Hospitality Age Checks
How can mystery shopping age checks help hospitality venues?
Hospitality venues such as bars, pubs and restaurants have to keep an eye on young customers trying to buy alcohol, using gaming machines or participating in other age restricted activities.
Centrebound ensure that your age check processes are working. We do this through age check audits, test purchasing and mystery shopping.
Preventing underage sales
To prevent underage sales from occurring, hospitality venues must have a system in place to check and verify customer ages. Many bars, pubs and clubs operate a challenge 21 or challenge 25 policy in order to guard against underage sales. The Challenge 21 scheme serves as a reminder to customers that it is against the law to purchase alcohol if you are under 18, or to purchase alcohol on behalf of someone who is under 18.
For some, it can be challenging to determine whether a customer is over the age of 18 so having a policy of checking for higher ages covers a wider range and gives staff greater confidence in preventing underage sales. Checking that the customer has a valid ID if they appear underage and refusing service should be essential for your staff to know.
Why carrying out age checks is important
There’s increasing scrutiny by authorities and the media on the sale of specific items or services to those who are prohibited from purchasing them by age.
If you make a mistake and are caught by the authorities selling alcohol to someone under age you can be cautioned, offered a £90 Fixed Penalty Notice or given an unlimited fine by the Magistrates. If you are a personal licence holder, your licence can be suspended or taken away.
If two offences are committed within three months the police can offer a voluntary closure of between two days to two weeks as an alternative to prosecution. If prosecuted, the Magistrates’ Court can impose a suspension which can last up to three months and/or a fine of up to £20,000.
How do I get my age check process tested?
Centrebound can ensure your staff are carrying out age checks and asking for valid ID in accordance with your age check process. We can provide 18 – 21 year olds to carry out mystery shopping test purchases for age restricted goods such as alcohol.
All our mystery shopping agents conducting an age-related audits will have had their age validated by Centrebound by either passport, birth certificate or PASS card from the national Proof of Age Standards Scheme.
Our test purchasing and mystery shopping services are available throughout the UK and Ireland.
Mystery shopping agents complete their audit survey within 24 hours of visiting a venue. Centrebound then quality check each report and share the results with the client within 48 hours.
If you would like test purchases carrying out at your restaurant, pub or bar, please get in touch.