practices
What can you do to protect your license and ensure
the safety and well-being of
your customers in 2010? Trevor
Estelle of TIPS (Training for
Intervention ProcedureS) offers a
few best practices:
1. Create and publish an
alcohol service policy and
instruct every employee to follow
it. If you already have a written
policy, review it and make appropriate changes to address any
of the issues you may have had
in 2009. If you do not yet have a
written policy, now is the time to
create and implement one.
2. Train and re-train staff and
management. Your staff training
should include a requirement for
certification through a reputable
alcohol server training program.
The advantages of certifying your
staff include liability insurance
discounts; a greater ability to
prevent intoxication, drunk driving and underage consumption;
and the protection afforded by
a reasonable efforts defense in
the event of an alcohol-related
incident. Be sure to monitor staff
conduct and re-train employees
when necessary.
3. Keep good records. One of
the best defenses against liquor
liability lawsuits is good documentation. Consistent and thorough
documentation is an essential part
of demonstrating a commitment to
responsible alcohol service. Record
and keep current the certification
status of employees.
4. Communicate with the
public. Let community members
know that you are part of the
solution. Demonstrate your commitment to responsible service
by working with others, such
as community coalitions, law
enforcement, local associations
and college campuses. Display
your ID checking/alcohol service
policies in a public place or post
signage showing that your staff
is certified in a reputable alcohol
server training program. NCB
