What you need to know if having Alcohol at your event.
What are the 6 elements of a host responsibility policy?
A responsible host:
Prevents intoxication
Offer low-alcohol drinks and non-alcoholic drink options.
Have free water bottles available.
Have quality food available, not those that encourage drinking.
Have discounted food and soft drinks for patrons at risk of becoming intoxicated.
Wide variety of drinks rather than just shots
Adopts the “20-minute rule” – taking a 20-minute break after you've finished one drink before buying or pouring your next
Display MADD and Drink responsibly signs
Serves alcohol responsibly - Does not serve alcohol to minors - those under 19 years of age or to those that look intoxicated or you know have had many drinks already.
Arranges safe transport options - doesn’t allow drinking and driving.
The Liquor Licence and Control Act, 2019 (LLCA)states that anyone involved in the sale, service, delivery or sampling of liquor, or who takes liquor orders from customers, must hold a valid (non-expired) certificate from a liquor training program approved by the Board of the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO). Smart Serve is Ontario’s only approved liquor training program and must be renewed every 5 years.
What are the ways to identify intoxicated guests?
Speech: Incoherent, rambling and slurring.
Behaviour: Rude, offensive, overly friendly, annoying, confused, aggressive, violent and inappropriate.
Balance: Unsteady on feet, staggering and swaying.
Lack of Coordination.
How to Handle Intoxicated Guests
Stay calm.
Don't argue with the intoxicated guest.
Don't embarrass the guest, especially in front of other people.
Invite the problem guest to an area away from other guests, where you can talk.
Deal with the situation in a calm, friendly way.
Listen and empathize with your guest.
Here are 4 strategies to help you deal with intoxicated patrons:
1. Suggest Food.
Suggest that they purchase a food item instead of another drink. When we eat, it helps slow down the absorption of alcohol in the body. Also, if the patron has an empty stomach, they will continue to get more intoxicated, quicker.
2. Offer Water, Coffee or Tea.
Suggest having them try a different product that is non-alcoholic. This gives them time to let the alcohol pass through the body. Offering them water or coffee is a great alternative. If this doesn’t work, perhaps try juice or a soft drink.
3. Try Talking to the Group.
It can be beneficial to have friends talk to an intoxicated individual instead of a bartender. If an intoxicated individual is with a group of people, try talking with the group members. The group may be able to help sway the intoxicated individual into slowing down or switching to a non-alcoholic beverage.
4. Avoid the Intoxicated Patron.
Instead of relying on a drunk patron to change what they’re doing, slow down the flow of drinks yourself. Servers or bartenders may have to avoid serving that customer for longer periods of time to slow down the service of drinks. This will give the intoxicated customer more time for the alcohol to pass through their system.
What to do with an extremely drunk person?
If a person is drunk, you can help by getting them to a safe place, lying them on their side, and staying with them. An alcohol overdose is a serious condition that requires emergency medical attention. If you suspect someone is having an overdose, call 911 right away.
How many drinks is excessive?
What is excessive drinking? Excessive drinking includes binge drinking, heavy drinking, and any drinking by pregnant women or people younger than age 21. For women, 4 or more drinks during a single occasion. For men, 5 or more drinks during a single occasion.
Who gets drunk easier?
Even if a man and a woman are the same weight and drink the same amount of alcohol, the woman will still become more intoxicated. This is true for several reasons: Women have less water in their bodies than men do—water makes up 52% of a woman's body, as compared to 61% of a man's.
The final step in dealing with an intoxicated customer is to refuse service.
Refusing service can potentially lead to a heated conversation with the customer, so it’s important to have an established policy in place stating how your business deals with intoxicated customers. Servers and bartenders need to know it’s acceptable to go to the manager for help when dealing with an intoxicated customer.
When speaking with a customer about refusing them service:
Be as friendly as possible, yet firm in your decision.
Tell them you care about their well-being and want them to get home safely. It is recommended that you help them find transportation home if they do not have a way to get home safely. A cab service or third-party app such as Lyft or Uber can make all the difference if the intoxicated customer is drinking alone.
It’s alright to let them know that your job or liquor license could be at risk if you were to over serve them.
If a drunk patron becomes disorderly or you feel threatened in any way, contact your local police department for assistance. The goal is always to keep everyone involved in this situation – and your business – safe.
While the standard for establishing a host’s breach of a duty of care is quite lax in Canada, it’s a good idea to keep a few guiding principles to prevent potential liability when hosting a party. Make sure you are not inviting guests to an inherently risky environment. If the party is out of control, there are more guests than you can handle and underage drinking and drug use are occurring, you could be found liable.
At the same time, be vigilant and take all reasonable steps to prevent any dangerous activities that might occur. This could include taking people’s car keys and arranging rides home.
Advice for Bar Staff
1) Know Those Dram Laws and Understand Your Liability
It may seem unfair, but according to laws in most provinces, drunk customers are your responsibility as the licensee. Penalties for overserving can range from fines to liquor license suspension or loss. If drunk customers leave and hurt themselves or someone else, you could personally face criminal charges and Lawsuits. Know the law. And protect yourself, your event, and your guests.2) Drunk Customers: Learn to Spot Them
From Bartenders experience there are 2 types of behaviours that suggest someone is drunk:
“They’re overly loud and often a little too animated. Drunk customers are typically aggressive when getting to the bar or trying to get your attention.”
Some drunk customers are the complete opposite. They’re quiet and move slowly, with a “glazed” look in their eyes they may or may not seem uncoordinated.
3) What NOT to Do When Faced with Drunk Customers
Before sharing the FAST method for dealing with intoxicated guests, here’s what NOT to do.
Ignore: Some suggest ignoring drunk customers when they want another drink. This can backfire in two ways. First, the customer may get offended and angry by your neglect…leading them to aggressive behavior. Second, the guest may go to another bartender who ends up serving them.
Serve: It’s tempting. You don’t want to upset those drunk customers…what’s one more drink? Maybe it’s easier to serve them. Then they’ll go away, you think. No…just don’t do it – no matter how much they beg and plead. Your bar’s liquor license and liability are on the line. Not to mention, if one of those drunk customers gets in an accident or harms someone, you’ll have to live with the guilt.
Shout: Some drunk customers will raise their voices. Don’t respond by shouting back. Stay calm and speak normally. If the inebriated guest is shouting, other customers are watching how you act. Some may even have their cellphones out recording what they think may be a fight. No matter how angry you are, remain calm and courteous. Act as if you’re being filmed.
4) The FAST Method for Handling Drunk Customers
Friends: Chances are, drunk customers are with friends. Enlist their help. Explain that you are unable to serve the customer and you want to ensure they get home safely.
Ask: If the intoxicated guest is alone, or their friends aren’t helpful, ask the guest if they really do want another drink. “Are you sure?” Give the guest an opportunity to cut themselves off. If that doesn’t work, and they say “yes, I want another drink,” then…
Suggest: Drunk customers could be distracted by the promise of a complimentary snack and a glass of water. Or, suggest a soda or coffee on the house. If that doesn’t work, kindly and quietly say, “I’m sorry but I cannot serve you.”
Taxi: Even if you’ve succeeded in talking drunk customers out of more drinks, your work is not done. You need to get them home safely. Call a taxi. Ask their friends to summon an Uber or Lyft driver. Then, double check that the customer actually gets into the vehicle!
If all of the above isn’t working, you need to call the police. Escort the customer outside so that the police can monitor the customer away from the eyes of your other patrons.
5) Document Every Move You Make
It’s critical that you document actions taken when handling drunk customers. If you're faced with legal issues related to overserving, proper documentation can help protect you. For example, if you offer an intoxicated guest complimentary food or non-alcoholic drinks, enter it into your POS with a note about the conversation. If you’ve called a cab, note the time, the company, and the driver’s name in a log book.
It’s not easy handling drunk customers. But with the right training and tactics in place, you can feel confident and prepared for those worst-case scenarios. Ultimately, deciding not to serve a guest – then ensuring they get home safely – is the best thing you can do…for the guest, your bar, and your peace of mind.
* This information has been sourced from website sources and is not exhausted and is only intended as general advice.