A customer tried to order an alcoholic beverage at Chinese restaurant chain P.F. Chang’s. When the manager declined his ID and refused service, the customer pulled out his camera.
In a video with over 494,000 views, TikToker Ricky (@rickyvalentinn) films a P.F. Chang’s manager behind the host stand. Ricky asks the manager for his name multiple times, and he declines to identify himself. He tags a location in Fairfax, Va.
“I don’t give out my name. I don’t know who you are,” the manager says.
Ricky tells the manager that he plans to send the video to corporate, and the manager encourages him to do so.
In on-screen text, Ricky explains the backstory behind the interaction. He writes, “Manager at P.F. Chang’s checked my ID and accused me of it being fake (I just wanted his name to file a complaint but he refused).
He notes that he left the restaurant and “decided to spend [his] money elsewhere.”
The caption reads, “From the moment he greeted me and my friend he gave off a rude and arrogant demeanor. First time going to P.F. Chang’s was not so welcoming.”
Can Restaurants Refuse Legitimate IDs?
While it can be annoying if you know your ID is real and a restaurant refuses to serve you alcohol, private businesses are allowed to refuse service even if they think it’s fake. Plus, some businesses may have stricter rules about what kind of IDs they accept.
On a post on r/legaladvice, one annoyed restaurant goer discovered that the venue refuses all out-of-state IDs if under 27 years old. Other members of the subreddit explain why the bizarre rule is perfectly legal.
“The bar doesn’t have to accept any ID; even in-state ones. It’s kind of a dumb policy, and likely costs them a lot of business, but there’s nothing illegal about it. The bar has no duty to let you come in and do business with them,” one writes.
“It’s fully legal. They could refuse to accept your in-state ID if they want. Or make a rule that says ‘we don’t want [you] in here,'” another says.
Generally, refusal of service only becomes a legal issue if it’s based on a protected class like gender, sexuality, or race.
What Do Viewers Think Of The P.F. Chang’s Manager’s Response?
In the comments of Ricky’s post, viewers are split on whether the manager’s refusal warranted the TikToker’s response.
“He’s the manager he is supposed to give out his info,” one suggested.
“Even if it’s real you’re still not entitled to purchase alcohol from them,” a second wrote.
Some suggested that the manager won’t get in trouble, even if Ricky makes a report with corporate.
A commenter pointed out, “Man corporate is not going to care lol they have the right to refuse service to anyone. He thought your id was fake, that’s annoying for you. Sorry but the company will not care.”
“It is really annoying this happened but an establishment is allowed to deny anyone drinks regardless of being of legal age to drink, sucks but they have the final say on who they serve,” another said.
@rickyvalentinn From the moment he greeted me and my friend he gave off a rude and arrogant demeanor. First time going to P.F. Chang’s was not so welcoming
BroBible reached out to Ricky via email and TikTok direct message and to P.F. Chang’s via email for further comment. We will update the story when they reply.