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Virginia ABC > Licenses > Training

Licensee Training

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Restaurant owner doing Virginia ABC online training on his laptop.

Register today for Virginia ABC’s FREE licensee training! For your convenience we offer two licensee responsibility courses—Responsible Sellers & Servers: Virginia’s Program (RSVP) and Managers’ Alcohol Responsibility Training (MART) to assist businesses in shouldering their many responsibilities for maintaining a safe and regulated operation, which include preventing underage sales and consumption of alcoholic beverages.  The classes were designed to support sellers and servers in understanding the facts of alcohol education and prevention and Virginia ABC’s laws and regulation.  The trainings provide the participants the tools and knowledge needed to be successful and compliant.

Both courses are available online for you to take at your convenience and in classroom settings instructed by a team of Virginia ABC special agents in your region.

Link to sign up for MART training
 

Managers' Alcohol Responsibility Training (MART) is a free, six-hour course instructed by a team of Virginia ABC special agents. MART courses are offered in February, June and October.

MART is recommended for:

  • Virginia's on-premise and off-premise licensees
  • managers
  • owners

At the completion of MART, participants will be able to:

  • understand laws, rules and regulations that govern alcohol sales and consumption in Virginia
  • understand requirements of operating an ABC licensed business
  • prevent intoxicated and underage customers
  • document alcohol-related incidents
  • understand procedures for employing minors
  • use advertising properly
  • check IDs correctly
  • manage confrontational situations with customers
  • utilize compliance assistance from Virginia ABC special agents
Link to sign up for RSVP training

Responsible Sellers & Servers: Virginia's Program (RSVP) is a free, three-hour course instructed by a team of Virginia ABC special agents.

RSVP is recommended for:

  • Virginia's on-premise and off-premise licensees
  • clerks
  • cashiers
  • wait staff
  • bartenders
  • "front line" employees

At the completion of RSVP, participants will be able to:

  • understand laws, rules and regulations that govern alcohol sales and consumption in Virginia
  • prevent intoxicated customers
  • refuse sales to underage and intoxicated customers
  • examine IDs
  • document alcohol-related incidents

Contact Us

Education and Prevention
(804) 977-7440
education@abc.virginia.gov

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ABC Special Agents

Special agents are the primary resource for questions related to operating a business with an ABC license. Contact a special agent via your regional ABC office.

The Advantages of Training

The Virginia code provides for a reduction in the length of any suspension and a reduction in the amount of any civil penalty for any retail licensee where the licensee can demonstrate that it provided to its employees alcohol server or seller training certified in advance by Virginia ABC (COV §4.1-227).

Training Approval Program

Learn how to submit your training program for approval. If your business conducts its own alcohol server training course, you can have it approved by Virginia ABC, pursuant to COV 4.1-227(E). Once approved, it will be your responsibility to keep your program updated with changes to Virginia's codes and regulations, and to maintain all records of training classes conducted.

Retail Resources

Looking for guidance about happy hour advertising, preventing underage sales or other licensee issues? Visit the retail licensee resources section, designed to support licensed establishments in understanding and following Virginia's ABC laws and regulations.
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