Category: Alcohol Sales

DUI Arrests in Las Vegas Are Up 18% in 2012

Published on by TAM of Nevada1 Comment

Las Vegas Metro Police worked tirelessly through the Independence Day celebrations on July 3rd and 4th to help keep motorists and pedestrians safe from impaired drivers. After setting up DUI checkpoints at two intersections in Las Vegas, a total of 30 drivers were arrested under suspicion of driving while impaired (Las Vegas Sun). Perhaps even more concerning, the Metro Police force has made 5,356 DUI arrests, that’s an 18% increase compared to last year. That is the equivalent of about 30 DUI arrests each day (Action News 13). Drunk driving is a serious problem that can harm not only the impaired driver, but also for others who share the roads; passengers, pedestrians, and innocent bystanders.

As a service professional, are you doing all you can to help your patrons get home safe? Bartenders, waiters and anyone else who serves alcoholic beverages have a legal and moral responsibility to serve alcohol responsibly, keep a close eye on their patrons, and promote an alternative means of getting home if anyone appears intoxicated. Hospitality workers should apply the techniques they learned in their TAM® course to serve alcoholic beverages safely.

Let’s all work to make the second half of 2012 safer for the Las Vegas metropolitan community.

Resources

© 2012 National Hospitality Institute®, TAM® of Nevada

 

Looking for a Job or Want to Post an Opening? Drop by TAM® of Nevada to View Our Job Posting Board

Published on by TAM of NevadaLeave a comment

We all know the economy is tough right now, and the job market is competitive. However, this year things are slowly starting to turn around, and we can all breathe a little easier. As we recently reporting in our blog post, “Las Vegas Job Market Shows Improvement for Hospitality Industry,” companies across Nevada are advertising new jobs, and there are some great opportunities are out there for job seekers.

In an effort to help connect TAM® Card Holders with Employers, we’ve put up a job posting board at our official training center on Paradise Road. When you come in for an alcohol awareness class or proctored exam, make sure you check out our job board near to the reception desk. We keep in touch with properties all over town and try to keep our students informed about any available positions for hospitality and service professionals. You may find a listing that would be a great fit for you. You’ll also find a second board near to our job board with recent news articles, information about local decoy operations, accident issues in Las Vegas, and other information that is relevant to hospitality professionals and TAM® students.

Are you a Manager or Owner with a job you’d like to advertise to our talented students? We’d be happy to post your listing, contact TAM of Nevada today and we’ll put your listing up in our center at no cost to you. You want to reduce risk of liability and make sure your staff is trained on how to properly serve and sell alcoholic beverages while providing excellent customer service. TAM® students receive the most robust and informative alcohol awareness training possible, and will be ready to work hard for your business!

Searching for a great position that you’ll enjoy and excel in can be a daunting process, but having the right tools to help you get started can greatly boost your chances of success. What tips would you give to job seekers for landing a great position?

© 2012 National Hospitality Institute®, TAM® of Nevada

ID Scanners – Another Weapon to Combat Underage Drinking

Published on by TAM of Nevada1 Comment

Routine decoy operations are continuing across the state of Nevada from Reno to Henderson, and establishments and business owners are taking note. As we reported in a recent blog post, “The City of Reno Has Suspended Alcohol Licenses for Several Businesses for Selling Alcohol to Minors,” businesses and hospitality professionals should always remain alert and focused when selling or serving alcoholic beverages. Is your staff prepared to pass with flying colors if they are approached by undercover officers conducting an alcohol compliance check? With continued efforts across the state of Nevada to cut down on teenage drinking, alcohol sales professionals can count on a variety of tactics to ensure they are doing their best to make responsible alcohol sales.

The first defense for sales professionals is a thorough knowledge of local and state laws, and mandatory alcohol awareness training. Alcohol awareness training from TAM of Nevada will teach you how to spot fake, altered and borrowed identification, which is popular with teen drinkers. Also remember that TAM® Cards expire after four years, contact TAM® of Nevada if you need to renew your training. Officials may ask to see your alcohol awareness card during an alcohol compliance check.

Some companies, such as 7-11, are also implementing additional procedures to ensure they are making safe and legal alcoholic beverage sales. As reported by KRNV Reno, 7-11 recently installed ID scanners at all of their store locations across Nevada (KRNV Reno). Hopefully, additional safeguards such as ID scanners will deter teens from attempting to purchase alcoholic beverages altogether. ID scanners can be helpful in determining whether an ID is the real deal, and some can also quickly do the math for determining the age of the person represented by the ID. Remember, anyone selling or serving alcoholic beverages needs to confirm that the person represented by the ID is in fact the person standing in front of them. 7-11 notes that their staff is not relying on scanners alone. Staff members continue to follow company procedure in using the skills garnered during alcohol awareness training to ensure that customers are using legitimate identification that belongs to them. For more information about ID scanners, check out our blog post, “ID Scanners – Friend or Foe?”

What are your experiences regarding the use of ID scanners?

Resources

© 2012 National Hospitality Institute®, TAM® of Nevada

Making Safe Choices – April is Alcohol Awareness Month

Published on by TAM of NevadaLeave a comment

We here at TAM® of Nevada like to promote alcohol awareness and responsible drinking year round. However, we’re happy to help spread the message that April is Alcohol Awareness Month. This is an opportunity to raise awareness of alcohol abuse and encourage people to make healthy, safe life choices, as well as to highlight the role that servers and sellers have in protecting their communities. Good judgment and knowledge of the Techniques of Alcohol Management (TAM)® are crucial qualities in a service professional; and Alcohol Awareness Month is an opportunity for you to showcase your training!

This month, we encourage you to take this time to educate yourself, your bar patrons, and your loved ones about the dangers of alcohol abuse. In Nevada alone, of the 257 traffic fatalities in 2010, 69 of them, or 27%, involved alcohol-impaired driving (NHTSA). This is an unacceptable number, but you can help make a difference, and possibly save lives, by practicing responsible beverage service. Bartenders, waiters and anyone else who serves alcoholic beverages have a legal and moral responsibility to serve alcohol responsibly, keep a close eye on their patrons, and promote an alternative means of getting home if anyone appears intoxicated. For tips on what you can do to reduce the chance your patrons will be involved in impaired-driving accidents, read our blog post, “DUI-Related Traffic Deaths Up This Year in Southern Nevada – Are You Doing All You Can to Help Prevent Drunk Driving?”

Remember that the goal of Alcohol Awareness Month is to not only increase public awareness, and work to reduce impaired driving, but to also aim at reducing the stigma that too often prevents individuals and families from seeking help if they have a drinking problem. One should never be afraid to ask for the help they need. One can ask for help from a friend, family member or doctor if necessary.

This month, reflect on your own habits and those of your patrons. Do you recognize the signs of alcohol abuse and binge drinking in yourself or others? If you are drinking too much, you can improve your health by cutting back or quitting. Keep track of how much you drink, avoid places where overdrinking occurs, and find new ways to deal with stress. If you are concerned about someone else’s drinking, offer to help. In fact, many drinkers are not aware that they are misusing or abusing alcohol. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, drinking more than 4 drinks on any day or more than 14 drinks per week for men, or more than 3 drinks on any day or more than 7 drinks per week for women is considered “at-risk” or “heavy” drinking (NIAAA).

How will you promote safe choices and alcohol awareness this month?

Resources

© 2012 National Hospitality Institute®, TAM® of Nevada