“I just had 18 whiskeys. I think that’s the record,” the Welsh writer Dylan Thomas is said to have once said – or slurred, you don’t know. 18 Whiskey! Thomas’ drinking is still notorious today. Whether the barman gave him – “Well, another one?” – who said he was good is not recorded. However, this type of consumer motivation is not unusual. She is also said to be responsible for turning a leisurely after-work beer into real drinking sessions. The British now want to take action and put a kind of muzzle on their pub staff.
The beer glass is empty. The bartender looks deep into your eyes and asks: “Same again?” What do you do? Do you feel encouraged, perhaps even encouraged, to order something else, to continue drinking until you pass out? The International Alliance for Responsible Drinking (IARD) believes that questions like these can lead customers to drink irresponsibly. At best, they should therefore disappear from the language used by bar staff.
The non-profit organization has summarized what this should look like in a guide. Instead of directly asking a customer who waves an empty wine glass whether it should be a refill, the staff should choose a more neutral approach. What do you want this time? Should it be a small or large glass? This is intended to avoid customers feeling compelled to (continue) drinking. At the same time, the aim is to raise bartenders’ awareness of responsible sales, including refusing to serve drinks.
“Together we can help ensure that the positive decline in harmful alcohol consumption seen in many parts of the world continues to spread and create lasting change in communities around the world,” The Times quoted Henry Ashworth, IARD chief executive, as saying. The bottom line remains: The project is intended to limit alcohol consumption, so it can certainly be read as an anti-alcohol campaign.
It remains to be seen whether the sale of cola and juice can close the financial gap that the restricted alcohol service could create if the campaign is successful and whether the bartenders don’t end up doing something for themselves sooner or later. Especially since the guide is just so-called advice and is not binding. In any case, the leading spirits companies such as Diageo, Beam Suntory and Heineken do not seem to be worried that the linguistic realignment in the bars could cause serious losses. They support the efforts.
Quelle: The Times
