Chick-fil-A Royersford says customers under 16 must have an adult to dine in restaurant

ROYERSFORD, Pennsylvania (WPVI) -- A Montgomery County fast food restaurant is banning those under the age of 16 from dining in without an adult after a series of unacceptable behaviors.

The Chick-fil-A on Buckwalter Road in Royersford posted the decision on Facebook last week.

"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," the post read.

The restaurant blames the ban on explicit language and loud conversations, mistreatment of property, and disrespect of employees.

"As you can imagine, this is not a pleasant experience. We want to provide a comfortable and safe environment for our guests and our staff, and also to protect our building. Therefore, we cannot allow this to continue. As a result, to dine in our restaurant, anyone under the age of 16 is required to be accompanied by an adult. If not accompanied by an adult, they may come in to purchase food, but must take it to go," the post read.

Management said the teens are being dropped off for several hours at the Urban Air Trampoline and Adventure Park and often make their way across the parking lot to the restaurant.

A local teenager, who has witnessed the behavior, said he understands the decision.

"...They're already having problems with kids vandalizing stuff and causing issues, so I guess that is a good idea if that is an issue. I have actually seen it before, not necessarily here, but at other places little kids doing that," said Emilio Liperatore.

The manager of the Hallmark store, next to Urban Air, says there's a group of five or six boys who have caused issues for businesses and customers in the shopping center.

"They just run around there and they scared one of our customers so bad that she actually called the police," said Jill D Blasc, manager of Norman's Hallmark store in Royersford.

The restaurant thanks those under 16 who "acted appropriately," but says it has to make the "blanket rule."

It ended with a message for parents.

"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," the post read.

The franchise owner, who did not want to be identified, said he hopes this is a temporary policy.

Many Chick-fil-A restaurants, like the one in Royersford, are individually owned and operated and can set their own policies for their restaurant.