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Make Responsible Alcohol Service a Resolution in 2025
The New Year is a time to reflect on the changes we want or need to make. A goal that should be on the top of every operator’s resolution list is responsible alcohol service. When you serve alcohol, you know the risks.
Risk lawsuits if you over-serve. Risk lives if you serve a drunk driver. Risk your livelihood if you sell to a minor. What can you do to protect your license and ensure the safety and well-being of your customers in 2025? Here are a few resolutions you may want to make:
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Drinking frequency has increased overall in the U.S. While this means you might have more patrons drinking at your establishment, remember to keep an eye out for signs of a higher blood alcohol content (BAC) among guests.
1. KNOW YOUR ALCOHOL SERVICE LAWS.
Maintaining a liquor license requires strict adherence to alcohol service laws, and it’s up to you and your staff to follow these laws when handling alcohol or risk serious consequences. When your business obtains a license to serve alcohol, it’s agreeing to abide by the rights, responsibilities, and liabilities put forth by your state’s local liquor authority. Alcohol service laws are intended to help keep your customers safe and your business operating to its full potential. Each law falls under the three categories outlined by the local liquor authorities:
Rights:
Actions that your restaurant can choose to take to responsibly run your business. For example, you have the right to refuse service to an individual who fails to show proper age identification.
Responsibilities:
Actions that you must take under specified circumstances, such as ensuring an intoxicated guest does not get behind the wheel of a vehicle.
Liability:
You are held responsible for injury and/or damage that either occurs to your patrons or is caused by them.
Check with your local alcohol authority to review your region-specific alcohol laws.
2. CREATE AND ENFORCE AN ALCOHOL SERVICE POLICY.
Your alcohol service policy should include protocols for required alcohol service training, properly identifying guests, and when to refuse service. If you already have a written policy, review it and make appropriate changes to address any of the issues you may have had in 2024. If you don’t have a written policy, now is the time to create and implement one.
3. TRAIN AND RE-TRAIN STAFF AND MANAGEMENT.
In addition to implementing an alcohol service policy, your staff training should include a requirement for certification through a reputable alcohol server training program such as ServSafe Alcohol.
Certifying your staff offers valuable benefits, including liability insurance discounts, enhanced prevention of intoxication, drunk driving, and underage drinking, as well as legal protection through a reasonable efforts defense if an alcohol-related incident occurs. Make sure the training includes a positive approach to the sale of alcohol and provides skills training in intervention techniques. Be sure to monitor staff conduct and re-train employees when necessary.
4. 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. Operators should record and keep current the certification status of their employees, just as they maintain daily logs of the happenings at their establishments through incident report log-books.
5. 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.
For more information and resources about responsible alcohol serving practices, sign up for our ServSafe Alcohol training program or connect with our team.