‘Woke’ UK plan not needed in Australia as bar staff ‘don’t need a script’
A British plan to eradicate a binge drinking culture would come up against a time honoured Aussie tradition if it was tried here. See why.
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A “woke” UK plan to stop binge drinking wouldn’t work with Aussie patrons, a senior industry figure said.
Bar staff in Britain won’t be saying ‘same again?’ and ‘is that a double?’ and “one more for the road?” after training guides for hospitality workers, produced by the alcohol industry, suggested new phrases are used.
The aim to remove presumptive language that will supposedly lead to less binge drinking has been branded “woke” by British pub goers, while AHA NSW Director of Liquor and Policing John Green said local hospitality staff “don’t need a script”.
“Knowing what patrons are drinking and engaging them in friendly chat is part and parcel of good Aussie pubs and I don’t see that changing anytime soon,” he said.
“Good bar staff talk to patrons, it is the best way to tell when someone when has had enough or has to slow down and they don’t need a script to do that.”
Mr Green said there was evidence alcohol consumption was declining, and pointed to the changes in NSW to the 24 hour economy and lockout laws that wouldn’t have happened if politicians weren’t satisfied “if our drinking culture hadn’t improved”.
Risky drink promotions that fuelled binge drinking were already covered by strict alcohol laws, he said.
NSW has strict responsible service of alcohol laws with substantial penalties for both licensees and staff for permitting intoxication or conducting risky drink promotions and it is mandatory for anyone serving drinks to undergo RSA training,” Mr Green said.
London-based party-loving student Ellie Barter said she liked it when bar staff knew what she wanted.
“I love it when the barman says ‘same again?’ or ‘is that a double?’ … They know me, they know what I like,” says the 22-year-old Londoner.
“Getting a double is cheaper than two singles. It just makes sense, right?”
“Student discount nights on a Wednesday are the best,” interjects her glassy-eyed friend Jack Linehan, 32, above the din of the football commentator drowning out the punters from the giant overhead screen.
“They sell up here, all pubs do, and if you know the barman, he’ll look after you.”
The typical binge drinking scene at the Railway Pub is one the alcohol industry is yearning to eradicate in an ongoing campaign to reverse the UK’s binge drinking culture.
The mission to shun colloquial phrases, believed to pressurise punters into drinking and disparage those choosing low or zero alcohol versions, is leaving a bitter taste in the mouths of punters.
“Pubs have gone woke,” exclaimed Joe Barrett, 27, who was drinking with Charlie Field, 26, and Emily Field, 25, at the Durrell Arms in Fulham, southwest London.
“That won’t affect my daily life in a pub in the slightest. If I want a double, I’ll sure as hell blooming have one, even if you ask me if I’d prefer a single?”
“It’s part of good service to ask if you’d like the same again, it shows staff are monitoring what you’re drinking and it’s at their discretion whether they serve you again,” chimed in Charlie.
“Silly to impose these training rules, they’re just colloquial expressions, they’re not trying to force people to drink doubles or do shots.
“So many pubs are closing in the country since Covid, they’re the heartbeat of villages. It’s cheaper to drink at home – you can get three Corona beers from Tesco for the price of a £7.20 ($A13.78) pint in the pub. You come to the pub deliberately to drink and meet your friends. A barman’s speech won’t make a difference to how much one drinks.”
Amid the training tools produced by the International Alliance for Responsible Drinking (IARD), a not-for-profit group dedicated to reducing harmful drinking, trainees are told: “Avoid using presumptive language: it can make customers feel pressured to drink. For example, don’t say ‘same again?’ Instead say ‘what would you like this time?’ Don’t say ‘do you want a large?’. Instead say ‘would you like a small or large measure?’.”
In one scenario in the free online course, staff are told to ask customers ordering a whisky, “would you like a single or double measure?”, rather than “do you want a double?”
The new training guidelines come as pubs vanish at a rate of two a day across England and Wales – there were 39,973 pubs at the end of the first half of the year, down 200 compared with 40,173 at the end of 2021.
Soaring operating costs and consumer budgetary pressures were to blame for a further 230 pubs disappearing from local communities in the second quarter of this year, according to the provider of asset and fund intelligence for commercial real estate Altus Group.
The Wetherspoons chain, which operates more than 800 pubs in the UK and Ireland and employs 40,000 people, has put for sale signs up on 11 more pubs after already closing dozens this year, after landlords reported they were hit by rising inflation and operating costs. Among those earmarked for sale are The Ivor Davies in Cardiff, The Hain Line in St Ives and The Sir Daniel Arms in Swindon.
To cover skyrocketing costs, some pubs, including the Stonegate Group, which owns chains including the Slug & Lettuce and Yates’s, have surcharged a pint of beer by 20p at peak periods.
The IARD guidelines – supported by Heineken, Diageo, AB InBev, Beam Suntory, Pernod Ricard and Brown-Forman – expect thousands of people to use the training in the UK, with Australia jumping on board last month when DrinkWise adopted the training guide as an example of best practice.
UK drinking trends have downward spiralled since reaching a peak in the mid-2000s, with the average consumption per adult at 9.7 litres of pure alcohol per year – or about 18 units a week, according to the government’s Health and Social Care Information Centre.
In 2021, there were 20,970 deaths related to alcohol in England, of which 7872 deaths were from chronic liver disease, and 342,795 hospital admissions due to alcohol.
Australia averages 9.5 litres of pure alcohol per adult per year, France 11.44 litres and the Cook Islands top the 2019 world league Central Intelligence Agency table at 12.97 litres.
The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) reported 1950 alcohol-related injury deaths and 30,000 hospitalisations in 2019.
IARD’s president and chief executive Henry Ashworth said: “The training tools are a free resource to empower retail staff and bar staff, many of whom are part time, often young, workers, on how to look for signs of intoxication and how to handle selling alcohol.
“The online resource has been shared with Retail Drinks Australia and Drinkwise Australia to prevent underage drinking.
“France, Italy, England and Australia have different drinking cultures. But we should all be aligned on the fact that minors should not be allowed to drink and bar staff should not be seen to put pressure on drinkers.”
Drinkwise Australia CEO Simon Strahan said the country’s drinking habits have changed substantially in 15 years.
“There are still some who are drinking at risky levels, engaging in anti-social behaviour or turning to alcohol as a coping strategy,” he said.
“That’s why ongoing education campaigns and training tools around moderation and respecting others are important.”
London barmaid Ellie Horrocks, at the Golden Lion in southwest London, said the training tools were impractical.
“How can I not ask a customer if they want a single or double when we’re trained to upsell?” she said.
Australian pub assistant Alex Mills, from the Hunter Valley, in NSW, said it was impossible to serve customers at the busy The King’s Arms in Putney, London, without clarifying quantities of alcohol ordered.
“It’s like asking for a Big Mac but not asking the customer if they want small, medium or large,” he said.
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