Do you need a license to be a bartender in California? What about own a bar? The answer to both is yes. Bartenders in California now require RBS certification to bartend in the state. Starting July 1st, 2022, alcohol servers, by law, must attend Responsible Beverage Service training. The California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control mandates this training and the final exam. RBS training is required at any premise where alcohol is sold and consumed, so if this affects you, your business, or your employees, don’t delay!

Do You Need a License To Be a Bartender In CA?

Does the law only ask bar owners to get this license, or do you need a license to become a bartender even if you’re a part-time employee? The State of California now requires Responsible Beverage training in California for all employees and managers designed as alcohol servers. California Bartenders and bar backs are asked to obtain RBS training for everyone’s health and safety. This training covers more than the ways to open and pour a wine bottle–it also encompasses the importance of recognizing when a patron has had too much to drink and how to react accordingly.

Training is provided through our State-approved RBS course. Since the exam is 50 questions chosen from a pool, taking notes and taking the program at your own pace is essential. This course is required for every employee and manager that the law deems as an alcohol server, so read it carefully. This includes bouncers and security staff that check IDs in an alcohol-serving establishment.

The California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control guidelines aim to mitigate alcohol-related harm at licensed establishments. The exam required for certification is only accessible after completing an ABC-approved RBS training program. Our RBS training is $12.50 and is available for mobile devices on our app. This way, you can learn at your own pace in a way that fits your busy schedule–not to mention at an affordable price.

What is the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control?

The Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) is the state agency that regulates the manufacture and sale of alcoholic beverages. All alcoholic beverage licenses are approved, denied, revoked, or suspended based on ABC’s findings and regulations. The California Department has approved our RBS training course of Alcoholic Beverage Control to meet the training requirements of Assembly Bill 1221. This training must be complete before bartenders can access the final exam.

Why is RBS Training Required?

Bartenders and servers are not just there to make and serve drinks. Multiple patrons will be in and out of the bar throughout a long shift. It is the establishment’s duty to make sure that all of their employees that serve alcoholic beverages are trained in identifying when a patron has come from another bar, is already inebriated, and when a patron has had too much to drink.

Drunk-Driving Fatalities

In 2019 alone, California had 949 alcohol-impaired driving fatalities. It is vital for all employees at an ABC-licensed on-premise facility to understand what a .08 BAC level looks like and how many drinks it takes to get to that level. It is important for bartenders to understand the law and how individual BAC levels can be influenced by gender, age, weight, and whether they have had a meal with their drinks.

Curb Underage Drinking

Underage drinking is illegal, and it is essential to know what an official California license looks like, what legal drinking age is in California, and what forms of ID are acceptable. When discussing alcohol, a minor is anyone under the age of 21. When looking at how to become a bartender in California, one of the most critical points to understand is how to identify a minor, check for fraudulent IDs, and appropriately refuse service. Alcohol affects the central nervous system and protecting minors in your community is imperative.

Understand Alcohol’s Effects on the Body

The rate at which alcohol is consumed determines how well the liver can process it and is affected by a myriad of factors. Weight and body composition affect how alcohol is processed. This makes every patron unique in their alcohol tolerance. Our RBS training covers these differences for real-life situations to ensure all patrons drink safely and bartenders are watching out for them.

Bartenders Need to be Responsible

The key to those critical questions like ‘How to become a bartender in California’ starts with training and experience and being a responsible alcohol server. Even if you are starting as a barback to gain experience, you are still an alcohol server. A server should make a good-faith effort and should take steps to remove over-inebriated customers from the establishment and set up or promote safe transportation.

How To Become A Bartender in California

The legal age to consume alcohol is 21, but the legal age to sell and serve alcohol is 18 with restrictions. A person 18 or older may sell alcoholic beverages at an off-sale establishment or serve an alcoholic beverage in an area designed for the sale and service of food for consumption on the premises (on-sale). If you want to become a bartender in California, you must be 21.

If you have no experience as a bartender, consider applying to be a cocktail waiter or a barback to gain experience. As these positions are also considered alcohol servers under California law, they require RBS training and certification the same as a bartender does. They can be a great step towards a future as a bartender if that’s something that interests you.

Here are the steps you need to know for how to become a bartender in California:

• Register with our RBS training program. The fee is $12.50 to access the course and our on-the-go mobile app that allows you to access the course from anywhere.

• Register with the ABC here to receive your Student ID. Make sure that the email address, name, and other info that you provide the ABC matches what you provided with us. It is a $3 fee to register with the ABC.

• Provide us with your Student ID number and complete the course at your own pace.

• Upon completion of the course, RBS training will submit your completion to the ABC. You must take the exam within 30 days and pass with a minimum score of 70%.

We hope this informative guide has answered your questions about becoming a bartender in California and what to do if you need a license to be a bartender. RBS training is now required to be a bartender in California and helps you become better prepared for your exciting career in bartending.

Responsible Beverage Service (RBS) training is now mandatory in California. RBS training teaches servers what to be mindful of when serving alcoholic beverages and how to mitigate alcohol-related harm responsibly. Owners of ABC-licensed establishments might have questions about RBS training, and current employees will likely have certification questions.

The passing of Assembly Bill 1221 requires servers, bartenders, waiters, and managers to be certified within 60 days of hire. Read below to learn how to get RBS certification and who is required to have an RBS certification. It is essential for all alcohol servers to be RBS certified in an establishment to reduce alcohol-related harm in California communities. RBS training and the exam make sure that your staff has a framework that supports understanding what effect over-inebriation has, what fake IDs look like, and what are acceptable forms of ID.

Who Is Required To Have an RBS Certification?

Any employee or manager who checks customer identification at the door or before the sale, takes customer alcoholic beverage orders, pours alcoholic beverages for customers, or delivers alcoholic beverages to customers must be RBS certified as of July 1st, 2022. Managers who train, directly hire, or oversee alcohol servers on-premise must also be licensed.

The following employees require RBS Training when working at a liquor-licensed establishment:

• Servers
• Cocktail waiters/waitresses
• Bartenders
• Managers
• Security employees

Individuals who serve alcohol must be 21 or older. For businesses that serve food, individuals between 18 to 20 years old are permitted only to serve alcoholic beverages, not pour, and these individuals also require alcohol server certification. New employees who do not possess RBS certification have 60 days from the first date of employment to take RBS training and pass the exam.

Hotel employees handling the stocking of alcoholic beverages in patron rooms in controlled access alcoholic beverage cabinets must be at least 21 years of age and RBS certified. Any ABC licensee that has an “ABC On-Premises License” should review staff certification periodically and make sure that all new employees are certified within 60 days of new hire.

Who Enforces RBS Training Requirements?

The California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control enforces RBS training requirements. This state department regulates the manufacture, sale, and use of alcoholic beverages. ABC agents have the authority to conduct investigations, make arrests, and also issue violation notices to businesses, servers, and customers who violate the law. 

ABC agents usually work in plainclothes to investigate businesses that may be violating ABC laws. The California ABC oversees and regulates the RBS training programs in the state. Our RBS training program is certified by the California ABC. Our goal is to provide the most accurate RBS training program in the state of California so that employees and licensees are aware of the laws and regulations surrounding alcoholic beverages.

The California ABC employs minor decoys legally to buy alcohol from licensed premises. The ABC minors attempt to buy alcohol at liquor stores, restaurants, bars, and other events that serve alcohol. If carded, the minors will show their own valid ID, which shows they are underage or say they have no identification with them. This is to test the establishment’s knowledge and refusal of selling alcohol to minors. 

Having proper RBS training and certification is not only about following the law but also about preparing servers for underage buyers and California ABC operations to check establishments.

What Does RBS Training Cover?

Our RBS training program covers real-life situations to prepare you to work in the industry and pass the RBS certification exam. Alcohol has different properties that require employees at liquor-licensed establishments to be aware of over-inebriation, over-serving, and alcohol effects on the body. AIM to Serve’s RBS training program has been approved by the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) to prepare employees for the certification exam that is required by law.

Topics we cover include:

• What forms of ID can be accepted in California?
• What is the best way to sober up an intoxicated person?
• What is the maximum penalty for serving alcohol after hours?
• What does a legitimate form of ID look like?

How Should I Prepare for RBS Certification?

The ABC does not grant access to the final exam until after it receives confirmation from a licensed RBS training program that you have completed the course. RBS certification lasts for three years and must be renewed before it expires. The exam consists of 50 questions pulled from a pool. To pass the exam, a minimum score of 70% is required. 

Since the exam is an open note, open-book test with no time limit, taking notes during your RBS training program will allow you to use them on the final exam. You are allowed to take the exam three times. If a minimum score of 70% is not reached within those three tries, then you must retake the RBS training program.

How To Get Your RBS Certification

If you want to know how to get RBS certification, we can help. Alcohol servers must take RBS training and pass the final exam whether they are renewing or getting their certification for the first time. Aim to Serve offers training through our website and mobile app. Make sure that the information entered during RBS program registration is identical to your California RBS registration. This includes your full name, email address, and Server ID number.

To begin, register with the ABC here. Next, enroll in the RBS training for California course. Our RBS training mobile app allows you to access all training on the go and is self-paced. Once you have provided your Student ID number and completed the course, you can then take the state exam.

RBS training will submit your completion to the California Beverage Control department, and you will have 30 days to complete the exam. We are required to collect your Last Name and Student ID Number in order to report the status of completion on our certified RBS training course. Our FAQ covers many of the questions employees ask when wondering how to get their RBS certification. Together, we can protect California’s communities from alcohol-related incidents.

Whether you’re living in California now or looking to move, what your job availability looks like is one of the biggest things to consider. With over 56,000 establishments in California, bartending is a lucrative, flexible career that is constantly in demand, but you might be wondering how to become a bartender in California.

Bartending is a highly-rewarding career and there are a few things to know before you get started. Obtaining your RBS certification before you apply can make you an excellent prospect for an employer, and if you intend to work in California, it’s required by the new 2022 laws. While bartending is a demanding environment, the more skills you develop and the more training you undergo, you’ll have a clear path to this lucrative career.

Do You Need A Bartending License?

The State of California now requires a valid alcohol server certification for bartenders. Alcohol server certification from a Responsible Beverage Service (RBS) program is required to be a waiter, barback, manager, or bartender in California. You must maintain all records of these certifications for inspection, so you must have the certificate on hand. While bartending courses like mixology aren’t required, they can add an edge to your resume. The legal age to serve alcohol in California is 18 years or older at establishments serving food. If the establishment only serves cocktails, you must be at least 21. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that bartending will grow 32% over the next few years, so having this training can significantly help in finding a job as a bartender. Stand out in the crowd both in and outside of California.

Do You Need RBS Certification?

Yes. RBS certification is now required if you want to work as a bartender in California. Bartenders, waitpersons, and managers involved with alcohol in California must take Responsible Beverage Service training and be certified within 60 days of employment. Under the RBS Training Program Act, employees who qualify as alcohol servers or managers in California must participate in an RBS training program and obtain a valid alcohol server certification. Uncertified bartenders cannot legally serve alcohol in California. Many people miss this new regulation when looking into how to become a bartender in California, as it went into effect on July 1st, 2022.

What is an RBS Training Program?

Obtaining your RBS certification is mandatory for being a bartender in California. Since licensure is good for three years once you pass the exam, taking the program before pursuing your career is a good idea. Industry professionals know it is the first step when looking into how to become a bartender in California, as all premises licensed to serve alcohol must now require an employee to take an RBS training program by law. 

Our RBS Training Program covers all topics on the rigorous state-mandated exam and prepares you to work in the industry as a bartender. It covers the complex nature of serving alcohol in bars, restaurants, stadiums, and other businesses. Bartending is not just about learning mixology but also understanding alcohol-related issues, such as the rate of alcohol absorption and when to taper patrons off. The training takes three to four hours and is self-paced. The California Department approves our course on Alcoholic Beverage Control to meet the training requirements necessary to take the state exam.

Are You Starting With No Experience?

If you are interested in bartending in California but have no prior experience, then it can be helpful to build expertise by starting as a server or a barback. Beginning as a barback or server allows you to learn the behind-the-scenes of a bar’s POS system and many of its regular customers. Also, you’ll already have your ABC certification, will have completed RBS training, and have time to know the ins and outs of alcoholic beverages. Barbacks are often hired without prior experience as long as they have a great attitude and a willingness to learn.

Almost all bartenders start as barbacks at first. It allows you to learn skills from bartenders who are already at the top of their game. Once you undergo bartender training, you will already have your ABC certification and an understanding of the laws and regulations surrounding alcoholic beverages.

Learn What Makes A Good Bartender

A good bartender has several essential skills that they need to showcase when they’re behind the bar. Getting your RBS certification will help you be a good bartender by giving you a framework to learn skills such as:

• Identifying minors and checking ID properly
• Setting boundaries with patrons to avoid over-serving
• Identifying inebriated patrons
• What terms like ‘BAC’ mean
• What the T.R.A.C.E. program is
• The maximum penalty for serving alcohol after hours

Knowing the legal aspects of how to become a bartender in California will put you on the path to employment. Employers require this certification for hiring anyone who works in an establishment that serves alcohol on the premises. Even if you don’t plan on starting in a bar, everything from charity events to sports stadiums will require you to have RBS training and pass the certification exam. The more marketable skills you have and certifications you possess on your resume, the better.

Know What You’ll Have To Do

Becoming a bartender is worth it for this flexible, exciting career. Those wondering how to become a bartender in California now know the first step. Get your RBS certification from us in order to understand the legalities that will come with serving alcohol. Once you’re compliant, getting in from the bottom as a barback and learning the industry from the professionals who work there will be easier.

Starting as a barback or waiter will help you develop the skills needed to be a good bartender and give you experience in monitoring intoxication levels so that you’re prepared when managing a busy bar at the height of service. Ingraining checking IDs and alcohol knowledge before serving alcohol to patrons will ensure that you always comply with state regulations and laws. Being a bartender isn’t just about serving the best drinks–it’s also about keeping the community safe.