Servsafe alcohol

= ServSafe Alcohol =

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

ServSafe Alcohol is a training program developed by National Restaurant Association Solutions to educate members of the restaurant and hospitality industry on responsible alcohol service. Responsible alcohol service training has become more important to the industry due to rising alcohol liability programs, more sophisticated fake IDs, stricter dram shop laws and a more litigious environment.

The training program was developed with input from experts in the foodservice, regulatory, legal, academic, medical and insurance fields. The experts created a job task analysis, which identified the knowledge and skills necessary for the entire front-of-the-house staff to serve alcohol responsibly. The job task analysis was then verified through industry feedback and then educational content was developed.

The ServSafe Alcohol training focuses on four areas of responsible alcohol service identified as most important by industry experts: * Alcohol Law and Your Responsibility * Recognizing and Preventing Intoxication * Checking Identification * Handling Difficult Situations

Training Options

ServSafe Alcohol is offered in two different formats. The training can be taken in a traditional classroom environment where the training is delivered by an instructor that has been approved by the National Restaurant Association Solutions. Trainers are located throughout the country and provide the training for a fee. The fee is set by the individual instructors based on the market for training in their geographical area. Traditional classroom training can last from 2 to 8 hours. At the completion of the training an exam is given for the student to achieve a certificate. The student must receive a score of at least 75% to receive their certificate.

Trainees also have the option of taking the training online. The online course contains the same content as the classroom class, but it can be done at the trainee's own pace. At the conclusion of the online training the trainee completes an exam online to achieve their certificate.

Program Use

The ability of the restaurant and hospitality industry to use the ServSafe Alcohol program and other training programs is largely based on state and local regulations. The 21st Amendment gives states the authority to regulate alcohol within their jurisdictions, which means that mandates for responsible alcohol service training are implemented on an a state by state basis. Currently, there are 17 states that mandate a seller or server of alcohol receive training in responsible alcohol service. There are another 18 states that provide a mitigating benefit (reduction in fines or suspension) for having employees trained in responsible alcohol service. The remaining states do not mandate training or provide benefits for having employees trained. The ServSafe Alcohol program can be used throughout the country except in those states that only allow their state developed training program to be used (HI, NM, NH)

See Rhode Island's Title 3 Regulations for an example of mandated responsible alcohol service training (http://www.rilin.state.ri.us/Statutes/TITLE3/3-7/3-7-6.1.HTM)

External links

* ServSafe Alcohol (http://www.servsafe.com/alcohol)