Pennsylvania Chick-Fil-A Bans Unaccompanied Kids Under 16
In Royersford, Pennsylvania, the Chick-Fil-A restaurant will no longer allow impolite children dining alone.
The franchise stated in a Facebook post on February 22 that anyone under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult. They may purchase food inside but must take it with them when they leave if they are not accompanied by an adult.
Before posting this, we gave it a lot of thought, but decided it was time. We frequently have school-age children visiting the restaurant without their parents on weekends and holidays. The post stated that these kids and teens typically walk over to our restaurant after spending several hours at a nearby bounce park. While we love being a local area café and serving visitors of any age, a few issues should be tended to.”
According to the post, groups of unaccompanied children and teens frequently visit the restaurant and engage in unacceptable behaviors such as extremely loud conversation, frequently containing a lot of explicit language; food and garbage scattered all over the tables, chairs, and floor; vandalism to the restrooms and tables; stealing ornaments; and treating workers with disrespect by laughing at them, being rude to them, yelling at them, or ignoring them when they ask to change their behavior or leave.
“Numerous Extreme Behaviors” The restaurant has also witnessed risky behaviors like walking through the drive-thru lanes and parking lot.
This is not a pleasant experience, as you can probably imagine. In addition to safeguarding our building, we want to provide a welcoming and secure setting for both our staff and our guests. The restaurant stated, “We cannot permit this to continue.” We are grateful to the unaccompanied children and teens who have visited us and behaved appropriately. However, we are also sorry. We have no choice but to impose a blanket ban on anyone under the age of 16 because of the numerous extreme behaviors displayed by many of your peers.
The post also included a message for parents.
We are not to blame, parents. Teens and children are developing their ability to independently explore the world and frequently challenge established norms. At our restaurant, we simply cannot allow them to push those limits any longer. We encourage you to talk to your children and inquire about any behaviors they may have witnessed. I appreciate your understanding and support.
The public had left nearly 800 comments on the post as of Tuesday, and the majority of those comments have been supportive of the new rule.
One person responded, “Was witness to just such an event while eating with my grandchildren.” I explained to them that doing this in a public restaurant is not acceptable behavior. Respect must be shown to other customers. I appreciate the management’s articulate response to this issue.
Young people need to learn how to set boundaries, according to many of the comments.
According to the headquarters of Chick-Fil-A, the majority of the chain’s restaurants are independently owned and operated, with each restaurant setting its own rules.
