Elizabeth Song | No chaperone? No service

Cigarettes, foie gras, and college kids. Some city restaurants are banning all three - after certain hours, that is.

Even on Penn's campus, too many food and entertainment venues prohibit the underage college crowd from strolling in and nursing a Coke once the clock tolls for bedtime.

This lesson hit me a couple years ago when my buddy and I ran over to New Deck Tavern on a quest for the perfect late-night burger, only to have our hopes squashed by the iron hand of the law.

No shirt, no shoes, no chaperone? No service.

Under current Pennsylvania liquor laws, restaurants can forbid minors (read: most of Penn's undergraduate population) from entering a licensed venue without a parent, a guardian or an otherwise vigilant supervisor over 25. That's true even if we don't drink.

"Basically, a licensee is free to refuse service to anyone, provided he does not unlawfully discriminate," Pennsylvania Liquor Board spokeswoman Francesca Chapman said.

So along with dogs, belligerent patrons, and loud children, turning away underage college students isn't discriminatory.

Just take Mad4Mex as a case in point. This South-of-the-Border joint dishes up tasty TexMex fare under maddening North-of-the-Border restrictions. On weekends, the restaurant becomes impregnable to minors at the tender hour of 3 p.m. Post-afternoon siesta, most of us can't even drop by for a spicy steak burrito.

According to Mad4Mex manager Ben Evans, "The policy falls under responsible alcohol management. When you have higher volume, it's harder to control the alcohol."

That's a shame when students, scrounging around for decent late-night fare, don't have the inclination to traipse too far from home. After 10 p.m. on campus, the range of places to eat narrows down dramatically to places like Philly Diner or Allegro's. Yet that's precisely when college kids have the time to unwind after a grueling load of classes, rehearsals and club meetings.

Moreover, these regulations make it awkward for the sole 20-year old in a group of 21-and-overs at a place like New Deck, which closes for the underage crowd at 8 p.m. At my place, that's still dinnertime.

Food aside, underage students are even barred from enjoying the fullest range of local music and comedy acts. Bands and independent artists often perform in local bars. Helium Comedy Club, a stand up comedy gig in Center City, labels itself as an over-21 venue.

Undoubtedly, these sorts of rules marginalize the vast majority of the college crowd. If you happen to be underage, prepare to be denied chances for good food, good music and good company until you reach that magic threshold. (Or until you splurge for that fake ID).

Truth be told, I'm not a drinker. I'll go for a sip of champagne or a batch of boozed-up brownies. All I want to is to enjoy a decent late-night meal and musical gig. Or walk in with a bunch of 21-year-old friends and sip a Shirley Temple.

But fret not. The law doesn't ordain iron-clad compliance. Under the Pizza Hut exception, licensed restaurants that make more money from food than booze can choose to accept minors who just want to come and eat.

Other ways for restaurants to navigate the line exist. Designate certain under-21 nights. Or stamp the hands of those old enough to drink (That takes about as much effort as checking ID's).

Philadelphia gastropub Standard Tap, for instance, serves dinner to clients all night long. As long as underage patrons sit at the lounge and not at the bar, we can legally enjoy ourselves.

Let the rules be 18 to enter, 21 to drink. End the tyranny of these puritan liquor rules. Dish me up some food, throw in some company and show me to a pub.

Elizabeth Song is a College junior from Clemmons, NC. Her e-mail is song@dailypennsylvanian.com. Striking a Chord appears Tuesdays.

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.