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[canaldrifter]

Still pedantic though. Nobody's ever taken me for less than 18 years old, even when I was 16!

Tone

[canaldrifter]

Hoorah! I'm a senior member again!

Tone

[OnTheDrink]

It's not necessarily the doorman's fault.  Sometimes, when a licensed premises has been in trouble for serving alcohol to under 18s, the licensing authority will make them check EVERYBODY'S age, no matter what.  This will then prevent the premises' owner or manager claiming that someone they served "looked 21", when in fact they were 17.

If I remember correctly this happened to a High Street branch of a national supermarket chain last year.

DB.

That happened in my local Morrisons a few years ago when they were on a last warning to have their licence suspended because they were regularly selling alcohol to under 18's. Problem was that the checkout staff were instructed to ask every customer if they were 21 and if they said yes they got sold the alcohol, regardless of how old they appeared to be. Needless to say that was replaced by a a real Challenge 21 policy very soon after a 'final, final warning'!

[ian]

It would have done no good, the manager would have backed the doorman to to hilt.

A few years ago I was sat in another bar will my wife, only went in for one but it was happy hour and ended up having 10 Buds. the barmaid ID everybody, each time they ordered a drink.  They was only maybe 10 in the bar and she know them all, but still ID them every time they came to the bar.  I asked her why she was doing it.  She told me that it was the law and if the police came in and found anybody under 21 in the bar, the bar would be closed down straight away with no excuses.

ian.

[DarkieBoy]

It would have done no good, the manager would have backed the doorman to to hilt.

A few years ago I was sit in another bar will my wife, only went in for one but it was happy hour and ended up having 10 Buds. the barmaid ID everybody, each time they ordered a drink.  They was only maybe 10 in the bar and she know them all, but still ID them every time they came to the bar.  I asked her why she was doing it.  She told me that it was the law and if the police came in and found anybody under 21 in the bar, the bar would be closed down straight away with no excuses.

ian.

US of A, per chance? 

DB.

[DarkieBoy]

Still pedantic though. Nobody's ever taken me for less than 18 years old, even when I was 16!

Tone

It is, but they would have to go by the licensing authority's rules, or face losing their licence for not abiding to them.  The licensing authority are being strict because the premises may have failed a number of times previously.

DB.

[OnTheDrink]

A few years ago I was sat in another bar will my wife, only went in for one but it was happy hour and ended up having 10 Buds. the barmaid ID everybody, each time they ordered a drink.  They was only maybe 10 in the bar and she know them all, but still ID them every time they came to the bar.  I asked her why she was doing it.  She told me that it was the law and if the police came in and found anybody under 21 in the bar, the bar would be closed down straight away with no excuses.

ian.

I had a similar experience in Canada: Couldn't buy a round unless the bar staff could see everyone who'd been previously ID'd and was getting the drinks bought for them. We gave up buying rounds eventually.

[ian]

The first was DC, the second was the dry state of Utah. 

[OldBreweryDrinker]

Must say when I have visited the USA it always appears so much stricter than it is in the UK. I know in some states you can't drink till your 21 anyway, but they still ID me when i was in my late 20's.

Back to the UK, I know one pub that had two warnings and then lost their license due to serving underage people. Seems to be a mixed bag around the country.