Serving It Right (BC) Online Guide
Recently, I completed my Serving It Right certificate online. I found the course itself a little time-consuming, much more than it needed to be, so I decided to create a brief guide.
The intended purpose of serving it right is to help educate servers and bartenders on their legal obligations when it comes to serving alcohol. Testing topics include: signs of intoxication, legal liabilities, duty of care and strategies to enforce responsible beverage services.
The online Serving It Right exam is a unique, 30 question, multiple choice test based on the service of alcohol. This means every exam will be different so the key to passing it is understanding a little bit of everything.
The first part of the course is brief and all about understanding how alcohol works. Once the alcohol reaches the stomach, some of it is absorbed and the rest passes through the small intestine and enters the blood stream. After being processed by the liver, 90% of the alcohol leaves the body. However the liver can only process approximately 1 standard drink per hour.
A standard drink can be any of the following: One (1) Beer 341 ml (12 oz.) 5% alcohol content; One (1) Cider/Cooler 341 ml (12 oz.) 5% alcohol content; A glass of Wine 142 ml (5 oz.) 12% alcohol content; Shot of Distilled Alcohol (rye, gin, rum, etc.) 43 ml (1.5 oz.) 40% alcohol content.
On average, there are more than 1,800 alcohol related deaths and over 18,000 hospital admissions related to alcohol ingestion in B.C every year. Alcohol becomes a particular problem when the drinker mixes it with other drugs such as marijuana, cocaine, sleeping pills, hypnotics and even energy drinks. When alcohol is mixed with heroin or other narcotics the flesh may appear bluish and cold. The patron may also experience extreme sedation or slowed breathing. Mixing alcohol with marijuana can result in intensified impairment. Mixing cocaine with alcohol can result in respiratory failure or intensified euphoria, but Energy drink mixtures are particularly scary because they reduce the feeling of intoxication, making someone feel less drunk then they really are.
By law, no one in B.C is to serve alcohol to an intoxicated or "apparently intoxicated" person. The term "apparently intoxicated" places a great deal of pressure on servers and establishment to make judgments on when someone is reaching intoxication level. Over time, more and more legal cases have been placing the blame on licencees and employees for harm caused to the patron or third parties after leaving an establishment intoxicated. Staff should keep a list of numbers (including BC Poison Control Centre) near by for quick referral and assistance.
Patrons can not drive with a blood alcohol content (BAC) level over 0.04%. Having a BAC of 0.3% can cause loss of consciousness and a BAC of 0.4% can result in a coma, or even death. A person caught driving with a BAC at or above 0.05% they could face penalties such as licence suspension, monetary fines or have their vehicle impounded.
A simple way to calculate blood alcohol content is alcohol percentage (in decimal form) multiplied by alcohol volume. (e.g. a woman drinks 4oz of wine with 15% alcohol content; .15 x 4 = 0.6 BAC ). It is important to keep in mind this is not necessarily an accurate measure of BAC, as that may only be determined via breathalyzer or other alcohol testing devices.
Early effects of alcohol consumption include impaired judgment, loss of self-control and lessening of inhibitions. Contrary to common belief, mixing drinks will not get the patron who is drinking, more drunk. Mixing drinks does increase your odds of a hangover though.
There are 10 factors which effect the level of intoxication in a person. They are (1) rate of consumption (2)Amount Consumed (3) Age (4)Gender (5) Body weight & type (6)Food Consumption (7) medications (8) Environment & Mood (9) Fatigue & Stress (10)Tolerance
Another important component to Serving It Right is called a Responsible Beverage Service (RBS) program, a key element to discreetly dealing with problematic guests. Problematic guests are usually underage, chronic drinkers or known troublemakers. There are three components to creating an effective RBS. They are (1) a professional environment, (2) Coordinated Teamwork and (3) Intervention strategies.
The best way to keep a professional environment is to develop a house policy on how to deal with intoxicated and underage patrons. Never publicly embarrass an intoxicated customer, instead talk to the guest privately and discreetly explain why you can no longer serve the patron. Having a house policy will also give your servers more confidence in denying service to underage or intoxicated guests as they will be able to use the phrase "Sorry but it is our house policy that...". Good house policies include: asking for 2 pieces of I.D if the guest looks under 20, refusal of service for intoxicated guests and transportation methods.
You may continue to provide excellent customer service to a guest after denying them alcohol service by bringing them a free glass of water, suggesting food or offering free parking and a taxi ride home. All effective RBS programs should contain taxi access or a designated driver program. Servers should also exchange information about guest consumption when changing shifts to avoid over-serving patrons.
Minors will try to mislead employees by either using a real i.d. hopping the resemblance is plausible, using a counterfeit i.d. or manipulating real identification. An effective RBS program will ensure employees check i.d's for counterfeit markings, photo resemblance and evidence of tampering. If a patron looks under 19, ask to see a second piece of identification for verification purposes.
Here is the process for asking for I.D:
1. Observe the patron to identify whether or not they are of legal age.
2. Politely asked to see ID.
3. Check ID to assure its validity.
4. Request a second piece of ID.
5. If age cannot be confirmed or the patron is under 19, remove all liquor in a safe manner.
6. Refuse service.
An effective RBS program will also teach servers and bartenders on how to deal with incidents effectively. Incidents are any fights or disturbances affecting staff, patrons of the establishment, people living or working adjacent to the property or the operation of the establishment. When an incident occurs it is important that as much evidence as possible be preserved. Management and staff can preserve evidence by recording details of the incident and/or suspect in a system of incidents, a log book and a detailed account of incident. It is important to get witness statements as well.
Ideally, an RBS program should aim to prevent incidents before they happen through intervention. As the server, you can intervene when someone is becoming too intoxicated by monitoring the behavior of guests, discontinuing service, seeking back up assistance and ensuring customers get home safely. Whether they have a designated driver or you need to send them home in a cab. As an establishment team, you can participate in cross training, exchange observations with other servers and learn to recognize non-verbal cues from coworkers to monitor client behavior.
Serving It Right also came up with a 10 step systematic approach for addressing difficult situations. If you do not already have a process for dealing with difficult customers at work ( an RBS program), I would advise using the following approach:
(1)Assess the situation (2) Identify a back up co-worker. Whether it be to identify the intoxication or in case of a client outburst. (3) create a plan to speak with the guest (4) Execute plan quickly (5) use careful word choice (6) remove alcohol from the table (7) defuse any type of negative confrontation (8) listen & empathize with the patron (9) be prepared to help the guest leave (10) stay in the same room until departure of the guest
Forcible ejection should only be used if necessary and no more force than required should be used. When a patron needs to be ejected from an establishment, make sure you tell the guest you have the authority to ask them to leave. Remain professional and talk in a clear, concise manner. If the patron continues to persist on staying after being removed from the establishment, staff may call the police for assistance.
In order for management to ensure staff are following the Responsible Beverage Service program at the establishment, Serving It Right designed a 10 step process for successful implementation. Here are the steps:
(1) Educate the staff on the effects of alcohol on the body and the importance of responsible beverage service
(2) explain liability to staff - Not only can the establishment be held responsible, but the staff involved can be held liable as well
(3) Promote using a house policy during service hours
(4)establish customer rapport
(5)offer refreshing alternatives to alcohol
(6) Promote menu foods instead of drinks
(7) suggest alternative activities in the area
(8) monitor the pace of guest alcohol consumption
(9) discourage excessive drinking
(10) open lines of communication between management and staff
That is all you need to know for your serving it right test! Below I have included some important facts to remember for the test :
*Responsible Beverage Service is designed to reduce alcohol-related problems in establishments licensed to sell or serve alcohol.
*A food-primary licence is issued to restaurants where the service of food is the primary focus. The main focus for establishments with a liquor-primary licence is hospitality, entertainment or beverage service.
Increased responsibility is being placed on owners, managers and staff to provide responsible beverage service.
*time is the only thing that sobers people up, not coffee
*quick breathing is NOT a sign of intoxication
*.05% BAC is limit in BC to operate a vechicle
* the liver can consume 1 standard drink per hour
*mixing drinks does not cause greater levels of intoxication
*factors affecting alcohol consumption; age, weight, gender, food consumption
*combining drugs w/ energy drinks reduces the feeling of intoxication in the patron
*only way to accurately measure BAC is with a breathalyzer
*Main legislation in BC; the BC Liquor Control and Licensing Act
*Police that find an establishment not following rules must report any violation to the Liquor Control and Licensing Branch
*servers/licencees have a responsibility to make sure intoxicated persons have a safe ride home and do not harm themselves or others
*licencees & employees may not consume alcohol while on duty
*do not serve intoxicated patrons
*duty of care does NOT apply only during operational hours;
*not knowing someone is intoxicated is not an excuse to deny responsibility of an intoxicated person
The licencee is not always charged in instances of third party injury; however the establishment may be held responsible
*A house policy is a set of policies for RBS procedures created by a licensee or manager for his or her individual establishment
*Ask anyone who appears under 19 for 2 pieces of i.d. including one w/ a photo
*Incidents w/ minors or intoxicated patrons should be recorded in a log book w/ relevant sales slips
*Calculating Drinks Formula: Alcohol Percentage x Alcohol Volume = Blood Alcohol Content (e.g. 15% = .15 x 4 (oz) = 0.6oz / 100%)
Important Terms
*Binge drinking is the consumption of an excessive amount of alcohol in a short period of time.
*A Designated Driver program is a program offering free or discounted food and/or non-alcoholic drinks for the person in a group who has agreed to drive and not drink any alcohol.
*A house policy is a comprehensive set of policies for responsible beverage service specially created for an establishment by the manager or licensee.
*An incident report is a written record of any event that has occurred in an establishment that could result in future legal action.
*Intervention is when a server, manager or licensee ensures that service to an intoxicated patron is discontinued and that the guest gets home safely.