By the evening edition.
In St. Louis, USA, a restaurant sorts its customers based on age. At Bliss (the name of the establishment), women under 30 and men under 35 are not welcome. Here’s why.
Stop. Before entering Bliss, take out your ID. Not everyone can get in. It turns out that to eat at this American restaurant in the city of Saint-Louis, Missouri, you must not be too young. It’s simple, men under 35 are prohibited from entering, as are women under 30, the site tells us. SlateThis surprising rule has created controversy in the United States.
Tina and Marvin Pate, the owners and managers of the establishment, defend their decision to American radio NPR and maintain their desire to attract customers aged 40 and over. They explain: “We have nothing against young people. We just think that our customers would prefer to be around people their own age.” Understand: those under 30 would disturb the peace and quiet of other customers.
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“You risk dividing generations”
On the airwaves of NPRMichael North, professor of management and operations at New York University, reacts to this astonishing measure: “It’s problematic to generalize in this way, assuming that every member of a social category will automatically act in the same way. You run the risk of separating generations that already seem quite divided.”
The controversy doesn’t stop there. On social media, many comments point out a difference in treatment depending on the gender of the person who wants to eat at Bliss. Men must wait until they are 35 to enter the restaurant, while women can enter from the age of 30. Does this rule imply that men are more immature than women?
Not at all, if we are to believe the statements made by Tina and Marvin Pate. The reason (very shaky) would rather be linked to a question of social habit. “The difference, according to the owners of Bliss, is that women over the age of 30 are more likely to gather in groups at the restaurant, something men don’t do until they’re at least 35,” reports Slate.
A discriminatory regulation
In the end, the justification given does not matter, since the establishment “could soon be forced to abandon its regulation”warn our colleagues of Slate. Asked by NPRTravis Crum, associate professor of law at the University of Washington, explains that “These gender-based age requirements may be in violation of Missouri law”In the United States, the Missouri Human Rights Act prohibits discrimination based on race, color, national origin, religion, and sex or gender in public accommodations.
Bliss is therefore free to set an age limit, but it must be the same for everyone. The restaurateurs protest and believe that the law does not apply to them because their establishment is a private company. To ease tensions, Marvin Pate says that a project for a restaurant dedicated to the youngest is under discussion. And for those under 30, turned away at the entrance to the establishment, who still want to taste the cuisine of Bliss, the managers have planned a consolation prize: takeaway meals.
