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  1. #1

    Question Age to Enter Bar and Nightclub

    In New York, how old do you have to be to enter a bar and nightclub? I know the age to buy alcohol is 21, but what is the age to enter a bar and nightclub? I have heard some people say 21 but wouldn't that be discrimination?

    Anyone got a link to the law?

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jan 2008
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    Toledo, OH
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    Default Re: Age to Enter Bar and Nightclub

    I have heard some people say 21 but wouldn't that be discrimination?
    Sure, it's discrimination. But it's perfectly legal discrimination. Not all discrimination is illegal.

    The age at which a person not yet of legal drinking age may enter a bar is up to the owner of the bar. While it is illegal to enter a bar if you are under 18, it is not illegal for the bar owner to require you to be 21.

  3. #3

    Default Re: Age to Enter Bar and Nightclub

    This isn't discrimination, it's protection of the business. In our bar (MI), minors were allowed in the bar, with an adult, until 830pm (we served food), at which time it was left to the discretion of the barkeep as to whether or not we cleared 18-20 yo's (all minors under 18 were out at 830). If they were allowed to stay as a DD, all the waitresses were notified of their presence, and they had to sit at a table next to our cooler/bouncer, or tagged with a bracelet as 'under 21' so that they weren't served. Some were allowed to stay, some were not. Other bars in the area have rooms specifically for those 18-20, and if you are found in any room that serves alcohol, you are immediately removed and banned until you reach 21.

    Tickets for serving underage are expensive, and can cut into a businesses profits in a hot hurry.

    OOPS: LRM, I wasn't contradicting you.... I just caught the 'legal discrimination' thing. Sorry bout that. You're right.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Mar 2009
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    Michigan
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    6,808

    Default Re: Age to Enter Bar and Nightclub

    You'll notice most concert venues ask for ID and wristband the 21+ crowd so waitstaff knows who can and can't be served.

    Also...as MamaBear mentioned...fines for serving underage people are expensive. And too many violations can lead to the loss of their Beer/Liquor License....and State/City laws may even order the doors padlocked and the business shut down.

    There's also the potential for lawsuits. If Johnny UnderAge gets served, then drives, then crashes....

  5. #5

    Default Re: Age to Enter Bar and Nightclub

    Even if we didn't serve 'Johnny Underage' and law enforcement walked in and found them with a drink (snatched from a nearby table, or snuck to them by a friend), the server for that area of the bar got a nice hefty $1500 ticket, which the owner did not pay (server responsibility).

    The OP should also be aware that in many parts of the country, bars share info. If you're turned away from one bar, they call their counterparts in the local area and give a heads up. Fake id's are another no-no. Your ID can be held until an officer arrives to escort you and your ID out to his car. Just trying to cover all the bases here *wink*

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jan 2008
    Location
    Toledo, OH
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    16,307

    Default Re: Age to Enter Bar and Nightclub

    The OP should also be aware that in many parts of the country, bars share info. If you're turned away from one bar, they call their counterparts in the local area and give a heads up. Fake id's are another no-no. Your ID can be held until an officer arrives to escort you and your ID out to his car.
    Oh, do they EVER. I spent many a night calling the bars and package stores in a 5 mile radius of the pizza kitchen/carryout liquor place I worked in for a while. Some lamer would try to pass off a fake ID, throw a tantrum when I'd compare it to the Big Book of Real Drivers Licenses, and stomp out yelling something about taking his/her business elsewhere.

    "Hi, this is Missy at Dominic's again. You've got a fake California ID coming your way, Caucasian female, brown/brown, looks to be 18 or 19, ID claims she's 40. She'll claim she knows the owner of your place, too. Yes, she tried to tell me she's good friends with Dom, can you believe it?"

    (Dominic had been dead since 1987.)

    Liquor licenses are difficult to procure, terrifyingly expensive, and subject to revocation if you're not taking sufficient steps to ensure that no one under the age of 21 is served. Most bar owners simply refuse to admit anyone under 21 to help limit their liability.

  7. #7

    Default Re: Age to Enter Bar and Nightclub

    In New York it is legal for a minor to enter and remain in a bar if they are accompanied by a parent or adult 21+ years of age. The bar can set an age of 21+ if they so desire. There are states that allow a parent to buy and serve alcohol to their minor child while in a bar - but New York is not one of them.

  8. #8

    Default Re: Age to Enter Bar and Nightclub

    Quote Quoting LawResearcherMissy
    View Post
    Oh, do they EVER. I spent many a night calling the bars and package stores in a 5 mile radius of the pizza kitchen/carryout liquor place I worked in for a while. Some lamer would try to pass off a fake ID, throw a tantrum when I'd compare it to the Big Book of Real Drivers Licenses, and stomp out yelling something about taking his/her business elsewhere.

    "Hi, this is Missy at Dominic's again. You've got a fake California ID coming your way, Caucasian female, brown/brown, looks to be 18 or 19, ID claims she's 40. She'll claim she knows the owner of your place, too. Yes, she tried to tell me she's good friends with Dom, can you believe it?"

    (Dominic had been dead since 1987.)

    Liquor licenses are difficult to procure, terrifyingly expensive, and subject to revocation if you're not taking sufficient steps to ensure that no one under the age of 21 is served. Most bar owners simply refuse to admit anyone under 21 to help limit their liability.
    ROFLMCAO!! Ok, THAT'S good! Most of mine were using sibs ID's or altered ones (um, yes, the clear nail polish doesn't hide the eraser marks, kid!). One of my favorites was a girl coming in, handing me the ID, and I knew the sister that was on the ID (she was sitting at a top deck table at the time). I called the sister down, via my bouncer, and sat back and watched the action as the parents were called.

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