You know, it’s illegal to over-serve a patron in a bar. The bar owner can avoid liability if the bartender is TABC certified and the owner/manager is not personally aware of the violation or does not order the bartender to over-serve. I think it would be criminally negligent for the owner/manager not to be aware of his employees actions.
If your patrons are falling down drunk when they leave your establishment, it’s pretty hard to deny that you over-served them. It’s also something that TABC agents keep an eye out for, especially if you are already on their radar.
Here’s a trick I learned from watching one of the Main Street ultralounges. If your club happens to reside in a building that for some reason has an alternate entrance, you’re golden. Instead of sending your drunken patrons out the front door, for all to see, you sneak them out the basement service entrance, up the stairs to the alternate entrance, and deposit them unceremoniously on the sidewalk.
Now the lounge owner is clean. The patron, on the other hand, may walk right into the open arms of the police. Whoops, here’s a little PI citation for you and I think that cute little van there might be your ride. You may even find some of your friends inside.
The police are a pretty savvy bunch and have already figured this little scam out, so I suggest you drink responsibly no matter how much you paid for that bottle of Grey Goose. One has to wonder why the TABC haven’t figured it out yet. Are they really that stupid, or are they just giving the lounges enough rope to hang themselves?
Tags: TABC
