A Missouri restaurant divided the internet for its bizarre age restriction to maintain a “sophisticated environment” without all of the “young folks who bring some of that drama.”
Bliss Restaurant in St. Louis has set a minimum age for patrons wishing to enjoy its upscale Caribbean food to be 30 for females and 35 for males, according to KSDK.
The restaurant created the policy to help them “maintain a sophisticated environment, uphold our standards, and support the sustainability of our unique ambiance,” according to a Facebook post discussing the rule.
Assistant Manager Erica Rhodes told the outlet they established the age requirement to attract an older crowd of clientele.
“The restaurant is just something for the older people to come do, have a happy hour, come get some good food and not have to worry about some of the young folks who bring some of that drama,” Rhodes said.
The restaurant’s owner, Marvin Pate, 36, is all in on the move, even though he’s received some backlash.
“I think Bliss is a home away from home,” Pate told the outlet. “You can come here and actually feel like you’re at a resort. People will feel like they’re on a vacation.”
Bliss is so committed to the rule that if a customer is suspected of looking under 30 years old, they will have their hostess — or a St. Louis County police officer — check their IDs.
“Of course, we have been getting a little backlash because of our policy, but that’s OK. We’re sticking to our code,” Pate explained.
While some are angered by Bliss’ unique age limit for customers, others seem to embrace the move and wish them major success.
“Love this cuz not only it’s for the mature crowd but it makes you wanna go out again without the nonsense,” one Facebook user commented on the post discussing the rules.
“I love the age requirements. Please keep it like this. Don’t change it a lot of places back in the day had age requirements I’m glad that somebody finally taking it back protect your business I support!!” wrote another.
“I like the concept, it’s time we mature adults can dine in a relaxing atmosphere without kids screaming, parents screaming, aggressive behaviors,” another chimed in.
Still, others remain bothered by the restaurant not allowing everyone to enjoy its food and atmosphere.
“So I’m 33, so that mean I can’t eat here??” one user asked.
“Imagine being a mature, respectful and well-mannered 32-year-old male… and being too young to eat somewhere,” another explained.
“I get it but an age restriction for a restaurant is a bit of a reach unless it’s a bar and event space too IMO. If they want to deter disruptive crowds it’s better to raise the price range not the age range. Some behaviors are age maturity some are status,” wrote another.
The restaurant plans to start to-go orders soon for those upset that they can’t enjoy some of Bliss’ Caribbean food because they don’t meet the age requirement.
Last year, a New Jersey restaurant made the controversial decision to ban children from under 10 from dining there.
Nettie’s House of Spaghetti in Tinton Falls revealed that it had become “extremely challenging to accommodate children” at the restaurant, prompting the ban.
