Category: Alcohol Awareness

Las Vegas Law Allowing Alcohol Delivery Goes into Effect on Sunday – Delivery Drivers Must Visit the TAM Office to Get Their Mandatory TAM Cards

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Las Vegas restaurants and convenience stores can now use third-party delivery services like Postmates and Uber Eats to deliver alcohol to their customers. The new law takes effect on Sunday, January 30, 2021. Businesses struggling under the strain of COVID restrictions will now have another avenue to boost revenues. Restaurants and bars can use this change to enhance their menus. For example, providing unique cocktail options that set them apart from liquor stores.

Are you planning to offer alcohol liquor delivery service from your business? Make sure you know all of the rules.

  1. The law states that all delivery drivers MUST complete mandatory alcohol awareness training and get their TAM Card®. Drivers will be responsible for checking ID’s for age and verifying addresses upon delivery.
  2. The only place to get a real TAM Card® is www.tamnevada.com.  
  3. Delivery drivers must be 21 years or age or older.
  4. Delivery to hotels and casinos is not allowed.

If you’re a delivery driver and still need to get your TAM Card, you still have time! The official alcohol awareness course is available online 24/7 at www.tamnevada.com. After you complete your online training, visit the TAM® of Nevada office at 2310 Paseo Del Prado, A106, Las Vegas, NV 89102 to pick up your official TAM Card.

The only official TAM office in Las Vegas is open for business six days a week to issue TAM Cards. Our business hours are 8:30am-5:00pm Monday through Friday and 9:00am-12:30pm on Saturday. We look forward to seeing you soon

Alcohol Awareness in the Time of COVID: New Rules for Curbside To-Go Alcohol Sales

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takeout curbside alcoholWe’ve gotten a lot questions from our students about the new rules for restaurants selling beer and wine to-go during the pandemic. As the COVID situation continues to evolve, some Nevada communities are allowing some temporary exceptions to their alcohol sales rules.

The Clark County Department of Business License has released a helpful guide with details that should be reviewed by all alcohol sales professionals. Here is a summary are the main points you should know:

  1. Clark County, the City of Las Vegas, and Henderson all have different rules for curbside alcohol sales. Make sure to visit the link above and read the rules for your jurisdiction.
  2. Businesses may need to apply for temporary licenses to offer alcohol to-go.
  3. In Clark County: Businesses can offer beer and wine on curbside to-go orders, but those orders must also include food. They may not sell hard liquor, or mixed drinks. Delivery services including Door Dash and Uber Eats are prohibited from delivering alcohol.
  4. In Las Vegas: Any alcohol sold must be in the sealed manufacturers’ container. That means no mixed drinks or house-blended beverages like sangria. A business can only sell the types of alcohol they are already licensed for. For example, a beer and wine licensee can only offer beer and wine with their to-go orders. They would not be permitted to sell hard liquor.
  5. In Henderson: Businesses can offer beer and wine on curbside to-go orders, but the order must also include food.
  6. Alcohol Awareness Cards: TAM Cards® are still required for ALL sellers and servers of alcoholic beverages. This program has not been suspended. If you or your employees are responsible for making curbside to-go sales of alcoholic beverages, ensure you have a valid TAM Card or else you could face penalties. Official TAM Cards can be obtained from TAM of Nevada.

Remember, these rules are temporary. Businesses should communicate with licensing authorities in their jurisdiction to make sure they are in compliance.

Alcohol sales professionals should continue to use the Techniques of Alcohol Management when they make curbside to-go alcohol sales. The same rules you learn in your TAM training still apply.

  • Always check for valid I.D. before making a sale.
  • You should not make a sale to someone who is visibly intoxicated. This is double as important when selling alcoholic beverages to someone who is immediately going to get back in their car and drive away.

If you have questions about getting a new TAM Card or renewing an existing TAM Card, you may contact us at [email protected]. The official TAM course is always available 24/7 at www.tamnevada.com.

What’s in a serving size? Servers and sellers should remain vigilant with higher-alcohol beverages on the market

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wine bottlesIf you’ve taken your TAM® training, you know that a standard serving size for alcoholic beverages refers to 12 ounces of beer with 5% alcohol, 5 ounces of wine with 12% alcohol and 1.5 ounces of 80-proof spirits, which are 40% alcohol by volume. Knowledge of these standard serving sizes is very important, and can be helpful when you are observing patrons for increasing signs of intoxication. You can estimate how much alcohol they have consumed. However, it has become increasingly common for wine and beer to have a higher than standard amount of alcohol by volume.

As reported by Health 24, it’s not uncommon for many wines to now register at 14-15% alcohol which throws off the standard five ounce serving. While a standard beer may register around 4-5% alcohol, the increasing number of microbrews and premium beers with higher alcohol content are also throwing a wrench into standard serving calculations. Finally, consumers can purchase flavored malt beverages which are packaged in bottles and sold at convenience, grocery and liquor stores across the United States. They can range anywhere from 5-12% alcohol depending on the choice. With all of these variations, it’s easy to see how patrons can easily consume more alcohol than intended. And, as a result, quickly become much more intoxicated.

Knowing this, servers, bartenders and anyone else responsible for service and sale of alcoholic beverages has a very important job on their hands… knowing how to spot an intoxicated guest, and knowing when to intervene or cut them off. As a server, it’s important to make sure that your guests are having an good time, are served exactly what they ordered, and remain respectful of the establishment and others without being over-served. What do bartenders and servers need to know, and how can they use this knowledge to provide responsible beverage service? Here are some tips to keep in mind.

  • Read the labels and be knowledgeable about alcohol levels in the products you offer. If you have a bottle of wine or a beer on the menu with high alcohol content, it may be worthwhile to print the alcohol percentage on your menu, or at least be knowledgeable enough to answer guest questions about the alcohol content. A server can also politely mention the higher than average alcohol content to any guests ordering that beverage. A simple, “Here’s your beer. Just so you are aware, this particular bottle has a 10% alcohol level, so this is about double the standard alcohol serving,” would be appropriate.
  • When serving and observing guests, don’t just consider a drink’s potency, consider the serving size as well. Even if you are serving a standard 5% alcohol beer to a guest, if they are ordering a 16 ounce pint glass instead of a 12 ounce bottle, then this is still delivering more alcohol than one standard single serving. As always, remain observant.

To learn more about safe beverage service and any warning signs to watch out for in patrons, take our alcohol awareness course and get TAM certified.

Always Check ID! 3 Reno Businesses Fail Alcohol Compliance Check

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pub crawlImagine this: you are serving beverages to customers, just like any other day. A younger couple visits your establishment and orders two pints of beer. You size them up and they seem sober and confident, but they look like they might be a little young. Think fast – what do you do? Ask to see I.D., or make the sale and send them on their way? If you chose option number two, you would have failed the test.

This past Saturday three businesses were cited for serving minors. The Reno area’s Regional Street Enforcement Team conducts regular alcohol compliance and TAM Card checks. On Saturday, the Team sent four 18-20-year-old volunteers out to attempt alcohol purchases at 22 area businesses. This time around, three of those businesses made sales to the minors. These volunteers were given instructions to show their actual state-issued I.D. if they were asked for it, clearly identifying them as underage, according to authorities.

The penalties can be severe. In Nevada, serving alcohol to a minor and allowing a minor into a bar are misdemeanors, with a pre-designated fine of $500. Now, think about your training. Would you pass an alcohol compliance check? Here are some tips for keeping things safe and legal:

  • Get your mandatory TAM® Card and alcohol awareness training. TAM® will train you on how to correctly check identification and how to spot fake, borrowed, or altered ID. Police officers may ask to see your alcohol awareness card during an alcohol compliance check, so it is important to be prepared.
  • Check ID very carefully, and look for any inconsistencies. Watch for anyone who seems either nervous, or over confident. When checking the birth date of a customer, don’t rely only on the birth year alone to confirm someone is of legal drinking age. Minors may try to pull a fast one on busy or distracted workers by purchasing alcohol just a few months or weeks shy of their 21st birthdays. As evidenced by this recent operation, doing the math correctly is very important.

Every establishment needs policies to prevent alcohol sales to minors, and to protect themselves from liability, and the public from harm. Tell us in the Comments below – how else do you think service workers can help curb teen drinking?

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