You Can’t Be Too Careful In Serving Spirits
January 25, 2010 by Tiffany Gordon
One of the off-season duties we’re concentrating on is getting the staff ready for new liquor policies that are in now in place in Alberta.
Up to January 1 of this year, at least one person per shift had to have the Alberta Server and Prevention Program. Now, anyone who’s even serving a drink here has to be certified, so we have to get that organized for the staff, making sure that they’re all taking their courses.
While they said one per shift was the law last year, we were way more than that.
I’m certified. If you’ve got a big function and, all of a sudden, you have to jump in and help out, it’s an important certification to have, especially now with the new rules in effect.
All of our key managers who are going to be on site will be certified. We’ll have the golf professionals certified, so they can identify intoxication among players who come in. You don’t always know if somebody’s playing 18 holes and having a little too much, so it’s important to be able to recognize that.
We’ll probably overdo it a bit in our precautions, but I think it’s important to have more precautions than less in this case. You open yourself up for problems if you’re not careful. We’ve all seen the situations and we’re watching it and reading it, so it’s best to err on the side of caution.
The serving of alcohol is one of several important tasks as we grind through the winter months. You do your team building and work with each manager on goal-setting. I believe the foundation for a successful season once it survives is what you accomplish during the winter.
If you’re not organized when you start hiring staff in March and April, you’re behind the eight ball right away.
Tiffany Gordon is executive professional and general manager of Cottonwood Golf and Country Club near Calgary and also a former president of the Alberta PGA. She frequently chimes in on industry matters through her regular GNN blog.
Loading ...
Hi Tiffany,
I really enjoy reading your blog. You are correct…the serving of alcohol is a very big concern and should be. You cannot be too cautious, the rules in Ontario state that all “servers, managers etc…” must be smart serve licenced. There have been many cases, both historical and some recent, that establish the fact that the “facility” is very much liable for the well-being of their patrons while on your property and in the case of alcohol…much after they leave the facility. Our job as an industry is to create a ‘fun” atmosphere however, we cannot lose sight of the fact that we have a responsibility to make the experience “safe” as well. This means actively being involved in monitoring the condition of your guests…it may seem like a big change for many, but there is no excuse and the Law agrees. Make taxis readily available, ask people “who is driving?” It is the consistency of your (the facility) actions that will bode well for you in court, because we all know, no matter how well we monitor things it’s still possible for one person to slip through. I guess the keys to good risk management with regards to alcohol is three fold; 1) Have an actual Policy with regards to Alcohol service ( I can send you an example if you wish), Can you honestly say “…this is our policy and it is what our servers are trained to do and they do this everytime”. 2) Keep records; make note of every situation, who was working? what was said etc… and 3) Empower your managers, make it part of their job description. Anyway, I look forward to reading more of your blogs…
Ashley Chinner