{"id":105821,"date":"2026-02-05T10:28:09","date_gmt":"2026-02-05T10:28:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/105821\/"},"modified":"2026-02-05T10:28:09","modified_gmt":"2026-02-05T10:28:09","slug":"dirty-franks-imposes-25-and-over-rule-after-after-incident-with-fake-ben-franklin-id","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/105821\/","title":{"rendered":"Dirty Franks imposes 25-and-over rule after after incident with fake Ben Franklin ID"},"content":{"rendered":"

Philly college students will have to find another favorite hangout in Center City. After dealing with a flood of underage patrons armed with convincing fake IDs, iconic dive bar Dirty Franks has instituted a 25-and-older age limit.<\/p>\n

Jody Sweitzer, co-owner of Dirty Franks, at 13th and Pine streets, said she does not want to restrict any legal patrons from coming in \u2014 but has had to do so to protect the bar.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe just need to have the adults in the room again,\u201d Sweitzer said. \u201cIt was for preservation of the bar and our liquor license and my sanity.\u201d<\/p>\n

Beloved for its no-frills vibe and authentic feel, the cash-only spot has been a neighborhood staple since 1933 \u2014 attracting longtime regulars, creatives and students looking for a warm atmosphere that won\u2019t break the bank. The bar\u2019s exterior mural<\/a> of famous Franks, including Zappa, Sinatra and Aretha Franklin, is a 13th Street standout.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"\u201cMural at Dirty Franks\u201d by David McShane. (Photo by Gina Tremaine)<\/p>\n

Sweitzer said that, for quite some time, teens have been trying to get into Franks with fake IDs.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re bringing their own alcohol, you know, small bottles, big bottles, stuff we don\u2019t sell \u2014 constantly vaping, even though it\u2019s against the law and it\u2019s against our house rules,\u201d Sweitzer said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Those who are already breaking the rules, she noted, don\u2019t mind breaking a few more.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThey just had no respect whatsoever. It was literally a slap in the face. I was just losing sleep. My staff was really unhappy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Philly\u2019s fake ID problem<\/p>\n

Fake IDs can be incredibly convincing. Kids can buy fakes that fool the handheld scanners common at bars.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve met with the state police over the years on this issue, and it\u2019s a situation that seems to be growing,\u201d said Chuck Moran, executive director at the Pennsylvania Tavern Association<\/a>. \u201cThese aren\u2019t your father\u2019s fake IDs. They are scannable, and bars have to take that extra step to not only protect their community, but protect their license from accidentally serving a minor.\u201d<\/p>\n

One particularly egregious example, Sweitzer said, involved a very real-looking ID that had one major problem. The photo was a portrait of Benjamin Franklin. Someone was trying to get into the bar, masquerading as Philly\u2019s favorite Founding Father \u2014 and one of the famous Franks on the mural outside. The signature read \u201cDMV Fakes,\u201d and the address was the location of the Liberty Bell.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Someone attempted to use this fake Benjamin Franklin ID at Dirty Franks. (Courtesy of Jody Sweitzer)<\/p>\n

\u201cIt scans. All the holograms are in the right spot on the card. It\u2019s an absolute smack in the face,\u201d Sweitzer said. \u201cThis is how legitimate a fake ID can be. It\u2019s insane. It\u2019s the straw that broke my friggin\u2019 back.\u201d<\/p>\n

Shawn M. Kelly, press secretary of the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board<\/a>, said that even if an ID is scannable, that doesn\u2019t necessarily mean that it\u2019s legitimate.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we train licensees like bar owners, managers, servers and sellers through our Responsible Alcohol Management Program<\/a>, we encourage them to not only scan IDs but also physically inspect them,\u201d Kelly said via email.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThat includes comparing the information on the ID against the information populated on the scanner,\u201d he added, \u201ccomparing the ID against the person presenting it (maybe also asking the individual to answer questions about their identity that is reflected on the ID to see if there are any inconsistencies), and feeling for any abnormalities. Licensees are also always encouraged to retain proof of carding.\u201d<\/p>\n

When it comes to stopping underage patrons from entering, the onus largely falls on bars and business owners.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re going to get fined,\u201d Sweitzer said. \u201cWe\u2019re going to get shut down for two weeks. The bartender is going to get fined. That\u2019s points on my liquor license. It\u2019s not worth it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Moran echoed this sentiment. \u201cFor a small business like Dirty Franks, if they lose their license, they don\u2019t have a business,\u201d he said. \u201cSo they have to do what they have to protect not only their license, but also their community. Once they get a citation, that stays on your license forever.\u201d<\/p>\n

Moran explained that accidentally letting underage drinkers into a bar \u2014 even if the bar has done a thorough examination of IDs \u2014 can lead to a very messy and expensive legal situation. He agreed that establishments should not rely solely on scanners.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs soon as technology is created, it\u2019s outdated,\u201d he said. \u201cThese manufacturers of fake IDs have gotten really good, and they stay ahead of the curve \u2026 The state needs to take a serious look at people using the fake IDs, and they need to protect the licensees \u2014 especially when they do their due diligence.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018Franks was no longer Franks\u2019<\/p>\n

Sweitzer, herself, used to be a bartender at Franks. With co-owner Brad Pierce, she took over the place in 2011.<\/p>\n

\u201cI promised Jay McConnell, the previous owner, that I would diligently keep Franks, Franks,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd Franks was no longer Franks. It was starting to become on the weekends \u2014 starting actually Thursday night \u2014 like a frat party.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bars like Dirty Franks are within their rights to impose age restrictions like the 25-and-older rule, even though it means losing customers aged 21 to 24.<\/p>\n

\"\"The fake Ben Franklin ID passed the bar\u2019s scanner. (Courtesy of Jody Sweitzer)<\/p>\n

\u201cUnder Pennsylvania law, age discrimination protections apply to individuals who are 40 years of age or older,\u201d said Amanda Brothman Jumper, director of communications at the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission<\/a>, in an email. \u201cBecause the restriction at issue applies to individuals under age 25, it does not fall within the scope of the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act\u2019s age-discrimination protections.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sweitzer made it clear that she does not want to ban younger people of legal drinking age, but she feels as if she does not have another option.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cOnce there\u2019s a system that I can purchase that actually detects these fake IDs, I will purchase it, and then I will gladly go back to 21 in a heartbeat,\u201d she said. \u201cBecause it\u2019s not that I don\u2019t want the 21-to-24s to come in. It\u2019s just that the IDs were 21 to 23 \u2014 and this \u2018Benjamin Franklin\u2019 was 24, and it scanned.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Moran said he could understand why customers might be frustrated with a bar for the restriction, but he said that frustration would be misdirected.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think the people who are upset should really be upset with the people who are using fake IDs,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s unfortunate,\u201d he added. \u201cIt really is unfortunate for a small population to ruin it for a larger population.\u201d<\/p>\n

The new age restriction has been in place for over a week now. While it may mean a less-packed bar, Sweitzer said that the change has already been beneficial. Less demand means more bar seats for regulars. Franks, she said, is starting to feel like Franks again.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Inside Dirty Franks for the \u201cOff the Wall Art Opening,\u201d a community art event. (Courtesy of Jody Sweitzer)<\/p>\n

\u201cMy regulars are coming back now,\u201d Sweitzer said. \u201cI\u2019ve been getting texts, one after another, saying, \u2018Thank you. I can\u2019t wait to come back.\u2019 \u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

And Franks is starting to sound like Franks again, too, she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re listening to Etta James and Dinah Washington,\u201d she added. \u201cThat\u2019s our happy hour jazz type of music. Everybody\u2019s talking to one another. Nobody\u2019s on their phone. Everybody\u2019s catching up.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Philly college students will have to find another favorite hangout in Center City. After dealing with a flood…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":105822,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[12499,51078,20423,51079,69,71,70],"class_list":["post-105821","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-philadelphia","tag-bars","tag-dirty-franks","tag-drinks","tag-fake-ids","tag-philadelphia","tag-philadelphia-headlines","tag-philadelphia-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/105821","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=105821"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/105821\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/105822"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=105821"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=105821"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=105821"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}