I think Jeff’s responses are awesome. In my early days of being the sole authority at a restaurant/bar out in the middle of nowhere filled with men twice my size, I definitely had to learn finesse. I’ve gone in the kitchen and made sandwiches and coffee for drunks a million times, but when people get insistent-even after I’ve told them to wait till close and I’ll drive them home- there’s not always much you can do… but since in New York a bartender can be held legally responsible for drunken accidents, I used to explain this fact and say “Listen, I don’t want to do it, and I’ll drive you home, but if you walk out that door and get in your car, I’m calling the cops”

In 99% of my experiences this works, but when it doesn’t, do not be afraid to make the tough decision and call the authorities. I’m full of options, I’ll always call a cab or let you use my phone to call a ride, but when nothing works, as the bartender, you are the last barrier between this person and a potentially life threatening situation.

To reiterate: if the person isn’t alone, their friends are key allies in the cutting off process. And as everyone else says, communication is KEY!! Beyond just telling the other bartenders working with you at the time (if there are any)

One really good idea: at one bar I worked in we had a notebook we kept by the register (it also had a calendar in it). In it we would jot down any unusual situations or events and even fun stuff like the regular’s birthdays and anniversaries. That way if Charlie just split up with his wife and has been getting shitfaced every night for a week, you can be prepared for him to cry and need a cab. The same applies if certain patrons have been fighting or if someone left without paying his tab one night. You can also use this to mention things like running out of jager or if some regular has switched from mich lite to mich ultras and you need to start stocking more of them.\

I could go on forever, but our St. Patrick’s Day parade is today! Cheers from Binghamton!

Working in a college area dive bar — I have had to deal with this on several occasions and with having a very heavy pour, very irresponsible bar right down the street — we get kids in all the time we don’t know have three quadruple cocktails in their bellies within an hour and when we serve them one cocktail and then KA-BLAM-O!!! They are hammered — it can be hard trying to cut them off after “I have only had one!!!!” (Uh, yea, here…) and thus, your suggestions work beautifully for this situation.

… I like to play the good guy. I don’t think people realize that not only is it embarrassing for them but it is just as hard for us to step up to the plate and tell them “no more”.

Like you I spent time in dive bars that “no more” could cause a brawl, as well as high end hotels which is where I am now.

The high end customers, especially in a hotel bar, can be more difficult than the blue collar bar goers in that the Richie Rich will pull the “do you know how much I am paying for a room here?” and felle they deserve another drink. A hospitable apprach is ALWAYS necessary.

Cheers to you!
Chris

One thing bartenders should always remember when cutting off a customer is to communicate to their fellow bartenders. It doesn’t do any good to cut off a customer, only to have them order from another bartender.

Also, keep the whole transaction as non-confrontational as possible. Drunk people aren’t rational. If you can, have the friends of the drunk person help you. Drunk people aren’t likely to listen to anyone, but they will listen to their friends more so than they would a bartender whom they don’t know.

…but I have worked some local bars throughout those years and cutting someone off in this case takes a little more finesse. Some places had certain procedures. One that comes to mind is that the manager would take over, go to the guest, and tell them they have a phone call. This leads them away from the bar where the manager tells them, “we really appreciate your business and want you to have a great time, but for the next couple of hours we can only serve you alcohol free drinks of which are complimentary blah blah blah”…I’d say
99% took it well.

When I didn’t have a manager that had my back then I had to come up with something creative. It’s my bartender nature to always bring humor into as much of life as possible, so I went out and bought an Operation game. I used the game for guests I felt should be cut-off.

I’d pull it out with a big smile and tell the drunken soul that I would strike a deal with them. The rules were simple. Get all the bones out without the red buzzer nose going off and I’d serve them another drink. The game on the bartop was a magnet of fun and as you might have guessed, a big hit. The people that loved it the best were the local cops. They called it my sobriety test. I wrote about using the Operation game in my 5th book, Miss Charming’s Guide for Hip Bartenders and Wayout Wannabes.

Cheers!
Cheryl Charming aka Miss Charming™

To reiterate what Greg said, the only thing that contributes to sobriety is time. The coffee, the water, the food, these are all ways of keeping the guest under your care while they sober up over time. One hour per drink consumed is the general rule of thumb.

- Try not to make a public scene and by all means keep the cut off quiet, not announcing to the bar.

- Make sure all of the staff/management is aware of the cut off in case it escalates and obviously so no one else serves the patron.

- We must remember that the only thing that sobers an individual is time.

Thanks for writing the article, Jeff!