Must show ID before entering a restaurant?

[Redhack]

ok so I was out with my wife and we dropped by a restaurant/bar after our movie. The guy at the door asks for ID. I say I don't have it and I would just like to sit down and eat dinner (I'm 33 and my wife is 28 ). He says we cant enter without photo ID. Do they have the legal right to require someone to be 21 to eat dinner? (they have a bar)

[inspiringmind]

ok so I was out with my wife and we dropped by a restaurant/bar after our movie. The guy at the door asks for ID. I say I don't have it and I would just like to sit down and eat dinner (I'm 33 and my wife is 28 ). He says we cant enter without photo ID. Do they have the legal right to require someone to be 21 to eat dinner? (they have a bar)

 

 

Yes, usually they have a sign that says they may turn away anyone as a customer for any reason (well something like that.) BUT, they can really ask for ID because they have a bar. Kinda like when you go into a liquor store and if you look under the age of 35 they can ask for your ID. The person could say that they are "just going to eat dinner" and then go buy a drink and if they asked for ID at the door then they wouldn't have to worry about that. Now if they didn't have any alcohol in the place I would question the validity of asking for ID. Did you really not have your ID?

[Redhack]

No I did'nt have it on me because we only originally planned to see a movie. Oh well, now I know. Thanks

[Luverly]

I don't know about the actual laws but it irritates me too. There is one mexican resteraunt in town that always makes me show ID just to eat there because you are able to order drinks as well. IMO you shouldn't have to show ID until you actually ORDER a drink!!

[hurricanesfans27]

its up to the restaurant. if you dont like their rules dont eat there. This has nothing to do with VISA/MC

[Need More RWHP]

IHOP used to do non-sense like that, because of too many eat 'n runs. They required you to put your driver's license into their impound before you could sit down, because some moron employee and equally purple manager apparently have not a clue what privacy or identity theft means.

 

http://www.redorbit.com/news/oddities/7466..._ids/index.html

 

It would be MUCH more reasonable to require PRE-PAY than pull that non-sense.

[hurricanesfans27]

IHOP used to do non-sense like that, because of too many eat 'n runs. They required you to put your driver's license into their impound before you could sit down, because some moron employee and equally purple manager apparently have not a clue what privacy or identity theft means.

 

http://www.redorbit.com/news/oddities/7466..._ids/index.html

 

It would be MUCH more reasonable to require PRE-PAY than pull that non-sense.

 

 

 

dennys got in big trouble for requiring prepay .. so did waffle house. but they were being discriminatory about it. requiring blacks to prepay and nobody else.

[webworm98]

On the prepay issue.

How would you know how much to prepay anyways?

 

Sometimes you eat your meal and if still hungry order a desert and sometimes you do not.

[hurricanesfans27]

On the prepay issue.

How would you know how much to prepay anyways?

 

Sometimes you eat your meal and if still hungry order a desert and sometimes you do not.

 

 

good question I have no idea.

[Uncle Leo]

Pre-pay again when you order desert.

[LBCS]

Pre-Pay at a sit down restaurant sounds quite cumbersome. Did it actually exist?

 

Pre-pay again when you order desert.

[Uncle Leo]

Pre-Pay at a sit down restaurant sounds quite cumbersome. Did it actually exist?

 

I agree it would be cumborsome, and I'd not go if I knew it was like that beforehandand I had other good options.

[hurricanesfans27]

Pre-Pay at a sit down restaurant sounds quite cumbersome. Did it actually exist?

 

I agree it would be cumborsome, and I'd not go if I knew it was like that beforehandand I had other good options.

 

 

dennys did it for certain minority customers as well as Waffle House. there are a few other reports out there on other chains too. the dennys where I used to live was one of the restaurants that was notorious for doing it and I myself actually witnessed it and walked out because of it.

[Uncle Leo]

Pre-Pay at a sit down restaurant sounds quite cumbersome. Did it actually exist?

I agree it would be cumborsome, and I'd not go if I knew it was like that beforehandand I had other good options.

dennys did it for certain minority customers as well as Waffle House. there are a few other reports out there on other chains too. the dennys where I used to live was one of the restaurants that was notorious for doing it and I myself actually witnessed it and walked out because of it.

 

I remember the Dennys incidents. I wanna say something similar went on with Cracker Barrel, though maybe that was something else.

[hurricanesfans27]

Pre-Pay at a sit down restaurant sounds quite cumbersome. Did it actually exist?

I agree it would be cumborsome, and I'd not go if I knew it was like that beforehandand I had other good options.

dennys did it for certain minority customers as well as Waffle House. there are a few other reports out there on other chains too. the dennys where I used to live was one of the restaurants that was notorious for doing it and I myself actually witnessed it and walked out because of it.

 

I remember the Dennys incidents. I wanna say something similar went on with Cracker Barrel, though maybe that was something else.

 

 

cracker barrel had a lesbian employee who was being discriminated against because of her sexual preference.

[Polarhound]

ok so I was out with my wife and we dropped by a restaurant/bar after our movie. The guy at the door asks for ID. I say I don't have it and I would just like to sit down and eat dinner (I'm 33 and my wife is 28 ). He says we cant enter without photo ID. Do they have the legal right to require someone to be 21 to eat dinner? (they have a bar)

 

As a former bouncer, I can tell you exactly why they have this perfectly legal house rule:

 

No bar in their right mind is going to risk the local Alcohol & Beverage Commission fining them and/or pulling their liquor license because their door staff let in someone without an ID that turned out to be underage and even only touched an alcoholic drink to push it away from them at a table.

 

When the ABC comes around, it is unannounced, in plainclothes, and one violation can screw a bar royally.

 

Any bar manager worth their salt requires IDing of ALL patrons, be they 23, 33 or 73. Some bars even swipe your ID in a special reader to confirm validity. The bars I worked in, we not only carded everyone, we got a BONUS for each fake ID we confiscated. My personal record in one night is eight.

 

If you were asked for an ID, the doorman was just doing HIS job to protect not only his, but all of his coworkers' jobs. Making a stink will just make them even less likely to let you in.

 

This Colorado.edu link goes into more detail.

 

Smith and Foundry general manager Matt Byrne agreed that liquor licenses are the single most valuable asset to an establishment. Thousands of dollars of revenue can be lost during a license suspension.

 

"If the Foundry was closed down for five days, we would lose more than $30,000," Byrne said. "People think they're doing a favor for their underage friends by trying to sneak them in. In reality, they're just putting their favorite bar in jeopardy."

Edited February 17, 2008 by Polarhound

[Need More RWHP]

ok so I was out with my wife and we dropped by a restaurant/bar after our movie. The guy at the door asks for ID. I say I don't have it and I would just like to sit down and eat dinner (I'm 33 and my wife is 28 ). He says we cant enter without photo ID. Do they have the legal right to require someone to be 21 to eat dinner? (they have a bar)

 

As a former bouncer, I can tell you exactly why they have this perfectly legal house rule:

 

No bar in their right mind is going to risk the local Alcohol & Beverage Commission fining them and/or pulling their liquor license because their door staff let in someone without an ID that turned out to be underage and even only touched an alcoholic drink to push it away from them at a table.

 

When the ABC comes around, it is unannounced, in plainclothes, and one violation can screw a bar royally.

 

Any bar manager worth their salt requires IDing of ALL patrons, be they 23, 33 or 73. Some bars even swipe your ID in a special reader to confirm validity. The bars I worked in, we not only carded everyone, we got a BONUS for each fake ID we confiscated. My personal record in one night is eight.

 

If you were asked for an ID, the doorman was just doing HIS job to protect not only his, but all of his coworkers' jobs. Making a stink will just make them even less likely to let you in.

 

This Colorado.edu link goes into more detail.

 

Smith and Foundry general manager Matt Byrne agreed that liquor licenses are the single most valuable asset to an establishment. Thousands of dollars of revenue can be lost during a license suspension.

 

"If the Foundry was closed down for five days, we would lose more than $30,000," Byrne said. "People think they're doing a favor for their underage friends by trying to sneak them in. In reality, they're just putting their favorite bar in jeopardy."

 

I refuse to patronize bars that use the barcode scanner. That is something I will only allow the police to do.

Do you know the information contained in your barcode?

EVERYTHING that's on the front of the card.

 

http://www.idscanner.com/products/CardVisor%20III.htm

 

http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=06/...51&from=rss

 

Some examples of commercial exploitation of private data:

 

http://www.dgahouston.com/dlsplit1.htm

 

There are bar owners who use this information for market research, such as age and gender, or even prediction of people who come together. Unless you don't value your privacy and you don't mind clubs and bars cataloging your address, DL#, and EVERYTHING stay far away.

 

The barcode allows for easier data entry for police officers having contact with someone, it shouldn't be permitted for commercial entity use (be it for-profit or non-profit).

Edited February 17, 2008 by Need More RWHP

[digitalbob]

If your state uses a magnetic stripe on its ID, you can erase it with a magnet.

[Continental]

Demanding ID just to enter a restaurant is ridiculous.

[inspiringmind]

If your state uses a magnetic stripe on its ID, you can erase it with a magnet.

 

What happens if you get pulled over for speeding or something and the cop tries to swipe the card? Do you just claim ignorance? What if in the future to get through an airport security you have to swipe that ID/DL?

[Uncle Leo]

If your state uses a magnetic stripe on its ID, you can erase it with a magnet.

What happens if you get pulled over for speeding or something and the cop tries to swipe the card? Do you just claim ignorance? What if in the future to get through an airport security you have to swipe that ID/DL?

 

Why wouldn't you claim ignorance? If it can be demagnetized so easily purposely, then it can certainly happen accidentally.

 

"Beats me, officer, I didn't know it was demagnetized. "

 

You just have to know it will delay you a bit longer while they call it in.

[hurricanesfans27]

If your state uses a magnetic stripe on its ID, you can erase it with a magnet.

What happens if you get pulled over for speeding or something and the cop tries to swipe the card? Do you just claim ignorance? What if in the future to get through an airport security you have to swipe that ID/DL?

 

Why wouldn't you claim ignorance? If it can be demagnetized so easily purposely, then it can certainly happen accidentally.

 

"Beats me, officer, I didn't know it was demagnetized. "

 

You just have to know it will delay you a bit longer while they call it in.

+1

[digitalbob]

there have been two attempts to swipe my ID twice since I erased it.

 

First: the first time I went through security @ the headquartrs of a large corporation. They keyed in some information.

 

Second: applying for a Target credit card at the point of sale. The cashier tried to scan the card as well (my state's ID have barcodes, but they only have the license number).

 

In neither case did they seem surprised or particularly bothered by this.