Bar’s frequent drinkers program to offer prizes, trips

This is a nice Monday morning story: Usually the folks that drink the most a bar aren't rewarded for it, but a watering hole in New York is looking to change that.

The Pacific Standard bar in Brooklyn says next month it will launch a frequent drinking program that will offer a variety of prizes from trips to California, to t-shirts to what else, free drinks.

Participants in the program will receive a scannable photo membership card and garner one point per dollar spent in the bar. There will also be a Web site that will let imbibers track their points.

The bar ‘s owners say that the sales campaign was created to help the bar stand out from its competitors and was not aimed at promoting heavier drinking.

As one might expect the frequent drinkers program has drawn criticism. "The only reason they would do this is to encourage people to drink more," Robert Lindsey, president of the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, told the New York Daily News. "The reality is that people don't need added incentives to consume more alcohol, and a scheme rewarding them for doing so is irresponsible."

The owners insist the program isn't intended to encourage drinking (food is included in the program) but rather to help differentiate the bar from other establishments."Every bar has specials. Bars are in the business of encouraging people to drink, but I don't think this program is encouraging overconsumption. If anything, it's encouraging loyalty," John Rauschenberg, a co-owner of the bar told the Daily News.

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