Preventing Sales to Intoxicated Persons and Minors
The prevention mindset
Prevention is mostly at the point of sale: check ID every time, watch the person who will drink - not only the person paying - and control the flow of alcohol. A server who sees a handoff from an older purchaser to a minor must stop the whole transaction, not just the minor’s drink.
Practical controls
- Check ID before taking the order; recheck on later rounds if doubt exists.
- Watch for second-party sales: a sober friend orders a round for someone already cut off.
- Monitor groups: minors often sit with older friends and share drinks.
- Keep water and food available; slow service with water, not another round.
- Document refusals: time, description, what was said, manager notified.
Worked example
A 23-year-old orders four shots. Two people at his table look under 21 and have no IDs. The purchaser says, “They’re for me and my girlfriend.” The server cannot verify who will consume the shots. Refuse the four-shot sale; offer to serve the purchaser one drink after ID checks, and ask the others for ID. If they cannot produce valid ID, no alcohol goes to the table.
Traps
- Checking only the purchaser and not the consumers.
- Accepting “I’m just holding it for my friend.”
- Serving a cut-off patron “one last drink” to avoid conflict.
- Failing to record a refusal, leaving no evidence of responsible action.