The Responsible Vendor Program (RVP) was implemented by the Alabama ABC Board in October, 1990. The program requires the training of all employees involved in the management, sale, or service of alcoholic beverages. An average of 1,000 employees are trained each month throughout the State of Alabama. Training includes Alabama law regarding the sale or service of alcohol, practical techniques for determining if the customer is of legal age, civil and criminal penalties, and techniques for reducing the risk inherent in the sale/service of alcohol. Licensees who voluntarily join the program are required to establish policies ensuring legal and responsible sales and service, and to train employees in these policies.

For most licensees, participation in the program is voluntary. However, Alabama law requires mandatory participation for on-premises licensees who hold a retail restaurant license (020 license type), and who wish to hire 19- and 20- year old servers and allow those servers to deliver alcohol to customer tables. Otherwise, persons under the age of 21 are prohibited from delivering the alcohol to customer tables.

Benefits of participating in the program include:

• Protection of the beverage license in the event that a trained employee sells/serves an underage customer without the knowledge, consent, or participation of the owner.
• Reducing the risk of dram shop lawsuits by effectively training employees.
• Broadening the hiring base for retail restaurant licensees.
• Improving the business relationship with local communities by preventing problem situations that can lead to fines and bad press.
• Making communities safer by refusing sales and service to underage and intoxicated customers.