Focus: Bartenders Who Over Serve Patrons (updated 8/9)
Over the past week, the Wausau Daily Herald has featured two articles bringing to the forefront a law that criminally charges bartenders with over-serving a patron who is intoxicated. In the articles, they reported that over the past 15 years, only 2 persons have been charged with this offense, with one ending in a guilty verdict.
As we continue to focus on responsible beverage servers in Marathon County, it’s important that we are aware of this legal, though difficult to prosecute, option.
For more information about the server law, visit the Wausau Daily Herald links below.
Watchdog Report: Overserve law seldom applied in central Wisconsin
Our view: Overserving laws deserve enforcement
UPDATED – Letter to the Editor (8/9/12):
Overserving law misplaces responsibility
EDITOR: If I owned a tavern and wanted to hire a bartender, I would run an ad in the paper that would read like this: “Wanted: Bartender/Babysetter. Must be able to mix any drink in the bartender’s guidebook, be able to serve as many as 70 patrons, break up any fights that occur, know the scores of all athletic events and be able to know the degree of sobriety of all 70 patrons.
“That last item is a must because according to the state any person entering your bar becomes your responsibility and liability, as none of them have a lick of sense. The position pays $9.50 an hour plus tips.”
Once again the Daily Herald takes a turn to the left in their editorial on the enforcement of the overserving law. Their position seems to be that barkeeps have some sort of mystic powers that enable them to determine who should get served another beverage. This is misplacing the responsibility for the behavior of one person on another. This law should be repealed and put the responsibility where it belongs.
Gerald Molling,
Kronenwetter