Serving alcohol responsibly involves a lot more than just knowing how to mix a good, stiff drink. Responsible alcohol practices not only mean that you know how to properly prepare that drink in the safest and most sanitary way possible, but also that you know how to read your clients and understand when someone may have had enough – or one too many. You know exactly what to do regarding the handling of these situations and, more importantly, what to do to avoid them altogether. There are a number of key reasons why responsible alcohol practices are so important.
The Laws
When they make the decision to enter the hospitality industry in the first place, many people don’t realize that responsible alcohol techniques aren’t something that they should practice only out of the kindness of their own heart – they are actually required to do so by various laws, rules and regulations that are put into place by local governments.
Excessive consumption of alcohol can lead to a wide range of different health risks for the client in question, for example, which is one of the reasons why responsible alcohol practices are so important. It isn’t just the clients that are responsible for their own safety, though that is true to a certain extent. As a person who serves alcohol, you are required to watch out for any warning signs that a particular client may be exhibiting and must “cut them off” if they’re in the process of taking things a bit too far.
Preventing Drunk Driving
Case in point: one of the most important responsibilities of someone who serves alcohol involves doing everything that you can to prevent drunk driving situations whenever possible. If a client gets drunk at your restaurant, gets behind the wheel of a car and causes an accident that claims the lives of one or more people, the driver him or herself won’t be the only party held responsible. Both the venue that you work for and even you yourself can be legally responsible for letting that client get behind the wheel of his car or get that drunk in the first place. If you practice the responsible serving of alcohol, this isn’t something that you would ever have to worry about.
RSA Training Courses
At RSA Melbourne, we specialize in a wide range of different hospitality classes that will not only allow you to unlock the next level of your career but that will also make sure that you know everything that you need to responsibly serve alcohol in every location. RSA courses are designed to cover general information about alcohol, awareness of the prevention of drunk driving, how to responsibly refuse service should the need arise, tips and tricks that you can use to guarantee responsible service and more. You will also find out comprehensive information about the alcohol laws in Melbourne, the responsibilities of the venues, staff and customers regarding these laws and more.
