A great night out takes planning – the right shoes, the right outfit and the right advice. After working hard all week, no one wants their bar or club experience to be marred by dirty washrooms, poor staff or fellow bar-goers who get out of control.
Enter Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission’s Best Bar None, a program that offers accreditation and awards to bars that promote the responsible management of their operations. The program is working to reduce alcohol-related harms as well as raising the industry standards for licensed premises. Best Bar None’s website lists accredited establishments as well as the 2012 winners. Accredited bars have the Best Bar None symbol on their doors.
Now into its second year in Calgary, Best Bar None just launched the 2013 competition. This year’s winners will be announced at an awards event in June. While raising the standard in good bar management, the program also provides an opportunity for a little friendly competition among Calgary bars, not to mention much deserved recognition for the winners.
A collaboration between bar owners, licensing regulators and the police, Best Bar None works to improve the relationships of everyone involved in the late night bar scene to create a better environment for patrons. The program addresses things patrons might never think of that contribute to safety; for example, having easily identifiable staff members or accurately counting the number of patrons in the establishment.
As well as Best Bar None, the Calgary bar industry runs the Bar Watch program, an initiative to keep gangs and organized crime out of the Calgary bar scene. Bar Watch members proudly display the Bar Watch logo on their door.
Part of being a world class city is a vibrant night life and Calgary has much to offer in this department. Most of the night time venues in Calgary are well managed. A handful of “bad bars” can use up a lot of police and other resources, as well as ruining your night out. Best Bar None is just one of several ways that the City, Calgary Police and other regulatory agencies work in collaboration with the bar industry to keep Calgary a world class city.
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