Jersey Shore Restaurant Restricts Under-21 Nights After Parents Caught Sneaking Kids Drinks
Family vacations are definitely changing!
Sabrina Bracher | Shutterstock If you live in, near, or have ever been to a shore town, you know that summer means families. You know what else is a common occurrence in shore towns? Going out for dinner and drinks. Now, for the most part, the two don't exactly go together, but what happens when your kids are on the cusp of adulthood and it just so happens to be under-21 trivia night at your favorite shore bar? If you're smart, you go as a family and get your kids to drive everyone home so you don't have to walk. That's not what's been happening at a Jersey shore restaurant bar that had to actually change its under-21 night policy thanks to some parents who couldn't seem to follow the rules.
A popular New Jersey restaurant at the beach had to cancel its under-21 nights because parents were sneaking their kids drinks.
If you've ever been to the Long Beach Island area of the Jersey shore, you've heard of Joe Pop's Shore Bar & Restaurant. It's an institution in Ship Bottom, New Jersey. But recently, they've made local news for reasons that have nothing to do with their nightlife and more to do with the unruly patrons.
In a recent post to social media, the restaurant explained, "Due to the overwhelming amount of parents trying to sneak alcohol to their underage children, Joe Pop's will no longer have evening events where under 21 is allowed."
@lbisource | Instagram
They followed up by describing the new hours: on Mondays and Tuesdays, no one under 21 is allowed after 8 p.m., and from Wednesday to Saturday, that cutoff moves to 9 p.m. They wrapped up the post with a note of regret, saying it’s unfortunate “a few ruin it for the many.”
Commenters were understandably frustrated, not at the rule, but at the parents who made it necessary. "We don't have a kid problem," one person wrote. "We have a parenting problem." Another user added, "They show no respect therefore they teach no respect at all."
The drinking age in NJ is 21.
The problem, in this instance, isn't so much that these parents are bad; it's more that these parents are under the impression that with their permission, kids who are just under the legal drinking age can, well, legally drink. But this isn't their home. This is a restaurant, and that makes it subject to the laws of the state. It also puts them at risk should anything happen to those kids once they leave the restaurant. Joe Pop's could lose its entire business.
Let’s take a look at what you legally can and can’t do when it comes to underage drinking in New Jersey. The law firm Chiarolanza & De Angelis laid it out clearly. “New Jersey Statute N.J.S.A. 2C:33-17(a) makes it a disorderly persons offense,” they wrote, “punishable by up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine to anyone who purposely or knowingly offers or serves or makes available an alcoholic beverage to persons under the legal age for consuming alcoholic beverages.”
The phrase "make available" is where the law gets tricky. According to the law firm, parents can find legal trouble if their children's friends sneak alcohol from their house. If you're asleep and they grab drinks that were sitting around, you could be found guilty since you made it available. But when it comes to giving your own child alcohol inside your own home, that’s a different story. The statute does allow parents or legal guardians to provide alcohol to their underage children, but only inside their home.
There’s also one additional exception: you can serve alcohol to someone else’s underage child, but only during a religious ceremony or observance held in your home. So in short, unless it’s your kid or a religious event, no one underage should be drinking in your house. The law draws a hard line at your front door. It doesn't say you can sneak your kid a drink at a restaurant, a sports event, or anywhere else in public. It needs to be within the privacy of your home, under your supervision.
These parents put the restaurant at risk and, in turn, ruined the fun for everyone.
Having under-21 nights is fun for everyone. Kids who are close to adulthood can enjoy dinner with their older family members and even participate in trivia nights or get to experience live music. It's part of what makes family vacations so fun. Unfortunately, a few bad decisions have ruined it for everyone. These parents probably thought it was innocent, but it was still a bad decision.
It's also illegal. These parents are just lucky they didn't get arrested.
Matt Machado is a writer studying journalism at the University of Central Florida. He covers relationships, psychology, celebrities, pop culture, and human interest topics.
