Tis the season. Bars and restaurants are packed with patrons looking to get in the holiday spirit – or perhaps just consuming spirits. Either way, selling alcohol comes with many responsibilities and potential for liability if an impaired patron causes injury or death to another.
Similar to social hosts discussed in my last article, an establishment licensed to sell alcohol cannot sell or give alcohol to someone who is intoxicated. Again, this intoxication standard means someone who is materially impaired; it is not necessarily the .08 standard for drunk driving. Further, the law requires that service be refused to someone who is impaired.
I often have clients tell me cutting someone off or refusing service is very difficult. They do not want to embarrass a customer and, let’s face it, bars and restaurants are in the business of selling alcohol.
With that in mind, here are four tips I give to bars and restaurants who are licensed by the state to sell alcohol: know and understand the law; have policies in place consistent with the law; train your staff to follow the law; and keep records that show that compliance.
I outline each of these tips below:
City Club, Event Center On The Market For $7.5 Million
Emma Dill
-
Apr 16, 2024
|
|
Wilmington Tech Company Tapped For Federal Forestry Contract
Audrey Elsberry
-
Apr 15, 2024
|
|
Commercial Real Estate Firm Promotes Adams, Mitchell To Vice President Roles
Staff Reports
-
Apr 16, 2024
|
|
New Hanover Industrial Park To Get $3.3M In Incentives For Expansion, New Jobs
Emma Dill
-
Apr 15, 2024
|
|
Gravette Named Executive Director Of Nir Family YMCA
Staff Reports
-
Apr 16, 2024
|
In early March, New Jersey-based TD Bank opened its third Wilmington-area branch in Leland. That’s part of a trend for the bank....
For the Business Journal's annual Law Issue, read about area attorney's who made this year's Legal Elite list....
The impact of PFAS on the environment and people exposed to it is still being studied. However, multiple public entities in the region have...
The 2024 WilmingtonBiz: Book on Business is an annual publication showcasing the Wilmington region as a center of business.