The National Restaurant Association’s ServSafe program has released a new online booklet entitled “
Smart Alcohol Service Techniques.” The eBook becomes the sixth resource available for free download from ServSafe’s recently debuted
ServItUp Resource Center.
The eBook focuses on what bartenders and waitstaff should know about serving alcohol beverages to customers in order to help avoid alcohol intoxication. The easy-to-follow guide uses lively graphics and key facts in bite-size portions to cover five smart service techniques, including:
- Measuring and counting drinks
- Serving food with alcohol
- Keeping guests hydrated
- Slow-service techniques
- Serving alcohol to-go – best practices
Examples of key facts for alert servers include “Accidentally over-pouring a drink is not only dangerous—it can cost your business big time,” or “Keep your eye on the table [from afar] to ensure guests are satisfied while slowing down alcohol service.”
More from ServItUp
“Smart Alcohol Service Techniques” marks the newest debut on the ServItUp site. ServItUp, launched in April 2022, provides a companion piece to ServSafe Alcohol, the Association’s alcohol service training and certification course.
ServItUp’s expanding library reinforces training delivered in the ServSafe Alcohol course. The difference lies in the fact that ServItUp materials – including blogs, guides, infographics, eBooks and eBooks with exercises – are available for download at no charge.
ServItUp’s downloadable resources cover detecting and preventing alcohol-related incidents (Monitoring & Preventing Alcohol-Related Incidents in Restaurants, Detecting Risky Situations and How to Handle Them); Regulatory updates (Regional Alcohol Regulations: A Legal Patchwork, Alcohol Service Laws Your Restaurant Needs to Know); and now, techniques for those who interact directly with customers (Smart Alcohol Service Techniques).
“ServItUp provides an [online] destination for information on responsible alcohol sales and service,” says Trevor Estelle, V.P. of ServSafe Alcohol & Regulatory Services at the Association. “[The site] provides restaurants with tools to prevent underage access, drunk driving and intoxication.”
Find more responsible alcohol service resources at
www.ServSafeServItUp.com.