Woman denied entry to burger restaurant amid ID dispute
A woman claims she was banned from Gourmet Burger Kitchen because she didn’t have ID.
Lia Clark, 22, revealed that she tried to enter the Gourmet Burger Kitchen at the Trafford Center in Manchester, but was blocked by a member of staff because she did not have ID with her.
Commenting on the incident in a TikTok video, Lia said: “I’m not being funny or anything, but is this really real life?
“We came [to] Trafford [Centre]Yes? We try to come here for burgers. No alcohol, no nothing; chicken burger.”
Lia explained that she was asked by a staff member to show identification and was stopped from entering the facility because she could only provide a screenshot of her passport.
Lia also admitted that she was completely stunned by the move.
He thought: “I’m shocked, I’ve never heard of such a thing in my life. So if you want to come here for food, make sure you have your ID with you for the burger.”
Lia’s unusual story has been viewed millions of times on TikTok, with a majority of users sharing her surprise.
One person commented: “A restaurant with a kids menu identifies people, now I’ve heard of it all. (sic)”
On the other hand, some people expressed sympathy for the staff, arguing that they were just doing their jobs.
One poster said: “This is truly a crazy policy, feel sorry for the minimum wage teenager who has to implement this.”
Gourmet Burger Kitchen also responded to the controversy.
A representative for the company said: “Like pubs, clubs and other venues that serve alcohol, the conditions of our current license state that guests must be 18 or over unless accompanied by a responsible adult.
“To ensure we comply with the law, we sometimes need to check ID to verify a guest’s age. We operate a Check 25 policy to ensure we comply with our licence. “As with pubs and other licensed premises, this means original physical identification rather than a mobile phone photo, which we cannot accept.
“We recognize that this can sometimes be disappointing for guests and we understand the frustration this causes. However, our team was simply following the requirements of our license and enforcing them consistently.”
