How should staff handle a patron suspected of trying to buy alcohol for a minor?

If staff suspect a patron is buying alcohol to give to a minor (a 'second-party' or 'straw' purchase), they should decline the sale, because furnishing alcohol to a minor — even indirectly through an of-age buyer — is illegal and can carry the same serious consequences as selling to the minor directly. Watching for signs such as an of-age adult ordering for an underage companion is part of responsible service. When such a purchase appears likely, refusing the transaction protects the staff and establishment from liability and prevents alcohol from reaching a minor.