What Maine Restaurants Should Ban Kids Under 16 Like This Chick-fil-A?

When you read why this Chick-fil-A made this decision, it makes complete sense.

I actually thought the Chick-fil-A in Royersford, PA made a thoughtful decision. It seems like they are in an area where they have to deal with unsupervised kids. Kids are dropped at a bounce house nearby and they make their way to the fast food restaurant with no parents. They will no longer allow kids under 16 without an adult present. They put the decision on their Facebook page,

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.

I'm trying to think of restaurants in Maine near places where kids might be dropped off. But young kids wandering around seems wrong. I can see a 15-year-old leaving a bounce house or trampoline park and walking to get something to eat. Maybe with a younger sibling? It's an odd situation, but I fully support Chick-fil-A's decision.

They listed 4 main reasons for the uncomfortable decision:

• Volume: kids are loud. They have one volume - loud.
• Mistreatment of property: Food and trash left everywhere, decorations stolen, and vandalism.
• Disrespect of employees: the employees had been sworn at, laughed at, and any instructions ignored
• Unsafe behavior: kids running around the restaurant and in the parking lot and drive-thru.

This business, or any business, is not a babysitter. I appreciated how thoughtful and non-blaming Chick-fil-A tried to convey its message:

Parents, we are not blaming you. Children and teens are learning to navigate the world free from supervision and often push the boundaries. 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.

This post has overwhelming support from the community. What are your thoughts?