Obtaining a liquor license is an arduous process that is often fraught with all kinds of difficulty — but losing your license can happen very, very quickly.
Whether your business relies on its liquor license as an essential part of its services or you just use the ability to serve a drink or two as a “perk” for your customers, you absolutely need to make certain that everyone on your staff understands what’s at stake.
What are the top reasons that a liquor license gets revoked?
While the landscape of regulations on when and how liquor can be served have been in flux lately, there are some basic mistakes that will definitely cost you. These include:
- Time violations: Your liquor license probably only permits you to serve alcohol during certain days or times — and local regulations can add new kinks in the rules. Stay on top of any regulations in your jurisdiction and follow them.
- Serving minors: Fake IDs are a problem, to be sure, but an even worse problem is having servers who think they can spot when someone is over 21 years of age or not without checking. Stress to your employees the importance of looking at ID cards.
- Untrained staff: This is a problem for a number of reasons, but letting a bartender or server work without completing the proper certification for their jobs could get your whole business into serious trouble.
- Allowing fights: If your establishment gets a reputation for being the site of too many brawls or public disturbances, you could lose your license. Make it clear that you expect patrons to behave themselves — and bar those that won’t from your door.
- Overserving: If you serve someone who is clearly intoxicated, your business could end up liable for any accident or injuries they cause. At a minimum, you may end up losing your liquor license.
If your liquor license is in danger, you need to explore all available legal options to defend your business interests. A proactive defense could preserve your future.