Cutting Off

Knowing when enough is too much is not an easy task. A drunk may be easy to spot, but when can one really decide to cut someone off? This task is done by the most professional bartenders.

There are many aspects to being a good server or bartender, and the ability to read people is perhaps the most important. One needs to be able to judge a guest's personality, their mood, who's paying and quite often when they've had too much.

Many bartenders will push the limits of their drunken patrons to receive better tips. This is dangerous, the person may forget to pay their tab, not tip you or worse, get in an accident on their way home. There are great risks in cutting someone off as well. If the person is angry enough they could not tip you or even harm you or someone else around them. It is always an issue when someone receives their tab and the price is just a little higher than they were expecting. Suddenly you have rang in too many drinks because there is no way he and his six friends drank 35 beers and did 40 shots. Regardless, I have found the best way to handle this is to first, relax. The drunkard is already worked up enough for the both of you, better the sober one in this equation have their head on straight.

There are some drunks that don't even think to look at the tab, if you just tell them how much they owe you, they might believe you rather than the detailed print-out you place in front of them.

But, if the time does come that you just cannot serve someone any more alcohol, bartenders are taught to simply tell them, "I'm sorry sir/ma'am but the Sate of Ohio requires me to stop serving you once you have reached a limit I feel is past the legal amount. Please pay your tab and I will call you a cab to ensure you arrive safely at your next destination." This leaves out any room for liability for the drunk that has decided he's going to go some where else and drink since you won't let him.

Losing a tip is far better than someone losing their life simply because you did not cut them off. I know plenty of bartenders that allow patrons to get to the point where they cannot even standup. While you may think this adds to sales and will give you more money in the end, it could possibly take everything from you and/or someone else.