HOUSTON — Houston’s future bartenders are learning more than how to mix drinks at a bartender training course.
They are learning these skills a day after a bartender was arrested for allegedly serving a drunk driver about 12 beers in less than three hours in 2016.
Edin Palacios-Rodas was convicted of the 2016 intoxication manslaughter death of Jocelyn Valero. The teenager was returning home from prom.
Bartender Natalia Ortiz allegedly served Palacios-Rodas past the point of intoxication at El Muelle Seafood restaurant in north Houston the night of Valero’s death.
“That lady, her whole life is over now,” said Megan Malone, Texas School of Bartending student.
The school teaches future bartenders the law and their responsibility when they dispense alcohol to customers.
“You can’t serve an intoxicated person, whether they’re driving or not,” said Brandon Hayes, Texas School of Bartending Instructor. “They’ll try to bribe you, ‘I’ll give you a hundred bucks for two more drinks.’ None of that matters. Once they’re cut off, they’re cut off, period.”
Bartenders in Texas are able to obtain a license online by taking a multiple-choice test. Many of the questions focus on when a bartender may not serve a customer.
The Harris County District Attorney’s office says TABC certification is not mandatory and only protects business owners and not employees.
Alcohol may not be sold to individuals to the point of intoxication or if the customer is intoxicated.
“You have a matter of seconds to see that customer walk up, interact with them, then make that decision whether they need to have another drink or not,” Hayes said.
The instructor says if the law were followed strictly, there would not be any bars or restaurants left in the state.
KHOU 11 legal analyst Gerald Greece says Harris County can expect to see more prosecutions like this one, and they will likely have clear evidence showing the customer was over-served past the point of intoxication.