A Chick-fil-A in Royersford, Pennsylvania, has taken a firm stance on disruptive behavior from young customers. In a Facebook post on Wednesday, the establishment announced that anyone under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult to dine in the restaurant. If not accompanied, they may only come in to purchase food and must take it to go. The restaurant stated that it was “time” to implement the new rule after experiencing a litany of problems with young customers, particularly on Saturdays and days when students are not in school.
The establishment explained that young customers were often loud and used explicit language while dining, which was not tolerated in a family-friendly restaurant. They also threw food and trash around and vandalized tables and restrooms. Chick-fil-A workers were laughed at, made fun of, and treated rudely. Employees were also cursed at and ignored when they asked children and teens to change their behavior or leave. Unsafe behaviors were also observed in the parking lot and drive-thru lanes.
The Chick-fil-A post made it clear that the new policy was not meant to blame parents. It acknowledged that children and teens were learning to navigate the world without supervision and often push boundaries. However, the establishment said it could no longer allow young customers to disrupt the restaurant’s safe and comfortable environment.
The policy change caught the attention of some on social media who saw it as a sign of cultural decline. One Twitter user, Megan Brock, commented, “You know a culture is in serious decline when a local Chick-Fil-A has to beg parents to require their children to act in a way that is compatible with the basic decency required in a functioning society. This reads like a homily on the fall of Western civilization.”
In previous generations, 16-year-olds lied about their age so they could go to war on behalf of their county. Now they can’t be trusted to eat at a Chick-Fil-A without an adult.
How far we have fallen.
— Megan Brock (@MegEBrock) February 22, 2023
Others saw the policy as an indication of how far the country has fallen. In previous generations, 16-year-olds lied about their age to fight in wars for their country. But now, according to Brock, they cannot be trusted to eat at Chick-fil-A without an adult.
The Chick-fil-A in Royersford, Pennsylvania, is not the first restaurant to take such a stance. In 2019, a McDonald’s in Edinburgh, Scotland, banned unsupervised teenagers after a group of young people caused a disturbance. The restaurant manager said that the behavior of the teenagers was disruptive and intimidating to other customers and employees.
Similarly, in 2017, Chuck E. Cheese’s in Long Island, New York, announced that it would no longer allow adults without children to enter the restaurant after 6 p.m. The move was intended to curb fights and other disruptive behavior that had become a problem at the establishment.
While some see the new policy as a sign of cultural decline, others see it as a necessary measure to maintain a safe and comfortable environment for all customers and employees. The restaurant’s decision is in line with similar actions taken by other restaurants in the past.
Source: WND