Drinking out of state?!
Drinking out of state?
I'm a 19 year old from NY. In NY, the drinking age thing is generally pretty relaxed, especially in the city, yes I know its illegal, but I'm legal to do everything else, right? Point is, when Im out of town I always order drinks virgin and dont give anyone a hard time because I know they will get into trouble for serving me. However, some people get really nasty and demmand ID and act like Im trying to trick them somehow. Is it just that they are worried about liabilties or are they just purposely giving me a hard time because Im young?
Additional Details1 day ago
They were asking ID's for virgin drinks and I had to clarify again that I wanted it virgin, and some people get very nasty when you order a drink and look young, again, I'm not trying to give people a hard time. When you go to the city of NY it is very easy to drink underage, the rest of the state this is not so. Please read the question thoroughly before answering, thanks.
Answers:
They're worred about liabilities.
The liquor board can bust them if you're drinking underage. Even if the chances of them being busted by the police is 0.1%, it's still not a risk worth taking because they can lose their liquor license, and the server can get fined.
And no, they're not particularly worried about your health and safety. And the few that claim to be aren't places I'd enjoy going to anyway. Just like any other business, they are in it for the MONEY!!! If the drinking age was 18 again in NY, I would bet you a large sum of money that 99% of restaurants and bars would permit 18 year olds to drink...even if every one of them jumped in their car and wrapped themselves around a tree afterwards.
What I would do in your situation is ensure that they know the drink is virgin. If they still ask for ID, clarify once again "VIRGIN...NO ALCOHOL". If they give you a bad rap still, get a soda and don't tip them. It's certainly not illegal for them to serve N/A mixed drinks, and if they (or the restaurant's policy) are being a jerk, then you don't have to tip!
Good luck...enjoy the booze!
Joe