Dirty Franks adopts age-restricted policy amid rise in underage patrons using fake IDs.
In an effort to curb the influx of college-aged patrons who have been flocking to the bar with increasingly sophisticated fake IDs, Dirty Franks has implemented a new house rule: patrons must be at least 25 years old. The decision came after the bouncer was presented with a fake ID featuring a photo of Benjamin Franklin two weeks ago, which scanned as legitimate.
The Center City dive bar has been plagued by young people showing up in droves on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights, often bringing their own alcohol and vaping inside despite the bar's rules. The doorman and bouncer noticed that nearly all the IDs they were getting from this crowd belonged to 21-year-olds, prompting Dirty Franks co-owner Jody Sweitzer to take drastic measures.
"We started understanding, slowly, and then quickly, that there's a mass amount of fake IDs," Sweitzer said, noting that the bar's scanner has been unable to keep up with the sophisticated technology used to create these counterfeit licenses. "We're not trying to be discriminatory; we just want to ensure our customers are who they say they are."
The new policy was made after someone called police claiming Dirty Franks was serving underage patrons, and when officers arrived, Sweitzer walked them through the bar's process for validating IDs. The police looked at what they were doing and said they "totally understand," before walking away.
While some regular patrons have complained about the change in atmosphere, others have been understanding of the need to implement a new policy. Sweitzer has consulted with her attorney and the Pennsylvania Tavern Association to ensure the 25-and-up age limit is legal under state law.
The proliferation of fake IDs has become a significant issue for bars across the country, as it's relatively easy to obtain high-tech, scannable licenses online for around $100. Dirty Franks plans to revisit its policy once it finds a more reliable system to detect fake IDs.
Since implementing the new rule two weeks ago, Sweitzer says things have normalized at the bar, and patrons under 25 seem to understand the reasoning behind the policy.
In an effort to curb the influx of college-aged patrons who have been flocking to the bar with increasingly sophisticated fake IDs, Dirty Franks has implemented a new house rule: patrons must be at least 25 years old. The decision came after the bouncer was presented with a fake ID featuring a photo of Benjamin Franklin two weeks ago, which scanned as legitimate.
The Center City dive bar has been plagued by young people showing up in droves on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights, often bringing their own alcohol and vaping inside despite the bar's rules. The doorman and bouncer noticed that nearly all the IDs they were getting from this crowd belonged to 21-year-olds, prompting Dirty Franks co-owner Jody Sweitzer to take drastic measures.
"We started understanding, slowly, and then quickly, that there's a mass amount of fake IDs," Sweitzer said, noting that the bar's scanner has been unable to keep up with the sophisticated technology used to create these counterfeit licenses. "We're not trying to be discriminatory; we just want to ensure our customers are who they say they are."
The new policy was made after someone called police claiming Dirty Franks was serving underage patrons, and when officers arrived, Sweitzer walked them through the bar's process for validating IDs. The police looked at what they were doing and said they "totally understand," before walking away.
While some regular patrons have complained about the change in atmosphere, others have been understanding of the need to implement a new policy. Sweitzer has consulted with her attorney and the Pennsylvania Tavern Association to ensure the 25-and-up age limit is legal under state law.
The proliferation of fake IDs has become a significant issue for bars across the country, as it's relatively easy to obtain high-tech, scannable licenses online for around $100. Dirty Franks plans to revisit its policy once it finds a more reliable system to detect fake IDs.
Since implementing the new rule two weeks ago, Sweitzer says things have normalized at the bar, and patrons under 25 seem to understand the reasoning behind the policy.
they're like literally trying to keep up with these kids makin fake ids its wild how fast tech advances 
my friends and i were always tryna come up with ways to avoid gettin caught servin underage lol idk if ill be missin the old atmosphere tho, but safety first right? 
. Like, isn't that just going to push the problem further down the line? I'm not saying they should be serving minors, but do you think they'll really find a way to catch everyone with these fake IDs? It's like they're trying to create a whole new black market for fakes 
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... I mean, Dirty Franks needs to protect itself from losing money on fake IDs, but 25? That's kinda old school. What if they're not even supposed to be drinking in the first place? 
I guess it's good that Jody Sweitzer is trying to ensure her customers are who they say they are, but at what cost? It's like, can't people just prove their age in a more straightforward way? And $100 for fake IDs is ridiculous 
. $100 for a scannable license online is crazy - it's not like it's hard to verify IDs in person. Maybe Dirty Franks should consider partnering with the PA Tavern Association to get a more reliable system? 
I'm just worried about people getting hurt trying to sneak in underage, so props to them for stepping up 
at Dirty Franks - dealing with fake IDs must be a real headache. I'm all for keeping kids out of bars where they don't belong, but $100 for a fake ID? That's just nuts 
Seriously though, it's good that the co-owner is taking steps to protect her business and customers - I'm glad she's being proactive about it. Maybe they can look into biometric ID scanners or something to make it harder for kids to get in... 
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. Either way, I hope Dirty Franks can get back to being its awesome self soon 
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25 is still pretty reasonable I guess, especially since those fake IDs are like, super easy to get online for $100 
anyway, I'm curious to see how they'll find a better system to detect fake IDs 
. Dirty Franks' new policy is like, super reasonable, right? I mean, who wants to deal with fake IDs and underage patrons causing trouble? It's not like they're trying to discriminate against anyone, just keepin' it real about the age of their customers 
. But hey, Sweitzer has consulted with her attorney and the PA Tavern Association, so she knows what she's doin' 
. I guess they can see through all the fake IDs and know when someone's tryin' to scam 'em 
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. Only time will tell if it works out in the end 
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. I mean, come on, $100 for a legit ID? That's not even a real price for a bar tab anymore 
. Now it's all about security and fake IDs...it just doesn't seem as cool anymore 
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. It's suspicious that police didn't take action after walking away 
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I mean I know its a big issue with fake ids but can't they just use like a scanner that's harder to hack or something? And also $100 for a fake id is crazy that anyone can just buy one online and try to sneak in 
bars should just use facial recognition tech already, problem solved. 
. It's not like they're trying to keep out party people or anything, but rather just ensure everyone is being honest about their age 
but seriously, 25 and up is prob the only way they're gonna be able to keep those youngins out 
I'm not buying it. They're probably getting some kind of government subsidy or something 
... anyway, now they've got this new policy in place, and we'll see how that plays out. Mark my words! 