Every restaurant and bar owner know the implications of serving liquor, wine, and beer. However, these are staples of the industry and often prove to be the most lucrative sources of income. With that in mind, we’re going to provide some recommendations that you can share with your hospitality clients to start 2018 off right. Especially as Christmas has ended and New Year’s Eve is right around the corner, this article is more relevant now than at any other time of year. Most importantly, provide your insurance expertise and secure their operations with a customized Restaurant Insurance Program, which comes with the option for a critical Liquor Liability Insurance policy.
Engaging in conversation is the easiest way for your clients and bartenders to determine the patron’s level of intoxication. Drinking is almost inevitable this time of year, but establishing rapport with each patron while they sit at the bar is a great way to monitor their liquor consumption.
According to the National Restaurant Association, you can learn a lot about your guests’ intoxication levels by watching for physical and behavioral changes. Examples include:
This is more challenging for bartenders and restaurant owners because of the number of people who come in this time of year. However, preventing overpouring and documenting each order in the POS system will help to track how much each patron has consumed, even if they aren’t showing any obvious signs of intoxication. 1 drink = 5 ounces of wine; 12 ounces of beer; 1½ ounces of 80-proof liquor; 1 ounce of 100-proof liquor, reminds the article.
If your clients enforce a free-pour mindset, it’s best that they have a meeting with their bartenders and do a pour test to ensure accuracy. This will also mitigate overserving customers and potentially increase their liquor liability risks.
Even if your clients are mainly bars and not big on food items, it’s best for even small plates or appetizers to be served over New Years. This will slow the absorption of alcohol into the bloodstream. Items that are heavy in proteins and fats are best to serve as they take the longest for the digestive system to break down.
At RMS Hospitality Group, our expertly crafted policies are written specifically for the hospitality industry. We offer custom tailored solutions to meet any venue’s specific needs. For more information, contact our knowledgeable experts today at (516) 742-8585.
At RMS and associated firms, business continues as usual. Our staff is remote-capable and available to handle all partners, brokers, and insureds at the present time.
