At a high-end restaurant, can I order alcoholic beverages if my date is over 21 and I'm not

Question

Situation is my date is 23 and I'm 20.

Nobody ever seems to ask for her ID (she actually looks older for her age). If we both go to a highend restaurant to celebrate her birthday, do you think someone will ask for my ID?

Answer 1

Do you expect to drink? Even if the drinks are for her, you still can't order them. And legally, you can't pay for them. I have to take a course for serving alcohol, I'm a waitress, and in PA, we are not allowed to serve alcohol at a table if the other person is a minor. But if there is more than one other person, we are allowed to serve it. It's a very weird situation. I would think they will ID you, depending on how old you look. But where I work, if they look under 30, we ID them.

If I were you, wait until after dinner for the alcoholic beverages!!!!

Answer 2

They will probably ask for ID from both of you.  The new rule is to card if you look under 30...

I ordered a cocktail once when I was under 21, making sure it was easily made without alcohol: a strawberry margarita, for example.

That way, if you're asked you can just say that you're under 21 and meant to say that you wanted a "virgin" drink.

Answer 3

maybe or not. either way if the waiter gets busted (unlikely) its a big fine for them and the restaurant. Wait a year.

Answer 4

Legally they should. However, it is up to the discretion of the server if they are going to They SHOULD ask though because it is their job on the line. It is not worth the hassle for you in my opinion to order a drink. It will be embarrasing on your end if they do ask for ID and then you need to come up w/ some excuse to why you don't have it.  

Answer 5

It's always best to err on the side of caution. Let your date order for her and you settle for the Diet Coke for now. 21 is just around the corner!

Answer 6

The legal system is really tightening down on businesses that sell or serve alcohol to minors.  Most highend restaurants do ID.

Save yourself the embarrassment and drink a soda or tea.

Answer 7

yea go for it!!! as long as you dont look like a kid

Answer 8

They are required by law to ask for your i.d., so technically no, you can't order alcohol.

However, I've noticed that since turning 21 I very rarely get carded. There are a lot of variables that would determine whether or not they actually card you, like how busy they are, how badly they want a tip, if you look extremely young, if the waiter is having an unusually grumpy day, etc. Usually the fancier the restaurant is, the less likely they are to card you. Chain restaurants are worried about losing their franchise if they sell alcohol to a minor, so they've definitely cracked down on carding people, but independently owned restaurants tend to check for your i.d. a lot less.

You can always try to order something and if they ask for i.d. just say you "accidentally" left it at home and order a water instead... sometimes you can get away with it.

Answer 9

It's still against the law. They should card you both.

Answer 10

According to the government's liquor laws, yes, they are supposed to check ID for those individuals who order liquor.

If she has a beer, and you have a soda, they won't ID you.

If she has a beer and someone on the waitstaff notices you drinking from it too, your server may come by and ask to see your ID. Will that happen... it depends on the locale, server, attitude, etc... too many variables.

Hope that helped.