Tag: bartenders

Can’t Make It To An Alcohol Awareness Class? TAM® of Nevada Offers Online Training!

Published on by TAM of Nevada1 Comment

Classroom training isn’t for everyone. If you have a busy schedule, or just prefer to learn in the privacy of your own home, you may want to consider the option of taking your alcohol awareness training in an online environment. Let’s be honest, you can’t beat the option of completing your training at home in your pajamas!

Some other alcohol awareness providers have made claims that TAM ® of Nevada only offers classroom training. In reality, TAM ® of Nevada works to make training convenient to all learners, onsite AND online. There are many benefits to online learning that are worth considering:

1. Learn at your own pace. By taking your TAM® course online, you’ll have the option to move through lessons as fast or slow as you like. Additionally, you’ll have the option to pause your training and come back to it at a later date and time.

2. Learn any time, day or night. Not everyone has time in their busy lives to head to a training center and complete 4 hours of training during the day. With our online course, you can work through lessons when it’s convenient for you; morning, noon, or night.

3. You have the option to review information and refresh your memory about what’s covered in the course prior to your exam. Nevada’s Commission on Postsecondary Education requires that all participants in alcohol awareness training take an in-person proctored exam to pick up their TAM® Card. After completing your online course, you’ll need to come to our training center at one of our scheduled exam times to take your test. There’s no need to call and schedule a class, just drop in during one of our sessions when you’re ready for your test.

4. For a limited time, you can obtain your alcohol awareness training online for only $19.95. TAM® of Nevada is offering a discount price on our online course; you’ll save $15 over our classroom training if you choose this option.

Students respond that they find our online course to be engaging, easy to follow and an excellent option for busy service professionals. If you’re curious just how our classroom training works, you can demo the course on our website here. If you’d like to learn more about requirements to obtain your Drink Card in Nevada, you can read more in our blog post, “Call It What You May … But There’s Only One TAM Card!”

What have your experiences with online learning been like? We love to hear feedback from our students!

© 2011 National Hospitality Institute®, TAM® of Nevada

Keep Things Safe, Don’t Over Serve – Warning Signs a Guest May Be Becoming Intoxicated

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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 inebriated guest, and knowing when to intervene. As a server, it’s important to make sure that your guests and patrons are having an enjoyable time, are served exactly what they ordered, and remain respectful of the establishment and others. On top of all of this, it’s imperative to watch for any warning signs that they may be intoxicated. As such, a bartender or server should always be closely monitoring their guests.

To learn the warning signs to watch out for take the Techniques of Alcohol Management (TAM)® course offered by TAM® of Nevada.

Good judgment, a strong moral compass and knowledge of the Techniques of Alcohol Management (TAM)® are all crucial qualities in a service professional; we have a strong obligation to make sure guests are well taken care of, and can make it home safely without injuring themselves or others.

What warning signs do you watch for when you are working? How do you handle situations involving intoxicated patrons?

© 2011 National Hospitality Institute®, TAM® of Nevada

Bon Appetit! Food and Wine Pairings 101

Published on by TAM of Nevada1 Comment

There are only 174 Master Sommeliers in the world, and 16 of those call Las Vegas home, more than any other U.S. city (Mastersommeliers.org). Not everyone can be a polished wine aficionado, but a server can demonstrate their skill and competence to their guests with some basic knowledge about food and wine pairings. An understanding of what basic combinations go together best, and the skill to recommend a bottle you have on hand to pair with a meal will impress your guests and demonstrate your knowledge. Here are some tips every service professional should know:

  1. Match the texture of the food with the texture of the wine. If you’re going for a hearty or rich meal, make sure to pick a robust wine that will hold up to the textures and the flavors, and vice versa (Real Simple).
  2. When choosing a wine, take the sauce and preparation into consideration, not just the meat. Many people rely only on the meat when choosing the wine and stick with the old standby that white wine goes with white meat and red wine with red meat. However, the sauce is often the dominant flavor in a dish, and a buttery, smooth chardonnay can pair beautifully with pork or steak, when it’s finished in a cream sauce (Wine Country Network).
  3. Always follow personal preferences! Ask your guests what their favorite wines are: some people just don’t like red wines, wines from a particular region, etc. Spices, aromas and flavors appeal to people in different ways, so help your guests to follow their taste buds’ preferences to find something they will like.

Another suggestion for some wine education, and a helpful tool to boot, is Natalie MacLean’s Wine & Food Matcher. Pop in any combination of dishes and/or wines (or cocktails!), and the tool will make suggestions for pairings.

A little help goes a long way, and now you’re well on your way to feeling confident in making suggestions for tasty and memorable combinations. What are your favorite food and wine pairings?

Resources

The Court of Master Sommeliers – Membership

5 Keys to Pairing Food and Wine – Real Simple

Food & Wine Pairing Tips – Wine Country Network

Nat Decants – Wine & Food Matcher

© 2011 National Hospitality Institute®, TAM® of Nevada

Call It What You May … Alcohol Awareness Card … Alcohol Education Card … Drink Card … But There’s Only One TAM Card!

Published on by TAM of Nevada4 Comments

Did you know that Nevada is one of only 18 states with mandatory alcohol awareness training required for service professionals? (Alcohol Policy Information System). Training classes and drink cards are required here for just about anyone who deals with the sale of alcohol on the job. It is important for service professionals to know the basics of the laws governing the training that they are required to take.

A business can face serious fines for not complying with alcohol education laws, so making sure your training is legit, and that you’re in compliance, is crucial. Service professionals often have a list of common concerns. Is my awareness program state-approved and does the training delivery and content meet state requirements? How often do I have to renew my card? And, taking it a step further, how do other states handle liquor sale laws and training? We’re happy to spill all the details!

In comparison with the rest of the United States, Nevada has relatively liberal alcohol laws. According to Wikipedia, “bars are permitted to remain open 24 hours, with no “last call”. Liquor stores, convenience stores and supermarkets may also sell alcohol 24 hours per day, and may sell beer, wine and spirits.” Local governments in Nevada may have more restrictive regulations than the state. Additionally, Nevada is one of only 10 states that does not impose dram shop liability – what that means is that a service professional or business that over-serves an intoxicated person cannot be held liable if that person injures themselves or someone else after leaving the bar. (Marin Institute). To compare and contrast Nevada’s laws regarding alcohol sales and service with those around the country, you can refer to this chart supplied by Wikipedia. Laws vary greatly not only by state, but sometimes from county to county, so a server should always be aware of the regulations where they are working or planning to work. TAM® provides you the scoop on the local regs whether you work in Clark County or in Sparks.

Given the liberal laws mentioned above, Nevada made a decision to ensure service professionals act as the gatekeepers to sales and service. Nevada’s approach ensures that a well-educated server is familiar with alcohol’s effects on the body and can recognize the dangerous signs of over-intoxication. Just because you cannot legally be held liable for over serving someone, does not mean that you are not morally responsible if someone gets killed or injured. Furthermore, a responsible server knows when to refuse a sale, and that can be one of the most important steps to preventing alcohol-related accidents and fatalities. You wouldn’t want your pharmacist to not be trained in the medications he prescribes you, so why not apply the same thought process to a bartender? Alcohol is a regulated substance too; those who dispense it should be trained about its effects.

Alcohol Awareness Training is required in Nevada Counties with a population of 400,000 or more for almost all service professionals. You can refer to the Nevada Legislature website to read the laws, and for details on who is governed by them. The Nevada Commission on Postsecondary Education is the agency charged with approving and regulating schools to provide alcohol awareness training. You should ALWAYS check with the Commission to see if a program you are considering is approved, a list of approved programs is available on their website.

For additional statistics and information on what to look for in a training program, you can read our blog post, “Did You Know That In Nevada Alcohol Education Cards Expire After Four Years?” For more information on beverage service training programs regulated around the country, you can refer to the Alcohol Policy Information System provided by the NIAAA.

There are several providers out there of credible and effective alcohol awareness training, but TAM® of Nevada is the only authorized provider of the TAM card®. TAM® of Nevada has been an approved provider of alcohol awareness education and a provider of alcohol education cards for more than 25 years, and we hope to continue educating Nevada’s sales professionals for a long time to come!

Are you compliant with Nevada’s alcohol and hospitality laws? Do you think Nevada should be doing more to regulate sales and service?

Resources

© 2011 National Hospitality Institute®, TAM® of Nevada