Tag: servers

Are You Committed to Public Safety?

Published on by TAM of Nevada1 Comment
Balancing the business need to maintain a profitable operation with the legal, social and moral responsibilities that protect public health and safety creates the greatest challenge for any owner or manager in the hospitality industry.
 
The owners of the establishment, through business policies and practices, and you at the point of customer contact, are in complete control of the sales transaction. You have a right and obligation given a certain set of circumstances to serve or not to serve. In the case of off-premises selling situations, the decision is concrete and absolute. The on-premises consumption decision is initially concrete and absolute, but over a period of time becomes clouded by many circumstances and requires using substantial good judgment.
 
 
Here are some statistics that are of concern:
 
 “According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Nevada saw 1.6 alcohol-related traffic fatalities per million vehicle-miles traveled in 2008, a rate higher than the national average.” (View Source) 
 
 “Underage drinking is a leading contributor to death from injuries, which are the main cause of death for people under age 21. Annually, about 5,000 people under age 21 die from alcohol-related injuries involving underage drinking. About 1,900 (38 percent) of the 5,000 deaths involve motor vehicle crashes, about 1,600 (32 percent) result from homicides, and about 300 (6 percent) result from suicides.” (View Source)
 
 
These are “sobering” numbers and heighten the role that servers and sellers have in protecting their communities.  Public safety must be a personal and professional consideration of everyone in the beverage alcohol industry. Professionals in the retail beverage alcohol industry must adopt the personal value system that the sale of alcoholic beverages to underage persons, and/or persons who are intoxicated, is wrong. This must be a personal belief that guides everyone’s actions in the sale process.
  
 
By adopting the responsible hospitality policies and practices, businesses can reduce liability risks, enhance the potential for increased profitability and protect their communities.
 
What are some challenges that you face in protecting the community and what recommendations would you give to your colleagues in the industry?
 
© 2010 National Hospitality Institute®, TAM® of Nevada 

Beware of Binge Drinkers

Published on by TAM of Nevada7 Comments

CNN.com recently reported an uptick in binge drinking. Some speculate that it may be caused by the jobless rate and economic woes. Binge drinking can result in alcohol poisoning, which occurs when a lot of alcohol is consumed in a short period of time. With Vegas being the place where people go to let loose and go a little crazy, binge drinking can be a big problem. If you are serving someone who is college-aged or if you find out that your customer may have been playing drinking games or front-loading before going out, then take precautions when serving. Think about how much more to serve and how quickly. You might also want to suggest food or water to help slow down the rate of consumption and absorption.

Why should you worry about binge drinkers and watch for those who may be headed down the path of alcohol poisoning?

  1. Someone who drinks a fatal dose of alcohol will eventually stop breathing.
  2. People, who survive an alcohol overdose, can suffer irreversible brain damage.
  3. A person’s blood alcohol concentration can continue to rise even while unconscious. Even after someone stops drinking, alcohol in the stomach and intestine continues to enter the bloodstream and circulate throughout the body.
  4. A person who appears to be sleeping it off may be in real danger.

Critical signs of alcohol poisoning include confusion, passing out and vomiting. The Mayo Clinic offers some additional symptoms and gives suggestions for how to help someone that may be suffering from alcohol poisoning.

Have you ever had a situation where you had to respond to alcohol poisoning? What advice would you give to your colleagues for handling binge drinkers and alcohol poisoning?

© 2010 National Hospitality Institute®, TAM® of Nevada