RSA Case Analysis & Practical Application 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A customer orders a round of shots for six friends, all of whom already appear noticeably intoxicated. What is the server's best course of action?
- Serve the shots but limit them to one each
- Decline to serve the round and inform the customer why (Correct answer)
- Serve water alongside the shots as a compromise
- Ask the manager to decide while continuing to serve
Correct answer: Decline to serve the round and inform the customer why
Serving alcohol to visibly intoxicated guests violates RSA principles regardless of group size, so the entire order should be refused.
Question 2: A bartender suspects a patron's ID is fake because the photo looks slightly off. The patron becomes agitated when questioned. What should the server do?
- Return the ID and serve to avoid conflict
- Politely decline service and call a manager if the patron escalates (Correct answer)
- Serve one drink and monitor the patron closely
- Ask another customer to vouch for the patron's age
Correct answer: Politely decline service and call a manager if the patron escalates
When an ID appears questionable, service must be refused, and a manager should handle any escalation to keep staff safe.
Question 3: Two guests arrive together; one appears sober and one appears drunk. The sober guest offers to drink on behalf of the intoxicated friend by ordering for both. How should the server respond?
- Serve both as long as the sober guest is ordering
- Serve only the sober guest and refuse service to the intoxicated guest (Correct answer)
- Serve the intoxicated guest a lower-alcohol option instead
- Ask both guests to leave since they arrived together
Correct answer: Serve only the sober guest and refuse service to the intoxicated guest
Service must be refused to the visibly intoxicated guest regardless of who places the order, while the sober guest may still be served.
Question 4: A server notices a patron who was refused service at the bar has moved to a table and ordered from a different server. What is the correct response?
- Allow the table server to make their own judgment
- Alert the table server and manager so service is consistently refused (Correct answer)
- Confront the patron publicly to deter the behavior
- Only intervene if the patron orders more than two drinks
Correct answer: Alert the table server and manager so service is consistently refused
Staff must communicate refusals so that a guest cannot circumvent a cut-off by switching servers.
Question 5: A regular customer tells your server, 'I only live two blocks away, I'll be fine.' They have been drinking heavily for three hours. How should the server handle this?
- Serve one final drink since the walk is short
- Refuse further service and offer to arrange a safe ride home (Correct answer)
- Reduce pour sizes but continue serving
- Trust the customer's self-assessment and continue normal service
Correct answer: Refuse further service and offer to arrange a safe ride home
Proximity of home does not eliminate impairment risk; a server must still cut off service and help secure safe transportation.
Question 6: During a busy Friday night, a server is overwhelmed and accidentally serves a visibly drunk patron a second round. What should the server do immediately?
- Ignore it since the drinks are already poured
- Retrieve the drinks if possible, apologize discreetly, and stop further service (Correct answer)
- Dilute the drinks with mixer before delivering
- Finish the shift without reporting the incident
Correct answer: Retrieve the drinks if possible, apologize discreetly, and stop further service
Correcting a service error quickly—removing drinks if feasible and halting further service—limits liability and prevents harm.
Question 7: A guest insists they are not intoxicated and demands to know the establishment's policy before accepting a refusal. How should the server respond?
- Reconsider service since the guest is articulate enough to argue
- Calmly explain the house policy, offer water or food, and maintain the refusal (Correct answer)
- Debate the guest's sobriety until a consensus is reached
- Offer a written statement of the refusal to the guest
Correct answer: Calmly explain the house policy, offer water or food, and maintain the refusal
Servers should state the policy clearly and offer non-alcoholic alternatives while holding firm on the refusal regardless of the guest's arguments.
RSA Case Analysis & Practical Application 2
A customer orders a round of shots for six friends, all of whom already appear noticeably intoxicated.
What is the server's best course of action?