Category: Alcohol Awareness

Are You Serving Poolside? Prevent Dehydration from Alcohol Use on Hot Summer Days

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Summer drinksThe sunny days of summer are in full swing in Las Vegas! If you’re working poolside, you know that frosty mugs of beer and tropical cocktails are top sellers. Enjoying an alcoholic beverage on a hot day can be a refreshing treat, but it can also accelerate dehydration and can lead to heat-related illness.

Are you serving thirsty patrons responsibly? Extended exposure to the heat and sun can cause dehydration. In fact, many experts will tell you to avoid drinks containing alcohol while in the sun or heat. When a person is dehydrated, they actually have a lower volume of blood. With less blood in the system, it will take less alcohol to reach a higher blood alcohol content level.

So, add alcohol to the mix and party goers can quickly become even more dehydrated while drinking their poolside cocktails. How can pool party servers ensure that their guests have fun in the sun? Remember, the key word is fun. Heading to the hospital with heat exhaustion is not fun. Here are some tips to keep guests safe, happy, and having a great time.

  • With each drink order, also offer to bring your guests a glass of ice water. Drinking water is one of the easiest ways to help stay hydrated. By helping your guests to stay hydrated, you’ll work to offset the dehydrating effects of the alcohol, sweltering heat, and the sun.
  • With drink orders, remember to encourage your guests to order food. Food helps keep alcohol in the stomach for a longer period of time which means that it will be absorbed into the bloodstream at a much slower rate. Try offering your bar patrons an appetizer or entrée to go with their drinks. A simple, “Would you like to try some of our famous sliders to go with your cocktail?” is always a good tactic.
  • Don’t forget to keep an eye on guests and monitor their behavior. By keeping track of how much your guests are drinking, you can better judge when they’ve had enough. When in doubt, do not serve. You’ll learn all of the tips and tricks of save beverage service in your alcohol awareness course from TAM® of Nevada.
  • Keep an eye on your guests, and use good judgment. Suggest some shade and promote an alcohol-free beverage. You can say, “You know it’s really hot out here today. I don’t want you to miss out on the party. Let me find you a shady spot.

By following these steps, you up the fun factor and you keep yourself, your guests, and your establishment safe. What other advice would you give to TAM® Card holders working at Vegas pool parties?

Announcing Our Quarterly Customer Survey Winner

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Survey WInnerIf you’ve recently completed a TAM® class, did you remember to fill out the customer survey? As a token of thanks for our students’ participation, we enter survey respondents into a quarterly drawing for a $50 Amazon.com gift card prize. Congratulations to Valeria D., winner of our most recent quarterly gift card giveaway for filling out the TAM® of Nevada Customer Survey! Additionally, thanks to all of our customers for choosing TAM® and for letting us know about your experience.

If you’ve recently completed your TAM® course and haven’t yet completed the customer satisfaction survey, we invite you to access the survey and submit your response before our next drawing. Or, visit us on Facebook and tell us about your experience! Let us know your favorite part of the training, what you’ve learned, or ask us any questions you might have.

Our customer satisfaction survey is available to both online and classroom students. Thank you again to all of our customers for your patronage and for your helpful responses. Remember to visit us on Facebook and keep the conversation going.

© 2015 National Hospitality Institute®, TAM® of Nevada

Teen Drinking: Tips for Stopping Third-Party Alcohol Sales

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third party sales dangersAlcohol enforcement activities used to limit youth access to alcohol, everything from hospitality workers checking I.D. to police personnel enforcing the law and making arrests, are critical to reducing underage drinking and its often tragic consequences. One of the most problematic enforcement scenarios for sales professionals are third-party sales of alcoholic beverage products. In fact, research indicates that 30-70% of alcohol outlets may sell to underage buyers, depending partially on their geographic location (OJJPD).

A third-party sale occurs when an adult buys alcohol for someone underage, from a commercial establishment, for his or her underage consumption. In some cases, the adult will ask for or accept a fee and/or a portion of the alcohol in exchange for making the purchase. The amount of alcohol obtained by underage drinkers from these transactions can range from one drink in a bar to a keg of beer for a field party (OJJPD). A great example of this type of scenario is a teen approaching an adult stranger outside of a liquor store and asking the adult to purchase liquor for them in exchange for a small fee.

Many teens report that they most often obtain alcohol from others over the age of 21, so enforcement of third party sales must be a high priority. In fact, a report from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration indicates that 51% of 18-20 year olds in Nevada have engaged in underage drinking within the past month, and 36% have engaged in binge drinking within the last month (SAMHSA). This indicates that teens are finding ways to obtain and consume alcoholic beverages, despite best efforts on the part of sales professionals and police.

Off-site premises workers at grocery or convenience stores don’t necessarily know that if they sell beer and liquor to a legal adult, the adult won’t provide that liquor to teenagers. But, using best judgment techniques and following store procedures will help to keep things safe and legal.

The national campaign We Don’t Serve Teens from the FTC Consumer Education section makes excellent and common-sense suggestions for helping to curb teenage drinking from off-site sales. Tips include simple procedures such as creating and maintaining sales and service policies that every staffer should follow (We Don’t Serve Teens – FTC). Everyone involved in sales should be aware of store policies regarding acceptable forms of ID, when and how to refuse a sale, etc. Other simple suggestions include:

  • If you work in a commercial establishment, keep an eye on the front of the property if possible, and report any minors loitering around the entrance or parking lot to your manager or supervisor. This could be evidence of minors trying to approach customers to purchase alcoholic beverages on their behalf.
  • Make sure that ‘alcopops’ and mixed, carbonated malt liquor beverages frequently sold off-premises are displayed in areas dedicated to alcoholic beverages, not in the soft drink section. Many of these drinks can be easily confused for non-alcoholic energy drinks, and it just makes it easier on everyone involved to keep them separate. As a sales professional, be extra cautious when making these types of sales. Sweet and fizzy alcoholic beverages are a favorite among teen drinkers.
  • Always card anyone who appears to be under the age of 30 and make sure to observe the character and demeanor of your customer. Retailers and off-site sales professionals should be diligent about checking IDs to make sure teenagers are not trying to purchase liquor with fake or borrowed identification.
  • Make sure to complete your mandatory alcohol awareness training from TAM® of Nevada. TAM® teaches thousands of off-site and on-site sales professionals how to safely and responsibly serve and sell alcoholic beverages each year, including preventing third party sales. TAM® will also educate you on important local, state and federal laws that apply to alcohol sales.

Readers: Now it’s your turn! Share your best tips and tricks for helping to stop teen drinking in the Comments section below.

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Sobriety Checkpoints in Nevada – Are They Legal and Do They Help Prevent Drunk Driving?

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DUI Checkpoint signEvery day, almost 30 people in the United States die in motor vehicle crashes that involve an alcohol-impaired driver, about one death every 51 minutes (CDC). Thankfully, there are measures that can help prevent injuries and deaths from alcohol-impaired driving.

Drunk driving is a serious concern in Nevada, and police agencies are always hard at work to remind retailers and beverage servers to do their part to make sure patrons are not over served, and at risk for getting behind the wheel. Another one of the front line defenses used to combat drunk drivers on Nevada roads is the use of sobriety (DUI) checkpoints. These are locations where law enforcement officers are stationed roadside to check drivers for signs of impairment. Many jurisdictions utilize sobriety checkpoints as part of their larger drunk driving deterrence programs.

Instructors at TAM® of Nevada often receive questions from students in our classes about the legality of sobriety checkpoints. The fact is sobriety checkpoints are legal and useful in Nevada, and they are not going away anytime soon.

According to the Governors Highway Safety Association, 38 states, the District of Columbia, the Northern Mariana Islands and the Virgin Islands all conduct sobriety checkpoints (GHSA.org). Further, the Las Vegas Review Journal recently published an article explaining the legality of sobriety checkpoints in Nevada. They point out that checkpoints are completely legal as long as they follow specific requirements established by Nevada Revised Statute (NRS) 484.B570. To read the full explanation, refer to the article, “Ask a Lawyer: DUI checkpoints – Are they legal and what are your rights?”

As a beverage service professional, you have a moral responsibility to support law enforcement efforts to prevent drunk driving – sobriety checkpoints and other tactics. What can you do help prevent customers from driving while impaired? The first defense for sales professionals is a thorough knowledge of local and state laws, and mandatory alcohol awareness training from TAM® of Nevada. For more tips on how to help prevent impaired drivers from getting behind the wheel, check out our blog post “Are You Doing All You Can to Prevent Drunk Driving?”

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