PHILADELPHIA (KYW) – It’s well known that you have to be at least 21 years old to legally consume alcohol in the U.S. But that age isn’t old enough to enter one Philadelphia bar.
Dirty Franks said it raised the minimum age to 25 to combat underage drinking and disruptive behavior.
“Everyone who comes here is so eclectic and that’s what makes it a neighborhood bar,” Jody Sweitzer, owner of Dirty Franks, said.
Dirty Franks is one of Philadelphia’s most beloved dive bars, and about two weeks ago it changed the age requirement. Sweitzer says she noticed a rise in unruly behavior from a younger crowd using undetectable fake IDs.
“These were not 21-year-olds. They don’t want to be in a bar. They just want to be obnoxious … bringing in their own booze, vaping, just not abiding by being in public as a normal person. It just kind of made us understand that there’s something wrong,” she said.
Elijah Calhoun, 25, is among the many patrons who have noticed a difference inside.
“I mean, 25, it’s a number for sure, but I believe it was needed,” he said. “A lot of people in here who shouldn’t be in here, who don’t know how to behave.”
Others, like 24-year-old Ryan Cooperman, don’t quite make the cut now and aren’t too happy about the new house rule.
“I’m 24. I’ve been there before. I’ve never caused a fuss. I’ve never caused a problem. My ID is real,” he said. “It’s like the Prohibition Era. Like, what is this?”
The bar’s owner says she is also in the process of getting a more advanced scanner that can detect fake IDs. Until then, the bar plans to stick with its new rule of admitting only people 25 and older.
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