ProServe Responsible Service Practices 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the concept of 'duty of care' as it applies to alcohol service?
- A duty to care about profits
- A legal obligation to take reasonable steps to prevent harm to patrons and third parties (Correct answer)
- A requirement to clean the premises
- A duty to serve every customer who enters
Correct answer: A legal obligation to take reasonable steps to prevent harm to patrons and third parties
Duty of care is a legal concept that requires servers and licensees to take reasonable steps to prevent foreseeable harm to customers and to third parties who might be affected by an intoxicated patron.
Question 2: What should a responsible server do when a customer switches from beer to hard liquor?
- Celebrate the higher sale
- Monitor the customer more closely as spirits have higher alcohol content per serving (Correct answer)
- Ignore the change in beverage choice
- Recommend they switch back to beer
Correct answer: Monitor the customer more closely as spirits have higher alcohol content per serving
When a customer switches to harder liquor, increased monitoring is important as spirits have higher alcohol content, which can accelerate intoxication, especially if the customer is unaware of the difference.
Question 3: What is the purpose of offering non-alcoholic alternatives to customers?
- To increase the drink menu size
- To provide options for pacing, designated drivers, and those who choose not to drink or need to slow down (Correct answer)
- To meet a quota for non-alcoholic sales
- To use up expired drink mixes
Correct answer: To provide options for pacing, designated drivers, and those who choose not to drink or need to slow down
Offering non-alcoholic alternatives supports responsible service by providing options for designated drivers, helping drinkers pace themselves, and giving customers who need to slow down an appealing alternative.
Question 4: In responsible service, what does 'intervention' refer to?
- A medical procedure
- Taking action to prevent or address a situation where a customer is becoming or is already intoxicated (Correct answer)
- Intervening in a sports game on TV
- A management meeting
Correct answer: Taking action to prevent or address a situation where a customer is becoming or is already intoxicated
Intervention in responsible service means taking appropriate action when a customer shows signs of intoxication, including slowing service, offering food or water, or refusing further service.
Question 5: Why is teamwork important in responsible alcohol service?
- To split tips evenly
- So staff can communicate about patron behaviour, support each other in cut-off situations, and ensure consistent monitoring (Correct answer)
- To serve drinks faster
- It is not important in alcohol service
Correct answer: So staff can communicate about patron behaviour, support each other in cut-off situations, and ensure consistent monitoring
Teamwork allows staff to share observations about patron behaviour, back each other up during difficult situations like refusing service, and ensure no patrons are overlooked in busy environments.
Question 6: What is the role of a manager in supporting responsible alcohol service?
- Managers have no specific role
- Managers should establish policies, train staff, support cut-off decisions, and model responsible service behaviour (Correct answer)
- Managers only handle financial matters
- Managers should override server decisions to keep customers happy
Correct answer: Managers should establish policies, train staff, support cut-off decisions, and model responsible service behaviour
Managers play a crucial role in creating a culture of responsible service by establishing clear policies, providing ongoing training, supporting staff decisions to cut off service, and leading by example.
ProServe Responsible Service Practices 3
What is the concept of 'duty of care' as it applies to alcohol service?