ID check policy and refusal log for a restaurant that serves alcohol (with Florida's rules)

A table of six orders a round of mimosas. Four of them look about 30, one looks 22, one looks 19. The server is 20 years old, covering a brunch shift, and doesn't want to be awkward. A written ID policy is what makes that moment easy: everyone who looks under the age on the policy shows an ID, every time, and the server never has to decide on their own.

This post gives you Florida's rules on serving guests and employees under 21, the IDs that count, a policy to fill in, a refusal script and a log, and the training records the state's responsible vendor program asks for.

General information, not legal advice. The rules below are Florida's, from the 2026 Florida Statutes. Elsewhere, ask your state's alcohol regulator; the policy and the log work anywhere.

The Florida rules

Two practical points. The defense in § 562.11(1)(d) only works if the server actually checked one of the listed IDs, carefully, which is why the policy below says every guest who looks under your age line shows one. And a 20-year-old server can pour the mimosas for the table (§ 562.111) but can't have one after the shift on the house (§ 562.11(1)(b)). Our Florida minors guide covers teen hires.

The responsible vendor program

Florida's responsible vendor program is voluntary. To qualify, a vendor must, among other things (§ 561.705):

• train staff who serve alcohol, including "Methods of recognizing and dealing with underaged customers", within 30 days of starting, and supervise them until they're trained;
• train managers, including "Development of standard operating procedures for dealing with underaged customers" and "maintaining records that relate to such incidents", within 15 days;
• hold a meeting for all employees every 4 months;
• keep records of the employees' applications, acknowledgments and training;
• post signs telling customers about the policy against serving underage guests and that underage purchase "will result in ejection from the premises and prosecution".

In return, the license of a qualified vendor "may not be suspended or revoked" for an employee's illegal sale to an underage person if the employee had completed the training, unless the vendor knew, should have known, or took part (§ 561.706(1)). Ask your training provider whether its course covers the § 561.705 topics, and keep the certificates.

The ID check policy

Fill it in, train it, post it at the bar and the server station.

ID check policy · [café or restaurant name]

1. Who we card. Every guest who orders alcohol and looks under [40], and every guest at a table where anyone looks under 21. If in doubt, card.

2. IDs we accept (the ones in § 562.11(1)(d)): a driver license or ID card from Florida or another US state, a passport, a US Uniformed Services ID. [Expired IDs: not accepted.] [Other IDs, such as a foreign driver license: not accepted / manager decides.]

3. How to check.

1. Ask for the ID; the guest hands it over, out of the wallet.
2. Look at the photo, then at the guest.
3. Check the date of birth: born on or before [today's date, 21 years ago]. (Post the date at the station each morning.)
4. Check the expiry date.
5. Feel and look for tampering: [raised edges, peeling laminate, mismatched fonts].
6. If something's off, ask a question the real holder would know (the zip code, the middle name), and get the manager.

4. Everyone at the table. Don't serve a drink that's likely to go to someone under 21, even if the person ordering is 21 or older.

5. Refusing. Use the script. Never argue, never guess, never take the ID. Log every refusal.

6. Staff. Servers and bartenders are at least 18. Staff under 21 don't drink at work, on or off the clock on our premises. Staff under 18 don't sell, pour or serve alcohol. Everyone serving alcohol completes training within 30 days of starting; managers within 15. Staff meeting on alcohol service every 4 months: [months].

7. Signs. At the door and the bar: [your sign wording, e.g. "We check IDs for anyone who appears under 40. Underage purchase results in ejection and prosecution."]

Manager responsible: [name] · Policy reviewed: [date]

The refusal script

"I'm sorry, I need to see an ID that I can accept before I can serve this. I'd be glad to get you something else."

(Fake or someone else's ID) "I can't accept this one. I'll get my manager." Then step away and let the manager handle it.

Say it the same way every time, at the table, without a lecture. If the guest is angry, the manager takes over.

The refusal log

One line per refusal. Write down what happened, not the guest's ID number or a copy of the ID.

Alcohol refusal log · [location]

Manager review each week: ………………………… Date: ……………

The training record

4-month staff meetings: [date] · [date] · [date] · topics covered: ………………………… · attendance sheet attached

Your ID check checklist

• [ ] Policy written, posted and signed by every server and bartender
• [ ] Today's "born on or before" date at every station
• [ ] Signs at the door and the bar
• [ ] Every server and bartender is 18 or older, trained, certificate on file
• [ ] Refusal log at the bar, reviewed weekly
• [ ] Staff meeting on the calendar every 4 months

Where Mays fits

• Alcohol server certificates with reminders. On each team member's Certificates tab, add an Alcohol server certificate with its issue and expiry dates and a photo or PDF of the card. Mays reminds the team member and their managers 30 days and 7 days before it expires, and team members see their own under Profile → My certificates. Certificates are part of Labor law compliance, which an admin turns on in Settings → Organization. See Food safety certificates.
• Your own ID-check training. On Pro, turn the policy in your Knowledge Base into a Learning module with a quiz, ticked Compliance-critical so a pass issues a PDF certificate, and assign it to new servers. Once it's assigned, pop quizzes reach people on a published shift who haven't passed yet. This is your own training, not a state-approved course. See Creating learning modules, Assigning training and Snap quizzes.
• The refusal log. A Customer entry in the manager Logbook records a refusal and notifies the location's other managers; for a log the bar fills in, build an Alcohol refusals form under Tasks → Types with Repeatable rows (one row per refusal: Employee for the server, Single choice for the reason, Text for what happened) and add it as a Custom form task on the bar's closing checklist. Tasks → Data shows how many refusals each night had; the rows themselves are in each submission. See The manager logbook and Building custom forms.

What Mays doesn't do: its minor rules don't cover alcohol, so nothing warns you when someone under 18 is scheduled on a shift that serves it. There's no frequency for an every-4-months meeting (Quarterly is every three months), and the alcohol server certificate isn't checked against a state rule or a hire-date deadline the way food handler cards are.

Card everyone who looks under 40, write down every refusal

A policy that sets one age line for everyone, a list of IDs you accept, a script, and a log: that's what lets a 20-year-old server say no to a table of 30-year-olds without a fight. Train it within the first month, meet on it every four months, and keep the records.

Start your free trial: 30 days, every module, no card needed. Or book a walkthrough and we'll set up your alcohol server certificates and training with you.