You witness a patron at your establishment become physically aggressive towards another customer. What is your primary responsibility as a ProServe certified server?

Question: You witness a patron at your establishment become physically aggressive towards another customer. What is your primary responsibility as a ProServe certified server?

Answer options:

• Call the police immediately. ✅ Separate the individuals and try to de-escalate the situation.
• Serve the aggressive patron water to calm them down.
• Ignore it unless it escalates further to avoid direct confrontation.

Correct answer: Separate the individuals and try to de-escalate the situation.

Explanation: When an incident of aggression occurs, the primary responsibility of a server is to ensure the safety of all patrons and staff. This involves intervening to de-escalate the situation and separate the individuals involved, if it can be done safely. Calling the police might be necessary after initial de-escalation attempts or if the situation cannot be controlled, but immediate direct action is often required. Serving water does not address the aggression, and ignoring it is unacceptable and dangerous.