Banning Kids
publication date: Apr 21, 2008
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author/source: Robert Bickell
Bickell's Blog
April 21, 2008
"How did it get so late so soon?"
- Dr. Seuss
The following is an argument for possibly locating your restaurant in the suburbs.
A councilwoman has introduced a bill that would prohibit Baltimore restaurants from selling food and drinks after 7:30am to patrons under the age of 16, arguing that the enticement of breakfast causes many students to be late for school. Democratic Councilwoman Mary Pat Clarke has introduced a measure that would fine restaurants FIVE HUNDRED DOLLARS for serving students unaccompanied by a parent or an adult at least 21 years old between 7:30am and 2:30pm on school days.
I am assuming the parent could be under the age of 21, and hopefully the parent in question would supply written proof of actual parenthood although I'm not sure what that would be. I know there are DNA tests available, but it's possible that items such as doughnuts will be sold illegally to children accompanied by an adult under the age of 21 who claim to be the parent but might be unable to prove conclusively that the child (or children) at the time of the transaction (the doughnut) would represent a biological match.
I'm confused and I'm trying to figure out why a politician would want to punish the restaurant industry because a student lacks the discipline to show-up on time. Actually, I should understand because the Philadelphia City Council (1994) punished the downtown bars and restaurants with a 10% drink tax to somehow help the financially strapped school system. It was one of the greatest promotions ever for drinking and dining in the suburbs.
Some things never change. In most big cities, the restaurant community is the one thing that actually works, and somehow they become fair game for solving the endless array of problems. The Baltimore thing is ridiculous, and in Philadelphia, most bars and restaurants are still paying the tax. Not surprisingly, the school system hasn't gotten any better.
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