How to ask a heavily drunk guest to leave the bar?

The bar industry has a certain sensitivity in some areas. This is natural, since most bars serve alcoholic drinks. There are people who cannot stop in time and can harm themselves or others, so the bartender must always be on alert.

Responsible alcohol sales and service

It is always necessary to clearly assess the situation. There are guests who, during a bar raid, find your establishment last, and they only need to drink one shot to lose control. Before you start serving, greet the guest, ask how he is doing, how he got there, and so on. This small dialogue will already give the bartender an idea of the visitor’s condition. It’s better to refuse service than to sell one cocktail and spend the rest of your shift dealing with the “overstaying” guest.

Always follow etiquette. You should never shout, insult or use physical force towards a person who is intoxicated. Aggression begets aggression. Assess the situation, decide whether you can cope with this situation on your own, or whether more radical measures are needed. An experienced bartender may suggest calling a taxi or using the service of a sober driver. In any case, these actions should be aimed at getting the person home as soon as possible. Perhaps at the moment he feels omnipotent, but tomorrow, believe me, he will be very grateful to you for the reasonableness of your actions.

Strictly follow the instructions when working in extreme situations. Most bars have full-time security and a panic button. They can and should cope with particularly active visitors. No need to show heroism. A bartender's job is to prepare drinks, serve guests and set the mood, not to be a part-time bouncer.

Each person has his own specific rate of alcohol consumption and, therefore, a different time for the onset of alcohol intoxication. There are many factors that influence this: gender, weight, frequency of drinking alcoholic beverages, density and calorie content of food that day, individual characteristics and reactions to alcohol.

At first glance, it is quite difficult to determine how much a guest can drink, but in the process of observation everything can be traced. Try to look not only at the bar itself, but also at each guest individually. Even in the event of a large influx of visitors, look up, catch glances, gestures, facial expressions and remember that it is better to limit the guest a little than to deal with the consequences later.

If the bartender sees the person’s condition and refuses service, of course, the manager can join the dialogue. And here comes a very important moment. Team means team. The management team must fully trust its staff, their professionalism and always remain on their side.

Of course, such guests and such shifts are more the exception than the rule. Often a person can sit late, miss the moment when it was worth paying the bill, and it is enough for the bartender, in a friendly tone, to say: “Dear, you have enough for today. Time to go home. I'll call you a taxi."

You don’t need to get rid of guests - you need to make sure that the guest wants to return to your bar again and again. And if he is ashamed of what he did earlier, most likely he will not become a regular customer.

Responsibility, rationality and deep respect for their guests - this is what guides the bartender in the workplace.