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I go to about 20 games a year (and going to San Fran for a game during July 4th to see the astros play),and it never struck me as "expensive". I generally go to "Lucky's" or some other bar to drink or eat, get to the game (eventually) drink more beer and not even think about it. Occasionally I would have a weak moment (i'm a diet) and would go nuts over dogs and nachos. Never have I whined about the cost. Having been to a variety of parks around the country, Houston IS cheap.

Must be nice to have money.

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Those that don't ask always get a tip from me for using their brains, although I don't doubt one second that they would get fired if they got caught because Aramark wants to keep the monopoly. I saw them card a white haired man with a cane once and it made me mad as hell.

And not only that, they ask twice usually - once with the person who hands it to you and again with the person who takes your money.

BTW - this isn't a discourse on underaged drinking. People under 21 should not be served alcohol at baseball games. I'm only commenting on Aramark's lousy service and monopoly at the ballpark that they're trying to protect from TABC. I get it.

I'm betting they have people in plain clothes who order stuff now & then to evaluate 'em.

Also, my grandfather in his mid-70s was carded by a roving beer man at an Astros game once.

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The Astros claim it's so they can hold down their ticket prices but I don't see anything cheap about their ticket prices. Sure they have $7 seats. If you don't mind sitting up in the corner nosebleed section. If I have to use binoculars to see a game than I'd rather stay at home. I saw a game there last month and after parking, service charges, over priced beer and soda for 5 of us, I almost had to refinance my house to afford the "experience". And they were far from being the best seats.

:P phbbbbbtttbbt !!!

Man, if you don't know how to pay for a $7 seat and move down to a better one by the third inning, then you deserve to stay stuck up top. ;)

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Man, if you don't know how to pay for a $7 seat and move down to a better one by the third inning, then you deserve to stay stuck up top. ;)

I've used that method before but noticed the ushers getting pretty Nazi about it the last year or two.

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:P phbbbbbtttbbt !!!

Man, if you don't know how to pay for a $7 seat and move down to a better one by the third inning, then you deserve to stay stuck up top. ;)

Actually we tried it the last time but the ushers caught us. But if they keep losing and the stadium is empty then maybe they won't mind.

Edited by LunaticFringe
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Those that don't ask always get a tip from me for using their brains, although I don't doubt one second that they would get fired if they got caught because Aramark wants to keep the monopoly. I saw them card a white haired man with a cane once and it made me mad as hell.

Aramark may get a piddly fine from the TABC for serving minors. The clerk who sold the beer however, gets arrested, frog walked to the jail, and faces the possibility of a year in jail and a $4000 fine. And, you withhold their tip for not wanting to go to jail? :o

I prefer to tip on service, not one's willingness to flirt with arrest. But hey, it's your money.

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Aramark may get a piddly fine from the TABC for serving minors. The clerk who sold the beer however, gets arrested, frog walked to the jail, and faces the possibility of a year in jail and a $4000 fine. And, you withhold their tip for not wanting to go to jail? :o

I prefer to tip on service, not one's willingness to flirt with arrest. But hey, it's your money.

If cottonmather is as ugly as he says, I doubt the server is flirting with arrest.

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I know their prices are insane, but for me part of the ballgame experience is getting the chili-dog and nacho's. Bringing my own just wouldnt be the same.

Eating the chili-dog and nacho's are part of the ballgame experience, paying $14 for both is not. It's robbery.

I'm just dying to go to a game and sit next to some mouth breather scarfing down a panormous pizza they brought in on a dolly and a mini keg of diet coke.

I'm dying to be that mouth breather sitting next to you with the food I brought. No diet coke though. And it'll be leftover smoked spare ribs, and I'll leave all the bones on the floor like peanut shells. YEAH AMERICA!!!

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Aramark may get a piddly fine from the TABC for serving minors. The clerk who sold the beer however, gets arrested, frog walked to the jail, and faces the possibility of a year in jail and a $4000 fine. And, you withhold their tip for not wanting to go to jail? :o

I prefer to tip on service, not one's willingness to flirt with arrest. But hey, it's your money.

Red, not asking a stupid redundant question that we both already know the answer to IS service to me, and good service at that. Texas law does not require ID to be shown to purchase alcohol, it's on the TABC website and easily accessible from Google (can't post a link from my iPhone, at least not til next week :P)

Asking everyone for ID is an Aramark policy in an attempt to protect their monopoly at all costs, even at the cost of poor service to customers, who, after all, aren't that important anyway when you have a monopoly.

Yeah, waiters can be severely penalized if they serve to a minor, so it's in their best interest to card when there is doubt that the customer is of age, but surely even the flunkiest of all Aramark employees doesn't have a serious doubt about Grandpa (or even me). They ask because Aramark makes them.

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Worst. Justification. Ever.

Whether it is the conglomerate Aramark, or my tiny little restaurant with a beer license, ensuring that the license is not lost by unthinking employees is paramount. I am quite sure that Aramark would say the same thing I did when my ID policies were questioned...'When your investment is on the line, you can make the rules.' And, for you to think that anyone might even care if you got carded is downright comical. The solution is simple. Do not buy alcohol at the ballpark.

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Cotton, it is ARAMARK'S policy to card anyone and everyone. NOT the pimply-faced goof walking down the aisles, who has the kegerator on his back. If it was some hot chick in a Hooter's uniform carding you, she would get twice the tip, and you would say something suave like, "Bless your heart !" C'mon bro, TIP THE MAN !!!

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Worst. Justification. Ever.

Whether it is the conglomerate Aramark, or my tiny little restaurant with a beer license, ensuring that the license is not lost by unthinking employees is paramount. I am quite sure that Aramark would say the same thing I did when my ID policies were questioned...'When your investment is on the line, you can make the rules.' And, for you to think that anyone might even care if you got carded is downright comical. The solution is simple. Do not buy alcohol at the ballpark.

What? Worst justification for what? You said that the employee would get frog-marched and thrown in jail for not asking for ID, I said that wasn't true and TABC only cares about whether or not minors are actually served. Since I'm not a minor, they would not go to jail for serving me, regardless of whether they ask me for ID (link here):

State Law

Texas state law does not require that a person over 21 provide any identification to purchase alcohol in Texas. There is nothing in the law that declares specific forms of ID as “valid” for an alcohol purchase.

However, the law does provide a statutory defense to the charge of selling an alcoholic beverage to a minor when the seller has asked for and examined an apparently valid DPS issued Texas DL or ID card which contains a physical description consistent with the presenter's appearance and shows the presenter to be 21 years of age of older.

For that reason, since store clerks, wait staff, and bartenders can be held criminally liable for selling alcohol to a minor, they often require a Texas Driver's License or Texas Identification Card issued by the Department of Public Safety, to prove that the person really is 21.

A store, bar or restaurant might or might not sell alcohol to a person with an out-of-state driver's license, military ID, or passport. What's acceptable in any establishment is a matter of that establishment's private business policies.

If the patron is obviously over 21, the establishment may not require any ID at all.

Of course, under the Company Policy section there is also this:

Company Policies

Some retailers in Texas have policies requiring that customers provide proof of age for all alcoholic beverage purchases, regardless of the age of the customer.

There are some other retailers in Texas that will only accept a Texas Driver's License or Texas Identification Card as “valid identification” to purchase alcoholic beverages.

Some retailers will insist that everyone in a group show proof that they are 21 or over when anyone in the group is attempting to purchase alcoholic beverages. This is an attempt to prevent adults from illegally providing alcohol to minors.

These are internal company policies and are more strict that what state law requires. However, these establishments have the legal right to insist on proof of age for alcohol purchases.

I'm not saying that Aramark doesn't have the right to set their own policies, or whether or not it's justified (since it's a monopoly, it's certainly smart to protect it at all costs) - I'm just saying that I think it's poor service and I don't like it, ESPECIALLY when I have to flash it twice within 10 feet to the person serving and the person selling (who just saw me show the person in front of him anyway) when all three of us already know that it's legal for me to buy it and they're just going through the kabuki dance of asking so that their employer can avoid any and all mistakes and keep their license and continue to overcharge me for the product in the future.

So when the person who serves me beer treats me with a little respect and common sense, which I consider to be good SERVICE, I tip for it.

I thought the whole point of this thread was to complain about Aramark and the Astros' concession policies, no? That's all I'm doing.

EDIT: ps - TJ I know it's their policy to ask anyone and everyone. My point is that I think it's inconvenient and a little disrespectful to paying customers who obviously are way over 21, and thus bad service. But rather than give their employees a little bit of leeway and judgment, Aramark just has them card anyway, and since they have a monopoly (which is the point of the original article), it's doesn't really matter what the customers think since they can't go anywhere else.

Edited by cottonmather0
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What? Worst justification for what? You said that the employee would get frog-marched and thrown in jail for not asking for ID, I said that wasn't true and TABC only cares about whether or not minors are actually served. Since I'm not a minor, they would not go to jail for serving me, regardless of whether they ask me for ID (link here):

Don't put words in my mouth, hoss. Read my post. It clearly said 'minors'.

I'll ignore the rest, as it is symptomatic of Grumpy Old Man Syndrome, and really not worth adding to.

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Don't put words in my mouth, hoss. Read my post. It clearly said 'minors'.

I'll ignore the rest, as it is symptomatic of Grumpy Old Man Syndrome, and really not worth adding to.

You're right, I didn't read it closely enough. I apologize.

Although I figured the whole point of this thread was grumpy old man (or family on a budget) syndrome.

That said, you said you tip for service and I'll stand by my point that I do too. :D

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Banning outside food at Astros games "has been kind of a tradition in Houston," said Astros owner Drayton McLane,

Tradition seems like a very strange word to use for banning something. Maybe "decades-old rule" or "long time policy", etc. But Tradition? That sounds like it's something everyone looks forward to or is proud of -

"Hey everybody, it's time for our 47th annual banning of food".

:huh:

Edited by SecondTour
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I'm just dying to go to a game and sit next to some mouth breather scarfing down a panormous pizza they brought in on a dolly and a mini keg of diet coke.

So, am I a mouth breather? When I'm on a drinking/eating binge at a game with a buddy, I am all about committing one of the seven deadly sins (gluttony).

Must be nice to have money.

Please. I'm probably the lowest earning member on the board, but I know how to manage my money (not to The Niche's extreme), but baseball is my outlet. :)

Actually we tried it the last time but the ushers caught us. But if they keep losing and the stadium is empty then maybe they won't mind.

I will usually buy the cheap seats when it's a weeknight and move my way down. The trick is to merely walk in like you own the place.

Then again, I go so often that ushers' recognize me and look honest enough (suckers!) to choose my own seat.

Cotton; I agree with Red, the kid is doing his job. Don't disparage his youth or job simply because he's doing what he is TOLD to do. If you can't get past that, then perhaps you are suffering from Grumpy Old man syndrome.

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How is the TABC authoritarian?

Takes to long to explain that and this is not the thread to do so. Just ask anyone with a liquor license. They have the power to make or break a place. They have the power to make arrests. Trust me, there is no organization in the State of Texas with more power.

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Takes to long to explain that and this is not the thread to do so. Just ask anyone with a liquor license. They have the power to make or break a place. They have the power to make arrests. Trust me, there is no organization in the State of Texas with more power.
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I hate this kind of lawsuit trying to blame others for people's problem. It's not MY fault, they made me get drunk and drive. Even if free drinks are available, YOU are responsible for your actions. Idiots.

Umm, the lawsuit was filed by the dead TxDOT worker's family against the drunk driver who killed him. Maybe its because I'm a lawyer, but I am absolutely in favor of blaming the drunk who ran over me for my problem with being dead.

Edited by RedScare
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Yeah the lawsuit is against the drunk driver, not Aramark. They don't say just how intoxicated the person was so I don't know how they can blame Aramark. Heck, I'll bet a 1/3 of the people leaving sporting events are legally over the limit. Don't you think?

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