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  • Responsible Service of Alcohol Update: New Zealand Tightens Alcohol Advertising Laws

    With alcohol advertising on the agenda in Oz recently it is interesting to see that New Zealand has altered its alcohol advertising laws. Alcohol advertising and promotion may no longer carry any environmental benefits of drinking and any ambiguous messages will no longer be allowed in NZ.The changes will come into effect as of January 2013.

    At the centre of the debate in Oz are questions about the effect of alcohol advertising on children in particular. Research shows that alcohol advertising and marketing messages are getting through to children and young people well below the legal drinking age. This is promoting underage drinking and the negative consequences that it brings. These advertisements and marketing strategies are making children and minors more accepting of alcohol and about the positive expectations about alcohol’s effects.

    Because of the damaging physical and psychological effects of alcohol they should be educated about its effects and not numbed to the consequences of binge drinking. Not only does it hamper their growth and affect their fragile emotional states but also hinders their psychological development, as many studies have proven.  Perhaps New Zealand’s example is one to be followed, if not entirely but at least in part.

     

  • Minimum Pricing Rejected by Alcohol Industry

    The Federal Government’s intention to introduce a minimum floor pricing plan has been met with opposition from the liquor industry. The government’s strategy would eventually result in an increase in the cost of alcohol, with hopes that this will reduce the number of alcohol related violent and criminal innocents induced by drinking

    But the Australian National Preventative Health Agency (ANPHA) which is part of the federal; government recommends the new taxes be introduced as soon as possible. This would result in the increase in the cost of cask wine to $47.70 for a four litre.

    The alcohol industry has however slammed the proposal which it believes would harshly impact responsible drinkers who simply cannot afford to purchase the more premium alcohol products such as pensioners. They have also expressed their opinions that this strategy would do little to combat the underage drinking and binge drinking which the government aims to target. The Australian Hotels Association (AHA) also rejected the minimum pricing strategy because of its impact on pensioners.

    The problem with the new strategy, according to those in the liquor industry is that it will negatively affect both responsible and irresponsible drinkers. Major retailers have joined in to criticize the government’s plan which it believes should be targeted at the specific problem community and not to the entire nation in general.

  • Melbourne Pub Licence Breaches

    A Melbourne pub has been stripped of its licence after repeated reports of responsible alcohol service breaches. The pub had its liquor licence revoked after instances of underage drinking and intoxicated patrons meant authorities had had enough.

     

    The establishment in Melbourne, Pine and Pickle in Frankston, has been stripped of its alcohol serving rights for the next 2 years. In total the pub received 14 licence breaches from October 2009 to December 2011, an unacceptable number according to authorities.

     

    According to the Victorian Commission for Gambling and Liquor regulation the pub needed to be dealt with because it presents a hazard to the area. The VCGLR said the pub presents “serious potential for the misuse and abuse of alcohol to continue”.

     

    Other venues can consider this a warning that the irresponsible service of alcohol will not be tolerated by authorities, especially in light of the alcohol fuelled violence that authorities have been trying to combat recently.

     

    Serving unduly intoxicated patrons is one of the factors contributing to the spike in violence and one of the issues that servers need to avoid. Serving minors is also something that needs to addressed, make sure that you are not caught committing these offences or you could end up like the Pine and Pickle in Melbourne’s Frankston.

     

  • Sydney Cafe Delivers best Customer Service

    A café in Sydney has been awarded the title of Australia’s best customer service provider in the dining and hospitality industry. The national competition was conducted by American Express and found Village Store Café at Darling Point to be the top of its industry.
    Read this insert by Hospitalitymagazine.com.au which provides more information:

    Richard Goldman who runs the Village Store cafe at Darling Point was nominated by one of his customers who said he goes “above and beyond to ensure each customer is treated with respect and welcomed”.


     The program called Great Service Quest which attracted hundreds of nominations from the customers of businesses around the country was launched by American Express following its research that revealed service standards were in decline.


     As well as the dining and hospitality category it also looked for examples of great service providers in the Retail, Home Services, and the Health and Wellbeing industries.

     

     A humble Goldman (pictured) said that providing good customer service was just part of his job.

     

     “You’re in hospitality for a reason – to give good service,” he said.

     

     “It’s a challenging job and every day brings something different.”

     

     American Express managing director Lisa Vehrenkamp said she was impressed by the numbers of people who were so focused on delivering outstanding service.

     

    Source: http://www.hospitalitymagazine.com.au/food/news/sydney-cafe-owner-delivers-best-service-to-custome

    The competition which is designed to recognise excellence in customer service provision has revealed that although there are a number of service providers who provide excellent service, national standards are generally on the decline. That is why competitions of this nature are so important to foster a culture of good customer service, after all customers are the bread and butter of the business.

    The search was conducted across 11 countries and found that a number of Australian consumers are not too satisfied with the service they are receiving at restaurants. Four out of ten Australians are dissatisfied with the service they receive and record beaten only by the dissatisfaction of the French.

    The number one customer service faux paux is a bad attitude. Whether or not you are having a bad day, it’s not the customer’s fault and they shouldn’t have to pay for it. Smile, be pleasant and greet each one. Try to assist them as much as possible and do so politely.

    Also use age-appropriate greetings. That implies avoiding referring to older customers and women as “guys” it can come across as rude.

    Be proactive and ask how you may be of service, always stay visible so that you can be of service but don’t hover around them and interrupt their conversation.

    You should give customers standing in front of you precedence over someone who calls on the phone and never judge customers, treat everyone equally regardless of age.

    When asked a question don’t ever say you don’t know, rather say, “I don’t know but I can find out”.

    Smile as you are saying goodbye and encourage the customer to come again, the last impression is just as important as the first. Always consider how you would like to be treated if you were the customer and you will soon realise that your attitude has a lot to do with your customer’s satisfaction.

     

     

  • Responsible Service of Alcohol – News Update – How Safe is it to Mix Alcohol?

    How Safe is it to Mix Alcohol?

    Is it true that mixing different types of alcohol may result in drunkenness? Some people believe that by mixing different drinks they will get more drunk and suffer worse hangovers than if they stick to one type of drink only. For example mixing beer and vodka can make you more drunk than if you drink beer only for the entire night, but is it fact or just an old wives tale? In this post we explore the notion that mixing different types of drinks makes you more drunk.

    This idea may have originated from the rate at which the body processes alcohol. The liver can only efficiently process one standard-sized alcoholic drink per hour, although men can process more alcohol per hour than women.

    The body’s blood alcohol level rises more rapidly after drinking hard liquor than it does after drinking beer, therefore you may feel the effects of intoxication quicker.

    If you drink liquor before beeryou are more likely to feel the effects of the alcohol sooner which may cause you not to consume as much alcohol thereby decreasing the chances of getting sick from over indulgence. On the other hand consuming beer before liquor can make you feel sick because if you felt little effect from the beer you may be motivated to consume more alcohol by consuming stronger drinks.

    Some researchers have found that different types of alcohol contain different amounts of compounds which may cause hangover symptoms. Clear beverages like vodka, gin, and white wine contain less of these compounds than darker liquor like brandy, whisky, rum, and red wine while mixing the compounds may increase stomach irritation and subsequently the intensity of the hangover symptoms.

    Rather than the mix of alcohol you consume it’s the rate at whichyou consume it that determines the level of intoxication and hangover symptoms you will experience. It is common to down shooters or shots which are most often mixed resulting in intoxication. It is the fact that you down these quickly one after the other, rather than the fact that they are mixed drinks, which makes you drunk.

    Drinking mixed drinks and shots means consuming greater amounts of alcohol at a faster rate, and you may become intoxicated faster than you notice.

    Even though you may mix your drinks or drink too quickly there are ways to reduce the intensity of the hangover the next morning. The most important factor to remember when drinking is to do so responsibly, don’t overdo it and arrange for safe transport home. To curb the hangover, eat something before drinking to slow the absorption of alcohol into the bloodstream. Alternate one alcoholic drink and then one non-alcoholic one to pace yourself and keep hydrated. Also be more attentive to the alcohol content of the drinks you are consuming.

  • Responsible Service of Alcohol Update: Whisky Tasting for Dummies

     

    (Photo: zirconicusso / FreeDigitalPhotos.net)

     
    Have you ever wanted to attend a whisky tasting event but can’t tell you scotch from your bourbon. Here we have included some tips to help you distinguish between the many varieties of whisky available.
     
    For connoisseur’s it may be easy to tell the difference between various whiskies. But for those less versed in whisky trivia, it may be confusing to try and choose between different types of whisky. What is the best whisky, Scotch, Bourbon, Tennessee, Irish, there is so much variety that it can be overwhelming.
     
    Whisky basically is any alcohol distilled from fermented grain mash. All whiskies are distilled at a minimum of 40% alcohol by volume. The difference between the various whiskeys relies mostly on the type of grain used for the mash.
     
    Scotch
     
    Whisky is made from fermented grain mash however scotch is made from malted Barley. Most Scotch makers use a base of barley, water and yeast to produce Scotch.  The spirit must be aged in oak casks for no less than three years. Finally, like Champagne comes only from the particular region in France with the same name, you cannot call your drink Scotch unless it was made 100% in Scotland.
     
    Bourbon
     
    Bourbon whisky must be made from a grain mixture which is at least 51% corn. The fermentation process for this mixture is often started by mixing in some mash from an older already fermenting batch, a process known as sour mash. Bourbon can only be labelled as Bourbon if it was made in the United States.
     
    The spirit must be distilled to no more than 80% alcohol (160 proof), aged in new charred oak barrels. Finally Bourbon has no minimum aging period, but to call your product Straight Bourbon it must be aged for no less than two years and contain no additives.
     
    Tennessee Whiskey
     
    This whisky is straight bourbon made in the state of Tennessee. The people who produce this spirit, such as Jack Daniels, don’t want their whisky called a Bourbon, claiming that they are the only type of whisky which puts the spirit through a charcoal filtering process.  As a result the drink is given a different name but is made the same way as Bourbon.
     
    Irish Whisky
     
    Irish whisky is Whisky aged in the Republic of Ireland or in Northern Ireland. It is made from yeast-fermented grain mash. Irish whisky is aged for a minimum in 3 years in wooden casks.
     
    So now that you know the difference give them a try and see which one you like best.

  • Ways to Become the Best at Bartending

    Let’s face it the ultimate goal of being a better bartender is to make more money, by generating more tips. In order to do this, bartenders need to be at the top of their game. Some of the measures that can be implemented include:
     
    • Always Maintaining a Good Attitude. No matter how bad a day you’re having, keep a good attitude and always smile.
     
    • Always Be Professional. Maintain a professional attitude and appearance. Being professional will make customers trust you and therefore return to your bar time and time again.
     
    • Make Suggestions. If customers are unsure of what to order Make a suggestion to show that you care. Most customers will look to you for advice as they view you as the expert and most will show their gratitude with tips.
     
    • Don’t Fixate on Tips. Although the tip may be most of your income, being obsessive about tips and counting your tips each time someone hands it to you is unprofessional.
     
    • If unsure, ask for proof. Part of responsible service is making sure the people you serve are of legal drinking age. If you doubt about a customer’s age, ask for a proof of ID.

  • Article Posts for Week Ending October 5,2012

    Here is a list of the articles posted on our blog this last week:

    Former pub boss in court – A warning to other Publicans

    Perfect Summer Mixers

    Responsible Service of Alcohol Update: How to Say No to an Intoxicated Customer

     

  • Responsible Service of Alcohol Update: Ways to Avoid too Much Holiday Drinking

    Making responsible choices concerning sensible drinking is an issue that you will most likely face especially during the holiday season. Responsible drinking may involve not drinking when a person is sick, taking medications or being the designated driver for friends or family. Responsible drinking means that you never have to feel sorry for what has happened while you were drinking and it doesn’t result in black outs or hangovers the next day. So ultimately responsible drinking involves not drinking to an extent that you become drunk.
     
    There are a few tips that you can keep in mind during the holiday season to keep you from making drinking mistakes.
     
    Know your limit and stick to it. Don’t be influenced or bullied by others to over indulge. Being drunk doesn’t mean you will have a better time.
     
    Eat before drinking and snack during drinking. This will help slow the absorption of alcohol into the blood stream.
     
    Sip on your drink, don’t gulp it. Binge drinking is problematic and can result in consequences that may cause injury. Alternate alcoholic drinks and non-alcoholic ones to pace yourself and prevent you from becoming overly intoxicated.
     
    Don’t drink and drive. Arrange for a designated driver who is responsible to drive you home safely.

  • Responsible Service of Alcohol Update: How to Say No to an Intoxicated Customer

    Responsible service of alcohol involves refusing service of alcohol to customers who you believe have had too much to drink. Many incidents have occurred due to serving intoxicated patrons alcohol such as alcohol fuelled violence and other violent crimes.
     

    Although it may be difficult to refuse someone alcohol especially because customers may become offended, it is your duty to do so. Intoxicated customers are usually overly sensitive and overly confident which makes them act out.
     

    One of the major issues that we are facing at the moment is that of alcohol fuelled violence plaguing many of the entertainment districts across the country. Some of these violent incidents have resulted in the death of innocent people. Customers can exit your establishment and cause havoc outside or down the road. Customers may also cause a scene within your establishment, bringing down the reputation of the establishment and ultimately affecting business.
     

    Tact is needed and you should always remain respectful and understanding. You may need to remove a patron from the bar if they refuse to accept your decision to stop serving them.  The best approach is to inform the customer beforehand that they will not be allowed more alcohol. One of the options available is to politely inform the customer that they will only be served one or two more in advance to prepare them for the cut off in drinks. Then you should inform other servers as well as any bouncers or security along with your manager that a particular patron is close to their limit. It is much easier for a customer to understand this news before they become too intoxicated.