5 Tips For Kindly Refusing To Serve Or Sell Alcohol
January 21, 2020
BASSET On The Fly was developed by seller-servers, for seller-servers. We get how hard you work for your money. We also get that it’s never fun to have to cut someone off. You want to stay in compliance with your BASSET Certification, but you’d also like to avoid offending customers you’ve spent a lot of time and effort diligently serving. Here are a few tips to make it a little easier:
- Be respectful, but firm. Customers who are inclined to resist are more likely to do so if they sense hesitation on your part.
- Bend to eye level with your customer and let them know that they seem to have had enough and you don’t feel comfortable serving them another, but that you would love to serve them again tomorrow. You could also suggest a good food option.
- If you anticipate another order coming and would like to avoid discussion on the subject, simply bring the check. Many customers will take the hint.
- Try to explain to the customer’s more sober buddy, in the hopes of enlisting support.
- Shift blame – say you are sorry, but the law is very strict and you could lose your job or the store/bar/restaurant could lose its license.
Most customers will accept reality, and that will be the end of it. Some customers may even be apologetic. But for those customers who are argumentative:
- Make the decision to not feel or act awkward about it. You are the one with the authority to make the call, not the drunk guy. You know what you are doing, and you are right to be doing it.
- In the worst of situations, remember that allowing people to over drink isn’t just illegal, it’s bad for business. You have other customers who don’t want their visit ruined by the obnoxious guy who had one too many.
Visit the BASSET On The Fly blog regularly to stay updated on how to responsibly sell and serve alcohol at your place of business.
Back to Blog