Tag: las vegas

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

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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Why Most Employers Want You to Go To TAM®: Three Reasons to Choose a TAM Card

Published on by TAM of NevadaLeave a comment

TAM CARDOften imitated, never duplicated, TAM® of Nevada has been the sole provider of official TAM® Cards to the Nevada community for over 25 years. Although there may be some other providers of credible alcohol awareness training classes in Nevada, not all courses are created equal. Rest assured, more employers recommend TAM® of Nevada for their employees’ alcohol education than any other provider, and for good reason. TAM® of Nevada students handle over 17 million sales transactions each year, and they’ve been trained to do it safely and effectively.

We know that hospitality professionals are busy, so we go above and beyond to provide you will the most effective and streamlined experience possible when it comes to obtaining a TAM® Card every four years. So what sets us apart from the competition? Here are a few reasons you can be happy you chose TAM® for your alcohol education card:

  1. Our training is engaging and valuable. Don’t settle for subpar training with pages of text and clip art or dull videos played by bored instructors. Our online and classroom course options both include fresh content with industry-specific scenarios for all types of employees. You can be sure your training is as up-to-date as possible, as reviews and updates are made to course material as necessary to keep pace with local and state laws and statutes. We also diligently review student feedback for anything we can do to further improve your class experience. Additionally, if you choose to complete your course in the classroom, you’ll get valuable instruction from fun and entertaining instructors with decades of industry experience.
  2. We don’t take shortcuts; be proud that your alcohol training and TAM® Card meet or exceed all state requirements. We work with state officials to make sure you receive the best education possible, touching on all required content. Additionally, we leverage our relationships with local employers and police agencies to make sure you learn about topics that are important to you, important to those who make hiring decisions and important in helping to keep consumers safe.
  3. Be proud that your card can’t be duplicated or obtained by cheating. Your TAM® Card will include your photo on the front of the card, just like a driver’s license. Not all alcohol awareness providers include a photo on their cards. We take this extra step to protect you, to verify your legitimate course completion, and to show your employer that you’ve completed the official TAM-branded course. Visit our website to see an example of a TAM Card, and steps on what to look for to make sure your TAM® Card is official!
    1. Additionally, the State of Nevada requires that all students must physically go to a course provider’s approved school location to take an exam that is proctored, and pass the proctored exam with a score of at least 75% to obtain a card. This means that you’ll either take your test at the conclusion of your classroom course, or you’ll have to visit our office after completing the online course to take your exam. This step ensures that cheaters aren’t able to obtain a card or let someone else take their exam for them.  Be wary of any provider that promises to mail you an alcohol awareness card after completing an online exam, this is in violation of state law!

All in all, our students should all be proud once they’ve completed a TAM course. Carrying your card shows employees and coworkers that you’re committed to an important part of your job duties and responsibilities.