Restaurant Customer Says His Real ID Was Confiscated and Staff Refused to Give It Back

What is it with bars and restaurants being all Dudley-Do-Right these days regarding customers' ID cards? Recently, a TikToker called out a bouncer who accused her of carrying a fake ID card so he snapped it right in front of her, not only cutting her night short but leaving her with a bureaucratic headache to deal with.

It seems that she's not the only social media user on the platform who's having a hard time dealing with food service industry folks thinking they're telling tall tales when it comes to their age and getting served alcohol.

A TikToker who goes by Danny Boy (@dannyboyy_) uploaded a viral video where they encountered a similar phenomenon, and judging by a slew of remarks penned by other users on the platform, he's not the only one who's been subjected to this exceedingly suspicious behavior.

"The restaurant refusing to give me my license back because they think it's a fake," Danny writes in a text overlay of the video which shows a police officer speaking with someone who appears to be a member of the restaurant staff.

He adds a facepalm emoij in the caption of the video along with the comment: "Not them calling the cops," and it seems that his video sparked a litany of different reactions from other TikTokers who've had similar run-ins with folks accusing them of rocking fake identification cards.

"Gas station attendant tried to keep mine and said he can’t verify it was real because he hadn’t heard of the state of Illinois," one person wrote.

Someone else said that an overzealous bouncer who wanted to cut their ID card in half ended up getting called out for their bullying behavior: "I had a bouncer cut my id in front of me. After I warned him that was illegal. Luckily the cops were right next us & saw the whole thing."

Another TikToker remarked that they couldn't believe the employee was taking their job so seriously, stating that when they used to work at a bartender their own ID checks weren't performed with with such fervor: "as a ex bartender my id checks were me holding it and thinking 'is this a believable amount of time to look at an id'"

If you've got yourself a vertical ID card then you might find yourself having a hard time getting served booze or cigarettes, one TikToker mentioned. Cards issued to folks under the age of 21 are made vertical as a way to quickly signify to employees that the cardholder is under the age of 21.

However, as this social media user remarked: their ID was valid for several years, and because it's valid, then why should she go and pay money for a new one if she doesn't need to? Why can't employees just simply look at the date and serve her her booze? "Applebees wouldn’t serve me alcohol bc my license is vertical… I’m 22 and it doesn’t expire until 2027 so why would I pay for a new one???" she writes.

Someone else pointed out how businesses could potentially get in big trouble if they cause any damage to the ID cards that folks are showing them, if the IDs are legitimate, that is: "Licenses/IDs belong to the ISSUING AUTHORITY. That it is why IT can suspend, revoke, or seize the identification instrument. Other persons or authorities seizing and/or destroying the ID instrument..." they wrote.

In 2017 one Redditor posted to the site's r/legaladvice sub asking for some tips on how to best proceed after a bartender took their "(real) ID and passport and [wouldn't] give them back."

Pretty much everyone who responded said that they should have "immediately" called the police to come and assess the situation and verify that the forms are legitimate. One user on the platform broke down why it would almost instantly work in their favor: "Plenty of underage kids claim to have real ID’s. All of them threaten to call the police on the bar. None of them get the officers there. I’d have stayed in the venue until an officer showed up. Next best thing is to tell/ask the day shift manager for it back."

Have you ever found yourself embroiled in an argument with a bartender/food service industry worker as to the validity of your license? Or have you always pretty much looked your age/are is it assumed from a glance that you're old enough to purchase tobacco and booze, which is a good thing...right?