In the State of Wisconsin, all bartenders and servers of alcoholic beverages MUST acquire an ‘Operator’s License,’ otherwise known as a Bartender’s License. Thus, a Responsible Beverage Server Training Course is mandatory.
Requirements to Serve Alcoholic Beverages In Wisconsin:
- The applicant must be at least 18 by the time of issuance.
- The applicant may not have been convicted of a felony or be a “habitual law offender.”
- There is no residency requirement to obtain an Operator’s License in Wisconsin.
Responsible Beverage Server Training Courses for Wisconsin
The Wisconsin Department of Revenue has approved a handful of Responsible Beverage Server training course providers. These providers can be broken up into two categories: Classroom Instruction Providers and Online Instruction Providers.
As you will see below, many of the approved companies provide both classroom and online courses, so it is worth contacting them to find out what is best for your situation.
In our experience, a classroom education prepares a bartender more for the real world, but it is absolutely not required.
Online Instruction Providers
- Serving Alcohol Inc. – Wisconsin Alcohol Seller/Server Course (our recommendation)
- TIPS
- American Hotel & Lodging Education Institute
- Learn2Serve
- Rserving.com (Professional Server Certification Corporation)
- Seller/Server.com
- ServerLicense.com
- ServSafe Alcohol (WRAEF/NRAEF)
- TEAM
Classroom Instruction Providers
- TIPS
- Wisconsin Technical Colleges
- RBSLearn
- ServSafe Alcohol (WRAEF/NRAEF)
- TEAM
Other Requirements That May Be Helpful:
- Driver’s License or Passport
- Good Communication Skills
- Be able to stand long periods of time
- Knowledge of basic drink recipes
For more information, please contact your local City Clerk’s office.
Cheers!