A 30-year veteran of the restaurant and pub business, Gordon Cartwright not only thinks of responsible beverage service as an obligation, he regards it as a means of fostering strong community relations and an excellent way to grow his business.
Gordon Cartwright, owner of Woody's Pub |
Back in the mid-1980s, when Cartwright owned Avantis Pub in East Vancouver, he came up with the idea of an Avantis Family Contract, whereby pairs of friends or family members would sign a document declaring that, if there were ever a question of intoxication, one would always be available to get the other one home safely. "It tended to be signed by dads and sons, or the dad and a daughter, or two buddies at the bar," he recalls. A neighbourhood police officer was so impressed with this voluntary program that he asked Cartwright to promote it at a local Mothers Against Drunk Driving conference, where he could explain the contract and distribute blank copies. To this day, Cartwright has always taken seriously the responsibilities of being a liquor licensee, and he says the same goes for his fellow members of the Alliance of Beverage Licensees of British Columbia (ABLE BC). "I think neighbourhood pubs have always been very conscious of it through our association," he says.
Sixteen years ago, Cartwright opened the 230-seat Woody's Pub in Coquitlam, BC, and responsible beverage service is thoroughly interwoven into the daily procedures of his staff. His house policy, posted near the door, promotes a designated driver program. The designated driver for a group is asked to sign up at the bar, at which point that guest is given a colourful lanyard to wear around the neck, so as to be easily identified by staff. For the rest of the visit, says Cartwright, "they get free non-alcoholic drinks and a side of our chicken wings, which we're famous for."
Cartwright has explored numerous ways to get his customers home safely. He stocks and distributes brochures for two companies that will drive a guest home, with a second employee following in the guest's car. About a year ago, he posted a map of the Coquitlam/New Westminster area and invited his clientele to locate their residential location with push pins. "It turns out that 90 per cent of our customers live within an $8 to $10 taxi ride." Cartwright then arranged with Royal City Taxi to use five spots in his parking lot as a waiting area, with the result that there is almost always a taxi available. "Our policy is, if you or a group of up to four people spend $50, we'll pay for the taxi ride home." Departing guests show the driver their Woody's receipt, the driver knocks up to $10 off the fare, and at the end of each month Cartwright settles his accumulated tab with the taxi company.
On weekends, Cartwright employs a security crew of four, licensed from the Justice Institute of British Columbia, who control the pub and its entrances. While three work inside Woody's, the fourth stands outside at the main entrance and makes a deliberate point of engaging in a conversation with all arriving customers. "The doorman's role is mainly capacity control, but also acts as a monitor when they talk to everyone. If someone's slurring or seems hyper, the doorman refuses entry." Sometimes, a customer may suddenly appear to have been over-served. "It can happen in an instant," says Cartwright. "Two drinks they're OK, and the third sends them over the edge." In such cases, staff reiterate the taxi policy, which is posted, "and we've even offered to drive people home." Again the doorman plays a role. "If the customer is going to their car, we say, 'If you open that car door, we'll call the RCMP and give them your plate number. Do you want to spend the night in jail or give us your keys, take a taxi and come get your car in the morning?' People usually understand we're just trying to help."
The net result is that Woody's has become a social destination for his area of the Lower Mainland, and Cartwright is certain that his house policy has contributed to the pub's popularity. "No question," he says, "it's very good business to do this."
