How the New RBS Training Mandate Affects You
As a restaurant general manager in California, you wear many hats, and managing the operations of a restaurant is no mean feat. From keeping track of inventory to providing top-notch customer service, from overseeing restaurant staff to coordinating work rosters, and maybe even organizing marketing – there are a lot of moving parts when it comes to fulfilling your duty as a restaurant manager. With so much going on, it’s easy to slip up and overlook some things, but there’s one thing you definitely don’t want to miss – required training for your restaurant staff.
Laws change, and new mandates get passed. If you haven’t been keeping track of updates to the required training for restaurant staff in California, you may have missed the news about a new bill that kicks in on July 1, 2022 – the Responsible Beverage Server Training Act.
What does this mean for you as a manager of a restaurant, or an owner of a restaurant with an alcohol license? In this blog post, we’re sharing everything you need to know about the new required law in California and how to complete the online training for restaurant staff to ensure compliance.
Keep Your Restaurant Staff Compliant
The Responsible Beverage Server Training Act was passed in California in 2017, but it officially takes effect starting July 1, 2022. Under this act, it is mandatory for all alcohol servers and their managers to complete Responsible Beverage Service (RBS) Training Program and pass the online RBS exam issued by the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC). ABC Licensees with a permit to serve alcohol on their premises have 60 days after the law takes effect to ensure that all their alcohol servers and their managers have fulfilled these requirements.
If you are a restaurant manager or oversee restaurant staff in some capacity, you may have the responsibility of ensuring that staff are compliant. In line with the new mandate in California, all alcohol servers, bartenders, and managers of alcohol servers need to have their RBS Certificate when the law takes effect.
Wondering if this requirement applies to you or your staff who have taken prior training related to responsible beverage service? Unfortunately, any previous training you or your staff may have taken before March 29, 2021, is not approved by ABC for the upcoming statewide mandate. These certificates do not count as RBS Certificates under the new law, and it is obligatory to complete the RBS training on an approved online training platform and pass the ABC exam on the RBS portal.
Pro-Tip: Maintain up-to-date documentation of all RBS training that your staff have completed in the event of an inspection by ABC!
For more details on the RBS Certification, check out this article.
Penalties for Failure to Comply With The RBS Certification
It’s any restaurant owner or manager’s worst nightmare – getting a notification that your facility is non-compliant. Apart from being an administrative headache, there could be other serious penalties and consequences.
Why take the risk? Protect yourself and your business by ensuring that your staff have the necessary certifications, and save yourself the hassle! Keep reading to find out how you can safeguard your business by getting the necessary RBS training for your restaurant staff.
Require Restaurant Staff to Take the Course on Their Own
The first option is simple. You can require employees to take the RBS training course on their own as part of the requirements of their employment. They would need to take an RBS course offered by an approved training provider and to make the process easier, you can direct your employees to find a provider on the RBS portal.
Premiere Education is an approved provider of the RBS that offers online courses with certificates. Following California’s Responsible Beverage Service Training Act, California: #1 Responsible Beverage Service Training is an ABC-approved course that educates alcohol servers and their managers about applicable California laws and how to be compliant. For courses taken on the Premiere Education platform, you can also easily verify your employee’s certificate via the One-Click verification portal, making it a breeze to track your employee’s training status.
Provide Training to Restaurant Staff
Another option you have to ensure that your restaurant staff have obtained the necessary RBS training before 1 July, 2022, is to provide the training to your employees. In a challenging labor market, this is an effective gesture of goodwill that will help hire and retain employees.
Premiere Education offers group purchases of online courses, with volume discounts for purchases of 10 or more of the same course. It is quick to set up a group registration, taking less than 5 minutes, and also allows you to track employee progress as they work through their courses. Getting all your employees to take the course on the Premiere Education platform also means that you can send them reminders to complete their coursework if they have not completed the training, and keeps things streamlined and organized for you.
Additionally, purchasing the RBS course for your employees on the platform ensures that you won’t have to chase down employees to submit their training certificates for your records. Simply log in to the platform portal and see at a glance if each employee has taken the training and received their RBS certificate. Set your mind at ease, knowing that your restaurant is in compliance with the required training in California!
Offering in-depth, engaging, and interactive coursework that equips alcohol servers and managers with the necessary information and skills to perform their duties responsibly, Premiere Education’s ABC-approved RBS training is your top choice for employee certification. Enjoy group discounts by registering as a team, or encourage your employees to sign up individually and get your staff RBS certified today. Staying compliant with state regulations has never been easier. Click here to get started! Éste curso también está disponible en español: #1 Capacitación en Servicio de Bebidas Responsable.
