Should Bartenders Be Held Responsible for Patrons?

Wine, beer, and spirits are very popular in this century. Most of the streets we walk down in our own towns have a bar with a large welcome sign of some sort advertising a happy hour. Many of our favorite sit down restaurants have a bar or serve alcoholic beverages of some sort. As every street has its bar, every bar has it's overly intoxicated human.

So what are the responsibilities of a bartender? Bartenders are those that fill the orders of patrons at the bar itself or are given a beverage order by a waiter or a waitress that he or she will pick up and serve to the patron. Bartenders also are to check identification of patrons that are seated at the bar to make sure they are of legal drinking age. Bartenders must also prepare a wide range of alcoholic beverages, as well as stock the bar, clean the bar, and collect payment for the beverages.

What about how much a customer drinks? In some bars, bartenders are told a cut off limit for patrons, in other bars, the bartender has to use his good judgment and common sense based on the actions of the consumer. But the bartender should not be held responsible for the customer's actions. In many situations, the patrons that walk into some local bars have already consumed alcoholic beverages either at another bar, at a party, or at home. Unless the bartender has a breathalyzer test, there is no way to accurately calculate how high the patron's alcohol level is. So the bartender will serve his customer as if he hasn't had anything to drink besides the rum and coke the bartender just sat in front of him.