(Imagen 4)
How old are you? The question that’s been asked at bars, pornography sites, and social media sites is now being asked at…a fast food restaurant in Kettering, Ohio.
I’ve talked about age assurance, age verification, and age estimation in a variety of use cases, including:
- alcohol
- tobacco
- firearms
- cannabis
- driver’s licenses
- gambling
- “mature” adult content
- car rentals
- social media access
But what about fast food?
Anti-teen dining policies are nothing new, but this particular one is getting national attention.
The Kettering Chick-fil-A Teen Chaperone Policy
The Chick-fil-A in Kettering, Ohio (which apparently is a franchise and not company owned) posted the following last week:
“With school starting, we wanted to make sure that everyone is aware of our Teen Chaperone Policy. We are grateful for your support and want to make sure Chick-fil-A Kettering is a safe and enjoyable place for everyone! Thank you so much!”
Chick-fil-A Kettering Teen Chaperone Policy
To ensure a safe and respectful environment for all guests:
Guests 17 and under must be accompanied by a parent, guardian, or adult chaperone (age 21+) to dine in.
Unaccompanied minors may be asked to leave.
Thank you for helping us keep Chick-fil-Afamily-friendly!
Chick-fil-A Kettering
For the moment let’s admit that the Chick-fil-A worker (who may or may not be 17 years old themselves) tasked with enforcing the rule will probably just eyeball the person and decide if they’re old enough.
And let’s also ignore the business ramifications of this franchise’s actions, not only for the franchise location itself, but for all Chick-fil-A restaurants, including those who welcome people of all ages at all times.
Brick-and-mortar, underage
But there are some ramifications I want to address now.
This is definitely a brand new use case unlike the others, both because
- it affects a brick-and-mortar establishment (not a virtual one), and
- it affects people under the age of 18 whose ages are difficult to authenticate.
The last point is a big one I’ve addressed before. People under the age of 18 may not have a driver’s license or any valid government ID that proves their age. And if I’m a kid and walking to the Chick-fil-A, I’m not taking my passport with me.
In a way that’s precisely the point, and the lack of a government ID may be enough to keep the kids out…except that people over the age of 18 may not have a driver’s license either, and thus may be thrown out unjustly.
Enforcing a business-only rule without government backing
In addition, unlike alcohol or cannabis laws, there are very few laws that can be used to enforce this. Yes, there are curfew laws at night, and laws that affect kids during school hours, but this franchise’s regulation affects the establishment 24 hours a day (Sundays excluded, of course).
So Chick-fil-A Kettering is on its own regarding the enforcement of its new rule.
Unless Kettering modifies its municipal code to put the rule of law behind this rule and force ALL fast food establishments to enforce it.
And then what’s next? Enforcement at the Kettering equivalent of James Games?
Bredemarket 
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