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Section 6 — Responsible Alcohol Beverage Service

This section incorporates VooDoo Hut's Commitment to Responsible Alcohol Service Policy (2026) and the standalone RABS — Employee procedures. Every employee signs this section (see Acknowledgments).

Our Commitment

Alcohol is one of the few products you can legally sell that can land you in jail. Our commitment to responsible beverage service reaches beyond our organization and extends to our guests and our community. VooDoo Hut is proud of its strong relationship with local law enforcement and our TABC agents.

VooDoo Hut management fully supports these policies and will stand behind our employees in their decisions to promote responsible service. All employees who serve or sell alcohol complete a TABC-certified Seller/Server training course when beginning employment, before working a shift, and keep the certification current at all times.

The Ground Rules

Customers under the age of 21 are not permitted on the premises. No employee, under any circumstance, will serve an alcoholic beverage to anyone under the age of 21. No potential customer who appears to be intoxicated may enter the premises — refusal of entry is mandatory.

Any employee, regardless of age or position, is required to ensure these guidelines are followed. You are responsible for violations that occur within your line of sight. Violation of these procedures results in disciplinary action up to and including termination.

  1. Carefully check identification of anyone who appears to be under 30 before permitting entry or serving alcohol. By signing this handbook you agree you have reviewed (or will review) the ID Checking Guide.
  2. Never serve alcohol — or observe the service of alcohol — to anyone showing signs of intoxication.
  3. Never serve anyone to the point of intoxication.
  4. If a customer shows signs of intoxication, that customer and their group are cut off from further alcohol service.
  5. Any customer in a verbal exchange or argument with another customer is immediately cut off; notify Security to intervene and defuse.
  6. Notify the Shift Leader or Manager whenever a customer shows signs of intoxication or requests alcohol beyond responsible limits. Signs of intoxication: poor judgment, relaxed inhibitions, poor coordination, slowed reaction time, sloppiness, slurred speech. All servers must be notified of any cutoff. File a Refusal of Service Report before the end of the shift.
  7. Know and use the TABC BAC chart posted in the BOH and on the Pre-Shift Sheet.
  8. Once cut off, no further alcohol may be served to the customer or anyone in their immediate group. Non-alcoholic beverages and snacks are provided to the group free of charge.
  9. Any intoxicated customer wishing to leave is urged to use alternate transportation provided by the Establishment — including a ride at the Establishment's expense. If the passenger of a visibly intoxicated driver asks for help, we assist them in finding transportation too.
  10. Always inform law enforcement when intervention attempts fail.
  11. Alcohol service stops 15 minutes before closing — last call, strictly adhered to.
  12. Pick up all drinks at closing.
  13. Clean up spills immediately and promptly destroy unconsumed liquor.
  14. No employee drinks alcohol while working. No employee may drink to the point of intoxication on the premises when off-duty.

Standard Drinks and the Two-Drink Rule

VooDoo Hut clearly defines serving sizes so employees know exactly how much alcohol is in each beverage. Employees may not provide more than two standard drinks to a guest at a time.

TABC defines a "standard drink" as one 12oz 5% ABV beer = 1.5oz 40% ABV liquor = 5oz 12% ABV wine. Because beers, wines, and cocktails fluctuate in ABV, every beverage's Standard Drink Equivalent (SDE) is listed on every point-of-sale device. "Ring before you bring" — reference the SDE before each drink is served.

BAC Charts

Blood Alcohol Content charts are posted in all employee areas and on Pre-Shift Sheets. They show approximate BAC — 'possibly', 'impaired', or 'legally' intoxicated — based on weight, gender, and standard drinks consumed over time. Reference them at the start of every shift and routinely throughout service.

Observe and Communicate — Order Maker

A guest consuming alcohol must always be observed, and frequent communication with the guest is mandatory. Our "Be an Order Maker, Not an Order Taker" standard is dual-purpose: asking questions and holding real conversations during each order enhances the guest experience — and gives you the read you need to spot signs of intoxication early. By frequently assessing a guest's needs, a server can save a guest's life.

Cutoff Procedure

Standardized so that no further service happens and the guest gets home safely:

  1. Determine the guest should no longer be served.
  2. Ring a "Cutoff Water Bottle" on their tab and give it to the guest — this signals all other employees that alcohol service has stopped.
  3. Offer food.
  4. Confirm the guest has a responsible ride home. If not, notify a Manager — a ride will be provided (Uber/Lyft endorsed; at the Establishment's expense when necessary). Guests who refuse a responsible ride are reported to KPD.
  5. Close the tab; the guest is asked to leave.
  6. Document the cutoff with a Refusal of Service Report before the end of your shift.

A guest may also discreetly request an Angel Shot — treat it as a request for help: get a Manager and Security involved immediately and follow their lead.

Pre-Shift Sheet

Before each shift, every employee reviews and signs off on the BAC chart, critical alcohol service policy, and other important service information. The Pre-Shift Sheet is in the MGMT office and must be signed before your point-of-sale terminal is assigned. Alcohol service must never become routine.

Pour Test

Beverage production must be consistent — it's what keeps the SDE numbers honest. The test is blind: three pours (0.25 oz, 1.25 oz/standard, 2.0 oz) into a graduated tube, all three accurate to pass — details and sign-off sheet in the Pour Test form. All beverage-production employees are pour-tested during training and every two weeks, signed off by the Head Bartender or MOD/Shift Leader. A pour test lapsed more than two weeks means you cannot work a beverage-production shift.

Bottle Service

Bottle service carries the largest SDEs in the building and its own ground rules — headcounts per format, attended tables, no self-pours, towers monitored. The full standard is the Bottle Service SOP; it is required training for the bottle team and binding on everyone who touches a bottle-service table.

Staff Meetings

Staff meetings focus on responsible alcohol service — an additional opportunity to ask questions and stay sharp on VooDoo Hut's practices.

VooDoo Hut LLC's commitment to responsible alcohol service is paralleled only by our employees' dedicated efforts to uphold our responsible service policy.

Acknowledgment: By signing this document electronically, I agree to and understand the above policy, and I pledge to practice responsible alcoholic beverage service and adhere to all TABC guidelines.