Bartenders Need to Be More Responsible

Considering the role alcohol played in the most recent drowning tragedy in La Crosse, one thing is certain: bulking up security around the Riverside Park area is not enough. The fact of the matter is that bartenders need to be more observant and take more control over the alcohol consumption of their customers. While serving beer may be the main obligation of the profession, ensuring the safety of patrons falls under the job description as well. As a bartender, there are several rules you must follow when serving patrons ... and they extend far beyond checking IDs. And if you do happen to serve someone who is underage, you’ll likely lose your operator’s license and possibly your job. But, isn’t serving someone who is clearly intoxicated just as illegal? That is one reason why I can’t understand how a community like La Crosse, which has been burying young people due to drinking related drownings for too long, hasn’t come down harder on the taverns and bartenders.

First and foremost, bartenders should be concerned with the safety of the beer-guzzlers they’re serving. Sure, some nights, being able to pull in $100 in tips is wonderful, but the job is about more than just money. While having that extra cash in your pocket may be nice, the lives of the patrons you serve are far more important. Having worked as a bartender for a number of years at a Wyoming microbrewery slinging brews that had upwards of 6 percent alcohol by volume – none of this 4 percent Bud Light crap – I learned the importance of cutting people off. Though Wyoming does not have laws that prevent the sale of alcohol to obviously intoxicated patrons, knowing when to tell someone they’ve had enough is critical. Oftentimes, those who think they can handle one more drink can’t ... or shouldn’t.

And I also remember several different occasions when stings were set up. An undercover police officer would enter the premises with a minor just to see if that person was carded and kicked out. If the bartender served the individual, he or she would be fined and the bar would be in jeopardy of losing its liquor license. Why can’t something like that be done for serving someone who is overly intoxicated? It would certainly open the eyes of bartenders and make them more aware of who they’re selling liquor to. But being able to gauge intoxication levels can be extremely tricky, especially when you have instances when one person orders multiple drinks for multiple people. And having to deal with the crowd levels at bars in college towns like La Crosse can make it damn near impossible to keep track of how many drinks a person has had. However, those who have drowned in that area have been well beyond drunk. You can’t tell me that a bartender wouldn’t have noticed someone they were serving had a blood alcohol content of .20 or .40. Regardless, the extra effort to be more aware of customers’ intoxication levels should definitely be made – and could likely save lives.

I know a lot of people who tend bar try to pass the blame onto the consumer of the alcohol. They often rationalize that people should know their limits and cut themselves off when they’ve had too much to drink. But the problem is, a lot of people don’t know, and if they do, they’re often too drunk to stop themselves. That’s when bartenders need to step in. Just because someone hands you money doesn’t mean you have to serve them anything. And just because someone with a BAC of .32 leaves your bar at closing time, that doesn’t mean you’re not responsible for what happens afterward.

Jennie Oemig
Editor
Arcadia News-Leader