Meet Buffalo Bob. Buffalo Bob is the owner of the local bar-b-que restaurant. Buffalo Bob has worked hard and done quite well for himself. He has decided that he needs a little rest and relaxation so he is taking a much needed vacation.
This is Betty. Betty is Buffalo Bob’s most trusted manager. Buffalo Bob leaves her in charge of his restaurant while he is away. Sigh….But like the old saying goes….”when the cat’s away, the mice will play”, or in this case, not show up for work. With Buffalo Bob out of town, several of the servers who are scheduled to work this evening have not shown up. This puts a lot of added pressure on Betty and on the other servers.
Mike and David are two servers who did show up for work. Since they are short staffed, they are busier than ever.
This is Joe. Joe is a regular customer at Buffalo Bob’s and all the servers know him. Tonight he sits in the section that Mike is working. Mike is so busy tonight (what with being short staffed and all) that he hasn’t paid attention to how many drinks he has brought Joe.
Joe pays his bill and stumbles to his car. He is headed home when he runs a red light and crashes into Cindy. Cindy has had a long, hard day and is on her way home from work when the accident happens.
Cindy was hurt. She had to go to the hospital to be evaluated where she found out that she couldn’t return to work for 3 months. She has mounting medical bills from the injuries she incurred as a result of the accident. Not only can Cindy not work and has large amounts of medical debt, but her car! Her brand new car was totaled!
Cindy does the only thing she can do….she gets a lawyer. Cindy decides that she is going to sue Joe for 1) loss wages, 2) the medical expenses, and 3) to replace her car.
Cindy’s attorney suggest that not only do they sue Joe (for causing the accident), but that they sue Buffalo Bob too.[show Buffalo Bob circle] Buffalo Bob has the “deep pockets”. [show Buffalo Bob $] After all, he is a successful business man who has made lots of money. Anyway….isn’t the accident kind of Buffalo Bob’s fault since he hired Mike who sold to Joe?
Hey! Why stop with Buffalo Bob? Mike was the actual server of the alcohol. The accident is his fault too. And what about Betty? She was the manager on duty. She was supposed to be overseeing the place while Buffalo Bob was on vacation. Sounds like she wasn’t doing her job either.
So the case goes to court and everyone has to come in to testify. Even David. David had nothing to do with the alcohol being served or with the accident but he has to testify because he was at work that night. This inconveniences David and cost him money because now, he has to take off work, pay a babysitter for his kids, and get a hair cut so he can testify.
After the court proceedings, Joe realizes that he doesn’t have enough insurance to cover all of Cindy’s loss wages, medical bills, or her car. So…Joe decides he is going to sue Buffalo Bob and Mike because it’s “not his fault he was over-served”.
This scenario demonstrates how all individuals who work at an establishment can be involved if an accident or situation occurs concerning alcohol, not just the individual who makes the sale.