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March 7, 2008
Drinking and thinking.
A blog for Dailys.com by
Joe Bruno
Yet another year has passed and quicker than you can say “green beer”, we are fast approaching St. Patrick’s Day.Some say St. Pat’s is the biggest bartending holiday next to New Years Eve.
Others believe that this Irish feast day ranks as the premier bartending moneymaker.
Nonetheless, it is definitely one of those days that will lead to the pot o’ gold at the end of the rainbow for some savvy barkeeps who know how to hustle, expedite, pour a good drink and do it all with love and concern for every patron that steps up to the brass foot rail.
An important issue that must be taken into consideration is the fact that people from all walks of life have set this day aside to let their proverbial hair down and get a little wild by way of over consumption.
For some wanna-be leprechauns, the point of intoxication was never intended.
Some imbibers can easily and unexpectedly be sideswiped by the effect alcohol is having on their bodies.
A persons’ current weight, diet, prescribed medication and other factors may put them in a situation of intoxication that they didn’t necessarily plan on.
On the other hand, some guys and gals know for a fact when they pulled their socks on at “the top o’ the mornin’” that the order of business for the rest of the day was to get completely smashed.
The point here is that you, as a responsible bartender, have to be able to swing at whatever is thrown at you on a day where high volume can easily hinder your ability to make sure everyone gets home safely that night.
Security and front door staff is often relied on too heavily when it comes to I.D. checking and age scrutiny. I have always felt that there should be no excuse for a bartender to not be able to do their own I.D. checks or refuse service to anyone who is of questionable age or may have had one too many.
What would you rather have to live with at the end of a shift?
A temporarily peeved customer, or the knowledge and responsibility of somehow having played a role in a situation that resulted in a human fatality?
Let’s not forget to mention the blood of others on your hands through collateral damage caused by poor judgment. Innocent bystanders are killed in drunken driving accidents every day worldwide.
I’m sure that everyone reading this will agree that serving alcohol with care and concern for intoxication prevention is easier said than done - especially on a day like St. Paddy’s Day.
However, there are certain proven methods of tracking a customer in question that seem to work well and are universally recognizable.
The traffic system for monitoring patrons is a simple and useful way to discreetly track the drinking progress of patrons.
The staff will use the terms “red” “yellow” and “green” as a way to relay the status of a particular person whose current state was otherwise suspect in some way.
If a person is code “red”, it means that they either arrived at your venue in an intoxicated state or they must be cut off from further service immediately.
In addition, any smart owner or manager will intervene at this point and attempt to discreetly help the customer to get home safely by any tangible means available and avoid embarrassment on the part of both the customer and establishment.
Code “yellow” is for those borderline cases where the person(s) may show some signs of intoxication but are still alert enough to handle themselves appropriately. It is common for a bartender to refer someone as “yellow” to a cocktail waitress or other staff member once the patron has left a bar area and moved to an area elsewhere in the facility.
This point is especially important if the customer did some serious drinking in a very short span of time.
Code “green” simply means no problems detected and the bar remains open to that individual.
Ultimately, any method that a bar staff chooses for the purpose of clueing each other in on the state of their current clientele, is a step toward the goal of keeping their customers happy and healthy during the holidays and making sure they come back time and time again.
Keeping this attitude will surely build trust with your customers… and trust combined with personality is the basis for which you are able to keep earning.
Cheers!
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