10 California Responsible Beverage Service training courses

This comprehensive course lands on top of our list with 20+ lessons detailing key information on the state-required California Responsible Beverage Service (RBS) training. SC Training (formerly EdApp) takes a deep dive into the responsibilities of alcohol servers, the effects of alcohol on the body, and the relevant laws on serving alcohol to minors and intoxicated persons.

This course is perfect for seasoned servers and managers looking to brush up on their skills, but it's also a great starting point for beginners. It offers a solid introduction to RBS while diving deep into the essentials—like exploring why people drink and the positive and negative social impacts of alcohol consumption. 

SC Training’s in-house experts dedicated five lessons in this course solely for navigating the importance of policy development in licensed establishments within California and beyond. This is crucial in laying the groundwork to guarantee compliance, minimize legal risks, and promote responsible business practices.

Navigating the laws and regulations around alcohol consumption can be tricky. That’s why this course breaks it down into bite-sized, easy-to-digest lessons with the help of microlearning. This way, your teams can absorb lessons in under five minutes, making it easier to fit learning into their busy schedules and accommodate short attention spans.

Next on this list is another RBS refresher course that specifically delves into the California State laws and regulations on the sale of alcohol. It’ll also give your teams a review of the licensing requirements and disciplinary guidelines for different businesses that sell alcohol.

Some of the important topics covered in this course include the Alcoholic Beverage Control Act, the health and social impact of alcohol, and different ways to refuse the sale of alcohol when necessary. 

This California RBS training course ends with a gamified final assessment designed to test your team’s retention of the key concepts discussed. SC Training houses a template library where you can choose among 80+ interactive elements that help you reinforce important knowledge and skills.

StateFoodSafety’s course aims to prepare new alcohol servers by equipping them with relevant information based on California regulations. It covers alcohol service laws, key serving techniques, the effect of alcohol on the body, and more.

It also explains how to slow down and refuse service. Plus, it can train your teams to recognize why establishment policies are important when serving alcoholic beverages. This training is approved by the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC), allowing servers to take the state exam and earn their responsible beverage service certification.

360training offers an adaptive and skill-oriented training course that targets teams working or aspiring to work at bars, restaurants, hotels, and more. This course will train them on how to keep customers safe from drunk driving.

This course is approved by the ABC of California and recognized by the ANSI National Accreditation Board which accredits organizations to make sure that they’re compliant with international standards. Learners will have two attempts to pass the exam and they will get the California RBS Certification upon completion.

This training from TIPS can enhance your team’s service and bartender skills, particularly for serving alcohol in the state of California. It can equip them with the techniques and information necessary to protect your business’s reputation and minimize legal liabilities. 

Designed to train servers on having a positive influence on your guests’ drinking behavior, this course can help them feel more comfortable to step in to address situations that could pose a safety risk. Your teams can take this course along with other food handler training programs as a bundle offered by TIPS.

This self-paced online training course from Serving Alcohol serves as an interactive guide on how to become a bartender in California. But it’s also useful for bartenders, servers, barbacks, door security guards, and any person who serves alcohol. 

This ABC-state-approved training can be taken in English and Spanish. It’s also mobile-friendly and your teams will have access to a US-based support staff in case they have questions about the course.

Your teams can also train for their California alcohol server certification with ServSafe. This course covers the influence of alcohol on behavior, the different signs of intoxication, and the legal issues surrounding alcohol-related incidents. 

Keep in mind that your teams should register with the ABC of California first before taking the course. Upon completing the course, ServSafe will forward their records to the California Alcoholic Beverage Control, and only after this will they be eligible to take the exam.

San Francisco Wine School created this course to train teams that serve alcohol for on-premises consumption. The curriculum follows the standards set by ABC and offers real-world examples relevant to responsibly serving alcoholic beverages and mitigating harm.

While this course is on the more expensive side, its quality is assured as it’s developed by master sommelier and certified wine educator David Glancy. This is a hybrid training that can be taken in-person or online. It can also be taken at your business’s chosen venue.

This hospitality training focuses on responsible alcohol service practices and the legal obligations for legal standards for servers across California. It meets all the ABC training requirements and covers the essentials of compliance and recognizing intoxication.

Completing this course will get your teams a PDF certificate that’s valid for three years. The training is accessible 90 days after purchase and learners will have three attempts to pass the exam.

Responsible Training offers a four-lesson course on California Responsible Beverage Service training. The lessons include seller-server training, minors and alcohol, intoxicated people and alcohol sales, and alcohol-to-go and delivery.

This will also cover when to cut off service and what to look for when checking identification. The lessons are packed with engaging exercises on the topic and five-minute quizzes are given after each one.