Really, there is observation at several levels: observation of the behaviour of the customer, the way they address us, the way they walk up to the bar, the way they behave when they’re leaving the bar, walking around the place, whether or not they spill drinks, slur their words. The blink rate is another interesting and reliable way of telling what’s going on there—the rate at which they blink their eyes.

There’s a lot of little subtle things that you pick up on pretty easily and of course we deal with in the course of a week hundreds of people and so you get an on-the-spot comparison, and you’ve got fresh people coming in who present in a physical way and you have people who’ve been there for a period of time and you get a chance to compare one with the other.

So with the benefit of some experience and with the benefit of supervision from managers who are on the floor at all times, can answer a question from staff, if the staff aren’t sure they can ask the manager: ‘What do you think of so and so?’ and if they’re already back at their table we just wander around picking up glasses and generally tending to the room and make an observation of them when they think they’re not being noticed.

You need to be very very mindful, and that can go both ways. People have different metabolisms. Different nationalities, for example, when they do consume alcohol, can show different signs.

People from certain countries, for example, may consume alcohol—one drink and have a very very red flushed face. Also people can be on medication. Some people, for example, can become intoxicated depending on their body fat ratio or if they’ve just come off a football field or if they’re dehydrated, and one drink can make them intoxicated.

Some people, as I said, could be on medication; one drink and they become totally intoxicated. So we need to be very very mindful and again it gets back to the dignity, courtesy, respect, and then we add on, we start asking questions, helping us to evaluate that person, ‘Sir, madam, are you on any kind of medication?’ and further observation—a little bit like peeling back the layers of an onion—you need to delve a little bit deeper, maybe have a longer conversation than what you normally would if you’re not sure because then some more signs may come out.

I’m always at the venue on a Saturday morning and after our big night on Friday night I quite often get calls from parents even, because I have a young clientele on a Friday night, from parents who are concerned that their sons or daughters have been asked to leave the venue. They of course insist that their children are never intoxicated, and, but one that I do recall, and it caused quite a discussion at our following staff meeting, and that was a mother who rang me up and was upset, and indeed I was upset by the end of the phone call, because her son had diabetes and epilepsy, and quite severe I believe, and to have him come out into a venue with a lot of people took a lot of encouragement from his friends, it was a big step, she felt that it was a good step forward for him. He purposely was brought by his friends to the local venue, and he had exhibited signs where he was getting sleepy and he was asked to leave by the security. He did leave but he was mortified at what had happened, he was embarrassed in front of his friends, and we had a staff meeting following that and discussed those sort of things and how observation over a period of time and perhaps even talking to the friends can help you make the right decision.

Once again, there are times when behaviours indicate that the person is just plain drunk, and you have to get rid of them, particularly in cases of aggression, but that was a perfect example that I was able to take to the staff and discuss it and work out strategies with everybody and really make it a vital component that observation over time and getting to know your patrons is so important.