Question 1

One of your customers appears to be getting intoxicated. Out of the following, which is the best thing to say to the customer to let him or her know you are stopping alcohol service?
A)"Sorry, but I think you've had enough to drink this evening and we will no longer be serving you."
B)"Apologies for the inconvenience, but you are showing signs of intoxication so we can't continue serving you."
C)"Sorry, but I'm not able to continue serving you alcohol at this time. Is there anything else I can get you instead?"
D)"Sorry, but I think it would be dangerous if we continued serving you alcohol. Would you like something else?"

Accepted Answer

When stopping alcohol service to someone, the best thing to say is something like, "Sorry, but I'm not able to continue serving you alcohol at this time. Is there anything else I can get you instead?"
This lets the customer know that you are sorry and do not take pleasure in discontinuing his or her alcohol service but are just being responsible and doing your job. Furthermore, not kicking him or her out gives him or her the option of ordering something non-alcoholic. Always be polite and courteous when ceasing service to someone, and try to embarrass him or her as little as possible.

Question 2

A group of people comes in with a supposed designated driver, but each one of them ends up purchasing multiple drinks. You don't know/remember who the designated driver was supposed to be, but you do know that whoever it was has now had a few drinks. What do you do?
A)Stop alcohol service to all of them immediately.
B)Ask the group who the designated driver is and be sure to stop serving them.
C)Call a taxi for the group and make sure they all get in it.
D)Monitor the amount they've each had to drink and their intoxication levels, and stop serving them accordingly.

Accepted Answer

When it comes to a group that is drinking, you should monitor the amount they're drinking and their intoxication levels and stop serving them when appropriate.
For future reference, if a group does come in with a designated driver, make a note of who he or she is. While you cannot necessarily refuse him or her alcohol if he or she asks for it, you can politely remind him or her that he or she is supposed to be the designated driver. Ultimately, you should be monitoring the intoxication levels of the entire group anyway and should not be letting them get to a point where they pose a danger to themselves or others.

Question 3

Two young-looking customers approach Jessie at the bar and ask for some beers. When she asks to see their IDs, one of them says he forgot it at home. The other customer's ID says he is 26 years old, and he insists his friend is the same age. What should Jessie do in this situation?
A)Allow them both to sit at the bar, but insist that the customer with the ID be the one buying their drinks.
B)Ask the non-ID customer a series of age-related questions to verify that he is old enough to consume alcohol.
C)Politely refuse to serve the non-ID customer any alcohol until he presents the proper identification.
D)Serve both of them, but severely limit the number of drinks the non-ID customer has.

Accepted Answer

In a situation in which a customer cannot present the proper ID when asked, he or she should be refused alcohol (even if his or her friends offer to buy it).
There are severe potential legal repercussions for serving alcohol to minors, including citations, lawsuits, and even loss of liquor licenses. Servers and bartenders should therefore always stay on the safe side and refuse alcohol service to anyone who cannot present the proper identification.

Question 4

Mike is serving a group of people out celebrating their friend's birthday, and they insist that he do tequila shots with them. He knows they are all of legal age and have at least one designated driver, so what should he do?
A)Take a couple shots with them. People in the alcohol service industry drink from time to time with their customers, and it is not illegal.
B)Politely refuse. Drinking with patrons is not technically illegal in most areas, but each establishment has their own policies that employees must follow.
C)Adamantly refuse and cite U.S. liquor laws. It is illegal in the U.S. for bartenders and servers to consume any amount of alcohol with their customers.
D)Do just one shot. It's fine if the bartender takes steps to be responsible and doesn't drink that much.

Accepted Answer

Mike should politely refuse because while it's not generally illegal to drink on the job in many states, it is commonly frowned upon and goes against the policies of many establishments.
Though it may be seen as controversial, Mike could be fired if he drinks on the job. In places where it is not illegal (which is most states and municipalities), the decision is entirely up to the management. Even so, in some states it is illegal for bartenders and servers to drink while at work.

Question 5

If a customer comes to your establishment and is already visibly intoxicated, what is the best course of action for you to take?
A)Alert your manager and have him or her escorted off the premises.
B)Find out which other establishment the customer came from and how much he or she had to drink there.
C)Do not serve the customer alcohol and offer him or her water and some food, if possible.
D)Report the customer to the police and/or local liquor authorities.

Accepted Answer

Do not serve an already intoxicated customer, and take measures to help improve his or her condition, such as offering him or her water and food.
If you work at a place with a bouncer, it is very possible that he or she will not let an already intoxicated person enter the premises. If an intoxicated person does manage to enter, however, it is up to you to take measures to prevent him or her from leaving the premises in that same condition. While only time will cause a person to sober up, food and water can help slow the rate of intoxication and make the person feel more alert.

Question 6

When is it OK for you as a bartender/server to use physical force against a customer?
A)When the customer poses a threat to him or herself or others
B)Never; call the police if you feel the guest is endangering or harming others
C)When the customer refuses to leave
D)A and C

Accepted Answer

You should never use physical force against a customer.
If you do feel that the customer is putting him or herself or others in harm's way, it is a good idea to call the police. Sometimes even just telling the customer that you're going to call the cops is motivation enough for him or her to stop what he or she is doing.

Question 7

A couple comes into the bar in a relatively good mood but after a few drinks begins to argue. What should you do?
A)Step in and ask them what the problem is.
B)Avoid it and let them work it out themselves if there is no apparent danger to you or the other customers.
C)Call the police and let them know about the couple.
D)Let your manager know and keep an eye on them.

Accepted Answer

If people are arguing at your establishment, the best thing to do is to keep an eye on it and let your manager know.
This way your manager can also keep an eye on them and step in if things seem to be getting too bad. Don't step in and put yourself in harm's way if some guests are arguing. If an actual fight breaks out, call the police.

Question 8

What should you do when you think you see a drug transaction going on inside the establishment or on its outside premises?
A)Have another employee (preferably a supervisor) come with you as backup and kick the offending guests out of the establishment immediately.
B)Discreetly tell the people involved that they have to leave right away.
C)Go over to get a closer look to make sure it is a drug transaction. Don't walk away until you see both money and drug paraphernalia actually exchanged.
D)Call the police and alert your manager.

Accepted Answer

If you think you see a drug transaction going on, contact the police immediately and go alert your manager of the situation.
While it can be tempting to go address the people yourself, you don't want to put yourself or others in harm's way. Still, since the establishment can be held accountable for criminal activity that takes place on its property, the last thing you want to do is not contact the police (whether or not you kicked the people out, it'll look like you're trying to cover something up).

Question 9

One of your customers appears to be intoxicated, so you decide to stop serving him alcohol. Unfortunately, your manager tells you that you have to continue serving him because he is a close friend of the restaurant owner. What should you do?
A)Continue serving the customer despite your misgivings.
B)Only serve the customer watered-down drinks from now on.
C)Tell your manager that you are really not comfortable continuing to serve this customer and ask if he or she can serve the customer instead.
D)Refuse to serve the customer and ignore any future requests to do so.

Accepted Answer

If your manager tells you to continue serving an intoxicated customer, tell him or her that you are really not comfortable continuing to serve this customer and ask if he or she can serve the customer instead.
If any alcohol-related incidents happen later on because of the intoxicated customer, the person who can be held at least partially liable is the person who served the customer, even if the person's manager told him or her to do it. Be as polite and respectful as possible with your manager, and if your manager insists that the customer continue to be served, ask that he or she be the one to serve the customer instead.

Question 10

After which of the following scenarios should you fill out an incident report?
A)You run out of a certain kind of alcohol that a customer is trying to order.
B)You have to kick out two guests for trying to sell illegal substances to customers.
C)A minor is denied entry to the establishment.
D)You serve alcohol to a pregnant woman.

Accepted Answer

You should fill out an incident report after you have to kick out two guests for trying to sell illegal substances to customers.
Always fill out an incident report after an incident that involves violent or illegal activity. You should also be aware of your establishment's policies when it comes to filling out incident reports and follow them accordingly.

Question 11

What's the first thing you should do if a fight breaks out in the establishment?
A)Call the police.
B)Move other customers away from the fight.
C)Try to break up the fight before it gets worse.
D)Go get your manager.

Accepted Answer

The first thing you should do if a fight breaks out is move other customers away from the situation.
While you should certainly get your manager and call the police, the very first thing you need to do is make sure that the rest of the customers in the establishment are out of harm's way. Do not try to break up the fight yourself, because not only should you not use physical force against any guest, but you should also avoid putting yourself in danger.

Question 12

A guest shows up to the establishment demanding to order a drink, but he or she is already clearly intoxicated and has nobody to drive him or her home. What should you do in this situation?
A)Make the guest leave before too many people notice.
B)Let the guest stay and have one drink, but only on the condition that he or she takes a taxi home.
C)Give the guest some water and try to get him or her to sober up a bit. If it is necessary later, try to find transportation home for him or her.
D)Call the police right away to come pick him or her up.

Accepted Answer

When an already intoxicated customer shows up trying to order, make efforts to sober him or her up before leaving and help him or her find transportation home.
Whatever you do, do not serve the customer any alcohol. If he or she becomes disruptive and/or violent as a result, that's when you can call the police.

Question 13

A customer orders another beer, but when you go to put it on his tab you notice that he's already had six beers. Still, he doesn't appear to be showing any signs of intoxication. Should you do anything?
A)Yes. You should tell him he's had enough to drink already.
B)Yes. You should give him a glass of water and politely ask if he would like to close out his tab.
C)No. He appears to be fine to keep drinking.
D)Yes. You should go get your manager.

Accepted Answer

Even if the customer isn't showing signs of intoxication, you should still avoid over-serving by giving the customer some water and suggesting he or she close out his or her tab.
Even if a customer isn't showing any signs of intoxication, that doesn't mean he or she isn't getting drunk. Some people just happen to have high alcohol tolerance levels, but this just means that they don't visibly show signs of intoxication as readily as other people. They can still be impaired, which is why you need to closely monitor the amount people are drinking as well.

Question 14

You are serving an elderly couple on their anniversary, and they like you so much that they offer to buy you a drink or two to celebrate with them. What is the best way to respond?
A)"Sure, I'd love to!"
B)"Thanks. That's very nice of you, but I'm unable to do that. Can I get you anything else at this time?"
C)"I appreciate the offer, but I'm going to have to decline at this time."
D)"Thanks. I'd love to, but first I would like to know what you have in mind."

Accepted Answer

When customers offer to buy you a drink, say something along the lines of "Thanks. That's very nice of you, but I'm unable to do that. Can I get you anything else at this time?"
This way you are being courteous while also offering to serve your customers in another way. Perhaps most importantly, you are avoiding drinking on the job. Different establishments have different policies when it comes to drinking at work, so be sure to learn yours and follow it.

Question 15

A customer asks you to hold a bag behind the bar for her. After she leaves, you open it out of curiosity and see what looks like illegal drug paraphernalia. What do you do?
A)Ask the customer about it when she returns.
B)Tell nobody and discreetly call the police.
C)Close it and ignore it. Opening it was a violation of the customer's trust in the first place.
D)Get the manager and contact law enforcement.

Accepted Answer

If at any time you find drug paraphernalia in the establishment, you should alert the manager and contact law enforcement.
Even if an establishment's employees are not personally involved in illegal actions, they can still be held responsible for illegal activity that occurs on the premises. This is especially true if they are aware of it and just let it happen rather than reporting it.

Question 16

A customer appears to be intoxicated, but his wife says he is fine. They're about to drive home and the car keys are in his hand. What should you do in this situation?
A)Insist that the wife drive instead.
B)Force the keys out of his hand and refuse to let him drive.
C)Offer to call the couple a cab and/or try to find them alternate transportation.
D)Make them stay in the establishment for several hours to sober up.

Accepted Answer

If someone is trying to drive home while intoxicated, you should offer to call him or her a cab and/or find him or her another way of getting home.
Insisting that the other person in a couple drive instead may not be possible if he or she has also had a few drinks, not to mention the fact that he or she may not actually be able to drive. Always be polite in these situations and never use force with customers. If trying to persuade them to use an alternate form of transportation doesn't work, you can also call the police to alert them that a drunk driver may be out on the road.

Question 17

You refuse to continue serving a customer, but he threatens you with violence. He seems serious. What is the right thing to do in this situation?
A)Stand your ground and threaten him right back.
B)Remain polite but get the manager and/or a bouncer for assistance.
C)Attempt to physically restrain the customer.
D)Agree to serve him one more drink on the condition that he leaves immediately after.

Accepted Answer

If a customer is threatening you, remain as polite as possible and get the manager and/or a bouncer for assistance.
Whatever you do, don't do anything (such as using physical force or raising your voice) that might cause the customer to become angrier or that might put you in danger. If you cannot step away to get assistance, motion for a coworker to do so or try to signal the manager yourself. Do not get closer to the customer or do anything else that would make it easier for him or her to lash out at you.

Question 18

You ask to see a customer's ID, but he tells you he accidentally left it at home. His friend - who did show you a legal ID - comes over and insists they are the same age. He seems to be telling the truth, so what should you do now?
A)Apologize for the inconvenience, but explain to him or her that you are unable to serve the customer without an ID.
B)Allow the customer with a legal ID to buy a drink for his friend, but do not serve the non-ID friend yourself.
C)Go ask the manager for permission to serve the non-ID customer.
D)Ask the non-ID customer a series of age-related questions in order to verify that he or she is telling the truth.

Accepted Answer

If a customer cannot present an ID when you ask for it, you should apologize for the inconvenience and explain that you cannot serve him or her.
Even if you strongly suspect a customer is telling the truth about being of age, you can still be held legally responsible if you serve him or her and it turns out he or she is lying. The legal repercussions are too shattering to make taking such chances worth your time.

Question 19

You are tending bar at an event where you know there are minors present. A few of them even tried to order drinks, but you politely turned them away. Now some people are ordering multiple drinks at a time. How do you make sure they aren't giving drinks to the minors?
A)Offer to bring their drinks over to their table.
B)Politely ask who the drinks are for.
C)Limit the number of drinks they can order at a time.
D)All of the above.

Accepted Answer

If you suspect some of your patrons may be bringing drinks over to minors, some of the things you can do are offer to bring their drinks over to their table, ask who the drinks are for, and limit them to ordering just one drink at a time.
You should also monitor the speed at which individuals are coming up to order drinks. If they seem to be coming up repeatedly within a short period of time, chances are they are not just downing their drinks that fast (and even if they were, you should still slow them down to delay intoxication).

Question 20

You are serving a bachelorette party, and everyone keeps buying the bride drinks. She seems to be getting pretty drunk and tired, but nobody in her group seems to notice. Should you step in?
A)No. It's not really your business and you could upset your customers.
B)Yes. You should stop serving the bride and offer everyone some water.
C)It all depends on whether or not the bride is bothered by the number of drinks.
D)No. However, you should start serving the bride weaker drinks.

Accepted Answer

Even if other people are buying drinks for a person who appears drunk and tired, you should stop serving that person and offer him or her some water instead.
Regardless of the specific situation, anyone who appears drunk and tired should no longer be served alcohol. While bachelor and bachelorette parties are infamous for involving a lot of alcohol, that fact won't cover you in legal situations. In this scenario, for example, it would be extremely irresponsible of you to continue serving the bride. To smooth things over, be as polite as possible and offer the group some water.

Quiz 5: Difficult Situations

One of your customers appears to be getting intoxicated. Out of the following, which is the best thing to say to the customer to let him or her know you are stopping alcohol service?

A group of people comes in with a supposed designated driver, but each one of them ends up purchasing multiple drinks. You don't know/remember who the designated driver was supposed to be, but you do know that whoever it was has now had a few drinks. What do you do?

Two young-looking customers approach Jessie at the bar and ask for some beers. When she asks to see their IDs, one of them says he forgot it at home. The other customer's ID says he is 26 years old, and he insists his friend is the same age. What should Jessie do in this situation?

Mike is serving a group of people out celebrating their friend's birthday, and they insist that he do tequila shots with them. He knows they are all of legal age and have at least one designated driver, so what should he do?

If a customer comes to your establishment and is already visibly intoxicated, what is the best course of action for you to take?

When is it OK for you as a bartender/server to use physical force against a customer?

A couple comes into the bar in a relatively good mood but after a few drinks begins to argue. What should you do?

What should you do when you think you see a drug transaction going on inside the establishment or on its outside premises?

One of your customers appears to be intoxicated, so you decide to stop serving him alcohol. Unfortunately, your manager tells you that you have to continue serving him because he is a close friend of the restaurant owner. What should you do?

After which of the following scenarios should you fill out an incident report?

What's the first thing you should do if a fight breaks out in the establishment?

A guest shows up to the establishment demanding to order a drink, but he or she is already clearly intoxicated and has nobody to drive him or her home. What should you do in this situation?

A customer orders another beer, but when you go to put it on his tab you notice that he's already had six beers. Still, he doesn't appear to be showing any signs of intoxication. Should you do anything?

You are serving an elderly couple on their anniversary, and they like you so much that they offer to buy you a drink or two to celebrate with them. What is the best way to respond?

A customer asks you to hold a bag behind the bar for her. After she leaves, you open it out of curiosity and see what looks like illegal drug paraphernalia. What do you do?

A customer appears to be intoxicated, but his wife says he is fine. They're about to drive home and the car keys are in his hand. What should you do in this situation?

You refuse to continue serving a customer, but he threatens you with violence. He seems serious. What is the right thing to do in this situation?

You ask to see a customer's ID, but he tells you he accidentally left it at home. His friend - who did show you a legal ID - comes over and insists they are the same age. He seems to be telling the truth, so what should you do now?

You are tending bar at an event where you know there are minors present. A few of them even tried to order drinks, but you politely turned them away. Now some people are ordering multiple drinks at a time. How do you make sure they aren't giving drinks to the minors?

You are serving a bachelorette party, and everyone keeps buying the bride drinks. She seems to be getting pretty drunk and tired, but nobody in her group seems to notice. Should you step in?