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Our
email blurb last week elicited quite a bit of
feedback, so we've decided to run it again
below.
There
have been, and for a few more days will
continue to be, a lot of folks out in masks or
face-paint for Halloween parties and events.
Hopefully your servers will have the good sense to
ask to see the face of the person trying to
buy alcohol. But what if they're accompanied
by one or more people who aren't
actually paying for anything, but seem to pretty
clearly be with the person who is? This
parallels the story of one of our clients
who shared their story in the last week that
we wanted to pass along.
This
gentleman's business was targeted three times
in one evening nearly two weeks ago for
"compliance" checks by the Illinois Liquor Control
Association. A woman came in with two men and
ordered a drink. She was of legal drinking age and
was served. The guys weren't drinking at first,
but as the bartender got a little busier and they
had been hanging out at the bar a little longer,
they both decided they'd go ahead and have a beer
now as well. The only problem: they were
both under 21.
The
ILCC Agent(s) and their decoys came back two more
times that day to try and catch a different
bartender with the same tactic. The
bartenders all asked for IDs and refused to serve
the minors. But not all businesses and their
servers are as prepared.
Brace
for Additional Liquor Stings In Weeks
Ahead
Word around the State of Illinois
is that the Illinois Liquor Control Commission, in
conjunction with local authorities, will be
conducting additional rounds of compliance checks
during the upcoming holiday seasons. This
really isn't anything new; the ILCC regularly
conducts stings across the state.
What's new, however, is the level
of creativity used. Rumor has it that aside
from using actual minors in the stings, this
Halloween they will use costumed minors
around Halloween.
If you or your employees face a
questionable liquor sale keep the standard
practices for checking IDs in mind:
- Ask for a valid photo
ID
- Aside from the date of birth,
check that the individual before you matches the
description and picture on the ID. Quiz them on
their height, weight, date of birth, address,
etc...
- Have them remove masks, hats,
glasses, etc... so that you can compare the
picture on the ID to the person in front of
you.
- Ask for additional forms of ID -
preferably another photo ID of some
sort.
- Inspect the ID for signs of
tampering or counterfeiting such as cuts, tape
or glue, and a blank back
Have you ever encountered an
unusual compliance check? How did you or
your employee handle it? Please
share your thoughts or stories on our Facebook
page. | 
