Bartenders' silent message to drunk patrons sparks heated viral debate

New York Post

16-07-2025

Bartenders are discreetly telling intoxicated customers they're cut off for the night — stirring up heated debate online.
Some workers are giving out printed cards that say, 'You have been cut off,' letting patrons know they won't be served any more alcohol, according to photos shared on social media platforms.
'Please leave quietly and no one will know,' says the message. The small cards have apparently been given out in bars in New Jersey and North Carolina.
'It has been a pleasure to serve you, but it is time to leave for the night,' the cards also say.
Social media users flooded the comments sections with thoughts.
Many said it avoids embarrassing people.
6 Some workers are giving out printed cards that say, 'You have been cut off,' letting patrons know they won't be served any more alcohol.
Sara Sandbo/Arctic Bell Designs
'If I'm getting cut off, I like the discreetness of this,' one woman wrote in a Facebook group for Boston restaurants.
'I really like this technique,' another woman said. 'I'd follow the direction to the best of my ability at the time.'
One man said he would 'pay my bill, leave a nice tip, order an Uber.'
6 Many said it avoids embarrassing people.
Sara Sandbo, owner of Fairbanks, Alaska-based Arctic Bell Designs, sells a $3 digital template for businesses to download and print.
'As a former 911 dispatcher, I've been on the receiving end of calls involving intoxicated customers who refused to leave, so I wanted to create a tool that could help prevent those kinds of situations,' Sandbo told Fox News Digital.
But many people questioned how the card recipient would get home.
'You shouldn't be just asking them to leave,' one woman said. '[The card] should indicate [the bar] can also help arrange a ride if they don't have a sober one.'
Bars and restaurants are generally not required by law to ensure a drunk customer gets home safely. But some states – including New York, according to the NYC Bar Association – have 'dram shop' laws that hold alcohol-serving establishments responsible if they serve alcohol to minors or to those visibly intoxicated who then cause harm.
'Someone that's intoxicated and cut off NEEDS to be verbally told.'
6 Sara Sandbo, owner of Fairbanks, Alaska-based Arctic Bell Designs, sells a $3 digital template for businesses to download and print.
Nomad_Soul – stock.adobe.com
Some said a card might not be enough for a person to leave.
'If you're hammered, would you know to do the right thing?' one Facebook user wrote.
'Someone that's intoxicated and cut off NEEDS to be verbally told,' someone wrote on Reddit.
6 Bars and restaurants are generally not required by law to ensure a drunk customer gets home safely.
chika_milan – stock.adobe.com
Others feared the move could anger the customer.
'I don't like it,' a former bartender said on Facebook. 'Potentially confrontational.'
Said another person, 'Some will quietly leave and others will make a scene.'
Many internet users said they'd handle the situation differently.
'I met a nice old lady who was going through some stuff and she had too much to drink,' a Reddit user with bartending experience wrote. 'I talked to her politely, asked her to drink some water and [said] I cannot serve her anymore.'
The Redditor added, 'I can't imagine slapping a card in her face. How obnoxious.'
Many agreed they would offer food or water or give the customer the check.
6 Many agreed they would offer food or water or give the customer the check.
Tkachenko Alexey – stock.adobe.com
'As a bartender, I generally don't use the term 'cut off,'' one woman said on Facebook. 'I politely place a water in front of them instead of the drink they ordered.'
Other bartenders, however, said they supported the gesture.
'I'm a bartender and love this,' one woman wrote on Facebook.
6 'I'm a bartender and love this,' one woman wrote on Facebook.
Nomad_Soul – stock.adobe.com
Derek Brown, a bartender and founder of Drink Company, a hospitality consulting agency in Washington, D.C., said sometimes people get intoxicated faster than others expect.
'Some people walk in and don't seem very intoxicated,' he told Fox News Digital. 'You don't know how much they've already had. Then it just goes downhill.'
Bartenders try to ensure people have a great time while keeping them safe without embarrassing them, Brown added.
'I really love that there are creative and thoughtful ways to do that,' he said.
'Apart from giving them a card, I'd suggest that, if they have a kind friend with them, you say, 'Hey, I've noticed your friend has had a few too many, and we don't want him to be frustrated or cause a scene, but it would be awesome if you guys closed out your bill and left.''
Fox News Digital reached out to the original posters and businesses for comment.
Similarly printed cards are sold on Amazon and can be purchased in bulk.