Tip sheet: Responsible service in multi-room karaoke bars

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As a liquor sales licensee, you are responsible for what happens at your business. All staff must be properly trained and aware of their obligations under the law, including but not limited to the Liquor Licence and Control Act, 2019 (LLCA), its regulations and the Registrar’s Interim Standards and Requirements for Liquor. 

The AGCO’s Inspectors are available to help educate you and your staff to ensure compliance. The following tips can help you comply with your obligations.

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Individuals must not be intoxicated while on your premises.  Also intoxicated individuals must not be permitted entry to your premises and cannot remain in adjacent areas under your exclusive control.

Tips

• Monitor patrons as they enter the establishment or adjacent areas for signs of intoxication. You should refuse entry if you believe a patron is intoxicated.
• Regularly monitor your premises (both the licensed and adjacent areas) to ensure patrons are not becoming intoxicated. Speak to and engage with your patrons to assess their condition.
• Establish policies and practices on how to identify signs of intoxication.
  • See the AGCO’s Information Sheet: Recognizing Intoxication for additional information.
• Remember that intoxication can be caused by drugs and/or alcohol.
• Discourage and try to prevent drinking games (e.g., dice, cards, etc.).

Every licensed area is provided a maximum capacity based on the size of the premises. The total number of people within the licensed premises must not exceed the building capacity limit stated on your licence. Remember that the number of allowed persons in the capacity count includes anyone working for or on behalf of the licensee (e.g. staff, contract personnel and any other representative).

If there are capacity limits for separate licensed rooms or areas in your premises, the capacities cannot be combined. That means that the number of people in each licensed room or area cannot be above the number permitted in that room or area – no exceptions. 

Tips

• Post signs showing the capacity for each room/area.
• Make sure all individuals working for or on behalf of the business (e.g. staff, contract personnel and any other representatives) know the capacity limits (e.g. when booking rooms, organizing parties, planning events etc.).
• Regularly count and monitor the total number of patrons in each room/area. Remember to keep track of people moving in and out of your premises and its different areas.
• If you have security staff, also have them keep track of the total number of patrons within the establishment at any given time, updating their tally as people enter and exit the premises.

The legal age to consume alcohol in Ontario is 19 years old. You and your employees, contractors and representatives are responsible for upholding the legal age to consume and are required to make sure, before serving anyone who appears underage, they are at least 19 years of age. 

People may come to your business who look under 19. In these circumstances, check their identification (ID) before selling or serving them alcohol.

If your licence has a condition prohibiting individuals under the age of 19 from being within your premises, check potential patrons ID to verify they are of age before letting them in. 

Tips

• A simple way to remain compliant is to only allow people over the age of 19 in your establishment.
• If you decide to allow minors into your establishment, you can identify rooms hosting them as “no alcohol” rooms.
• Only accept ID in its original form. Do not accept ID on an electronic device (e.g. a photo of an ID on a cell phone). Photos of a physical ID do not qualify as valid ID and should not be accepted. Currently, no digital ID is accepted as valid ID in Ontario.
• When in doubt, ask for a second piece of ID and challenge it (e.g. ask questions about the ID provided, ask the holder to verify their date of birth, and examine the photo).
• Make sure the ID presented is government-issued, not expired, and includes a photo and birth date.
  • See the AGCO’s Information Sheet: Checking ID for additional information.

Liquor sale and service is only permitted between 9:00 a.m. and 2:00 a.m. Only offer alcohol for sale and service until 2:00 a.m. 

All evidence of alcohol service and consumption must be fully removed and cleared from the licensed areas by 2:45 a.m., including any drinks, bottles, glassware and related materials.  

Tips

• Post signs displaying sale and service hours.
• Consider posting the time for your employees (e.g. hang a clock) to help remind them of when to stop serving liquor.
• Consider not announcing last call for liquor. This can help you avoid customers over-ordering near the end of the night.
• When clearing away everything related to liquor service, make sure to include cups, bottles, pitchers or anything else that contained liquor.
• The end of sale and service at 2:00 a.m. applies to everyone, including the licensee’s staff and representatives. This means NO ONE can be sold or served liquor after that time.
  • See the AGCO’s Hours for Liquor Sale, Service and Delivery for additional information.

Monitor and address any instances when anyone is holding, offering for sale, selling, supplying or consuming a controlled substance at your licensed premises or in adjacent areas under your exclusive control. 

Tips

• Regularly monitor bathrooms, outside areas and private rooms (e.g., karaoke rooms).
• While it is now legal in Canada to purchase, possess and use cannabis for recreational purposes, under Ontario law, a person cannot smoke or vape cannabis in enclosed public places or workplaces, and other smoke-free places such as establishments licensed by the AGCO. This includes restaurant and bar patios, and public areas within 9 metres of any patios.
  • See the AGCO’s Information Sheet: Keep Drugs out of your Establishment for additional information.

Monitor and address any conduct that could lead to disorder. Take reasonable measures to deter disorderly conduct at your premises and areas under the exclusive control of the licensee. Maintain control over the premises, as well as property adjacent or within the vicinity of the licensed premises. This includes the public sidewalks outside your establishment, as well as the adjacent parking lots.

Disorderly behaviour includes, but may not be limited to:

• fighting
• unruly behaviour
• permitting intoxication
• unlawful gambling
• persons holding, consuming, selling or offering for sale-controlled substances

Tips

• If you see disorderly behaviour about to happen or occurring, intervene early – if it is safe to do so or call 911. Separate people or groups involved in the disorderly conduct and ensure that one person or group leaves the area. To prevent an altercation from continuing outside, do not have both parties leave at the same time.
• If you cannot maintain control, call the police.
• Installing doors to private rooms (e.g., karaoke rooms) that include a window, as well as sufficient lighting in all areas, will help you monitor customer behaviour.
• Consider adding video surveillance of all interior hallways, lounge areas and exterior areas (excluding washrooms). You can use video to monitor customer behaviour.
• Ensure sufficient staff are on duty to manage/monitor your establishment.
• Consider hiring security officers to aid in maintaining control.
• Ensure staff are easily identified (e.g. name tags, t-shirts), as this may deter inappropriate behaviour.

All persons involved in the sale, service and sampling of liquor, and any security staff employed by the licensee, must hold a valid certificate demonstrating the successful completion of a training course approved by the Board of the AGCO prior to working. 

Tips

• Keep files on record of your staff’s training certificates.
• Ensure any security personnel at the premises understand the rules and requirements. Security employed by the establishment must complete Board approved training, and it is an industry best-practice to ensure security contracted out through a third party also have the appropriate board-approved training certificate prior to beginning their shift.
• Contact the organization that issued the certificate if you have any questions about a potential employee’s certification status.
  • For more information, please visit the AGCO’s webpage for Responsible Liquor Sale, Service and Delivery Training.

Conditions can be put on a licence through a variety of methods, including:

• As part of the AGCO’s Risk-Based Licensing framework. Conditions may be imposed on your licence based on incidents or issues of non-compliance at your establishment or proactively, which are used to mitigate the occurrence of the specific issues and non-compliance.
  • Learn more about Risk-Based Licensing.
• If it is agreed upon by the licensee (voluntary conditions).
• As prescribed in regulations.
• By the Registrar or the Licence Appeal Tribunal (LAT).

Tips

• Ensure all staff, including management, servers, and security are aware of any licence conditions and operate accordingly.
• If the establishment has a compliance plan, review it regularly, and make sure all staff are aware of it and comply with it.
• If you or your staff have any questions or concerns about a compliance plan, please speak with an attending AGCO Inspector.

Liquor menu lists must be available to everyone in the licensed premises describing the varieties of liquor available for sale, the amount of liquor in each drink offered for sale, the varieties of non-alcoholic drinks available and the purchase price of each of these items on the menu.

Tips

• Update your menu as soon as changes are made so it is accurate and up to date.
• Post the menu in an open and visible space so all persons in the premises have access to it at any time.
• Ensure the menu has the drink price, and volume of alcohol for each drink.
• Consider having the menu in different mediums, such as print, on your website or available through a QR code.

Ensure all liquor kept for sale, sold or served by the licensee was purchased using the Liquor Sales Licence from the LCBO, the Beer Store (Brewers Retail Inc. licence), a brewery or transferred from another licenced premises. 

Tips

• Ensure you have proper documentation demonstrating the source of liquor purchased under the liquor sales licence.

Contact the AGCO anytime via the iAGCO online portal or call AGCO Customer Service Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at 416-326-8700 or toll-free at 1-800-522-2876.