Local restaurant owners, employees brush up on alcohol education to keep licenses

Local restaurants are being tightly monitored by the California Department of Alcohol Beverage Control in an attempt to dissuade underage drinking and other alcohol related no-no’s.

According to the ABC website, 12,600 liquor licenses were issued in Calif. in 2011 with an average of 128 days from the time the application was submitted to when the license was issued.

Over 5,000 enforcement investigations were conducted in 2011 with just over 2100 disciplinary actions taken against the offending license holders, the website reported.

Local restaurant owners and employees are educating themselves on alcohol awareness to avoid losing their liquor licenses. (Stephanie D. Schulte/SWRNN)

The owner of Rosati’s Pizza Pub in Temecula, Steve Sillin, said he and his employees recently attended a Training for Intervention Procedures –T.I.P.S. — class where they learned the ins and outs of alcohol awareness.

Servers and bartenders at the pizza joint were vigilant in asking every person who ordered an alcoholic drink to present identification.

“My employees came to me and told me they were having the hardest time getting into alcohol education classes due to class sell-outs,” Sillin said. “Thankfully the owner of The Bank Mexican Restaurant launched into action and is teaching the class.”

Craig Puma, the owner of the the Bank Mexican Restaurant, decided to become certified to teach the alcohol education classes after a friend told him the class would be a good fit for him and his restaurant.

“It was an intensive two-day trainer course where I learned all about the different aspects of alcohol,” Puma explained. “All of our employees are required to take this informative and important course.”

He said the classes teach people who are dealing with alcohol how to identify patrons who have had too much to drink and handle them in a professional manner in addition to the many legal issues associated with alcohol and the sale of alcohol.

A bartender who has tended bar at Rosati’s for the last five months recently attended the five-hour class given by Puma at an office space above The Bank Restaurant in Old Town Temecula.

“I learned many tips and tricks on how to spot fake ID’s and a rating system that is basically a code between bartenders to alert one another about guests who may have been over served,” Austin Crouch said. “I have heard stories of people using their sibling’s i.d. or distracting the bartender by asking a bunch of questions in an attempt to be a distraction.”

He said so far he hasn’t had to refuse service to anyone while manning the bar.

To learn more, visit abc.ca.gov.

Stephanie D. Schulte is a writer/photographer with SWRNN.  She can be reached at stephanie.schulte@swrnn.com