Responsible Beverage Service Training for Local Bartenders and Waitstaff

Some area alcohol licensees are renewing their efforts to establish responsible alcohol sales programs at their businesses in Commack. Recently, the Commack Coalition of Caring has been in contact with alcohol licensees in our community to show their support for restaurants and bars who act responsibly when it comes to alcohol
sales. The organization is collaborating with the Suffolk Coalition to Prevent Alcohol & Drug Dependencies and St. Catherine of Siena Medical Center to provide training to the bartenders and waitstaff of Commack’s restaurants and bars. The training is sponsored,
in part, by Clare Rose, Inc. and will be held at St. Catherine’s on Tuesday, March 1 from 10 AM - 1 PM.

The goal of the training, facilitated by certified TIPS (Training for Intervention Procedures) trainer Mike Maryzek, a manager with the beverage distributor, is to reduce alcohol-related problems by educating an establishment’s staff on the sale and service of alcohol. Servers will be educated on checking identification of possible underage youth, and how to refuse service to obviously intoxicated patrons.

Responsible alcohol service programs include these types of policies and procedures:
• information indicating the importance of avoiding sales to minors to protect the health
and well-being of everyone in the community;
• techniques on how to refuse a service safely and comfortably.
• information on how to recognize false IDs;
• information about laws and penalties; and
• an emphasis on proper management techniques and policies to encourage compliance with the law.

National research shows that these types of programs help reduce alcohol sales to underage youth. Also, these programs help protect licensees and their employees as well. In the coming weeks, Commack Coalition of Caring will be highlighting the area establishments who participate in the training to further exhibit that they are working to
make sure that these policies are consistently followed.

The Commack Coalition of Caring’s mission is to mobilize parents, school professionals, experts in substance abuse, and community leaders to prevent youth substance use and abuse. The Coalition recognizes the important influences of the child's environment and is focused on interventions beyond the school setting.