While many employees working in a tourism- or hospitality-related establishment have their Serving it Right certification, there are further ways employers can help to consistently apply and reinforce the responsible and professional serving of alcohol. Not only will you as a manager or owner provide a safe working environment for employees, but also a safe entertainment establishment for patrons.
Useful approaches to promoting the responsible use of alcohol:
- Clearly communicate house policies with staff. Better yet, involve staff in the writing of house policies during a staff meeting. This co-operation isn’t simply a team-building exercise, but it means staff and management are on the same page. Management will trust staff to make the right judgment call in tough situations and staff will feel supported when difficult decisions need to be made – such as cutting off a patron who has had too much to drink.
- Clearly communicate house policies with patrons. Make your house policies visible for patrons, and staff, to see. Then, they know the rules and will know when they have broken them.
- Guide staff on what to do with an intoxicated patron. Firstly, employees need to identify intoxicated patrons and make sure they are not served any more alcohol. Next, provide your employees with ways they can help the patron get home safely – by either calling a taxi for them or asking if there’s someone they could call to take them home.
Promoting the responsible use of alcohol in your establishment leads to happier staff, who feel empowered to deliver great service within the parameters of their legal responsibilities, and satisfied patrons who value your establishment and policies.
Read how other retailers around the world are promoting the responsible use of alcohol:
In California:
- The focus has been on the reduction of liability for servers and owners through server training and patron education.
- Some government initiatives include restricting price discounts, requiring server and retailer training, and limiting the placement of alcohol advertising.
In Australia:
- Promotions (‘drink like a fish’ or ‘beat the clock’) and containers (shooter trays, test tubes) designed to promote rapid or excessive drinking have been banned.
- All venues are required to publicly promote responsible consumption and responsible service of alcohol through posted house policies and intervention, when necessary.
- There is a maximum penalty of an $11,000 fine and 12 months in prison for licensees and staff who repeatedly sell to minors or to intoxicated patrons.
In New Zealand:
- Employees in licensed establishments must provide help with and information about alternative forms of transport.
- In the event of over-consumption, intervention should be a normal event and expected by customers.
- Written server responsibility policies are required to obtain a liquor license.
- There are several innovative intoxication prevention tools, such as that adopted from the rules of soccer and rugby in which patrons can be handed a ‘yellow’ or ‘red’ card by servers, either giving them their last warning or asking them to leave their establishment, respectively.
