How do Stark County bars and restaurants feel about state-mandated alcohol training?

A couple walks into a bar and orders drinks. There is no joke here, just a question of who is responsible for the safety and well-being of customers and employees.

Is the couple responsible for the amount of alcohol they consume?

Or is it the bar’s job to monitor how much they are drinking?

A proposed Ohio law – House Bill 504 – would require state-approved training for all liquor license holders and their employees. Training would include laws surrounding the sale of alcohol, preventing sales to minors, recognizing when to stop serving alcohol to someone, and conflict management skills in alcohol-related situations.

If liquor license holders and employees complete training and follow protocols, they will be immune from lawsuits for personal injury, death or property damage.

Many Stark County bar and restaurant owners say they are not opposed to the training — especially if it limits their liability in lawsuits — but some question the cost and whether it would be effective. They also note that many already participate in the TIPS (Training for Intervention Procedures) and ServSafe Alcohol Certification Software. Both are skills-based education and training for responsible service, sale and consumption of alcohol.

“Any time we can provide a safe space for guests, we are all involved,” said Adam Longacre, co-owner of UnHitched Brewing Company. in Louisville and UnHitched Brewing’s new Woodshop in downtown Canton. “(And) if this project includes more training that we can provide in-house, that’s a bonus.”

Why was House Bill 504 – also known as Hayden’s law – introduced?

State Rep. Gail Pavliga, R-Atwater, introduced the bill after she was approached by the parents of Hayden Kaisera 25-year-old football coach from Northfield in northern Summit County who died in 2021 after a car accident.

She said Kaiser had a $170 bar tab and was still allowed to leave and get into his car.

“It’s not that parents think anyone did anything wrong. It’s just that they’re really looking to now educate staff about what that would look like and clearly prevent others from losing their lives,” Pavliga told the Columbus Dispatch when the bill was introduced .

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Jennifer Bushby, communications manager at Ohio Restaurant and Hospitality Alliancesaid the group is working to understand the full scope of House Bill 504.

“As we work to learn more about the details of this specific legislation, the Ohio Restaurant & Hospitality Alliance continues to encourage our hospitality community to complete the ServSafe Alcohol Certificationalthough it is not mandatory at this time,” Bushby said.

What do Stark County bars and restaurants think of House Bill 504?

Chris Maggiore, owner of four Jerzés locations, as well as Bar Msaid the proposed bill would help with additional protections against someone being overserved.

“Training should not just be for bartenders, but also for waiters,” he added.

As restaurants add patios and larger areas, Maggiore said servers are more of the customer’s point of contact. He hopes the training could also extend to seasonal help, which would include summer help, college students and others who need to be trained to get jobs in the industry.

Maury Sullivan, owner and partner of Tim’s Tavern, Kozmo GrillIt is Pancho’s Southwest Grillhas been in the restaurant business for over 40 years.

He said enforcing the proposed requirements of House Bill 504 would be difficult, if not impossible, because restaurant operations include teams of 15 and up to 50 in larger operations. Each of these workers can serve alcoholic beverages.

“At any given time, it is unrealistic to expect all personnel to be fully trained,” Sullivan said.

And while he said he understands the logic behind the bill, he doesn’t like “the government dictating to companies the best way to carry out their activities.”

“I support the widely accepted alcohol services training, ServSafe, offered throughout the hospitality industry,” he added. “The course is readily available and its principles should certainly be followed by any responsible alcoholic beverage supplier.”

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“When a customer tells you they have an Uber or designated driver and they don’t, we can’t police that.”

Tamara Jorgensen, owner of Grapes in a glassraised another potential problem.

“When a customer says they have an Uber or designated driver and they don’t, we can’t police that,” she said. “Or if they come in and order a drink and it goes from normal to trash and you find out they just had eight drinks next door. There are so many things out of the bartender’s control.”

“The immunity mentioned in the bill is something we are absolutely fans of.”

Jackie and Dustin Wilbur, owners of Food and Beverage Benders It is Benders West End Tavern in Massillon, are not opposed to the idea of ​​the bill and consider that education about issues involving alcohol is important and beneficial.

“The immunity mentioned in the bill is something we are absolutely fans of,” they said. “Customers should take some responsibility when it comes to overconsumption.”

Jorgensen agreed.

“In general, I am not in favor of laws that remove or abrogate personal responsibility,” she said. “Ultimately, the person drinking is responsible.”

Tony Paumier, owner of The Oakwood Bistro in Plain Township, has always made sure employees are conscientious when it comes to serving excessive alcoholic beverages to customers.

“At the end of the day, there is only so much we can do as an establishment to keep people safe,” he said. “I called Ubers to ask for clients or personally drove them home. These same customers suddenly showed signs of excessive intoxication, even though we had only served them one drink. Some people like to stop at several places in one night, and there’s no way of knowing if we’ll be the last stop until it’s too late.”

How will the training work?

Many of the owners expressed concerns about the training process, availability and actual costs.

“If legislation standardizes this training across the board, that’s a positive thing,” Longacre said. “The only real issues or concerns are the impact this could have on businesses financially if owners had to pay for annual classes, etc.”

He noted that current third-party training (ServSafe, TIPS, etc.) is expensive and hopes this bill includes financial assistance to businesses to help pay for mandatory training.

Sullivan said any mandatory training must be offered online and at minimal or no cost.

“We all watch and learn through videos these days, and this would make the educational process much more accessible,” he said.

All owners agreed that they are not opposed to training, as no responsible company wants to see someone leave their establishment and harm someone or themselves.

“I believe that there will never be enough education on the subject and that people need to support this bill because the issue is very important,” said Maggiore.

Contact Bev at bshaffer@gannett.com or 330-580-8318.

This article originally appeared on the Repository: Stark County Bars, Restaurants React to Ohio Bill HB 504