Royersford Chick-fil-A bans diners under 16 without adult

ROYERSFORD, Pa. (CBS) -- A Chick-fil-A in Montgomery County says it's banning people under the age of 16 from dining in without the supervision of an adult due to a sequence of "unacceptable behaviors."

The fast food restaurant's decision was announced on Facebook last week.

The "unacceptable behaviors" that led to the decision include noise volume, explicit language, mistreatment of property, disrespecting employees and unsafe behaviors, the restaurant said.

In the announcement, Chick-fil-A wrote, "We contemplated long and hard before posting this, but decided it was time. Often on Saturdays and days when schools are off, we have school-age children visiting the restaurant without their parents. Usually, these children and teens are dropped off for several hours at a local bounce park and groups of them then walk over to our restaurant. While we love being a community restaurant and serving guests of all ages, some issues need to be addressed."

Chick-fil-A said it's not blaming the parents for the decision.

"Children and teens are learning to navigate the world free from supervision and often push the boundaries," it wrote on Facebook. "We simply can't let them push those boundaries anymore at our restaurant. We encourage you to talk to your children and ask about behaviors they have seen and perhaps participated in."

Greg Bonawitz is a father of three, with two kids 16 and under.

Bonawitz told CBS Philadelphia he understands the decision and supports it.

"It makes sense. When kids get together, it's the herd mentality and I've seen it," Bonawitz said. "I like the way they've handled it, saying it's not parents' fault, just kids getting together."

"I think they're just loud. Common sense is not common, so they don't know to keep down the tone of their language and the volume," Bonawitz added. "I'm sure my kids are the same way."

Customer Gary Walens added, "If the kids are getting unruly and going into places like this, the owners have to do something. These are businesses that are trying to make a profit and if the kids are coming in and causing havoc in this restaurant and not allowing normal business, I don't think that's a good thing."

Aimee Herbert, a mother of one, said it's a shame Chick-fil-A had to make this decision.

"I think if kids could act a little more appropriately, I think they would understand they could dine out in peace, have a good time. Everybody just wants to have a nice time," Herbert said. "I think it's a shame."

"For those of us who have kids that we feel might not be the problem or might not be part of what the issue is, it would be hard for us because then it would keep our kids at home," she added. "It would keep our kids from doing things that they're not necessarily doing but being punished for."

In a statement to CBS Philadelphia, Chick-fil-A said, "Most Chick-fil-A restaurants, like the one you referenced, are individually owned and operated and set their own policies like these for their restaurant. We don't have anything more to add to what the restaurant has already shared."

In:
• Pennsylvania
• Chick-fil-A
• Montgomery County