Lustre Pearl to pay fine

Austin American-Statesman
Category: alcohol consumption
Level: Local
This article is concerning an enacted policy that affects individuals and families.

Important to individuals/families:
The over-serving of alcohol to patrons affects everyone -- pedestrians, drivers, other bar patrons -- anyone that could come in contact with the person who has consumed too much.

My views:
I do not know all the regulations a bar must follow in order to maintain their liquor license, but I do agree that in this case, a line has been crossed. Although Lustre Pearl is partially to blame in this situation, I believe it is the primary responsibility of the person who is drinking to cut themselves off when they have had too much. This is debatable, I know. People who are going out to drink and have a good time are likely to lose track of the number of drinks they've had or simply disregard the number of drink because they just want to get drunk. This is irresponsible on the part of the patron. When it becomes clear that the line has been crossed and there is no stopping in sight it becomes the responsibility of the bartender or other staff to cut that person off for their own safety.
The fine that Lustre Pearl has agreed to pay is very large and it is not my place to say whether it is fair but I do think some form of "punishment" was necessary. Bars that consistently have problems with patrons drinking too much and not stepping in are undoubtedly at partial fault. Implementing new requirements for bartenders and requiring that they participate in additional training is something that all bars should do before they experience an incident like this one. It shouldn't take a tragedy for changes to be made.