Waitstaff management

Trinity Event Staffing was pleased to provide wait staff recently for the American Heart Association’s annual Grand Tasting reception and the Cotes du Coeur premier fundraising event. The annual event is the centerpiece of the AHA’s fundraising, and is facilitated with the help of AHA employees, restaurant owners, community volunteers 

AHA volunteer waitstaff

as well as hotel wait staff and additional waitstaff provided by event staffing companies. This year the AHA’s Dallas Cotes du Coeur event raised $571,681.00, which was the single largest contribution to the over 2 million dollars raised by all of the AHA’s Cotes du Coeurs events held nationwide.

Tasting wait staff

The AHA’s Grand Tasting that preceded the main event was held in the beautifully-constructed event hall of the Amegy Bank Building in the uptown district just north of downtown Dallas. The second floor event hall boasted a see-through glass floor, a floor-to-ceiling glass pane wall, beautifully-textured wood paneling and a trio of armed samurai warrior statues to guard over the place in gargoyle fashion. The down lighting with its blue and pink hues, gave the whole place a modern speakeasy feel. An amazing selection of wines was the center of the event, and guests were allowed to get a sneak peek at the wine lots they could bid on at the main Cotes event the following night.

Richard Chamberlain & Jeff Rains

Richard Chamberlain, owner of Chamberlain’s Steak and Chop House and Chamberlain’s Fish Market, catered an amazing cornucopia of food. Included were over 40 pounds of smoked wild salmon filet and plates of brazed and shredded beef. Richard remains a long-time benefactor of the American Heart Association and always delivers a 5 star tastebud experience both at his restaurants and when catering. To the delight of those with a sweet tooth, dessert confections were provided by Dallas chocolatier Stephen Smith, owner of Nib Chocolate.

Dallas Cotes guests

With the Preview Party and the Grand Tasting successfully completed, the main Cotes event was held the following night. Guests, their friends, colleagues and associates all joined together for the enormous main event at the luxurious and esteemed Hilton Anatole the following night. Tuxedoed businessmen and beautifully-adorned visages swirled into the main hall of the building for a reception, then were ushered into the majestic dining are in Cirque du Soleil style.

party staff

All around the cavernous room, celebrity chefs were positioned at food and wine stations, ready to meet and greet patrons and guests with signature dishes and paired wines. One hundred and forty servers attended the VIP tables, serving food and wine and pampering their guests’ every need.

dinner party

The lobby’s silent auction excitement was replaced by the ever-popular auctioneer, replete with videos of wine-n-dine packages provided by celebrity chefs Kent Rathbun, owner of Abacus & Jaspers, David Holben of Del Frisco’s, Jim Severson of Sevy’s and Richard Chamberlain, owner of Chamberlain’s Restaurants. The successful fundraiser ended with a swinging and celebratory jiggling after-party. As with every year, the polish of the event’s décor, service, entertainment and food has made it an increasingly popular event to attend, and is a remarkable experience for both the guests and those who work and volunteer at the event. Looking forward, Cotes du Coeur 2011 is sure to be another fantastic success!

wait staff advocate

At Trinity Event Staffing, we are committed to making your experience with our company as a bartender, wait staff, chef, valet or security staff an enjoyable and informative one. That’s why we’ve created a blog, Q&A and comments area so that you can see commonly asked questions and post your own questions and comments. You can always access it via the Event Staff Blog category on the sidebar to the right.

Be sure to check back often for new articles!

Wait staff

    The wait staff gather in the early afternoon hours of the coming festive weekend. One smokes a cigarette while a bartender jokes and banters with another. All of the wait staff and bartenders know each other from days of setting up and breaking down special events. The best, worst and most humorous sides of wait staff and bartender staff come out after a twelve hour day. Especially so when bartenders are sweating in the damp air unloading trucks or waitstaff end up cutting fingers while racing to uncork forty bottles of ‘red’ as fast as possible.

The rental equipment and glassware arrive and the bartender staff gets up. Most of them worked well past the waitstaff the night before and everyone is a bit creaky, if still in a good mood. The event manager is stressed of course, but the waitstaff giddiness helps to lighten everyone up with jokes and memories. Last night might have been rough, but afterwards, in the closest bar, the beers had gone down cool and refreshing.

Jumping to it as if fresh from a full night of rest, the crew swings into action. This is a job of ‘hurry up and wait’. One minute you’re relaxing, but you are always ready for the hammer, signaled by the cargo trucks arriving. You have to be able to move at light speed and stop on a dime. Rest is something you can do when you start your car in some empty lot after everyone else in the city has gone home to bed.

The silverware and glasses fall into place on the tables carpeted with rose petals and vibrantly-arrayed centerpieces. The charger plates are placed exactly at the table’s edge and the chairs are pulled the correct distance from the table. Forks are on the left and coffee cup handles are at five o’clock. These are fundamentals of the industry in its fine-tuned state. It is a million moving intricacies fanning out in all directions. No detail is missed, and for those who appreciate details, it is a fun game for the mind.

There is never a dull moment and every minute is different than the last. One moment you’re fluffing a table with magical-colored materials for the buffet, next you’re draping vines across the railing. The eye candy swirl of colors becomes spellbinding as the details of the event are brought together by a delicate dance of managers and artists working to beat the ‘curtain call’ deadline.

It’s barely two o’clock when the crew begins carrying stacks of chairs six-high from the loading dock on their backs. Everyone is lean and sinewy from months or years of lifting, carrying and walking a hundred miles a week in their black polished shoes. They are all masters of the talent of the setup, or will be after one runaway train season. The veterans know that the next four months are the time to “stack your Franklins”; and that December is mad money as the holiday festivities continue at a feverish pace until they’re finally satiated by the arrival of Christmas. It’s in those final weeks that the eighteen-hour days get stacked back to back and off days are rare. Crews mostly just sleep every moment they’re not at work. But since this is the beginning of the season, the crew is happy to be working again.

The lighting technicians begin testing the lights and the colors glint through the glassware being set. The crystalline explosion of color is mesmerizing. The work does not stop, but races on in seeming pandemonium. Florists and technicians keep moving in and out of the double door entrances and loading bays with arms full and their intent furrowed on their brows. The facilities staff and the guest greeters begin taking their positions in hallways and behind draped tables with arrayed name tags.

The controlled chaos has a predictable rhythm even if every day is a new event, new place, new faces and new experiences. The mer de noms is unavoidable and you do your best to remember everyone. And despite the continuous changes day to day, the work becomes meditative in its simplicity. But just as you slip into a meditative repetition of folding napkins or “tweaking” the silverware, you’re pulled off to do another task that simply has to be done right away. So, off you go, all the while making sure to not forget the important contradiction of rushing while not appearing rushed.

And suddenly everything is set. It’s a wonder where the hours went, but it’s just money so what does it matter. At least the day was not spent in a cubicle farm, interacting with a computer all day. Lifers in the industry tend to be people persons, and consider interacting with others essential to their job happiness.

The servers and bartenders who fill the rank and file of the industry are many times the schooling doctors and single parents who are reaching for the next rung up on the ladder of upward mobility promised by our Constitution. The dream of generations of Americans has been to better their lot, and serving filet mignon to guests is not a bad gig in the interim, even if it does break you in the process. Ultimately for most, the industry is a way station for moving on to other things. The transient nature of a wait staff means it may be the last time you see the people you are working with today.

As the setup reaches its climax and the hustle and bustle finally dies down, the managers begin relaxing. Trickles of Eton-jacketed worker ants begin arriving as the sun sinks low into its orange-hued cloudscape. The parking garages are still disgorging cars into the downtown bumper to bumper mania. Stepping outside into the coming evening, the setup crew takes a breather. They have five minutes to cram a bite down their throat – that is if they can find, coerce or thieve anything to eat. Chewing is optional and generally discouraged because it takes too long and you might get caught. If possible, they’ll throw back a quick bottle of Evian or whatever else can be scavenged from the leftover beverages. It is time to suit up.

It’s fondly called the ‘penguin suit’. With cummerbund folds facing down in modern form and white Eton jackets crisply covering any wine stains from last night, the setup crew transforms itself in corners and bathrooms. Modesty is a luxury mostly unaffordable in the cramped server bathrooms. But whatever problems one may have with this are masked behind the perma-smile everyone is required to have.

Colognes mask the sweaty day while breath strips mask whatever was found to eat to fend off certain starvation. Everyone in this business is perpetually hungry and will inhale just about anything edible given any chance to do so. Being fed is a luxury and fending for your own stomach is a necessary survival skill. With a little luck, a crustini from a hors d’ oeuvre tray or a treat from one of the sympathetic cooks, one can push away the gnawing hunger for a little while. Dressed and ready to go, the crew makes their way back into the ballroom they just spent all day setting up.

The thin line of white-jacketed waiters rests along the wall. They primp each other’s tilting bowties and joke and talk about old times and new. They are a conglomeration of all walks of life that join together into a melting pot of hopes and needs. They are all ages and both sexes, and they represent the collective success, reality and dreams of a better tomorrow.

The thin white line stands prepared for the controlled chaos that is about to ensue. This cadre will ensure that the evening is a success and that the guests are wined and dined in synchronized fashion. In the spirit of the masquerade, the crowd will descend upon them with relish. At a bird’s eye view, it resembles a line of British colonial redcoats being overrun by a brilliantly-adorned tribal horde.

The guests arrive in glitter and satin, and adorned by the wealth of their station. Champagne flutes on polished silver trays meet them at the door. With proper smiles and nameless faces, the thin white line stand in flanking rows. A laden tray can weigh up to ten pounds and begins to hurt after holding it in one position for several minutes. Once a tray arm gets stiff, it screams out to be relaxed and the ache to be shaken out.

But despite the tray’s torment, the jacketed servers engage their guests with a well-worn welcome, slightly extending their silver trays topped with bubbling nectars. A courteous “thank you” slips off their backs as easily as arrogant indifference. But while rudeness occurs occasionally, it is the greater part of the swarm of charitably-donating guests that will warm one’s heart. They are a mindful and cultured group with an appreciation for the arts and sciences, and it is a privilege to pamper them with everything they desire. To that end, nothing is spared.

Thus, the women begin being seated in chivalrous fashion and white linens are draped across their laps. Wearing the most exotic, beautiful, or gaudy fashions and materials, they add a delicate deliciousness to the evening. The men are suited in tuxedos which always make them appear handsome. With polished charm and cigar-scented jokes, the tuxedos swirl around the peacock array of women. The guests are here to enjoy the sport of conducting business through social networking. As a cultural anthropological study, it is interesting to be the lower socioeconomic class, serving the upper socioeconomic crust. But after much study and introspection, one will find that there honestly is very little difference between the types and variance of people and attitudes you find in the two categories.

The uproarious evening shifts into fifth gear as the announcements of dinner begin. White jackets appear at each table, pouring wine and twisting the bottle at the last moment to avoid the inevitable drip. Everywhere thin white lines of waiters weave through the partially-seated crowds carrying plates in white-gloved hands. Circling a table with precision moves, they serve the seated ladies from the left in unison. Service is from the left to avoid crashing into someone’s glass of Bordeaux or Pinot Noir while serving, since glasses are set for a right-handed world. The gloved waiters step to the gentlemen seated beside their dates and place the second plate at the Captain’s nod. The synchronized effect is sharp and professional because it is so ritualistic.

The appearance given to the ballroom attendees may be one of unhurried swiftness, but the reality of the situation is a far less perfect picture. No plan survives intact, but is modified to make it work. Behind the curtains, doors or facades, a seeming madness has ensued, with harried chefs and dashing server teams all moving way too fast. It is a controlled environment but the hurriedness is completely unmasked here.

Everywhere commands are being barked and food is being plated. Meat goes at six o’clock and the decorative garnish has barely been placed before a gloved waiter grabs it. Servers must be able to move fast and stop immediately if a collision is imminent. With the mass of waiters spewing into and out of the makeshift kitchen, you would think this must be impossible. The swirl of activity resembles the ‘Costa Rican umbrella dance’ seen daily on the rainy-season streets of the capital, San Jose.

Almost suddenly, the merlots and sauvignons have increased the volume of the conversations in the room and the collective din is barely covered by the music pouring from the stage. Moods are festive and the party goers can barely stay seated. Everywhere business is being born from the social intercourse. Tuxedoed impasses pose difficulties for the flowing white lines pouring through the crowd handling their two plates apiece ritual. White-napkined bottles of intoxicating nectars circle tables and empty into awaiting stemware. Surgical aesthetics are visible everywhere just beneath thin threads sewn in low-cut fashions. Everywhere, beautiful visages of humanity entertain one another with witty conversation and humorous jokes.

For the servers, the feet usually begin to hurt first, but they soon learn to block it out. Thresholds of every sort are being reached everywhere among the staff. Stressed managers call out orders to the oddly-capped cooks and the jacketed servers streaming into and out of the kitchen. The balmy night pushes sweat out of the faces of the line cooks pulling and topping the racks of desserts. Waiter captains work hard to hold their jacketed lemmings in a line behind them. Bathroom breaks are an impossibility, but the servers sweat out all the water they own anyway. There is no time for any personal need below the medical emergency level. Finally, dessert is laid and white gloves come off as coffee is offered to the restless guests.

The dance floor’s alternating red and blue hues signal its need for rosy-cheeked guests waving half-filled glasses. The music pumps from the black boxes with its juicy temptation to leave all inhibitions with discarded linens at the tables. Networking business talk is replaced with celebratory jiggling and swaying. The mass of swirling flesh and clothing separates from the dining area with a vitality born of drunkenness and enchantment.

Discipline breaks down in the ranks as the thin white line tends to its collective, pent up needs. Captains maintain enough staff to clean tables but the troops are restless. The feeding frenzy ensues as waiters clear plates to the back. In ones and twos they disappear to eat some shred of food they have allocated for their hard work. Bottles of Perrier and Evian are swilled in temporary hiding spots and uneaten desserts are horded for later. The line cooks work furiously to wrap up everything and stow their gear so they can leave. They are the worst paid and the hardest worked, but they do get to leave early and skip the breakdown’s hardest parts.

Within forty-five minutes of coffee service, all discipline has eroded as the troops demand some free time. Only essential requests pull the seated staff from their individual reveries or their jovial backslapping conversations. Captains and managers peel off to smoke a cig or plan the reduction of the beautifully-ornamented ballroom. Hurry and wait has been the order of the day for them. Most of the worker ants now get to leave but the crew must wait until the night has grown late enough to herald the party’s end.

Soon the detailed patina of this “night to remember” will be forgotten. The festive guests leave in twos and fours, content with the spell that that has been cast upon them. Once again the faceless vendors and the thin white line with its leaders created and executed the plans that made this evening a sterling success for its guests. Grateful guests wave their farewells to one another as they stream out to waiting valets. Paradoxically, the off-duty police officers make sure that the drunken guests make their swerving departure free of beggars, bums, and criminals.

Inside sits the daunting task of whittling down the beast that was created for this night. The crew has reappeared in t-shirts, after removing their jacket masquerades. Armed with glass racks and rolling carts, their task is set upon in earnest. Everyone wants to be done with this night of revelry they have taken part in. Everywhere tables lay naked as their jeweled centerpieces and clothes are stripped from them. Chairs are stacked and beverage stations are taken apart piecemeal under the harsh white lighting that pours down onto the disassembling wreckage. As if a battleground, a clamor of sharp noises fills the vast room as the strike crews attack the scenery and tables with cordless screwdrivers and storage boxes.

Finally, the beast that once was is no more, and the managers cut everyone left. Maybe they’ll see the same people again, but maybe not. That is just the nature of the industry. The evening is finished and the hour is late. Tired feet carry the last of the crew through the deserted downtown streets. The enormous buildings are resting with their uniformed watchmen, both awaiting the coming dawn. The crew walks through the still, balmy air, past the arranged trees and bricked walk of the downtown park. Quietly they shuffle into the hushed garage. It is not difficult to spot their cars between the pillars, as they are the only ones left in the whole place. With white jackets slung over shoulders, they call their farewells to one another and walk off alone, reflecting on the evening.

The drive home will surely be introspective as it always is. But the rising sun is not far away and sleep pulls upon their tired minds as they sink into their car seats. The sun will be back again much too soon, but tomorrow is another place with another party for them and everyone else who fills the ranks of the thin white line. by: Justin Atkinson Copyright 2009 Justin Atkinson

From industrial complex to one of the coolest music scenes in the region, Deep Ellum has always had a varied and sometimes turbulent history. The newness of so much real estate near downtown belies the long history of the Deep Ellum neighborhood. However, like countless similar urban neighborhoods across America, it continues to experience a cyclical ebb and flow in its birth, life, death and phoenix rebirth.

The area got its start in 1884 as a factory-oriented development, and later, in 1913, Henry Ford opened an assembly plant there. However, by the late 20’s and early 30’s, Deep Ellum had become distinguished as a prime jazz and blues hotspot. In 1937, a columnist described Deep Ellum as: “…[the] one spot in the city that needs no daylight saving time because there is no bedtime…[It is] the only place…where business, religion, hoodooism, gambling and stealing goes on at the same time without friction…”

By the 1950’s, Deep Ellum had become largely a warehouse and industrial district again, but during the 1960’s and 70’s, the large warehouses once again attracted artists and night club owners because of the cheap loft space. Eventually, businesses such as the Theater Gallery, Twilight Room, Clearview and The Gypsy Tea Room offered a broad cross-section of interests, musicians, visual artists, performance artists and theatre performers. By the 1980’s, groups such as the Deep Ellum Association, began pressuring the city of Dallas to upgrade the roads, lighting, and parking of the area. The decade afterward became the high point for Deep Ellum as Dallas’ liveliest entertainment district. The streets often were blocked off for events like the Deep Ellum Arts Festival and a vibrant culture emerged in the district.

However, by mid-2006, local papers had begun to report the near-demise of the neighborhood because most of the live music venues had closed, leaving mostly dance clubs, and radically altering the “feel” of the area. In 2007, the City Of Dallas encouraged large scale residential, multi-family dwelling construction in Deep Ellum, in hopes of making it more financially successful. However, construction founded out of this initiative has remained dormant.

Deep Ellum has struggled with a reluctantly-forgiving public perception; however, once again things are showing signs of turning around. The city of Dallas’ commitment to the area is evidenced by its construction of the DART Green Line rail to serve the area. DART estimates that in the coming years, more than 2,000 riders a day will use the Deep Ellum station at Baylor, spawning the need for new businesses in the area. Companies such as Partymaker, an upscale caterer, remain vibrant mainstays to the neighborhood. Music venues such as Arnetic, located at 2826 Elm Street, are opening once again, with a mind to reclaim Deep Ellum’s place in the Dallas nightlife scene.

One has only to look at North Oak Cliff, the Bishop Arts District, Uptown, the Design District, and north of Fair Park to see that real estate near downtown will always remain a tempting proposition for developers. If history does indeed loop, then certainly Deep Ellum will rise on the foundation of its past combined with the perseverance of its benefactors. Perhaps then a colorful new chapter can be written for the history of the district that will inspire future generations to not abandon the past because it is old, but to embrace it and integrate it with the new. Justin Atkinson

Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deep_Ellum,_Dallas,_Texas http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/bus/stories/091109dnbusdart.3b2db82.html

Copyright Justin Atkinson 2009

Dallas Trinity Event Staffing AHA

Trinity Event Staffing was proud to provide reception waitstaff for the American Heart Association 2010 Cotes Du Coeur Preview Party at the Park Place Porsche Dealership this past Thursday, March 25.  Reception attendees were treated by the sponsors, volunteers, chefs, and wait staff  to excellent wines, Sprinkles Cupcakes, Central Market catering and Macallan tastings provided by Remy Cointreau USA.

Restaurant Caterer Kent Rathbun

Kent Rathbun, owner of Abacus, Jaspers, Blue Plate and Zeas (right) attended the preview party as one of the celebrity chefs who donate their time and efforts to the AMA’s Cotes event.  Entertainment included a delicious curry sauce preparation demonstration by the Central Market chef.  Additionally, Executive Leadership member, Neil Grossman (below middle) spoke on behalf of Park Place Motors, the official vehicle sponsor  for the celebrated event.

Cotes Du Coeur Sponsors

Jay Liddell of Remy Cointreau USA entertained the crowd with his easy witticisms, and Rick Turner, Pappas Bros. general manager (far left) introduced several of the most cherished auction lots to be auctioned at the main event on April 10.  The preview event was an enormous success, and is a great kick off to a bright 2010!

Dallas Event & Party Staff

    Leadership in the special events industry is a pervasive role.  At all levels for private parties, wedding receptions, banquets, and other special events, there are layers of leaders working together.  From corporate event coordinators to event planners to event staffing companies, all must utilize initiative and leadership.  Even the lone private party bartender, personal chef or the reception and seated dinner service waiter must exhibit self-leadership and self-motivation.  That is why event staffing companies especially require effective leaders on every level.

          But beyond the requisite charisma, leadership of event staff at special events poses unique challenges because events are always variable and dynamic, and ever-evolving solutions are required .  Therefore, one challenge of an event lead, waiter captain or executive chef is being able to use all of the perspectives the group to formulate the best leader decision.  In doing so, a leader can ‘lead from among the staff instead of reigning from above them’. 

    General Patton demonstrated this to his generals by having them each place a piece of string on the table and lead it around with their finger.  Then he told them to instead push the string with their finger, which of course doesn’t work very well at all.  Through this example he demonstrated the merits of “leading others from the front” versus pushing them from behind.  This concept is also found in the Boy Scout saying, “Lead by example”.

Dallas Party and Event Wait Staff

     Therefore, a good event staffing leader must be an example and a teacher to others while being wise enough to listen more than they speak.  As well, an effective event staff lead or wait staff captain delegates authority in order to create ‘a company of leaders’ , empower others beyond themselves, and create a positive team morale.  In simple format, the effective event staffing leader embraces and embodies The Golden Rule.

  That is why all effective leaders must possess both a strong intuition and a spiritual compass that governs their decisions.  It is these qualities that embues a leader with direction, and allows them to be a follower to the GREATER PURPOSE to which they have been called.

waitstaff

For Dallas waitstaff, using proper body movements as well as proper forms of contact at wedding receptions, cocktail parties, dinner parties and banquets is essential to being professional.  That ambiance created by properly-trained wait staff is extremely important when working for Dallas Highland Park residents.  A lifetime of exposure to high standards of care imbues the cultured elite with high expectations of party and event wait staff that must be met.

The following are just a few wait staff tips that are useful to keep in mind for reception staff in private homes, banquet staff in facilities or wedding staff at a bride’s wedding reception.  These will help your event staff to navigate the tangled web of personalities at events.

When moving through a crowd, wait staff must remember to move gracefully and slowly.  If wait staff must touch someone to get past them, have them touch the person on the elbow, as it is the least offending way to get someone’s attention.  When at a serving at a banquet or reception, if banquet staff or reception staff make large motions or point towards a bathroom or table, it is highly distracting to other guests.  The waiter should make the motion with their whole hand down low and subtly so as to not draw attention from guests or other reception staff.

When wait staff are talking amongst themselves, they should remember that the ‘recorder‘ is always on and someone is always watching.  So be sure your banquet staff and cocktail servers are putting a positive spin on everything they say.  If someone on your waiter staff happens to be funny, witty or charming, be sure that they also understand the importance of brevity, so that they can entertain and work at the same time.

Lastly, wait staff must rush without seeming rushed and be able to stop on a dime.  To do so, shift your forward movement upward, which will allow you to arrest your forward movement and avoid a collision. Keep checking back for more tips to help your event and banquet staff to have better etiquette!

Dallas bartender staff and services

There are an increasing number of laws and regulatory constraints in Dallas Fort Worth and Texas that regulate bartenders, bar staff, waitstaff and bar and beverage services that both sell and serve alcohol.  The regulation most called for and pervasive for bar staff and waitstaff are their TABC seller-server  certifications.  Restaurants, bars and caterers that are selling and serving alcohol in a bar, at an events venue or a private party are closely-regulated in Texas.  To serve alcohol, bartender staff and waitstaff are licensed by the Texas Alcohol and Beverage Commission by undergoing a 4 hour seller server course.  In comparison, Oklahoma only requires bar staff to register and pay a fee.  Certification records are public and can be accessed via the TABC records portal on the TABC website.

A tangible benefit of businesses having their bartenders and waitstaff certified is a reduction in liquor liability insurance premiums paid by companies selling alcoholic beverages.  To sell alcohol, a bar, venue, caterer, or staffing company must possess the proper TABC alcohol seller licensing.  In the events industry, a catering liquor license is most often utilized to offer bar and beverage services to clients in places other than permanent restaurant and bar establishments.  Although not regulated by the TABC, liquor liability insurance is a form of protection for those companies who carry and operate with a TABC liquor license.

Altogether, working closely with the TABC office, possessing trained TABC bartenders and waitstaff, having the proper the alcohol buyer and seller permits and carrying liquor liability insurance coverage helps to reduce a company’s risk  and/or completely indemnify them against exposure to litigation.  This is both from TABC agency actions and civil actions arising from the dram shop laws, which cover alcohol-related deaths and damages.