By Dale J. Venturini
President & CEO, Rhode Island Hospitality and Tourism Association
Summer is in full swing, and so are the hundreds of thousands of out of state and foreign visitors who flock to our restaurants, bars and nightclubs to dine, celebrate, vacation, gather with their friends, meet new people, and likely enjoy a drink or two. But, some of these patrons may not be who they seem to be. They may be a minor-decoy, testing your business’s compliance with underage drinking laws.
As summer brings more and more out-of-state, and often younger partygoers into your establishment, you can expect a higher number of decoy stings, particularly in cities and towns which experience a big boost in business during the warmer months. Local law enforcement agencies throughout the state are performing “compliance checks,” and are sending plain-clothed police or underage decoys into your establishment without an ID. If asked, the decoy must provide their accurate age, thereby stopping any impending sale. But, if any employee in your establishment serves the decoy, that server could be arrested on the spot. Worse, your businesses will endure harsh penalties.
As any business owner with a liquor license knows, there is a high price to pay for serving alcoholic beverages to minors, and the price continues to rise. Cities and towns in Rhode Island are adopting stricter penalties for licensees caught serving or furnishing alcohol to a minor. With only a few offenses, your business could face stiff fines, license revocation, and even the closing of your establishment.
There are many things you can do to prevent serving underage drinkers, and to protect your business from its dangerous consequences. Now is a good time to review your server training policies and procedures, and to make sure your employees understand and abide by them.
The first line of defense to ensuring responsible alcohol service is simple: card everyone who looks under 30. Tightening your employees’ age-checking procedures is the best way to prevent serving to minors. With makeup, adult clothing and dim lights, it’s often difficult to distinguish between a 19 and 28 year-old patron, so it’s not enough to card anyone who looks to be under 21. Your safest bet is to have your employees card all patrons who look to be under 30, and to refuse service to any young-looking customer without an ID.
Speaking of identification, it’s getting harder and harder to distinguish between valid and fake IDs. Tourists have out-of-state drivers’ licenses, making it more difficult to determine what’s legitimate, and what’s not. Technology has helped with a number of ID validation machines on the market today. If a member of your staff feels an ID is invalid, instruct them to ask for a second ID. It’s also a good idea to request examples of fake IDs from your local law enforcement agency, and to educate your staff on the telltale signs of a fake ID.
There are also telltale behaviors of an underage patron that your staff should be aware of. Remind employees to “read” customers, observing their characteristics or actions carefully. Does the person seem nervous or insecure, or even too sure of themselves? Is the person dressing to look older, or wearing a lot of makeup? Is he or she not making eye contact? These are simple things your staff can look for to ensure responsible alcohol service.
The purpose of the minor-decoy sting is not to penalize business owners, but to protect them from liability, and to encourage the proper training of all employees who serve alcoholic beverages.
President & CEO, Rhode Island Hospitality and Tourism Association
Summer is in full swing, and so are the hundreds of thousands of out of state and foreign visitors who flock to our restaurants, bars and nightclubs to dine, celebrate, vacation, gather with their friends, meet new people, and likely enjoy a drink or two. But, some of these patrons may not be who they seem to be. They may be a minor-decoy, testing your business’s compliance with underage drinking laws.
As summer brings more and more out-of-state, and often younger partygoers into your establishment, you can expect a higher number of decoy stings, particularly in cities and towns which experience a big boost in business during the warmer months. Local law enforcement agencies throughout the state are performing “compliance checks,” and are sending plain-clothed police or underage decoys into your establishment without an ID. If asked, the decoy must provide their accurate age, thereby stopping any impending sale. But, if any employee in your establishment serves the decoy, that server could be arrested on the spot. Worse, your businesses will endure harsh penalties.
As any business owner with a liquor license knows, there is a high price to pay for serving alcoholic beverages to minors, and the price continues to rise. Cities and towns in Rhode Island are adopting stricter penalties for licensees caught serving or furnishing alcohol to a minor. With only a few offenses, your business could face stiff fines, license revocation, and even the closing of your establishment.
There are many things you can do to prevent serving underage drinkers, and to protect your business from its dangerous consequences. Now is a good time to review your server training policies and procedures, and to make sure your employees understand and abide by them.
The first line of defense to ensuring responsible alcohol service is simple: card everyone who looks under 30. Tightening your employees’ age-checking procedures is the best way to prevent serving to minors. With makeup, adult clothing and dim lights, it’s often difficult to distinguish between a 19 and 28 year-old patron, so it’s not enough to card anyone who looks to be under 21. Your safest bet is to have your employees card all patrons who look to be under 30, and to refuse service to any young-looking customer without an ID.
Speaking of identification, it’s getting harder and harder to distinguish between valid and fake IDs. Tourists have out-of-state drivers’ licenses, making it more difficult to determine what’s legitimate, and what’s not. Technology has helped with a number of ID validation machines on the market today. If a member of your staff feels an ID is invalid, instruct them to ask for a second ID. It’s also a good idea to request examples of fake IDs from your local law enforcement agency, and to educate your staff on the telltale signs of a fake ID.
There are also telltale behaviors of an underage patron that your staff should be aware of. Remind employees to “read” customers, observing their characteristics or actions carefully. Does the person seem nervous or insecure, or even too sure of themselves? Is the person dressing to look older, or wearing a lot of makeup? Is he or she not making eye contact? These are simple things your staff can look for to ensure responsible alcohol service.
The purpose of the minor-decoy sting is not to penalize business owners, but to protect them from liability, and to encourage the proper training of all employees who serve alcoholic beverages.
In Rhode Island, all establishments that serve alcohol are required by law to train their employees in proper alcohol service. The Rhode Island Hospitality and Tourism Association offer the nationally recognized ServSafe Alcohol® training to members and non-members. The ServSafe Alcohol program outlines effective responsible alcohol service practices and techniques for all front-of-the-house staff, including bartenders, waiters, hosts, busers, security and valets. Fundamentals of Responsible Alcohol Service helps everyone serve responsibly, and protects your business, customers and community.
Proper alcohol service is a responsibility we all share. The consequences of service violations can be serious, so it's vital that your entire staff gets involved to help prevent improper service. The new Fundamentals of Responsible Alcohol Service assists in giving your staff the training they need to help assure every drink served is a safe one.
For more information on ServSafe Alcohol or to schedule a training at your place of business, please call the Rhode Island Hospitality and Tourism Association at 401-223-1120.
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