A Chick-fil-A in Pennsylvania introduced a new policy for customers that is gaining widespread attention – no unattended children under 16 are allowed to hang out in the fast food joint.
The policy was posted on the Facebook page for Chick-fil-A in Royersford, Pennsylvania last week. "We contemplated long and hard before posting this, but decided it was time," the post states, saying that many kids come to the restaurant when they're off from school, often coming after going to a local bounce park.
The groups of kids and teens often lead to "unacceptable behaviors" including: loud conversations that oftentimes include explicit language; mistreatment of property, including leaving trash behind, vandalizing restrooms and even stealing; disrespecting employees; and unsafe behavior like "walking through the parking lot and drive thru lanes."
The post says this is "not a pleasant experience" and so they will require anyone under the age of 16 to be accompanied by an adult to stay and eat in the restaurant. If they are not with an adult, they must purchase food and take it to go.
"To those unaccompanied children and teens that have visited us and acted appropriately, we thank you. But we also apologize," the post reads. "Due to the numerous extreme behaviors of many of your peers, we must make a blanket rule covering anyone under the age of 16."
The restaurant's management said they are not blaming parents, but can't let kids push the boundaries at their franchise.
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CBS News has reached out to the Royersford restaurant and a media representative for Chick-fil-A for further comment. The fast food company has thousands of locations across the U.S., operated by franchisees.
A restaurant in New Jersey gained attention for announcing a similar policy this year. Nettie's House of Spaghetti, an upscale restaurant in Tinton Falls, said it would not allow kids under 10 in its dining room.
The restaurant posted about the new policy on social media, saying they knew it may upset people, but high noise levels, little space for high chairs and the mess kids make led them to make the decision. Their ban on kids will go into effect in March.
Another Chick-fil-A franchisee made headlines for a different unusual policy – a three-day work week. The owner of a franchise in Kendall, Florida, said he would allow employees to work 40 hours in three days so they could have three days off. The plan, said owner Justin Lindsey, allowed employees to take more trips without taking time off. However, each shift could be 13 or 14 hours long.
