In this state, where laws against public intoxication are practically non-existant, it is illegal to be intoxicated on a licensed premise. Tricky, right? You can see that the burden is placed on proprietors to serve responsibly, for there is no burden on the public to drink responsibly. The business owner has chosen this burden because it is lucrative. However, there is now the burden of a possibly intoxicated person being placed on the unsuspecting; be it another guest at the time, a driver on the road, or as we have seen too often, a family waiting at home. This unsuspecting public never chooses the burden that is so often thrust on them when things go wrong with alcohol.
The public knows that a license is in place because it is posted prominently (along with all the other licenses, permits, and public notices that are required to be posted) where the business is conducted with the public. That is the little assurance provided to the general walk-in public of who is conducting the business at that premise. It assures us that the governing bodies are aware of and endorse the operation of that business at that site by that entity.
