A Restaurant's Responsibilities With a Bar and Minors Drinking

Underage drinking is against the law.

Though the federal legal drinking age is 21, exceptions exist on the state level regarding alcohol consumption by minors. Ten states have laws that allow minors to drink on premises that sell alcohol if they are accompanied by a parent or legal guardian. However, restaurants in the 40 states that do not allow minor drinking must observe a few guidelines to prevent minors from obtaining alcohol in their bars.

Training

Restaurants must be proactive and provide server education training for all staff that serves alcohol. Some states, such as Oregon, have established laws that require alcohol servers to pass responsible alcohol service training every five years. This training provides education on how alcohol affects the body, the current laws regarding alcohol sales and drunk driving, techniques for dealing with minor drinkers and how to detect fake or altered identification.

Checking ID

Though it seems obvious, some alcohol servers in restaurants with busy bar areas may neglect to ask a person for identification. This oversight can result in an enterprising minor receiving alcohol, especially if he knows that busy bartenders are likely not to request identification. Because some minors may look old enough to be above the age of 21, it is imperative that restaurants instruct their alcohol servers to request identification prior to filling a drink order. Though this may upset regular customers who are clearly older than 21, it is a simple way for restaurants to prevent underage drinking.

Posting the Rules

Restaurants have a responsibility to post their liquor rules in a prominent place that every patron can see. For example, some restaurants do not allow minors to frequent the bar area, or may have a bar area separate from the restaurant that prohibits minors from entering. Other restaurants may require two forms of identification for anyone who appears as if they are under the age of 21. These rules should be posted in more than one area of the restaurant so potential minors are dissuaded from attempting to purchase a drink.

Monitoring

Restaurant managers should monitor alcohol servers and the wait staff to ensure that no one is serving drinks to minors because they have been offered a tip or some other incentive to break the law. Every state has a law establishing the minimum age at which a restaurant worker can legally serve drinks. In some states this age can be as low as 18, which may create a problem if that worker serves liquor to his friends knowing it's against the law. Strict monitoring on who has access to the liquor supply is a restaurant's responsibility as it relates to underage drinking.

References

• ProCon.org: 42 States That Allow Underage (under 21) Alcohol Consumption
• Oregon.gov: About Alcohol Server Education
• DyerCommunity.com; Liquor Law Changes Coming in July; Vanessa Renderman; June 27, 2010
• Serving it Right: Alcohol and the Law
• "USA Today"; Applebee's, Olive Garden face PR...; Bruce Horovitz; April 15, 2010

Resources

• AlcoholLaws.org: Alcohol and DUI Laws