New research from the Prevention Research Center of the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation examines the efficacy of the California Responsible Beverage Service Training Act. Notably, the study found that there was substantial improvement in alcohol over-service refusals 2 years after the mandatory training law went into effect.
The Responsible Beverage Service Training Act was intended to improve compliance with existing laws that prohibit service to obviously intoxicated patrons. The Act mandated training for all alcohol servers by 2023. For this study, 300 licensed on-premises establishments in 9 counties in the San Francisco Bay Area were selected in 2002. Then, “pseudo-patron” and observer teams visited each establishment, and patrons attempted to buy alcohol while displaying obvious signs of intoxication. In 2024, the same premises were re-visited.
The results were as follows:
- At baseline, 19.6% of the outlets refused service to pseudo-patrons.
- At follow up, the refusal rate increased significantly to 39.2%.
- The type of outlet (sports bar, casual restaurant, fine dining) did not show any association with refusal rate — except that fine dining places refused more often than other places.
Says, lead author, Dr. Robert Saltz: “The results of this study indicate a notable impact of the law. Improvements in refusal of service to apparently intoxicated patrons reduced the likelihood of intoxicated driving and other socially harmful behavior and improves community safety. Yet, it is also true that 60% of obviously intoxicated patrons were served. Our research offers suggestions for further improvement.”
Source: Saltz, R., Paschall, M. J., O’Hara, S., Buller, D. B., Woodall, W. G., & Martinez, L. (2025). Mandatory Responsible Beverage Service Training in California Associated With Higher Refusals of Service to Apparently Intoxicated Patrons. Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, jsad-25.
Full article available at: https://doi.org/10.15288/jsad.25-00161
