The plaintiff should never have been allowed to stand on the bar stool in order to retrieve the dart. It was absolutely the bar’s responsibility in this instance and they should have had an employee monitoring this competition and help with this role. By allowing the dart throwing team to participate, special forethought should have gone into considering any precautionary or extra safety measures, in addition to accident protocol guidelines established for both the team and the employees on staff during the practice periods.

Restaurant owners and managers have a responsibility not only to their patrons, but to their employees, to maintain a safe environment. Not having an employee on hand to monitor competition puts everyone inside the bar, including other patrons, at risk.

This expert has over 30 years of experience in the hospitality industry. His experience includes positions at convention hotels in Los Angeles and Washington D.C., as well as management with restaurant companies in the country. He specializes in restaurant openings and consulting. He currently serves as Associate Professor of Hospitality Management at a major university.