Jump to content


Welcome to the eGullet Forums!

These forums are a service of the Society for Culinary Arts & Letters, a 501c3 nonprofit organization dedicated to advancement of the culinary arts. Anyone can read the forums, however if you would like to participate in active discussions please join the Society.

Photo

When is enough enough?


  • Please log in to reply
1 reply to this topic

#1 Stone

Stone
  • participating member
  • 3,626 posts

Posted 23 December 2002 - 06:23 PM

How often do you find yourself cutting off someone at the bar? Do you think that bartenders should be more responsible determining when a patron has had enough? Do you ever pull aside a regular customer and slip the phone number for AA in his or her pocket? Should you?

#2 Kingcocktail

Kingcocktail
  • participating member
  • 34 posts

Posted 25 December 2002 - 06:17 AM

Hi DStone

In the years when I was active behind the bar would nightly have to discontinue service to guests…as a am sure most bartenders would report.. I was lucky most of my career to have worked in NYC where I knew my customers and knew that the majority were cabbing home…bartenders who work in the suburbs or even in cities without real public transportation like LA have a real responsibility to their guests that cannot be neglected.

As for the responsibility of the bartender to monitor a guests drinking habits…that is a tough call. I have realized after years that change in a persons drinking habits has to come from within that person and not from the bartender or anyone else. If it is a friend a bartender can make a choice ..refuse to serve them ever again. we know what happens then, they find a new bar!

I served friends that I knew could not drink and I have spent time sitting next to them at the bar knowing they should not be drinking. I cose their company over the alternative and let them make the choice about drinking or not, because in the end only their choice means anyhting.

Also take a look at the NCADD tips for responsible hosting at :
http://www.ncadd.com/holiday.cfm
Dale