The National Restaurant Association today congratulated Levy Restaurants on receiving the VIBE Vista Operator Award for excellence in responsible alcohol service training.

Levy received the award at the VIBE (Very Important Beverage Executives) 2012 conference in Las Vegas last week. The award is sponsored by the National Restaurant Association’s ServSafe Alcohol program.

Chicago-based Levy Restaurants is aleader in premium sports and entertainment dining. The company’s portfolio includes award-winning restaurants such as James Beard Award-winning Spiaggia in Chicago, Fulton’s Crab House, Portobello and Wolfgang Puck Grand Café at Walt Disney World Resort, renowned sports and entertainment venues like Churchill Downs in Louisville, Staples Center in Los Angeles, and American Airlines Arena in Miami, and events including the Super Bowl, World Series, U. S. Open, Kentucky Derby, NHL and NBA All-Star Games and the Grammy Awards.

Levy created the “Family Serving Family Responsibly!” program and partnered with the National Restaurant Association to develop comprehensive ServSafe Alcohol training solutions, including an “Alcohol Safety Coordinator” in each location, in-house trainers, and an internal website custom-made to Levy’s unique needs.

The program includes annual training of all team members, plus additional reinforcement training of front-of-house staff.

Levy Restaurant has been using a customized version of ServSafe Alcohol for the past several years.

The VIBE Vista Operator Award winners are selected by a panel of beverage professionals, including the VIBE Advisory Council members.

The award for responsible beverage alcohol service highlights customized server training programs that emphasize ongoing reinforcement of training and a culture of responsible alcohol sales.

ServSafe Alcohol offers training solutions to restaurant employees in responsible alcohol service.

The training program teaches employees about their personal responsibility, and how to recognize signs of intoxication in guests and manage service accordingly.

Founded in 1919, the National Restaurant Association is the leading business association for the restaurant industry, which comprises 970,000 restaurant and foodservice outlets and a workforce of nearly 13 million employees. We represent the industry in Washington, D.C., and advocate on its behalf.