The Refusal That Turns Physical
It is 23:30 on a Saturday. A group of four men in their twenties has been drinking heavily. One of them, clearly intoxicated, is shouting and swaying. You refuse to serve him. He leans over the bar, points at you, and says, 'Give me a f***ing drink or I'll smash this place up.' His friends are trying to pull him back but laughing. There is no door staff on duty. There are families with children in the bar. Your supervisor is in the office.
1. What are your immediate priorities and actions?
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Priorities: safety of staff and customers first, then de-escalation, then removal.
Immediate actions:
- Do not engage or argue. Keep the bar between you and him. Do not lean in or match his aggression.
- Call your supervisor immediately - use a phone, radio, or ask a colleague. You should not handle a threat of violence alone.
- Signal for help - alert other staff; if your premises has a panic button or agreed code word, use it.
- De-escalate verbally: calm, low voice: 'I'm not serving you any more alcohol. I need you to leave now.' Do not insult or challenge him.
- Protect customers - move families/children away from the area if possible; keep the exit clear.
- If he becomes violent or threatens staff, call the Gardaí (999/112). A threat to smash the place up is a public order matter.
- Do not physically restrain him unless there is an immediate risk to life; you are not trained bouncers and physical intervention can escalate and create liability.
- Record everything afterwards.
2. His friends say, 'He's grand, he's just had a few - serve him and he'll calm down.' How do you respond?
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Refuse and explain briefly: 'I can't serve him - he's had too much and he's threatening staff. He needs to leave.'
Reasoning:
- Their reassurance doesn't change the legal position. He is intoxicated; serving him would be an offence and would increase the risk of violence.
- Do not negotiate or offer a 'last drink'. That rewards the aggression and undermines your authority.
- Ask the friends to help - they are the best route to getting him out calmly: 'Can you get him outside for me?'
- If they won't help and he won't leave, involve your supervisor and call the Gardaí if he remains threatening.
- Watch the friends too - they may buy him a drink. Refuse any sale you believe is for him.
- Document the refusal and the threat.
3. After the incident, what should be recorded and reviewed?
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Record and review:
- Incident log: time, date, description of the man, what was said (including the threat), actions taken, who was involved, whether Gardaí were called, outcome.
- Refusal log: the refusal and reason.
- Staff welfare: check on staff who were threatened; debrief.
- Security review: why was there no door staff at 23:30 on a Saturday? Consider door staff, panic buttons, CCTV coverage, and a written violence/refusal policy.
- Training: refresher on de-escalation and refusal for all staff.
- Licence implications: a violent incident may be relevant to the licence; keep records to show due diligence.
- Report to Gardaí if a crime was committed (threats, public order) - do so promptly.
- Review with supervisor/owner and update procedures.