ABST Responsible Beverage Service 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A customer orders their fourth drink within 90 minutes and shows no visible signs of intoxication. What is the server's best action?
- Serve without concern since there are no visible signs
- Monitor closely and consider slowing service by suggesting food or water (Correct answer)
- Immediately cut them off and call a manager
- Ask other customers to watch the person
Correct answer: Monitor closely and consider slowing service by suggesting food or water
Even without visible signs, tracking drink count and pace is key to proactive responsible service — slow service and offer food/water before problems arise.
Question 2: Which practice best helps a server accurately track a customer's alcohol consumption?
- Relying on memory at the end of the shift
- Keeping a mental note after every other drink
- Noting each drink on the check or a tally system in real time (Correct answer)
- Asking the customer how many drinks they've had
Correct answer: Noting each drink on the check or a tally system in real time
Real-time tracking on the check or a tally prevents miscounts and supports responsible service decisions.
Question 3: A group of friends is celebrating and one member appears intoxicated. They insist their friend is 'just tired.' How should the server respond?
- Accept the group's explanation and continue service
- Trust the group since they know their friend best
- Use your own professional judgment and stop service to that individual regardless of the group's claims (Correct answer)
- Only stop service if the customer confirms they feel drunk
Correct answer: Use your own professional judgment and stop service to that individual regardless of the group's claims
Servers must rely on their own observation and training, not customer claims, when assessing intoxication.
Question 4: Under US dram shop liability laws, an establishment can be held responsible if it serves alcohol to:
- Any customer who later drives home
- A visibly intoxicated person who then causes injury to a third party (Correct answer)
- A customer who doesn't tip
- Anyone who orders more than three drinks
Correct answer: A visibly intoxicated person who then causes injury to a third party
Dram shop laws typically hold establishments liable for damages caused by a visibly intoxicated patron who was served despite showing signs of impairment.
Question 5: What does 'blood alcohol concentration' (BAC) measure?
- The number of drinks consumed in one hour
- The ratio of alcohol to total body weight
- The percentage of alcohol present in a person's bloodstream (Correct answer)
- The speed at which the liver processes alcohol
Correct answer: The percentage of alcohol present in a person's bloodstream
BAC is expressed as a percentage representing the amount of alcohol per volume of blood, and is the legal standard for measuring impairment.
Question 6: A customer who was drinking at your bar an hour ago returns and asks for one more beer 'for the road.' What is the correct response?
- Serve one beer since it has been a full hour
- Refuse service because the phrase 'for the road' indicates intent to drive while impaired (Correct answer)
- Offer a non-alcoholic beer without comment
- Ask the customer to sit down before deciding
Correct answer: Refuse service because the phrase 'for the road' indicates intent to drive while impaired
'For the road' is a direct indicator of intent to drive, making service a clear liability risk regardless of time elapsed.
Question 7: Which factor does NOT directly affect how quickly alcohol is absorbed into the bloodstream?
- Whether food was eaten before drinking
- The type of mixer used with the drink
- The customer's eye color (Correct answer)
- Carbonation in the beverage
Correct answer: The customer's eye color
Eye color has no physiological relationship to alcohol absorption; food, carbonation, and mixer type all influence absorption rates.
ABST Responsible Beverage Service 2
A customer orders their fourth drink within 90 minutes and shows no visible signs of intoxication.
What is the server's best action?