HOUSTON – Enjoying a cold one, without any worries. Karbach Brewing Company is implementing safety measures to ensure its patrons can have fun, safely. It’s called bystander intervention training.
“We think it is great that beer brings people together, but we want to make sure when they are together, we can offer them a safe time, and so they can enjoy themselves,” David Graham, director of marketing at Karbach Brewing Company, told KPRC 2.
Graham said all 225 of Karbach’s employees have been through the training.
“So what that means for us is making sure we keep our head on a swivel, and paying attention to every customer, their body language facial expressions, so we can identify situations that might be arising and handle that appropriately,” Graham said.
The company has hung signs like this in their bathrooms that read: ‘Hey girl, do you feel unsafe? Feeling uncomfortable? Are you or a friend in danger? Date gone bad? Find one of our Karbach bartenders and order…’
KPRC 2 is not showing what that menu item is, but if you order it, Karbach guarantees it will get you to a safe place quickly and discreetly.
“Every situation is different, but we know that in that situation there needs to be intervention and we can handle it appropriately as we see.” Graham explained similar signs are hung in the men’s room. “Situations happen for both parties. We want to make sure everyone feels safe here at Karbach,” he said.
“College-aged girls, 18 to 24 are three times more likely to be sexually assaulted than women in the general population,” Kevin Fitzpatrick, founder of Safe Bar Network. said. “Fifty-percent of all sexual assaults happen by friends or acquaintances, and it’s even more than 50-percent.”
Safe Bar Network currently works with 67 establishments in 17 states. Karbach is its first partner in Houston. The organization’s mission is to build a culture where staff use active bystander skills to create comfortable, safe and fun atmospheres for all customers.
“We haven’t had to use the code yet, which is a good thing, but again it’s all about being prepared for what could happen.” Fitzpatrick said.
Karbach’s training is ongoing. The brewery has designated current employees to train new employees as they join the company.
