Addressing Liquor Liabilities in Bars

If you are considering opening up a bar, you need to understand more than just the costs of owning and operating a business. Establishments that serve alcohol are subject to additional regulations such as liquor liabilities, and you need to be aware of them to protect yourself.

Serving alcohol comes along with risk. There is always a chance that a patron will become intoxicated and have an accident or cause harm. You can help to minimize these risks by remaining vigilant in your safety practices and adding CT Bar Insurance to your business policy.

Know the Liquor Laws

There are some things to know about liquor liability. Most states require that you have an adequate insurance policy before they will issue a liquor license. Without this license, you can’t open for business.

Dram shop laws are the standard liquor laws. These hold the establishment accountable for selling or serving alcoholic beverages to an individual who later causes any kind of injury or damage to people or property, including wrongful death from drunk driving.

It is illegal to serve someone that is clearly and visibly intoxicated, and you have the right to refuse service. Restricting service in this way reduces the likelihood of your bar patrons getting into a fight or causing an accident. You should also know the acceptable hours to sell and serve alcohol. These vary by state, and violations can lead to costly fines and other consequences.

Minimize Your Risk

Along with having the proper CT Bar Insurance coverage, there are steps that you can take to reduce the risk that a customer will become drunk and out of control. Train your employees to recognize signs of intoxication and enforce bar policies to refuse service. Always check identification to ensure a patron is of legal age to drink.

You can also consider having an employee monitor the entrance and the interior of the bar. They can spot any situations that are about to escalate and remove the person responsible before their behavior becomes a problem.

Get Covered

With the right CT Bar Insurance policy, you have the coverage you need in case of a lawsuit. Reasons for a potential lawsuit could be property damage caused by a vehicle accident, assault and damages that take place on the premises, and even consequences from one of your own employees drinking on the job.

If someone were to sue your business for one of these reasons, your insurance would cover the legal fees, a possible settlement amount rewarded, and medical costs. Without this coverage, you could be facing extremely high costs that could affect your ability to run your business.

Having adequate insurance coverage will put your mind at ease. You can focus on expanding your business and increasing revenue instead of worrying about potential lawsuits and loss of capital and reputation.

About Byrnes Agency

At Byrnes Agency, we offer insurance solutions that can be tailored to meet your specific needs. Whether you’re looking for personal policies or commercial coverage, we have the right coverage for you. To learn more about our products, contact us today at one of our two locations.

If you’ve enjoyed what you’ve read here and would like to know when we’ve published a new blog post, please “like” us on our Facebook page, and share this with your Connecticut neighbors. 

Dayville Office

Phone: (860) 774-8549 

394 Lake Rd

Dayville, CT 06241

United States

info@byrnesagency.com

Hours of Operation: Monday- Friday 9:00am-5:00pm

Norwich Office

Phone: (860) 886-5498 

6 Consumers Avenue

Norwich, CT 06360

United States

info@byrnesagency.com

Hours of Operation: Monday- Friday 9:00am-5:00pm