ServSafe Alcohol Primary and ServSafe Alcohol Advanced Study Guide for the ServSafe

Difficult Situations

You may have to deal with intoxicated customers, potential violence and fights, illegal activities, fake or altered IDs, or visits from law enforcement. There are best practices to handle these situations in a safe and responsible manner.

Safety Basics

Always keep your own safety and your company policy in mind. Personal safety should come first, so if you think you or others are unsafe, call the police. Don’t assume a bad situation will right itself. Follow your company policy and local laws for handling difficult situations.

Intoxicated Guests

It’s up to you to decide when to stop serving a customer. When and how you end service can influence the outcome of the situation.

When to Stop Service

If a customer shows signs of intoxication or you’re worried about how many drinks a customer has had, you should stop service.

Procedure to Stop Service

Some places let employees end service by informing the manager, but in most places, you need manager approval. Know your company policy and local laws.

It’s best to inform the customer that their service has ended when they try to order the next drink so they’re not as upset and haven’t had time to grow resentful during their previous drink. To remain safe, follow these steps:

Always inform your manager and ask for backup (another available employee who can remain close enough to see and hear the interaction but not so close that the customer notices).
Ask members of the intoxicated customer’s party (when they’re away from the customer) to help convince them to stop drinking on their own, or to help keep the customer calm.
Be professional and polite, aware of your body language, and calm when addressing the intoxicated customer. Don’t frown or stare (or anything that might seem like shaming or aggression), and don’t get personal or take anything personally.
Offer the customer a nonalcoholic drink or food that slows alcohol absorption. The longer the customer sits and doesn’t drink, the more time the body has to process the alcohol they’ve already had. (Check your company policy and local laws about allowing an intoxicated customer to stay in your establishment before you offer nonalcoholic drinks or food to make sure you can. Always follow company policy and alcohol laws).
Inform fellow staff that you’ve stopped serving the customer so they can keep the customer from drinking more or from driving while drunk.

Communication

The most difficult part of stopping service is informing the customer, but there are some techniques to help make communication easier.

Judgment

Avoid saying something that could come off as judgemental, like “You’ve had enough.” Instead, state facts, like “It’s against the law for me to serve you more,” and explain with facts like your company policy or laws. Avoid using “you” statements that could invite arguments or offend. Use “Our company policy doesn’t allow,” or “It’s against the law…”

Concern

Show genuine concern by letting the customer know you care, like “I want to make sure you get home alright,” instead of “I’m just doing my job.” This way you are showing concern for the customer’s safety.

Empathy

Let the customer know you understand their feelings by showing empathy. Say something like “I’m sorry if this upsets you,” instead of “I’m sorry, I can’t serve you another.”

Firmness

Remain firm and don’t back down when stopping service. Remember, it’s against the law to continue service, and you’ll teach customers to disrespect you and your establishment in the future, making it even more challenging to stop service next time. Say something like “I’m sorry, but I could lose my job,” instead of “Okay, but this is the last one.”

Other Intoxicated Guest Behavior

Stopping service isn’t the only difficult situation you’ll encounter. Intoxicated customers can also cause other disturbances.

Getting Drinks from Others

If you’ve stopped serving a customer and see that they’re being given drinks from someone in their party, you must notify your manager and any necessary employee. Make sure you’re following company policy and state and local law. Then stop alcohol service to the entire party and quote the alcohol law you are following by using the above communication techniques. Take away any alcohol.

Attempting to Leave

Beyond stopping service, you must also ensure your customer gets home safely, which can be tricky, especially if they drove themselves. You can’t physically stop someone from driving, so talk them out of it instead. Attempt to convince them not to drive.

If the customer still insists on driving, warn them that you will be calling the police. If they still drive, call the police immediately with the make and model of the car, license plate number, and the direction the customer was headed.
If the customer agrees not to drive, help them get home safely by taking their keys, if offered. Find them a ride by asking a sober member of their party, calling a friend or family member for them, or by calling them a cab or some other means of transportation.

Designated Drivers

Some customers have designated drivers with them (someone who won’t be drinking so they can safely drive everyone home), but customers shouldn’t be allowed to drink until intoxicated just because they have a designated driver. At no point should you ever allow a customer to drink to the point of intoxication because you are always liable. (Some businesses have designated driver programs, so check to see if yours has such a program.)

Intoxicated Upon Arrival

Customers might arrive intoxicated, and if so, you have the right to refuse service or try to keep them from coming in, but be sure to follow your company policy and state and local law. If you can’t refuse entry, treat them the same way you would any intoxicated customer. Don’t serve them any alcohol, offer them food and nonalcoholic beverages, make sure they get home safely, and make sure your manager and other staff know of the situation.

Potential Violence

The best way to handle potential violence or violent situations is to anticipate issues.

Observe to Anticipate

Watch customers and keep an eye out for anything that might escalate into violence, like loud, unruly, overly animated or emotional customers; customers making inappropriate sexual or physical contact; customers making threats or arguing; or customers throwing chairs, glasses, or other items.

Prepare

Inform your manager and coworkers immediately if a situation looks like it could turn violent because they should be prepared to handle it and ready to help. Keep monitoring the situation.

Call on Authorities

If anyone in your establishment appears to be in imminent danger, call the police. Don’t wait for tensions to lower on their own, because they usually don’t. Do your best to keep bystanders safe.

Remain Calm

Keep control of the situation when it appears a customer will become violent by remaining calm, asking the customer to stop the behavior, or warning them that you’ve called the police (or will call the police). Don’t get confrontational and never touch or try to restrain a customer you think will turn to violence. Trying to touch or restrain them puts you at risk and it could also have legal repercussions.

Illegal Activities

Handling illegal activities, like gambling, prostitution or other lewd behavior, weapons, or drugs, is another difficult situation. But you have a responsibility to notice these things. Keep your safety in mind and don’t take action until the safety of yourself and your customers is considered. Inform your manager and let them decide what to do (it’s their job). Call the police if necessary (your manager may come to this decision).

Weapons

In some states, you can lose your liquor license if you knowingly permit a customer with an illegal weapon to enter your establishment. So if you see a customer with an illegal weapon, don’t confront them, tell your manager, and follow your company policy and state and local laws which may include calling the police. A customer with an illegal weapon should be handled cautiously.

Requests

Managers, coworkers, and customers might make unethical or illegal requests. If your manager requests that you ignore policy or laws you should express your concern, respectfully decline, and inform the next level of management or human resources because you are liable for your actions when serving alcohol. Inform your manager if a coworker makes an unethical or illegal request. And if a customer makes an unethical or illegal request, or bribes you, respectfully decline, inform your manager, tell your coworkers about the situation, and follow company policy and state and local laws.

Incidents and Authorities

Your establishment might use incident reports to have a written record of a situation, and will be visited by liquor authorities and law enforcement from time to time.

Incident Reports

Some establishments might require you to write an incident report when you’ve stopped service, witnessed illegal activities, or called the police, etc. to help owners/operators prepare for possible legal action or to help them decide if their company policy is working. Incident reports aren’t usually required by law and you should seek legal advice if you own or manage a business and are trying to determine whether or not to include incident reports. If your establishment uses incident reports, follow company policy on how and when to record an incident.

Visits from Authorities

Liquor authority agents and law enforcement officials might show up at any time to ensure your establishment is following laws. They don’t have to disclose when they’re coming and these visits can be stressful, but they are routine. You do have the right to ask why they’re there as well as ask them clarifying questions about what they say. When one of these visits happens, you should politely ask for identification, inform your manager and other staff of their arrival, and follow company policy. It’s also a good idea to take notes.