The Corporate Overlords
The majority of MAST class providers fall into this category because they don’t just offer alcohol server training in Washington, they have courses up in states all over the country. Due to this, their courses tend to be overly generalized and wordy in an attempt to fit their content into each state’s unique requirements (e.g. saying “license to sell alcoholic license” instead of simply “liquor license”, saying “management/hospitality policies” instead of simply “house policies”).
Rather than teaching state-specific laws upfront, they often include them in “addendums” that follow each lesson (and sometimes contradict what was previously stated). This might be the most efficient way of developing courses for multiple states, but it’s not the most effective way for a student to learn the information.
Some of these “Fat Cats” are part of eLearning conglomerates that aren’t limited to alcohol server training. For this reason, they typically employ doctors, psychiatrists and other non-industry related professionals to write their course content for them.
This is demonstrated by their tendency to provide facts without context. As a student, this leaves you wondering how much of the content applies to you as an alcohol server.
The Retired “Professionals”
A surprising number of MAST class providers are former software developers and IT professionals who decided to jump on the mandatory alcohol server training bandwagon as a means of supplementing their early “retirement.” A handful of MAST training providers are also former state employees who left positions in law enforcement or administration.
Since they are in it to make money, it’s not surprising that their naming strategy suggests both a lack of creativity and a desire to appear at the top of the list. Along those same lines, their courses don’t offer original content and often include embedded links to YouTube videos they did not create.
Real Life Bartenders
The unicorn of MAST class providers are actually former alcohol servers themselves. Imagine that!
Teaching a MAST class is about more than just knowing liquor laws. It involves understanding how those laws affect alcohol servers.
Because we have years of experience working in the service industry, we can approach MAST training reasonably and practically. We don’t just tell you what not to do, we are able to provide helpful tips on what you can do!
Our course also demonstrates that we don’t underestimate the level of skill and professionalism required to uphold liquor laws while simultaneously delivering excellent customer service, making guests feel welcome and working in a fast-paced environment.
