BARS Course Helps Businesses Prevent Underage Drinking

Mike Mineer and Kelli Raker are used to more people than the five that showed up on Monday night to their Be A Responsible Server (BARS) course.

“I’d say the average attendance is 35 or so, but I’ve had as many as 130 something,” Mineer, an Alcohol Law Enforcement Investigator said.

Raker, who works as UNC-Chapel Hill’s Sexual Violence Coordinator said the small turnout on Monday was due to the course being offered the previous week, which had close to 80 attendants.

The BARS course is usually offered every other month and teaches employees at businesses which serve alcohol about different laws, in particular those related to serving people under 21. The course also teaches preventative measures employees can take to prevent sexual violence.

“It was very informative,” said Keats Baswell, former general manager at Bailey’s Pub and Grille. “Obviously you learn through each company what they have and their expectation for it, but actually getting on hands information about it is really helpful.”

Some people are required to show up by the courts, which is often the result of a restaurant, bar or other party serving alcohol to a minor.

However, many local bars make it a part of employee training to complete the class, and demand for it is still growing.

“I know the state and I have both been getting requests to host the class at particular businesses,” Mineer said. “When (the Chapel Hill Police Department) can do it we absolutely do it, so does the state.”

Mineer said it was up to the restaurants and bars to help prevent underage drinking and accidents related to excessive drinking.

“You’re the first line of defense for the people out on the roads,” Mineer told the class. “If we’re out there trying to catch (drunk drivers) then they’re already on the street. They’re already a potential danger.”

Raker took a similar approach when it came to sexual assault prevention. She said students at UNC frequently look at employees as authority figures, who can help in a potentially dangerous situation.

“If I asked them ‘who would you go to help you in a situation?’ they might say their friend but they would also say the bartender, the bouncer, the manager or the owner of the store, whoever’s around in a position of authority.”

Mineer told the class that underage buyers at bars could be a liability for everyone from the server to the owner and that he would love to prevent people over 21 from serving to underage people.

“I really wish that if we took the underage buyers out that nobody ever sold it them because it’s a lot of paperwork,” he said. “I would much rather people just do what they’re supposed to do and eliminate that versus having to write somebody a ticket.”

BARS Course Helps Businesses Prevent Underage Drinking

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