Will Delivery Services Allow Your Children to Order Alcohol?
Online food delivery service DoorDash has made it harder to deliver alcohol to minors. The company has announced a new two-step identity verification process for alcohol delivery, which they claim sets ” a new industry standard for responsible alcohol delivery.” How is the rest of the food/drink delivery industry? What services provide the best protection for parents who want to keep their children safe from the illegal supply of alcohol?
Everyone checks ID, but some companies leave it up to the driver
Every major restaurant and grocery delivery service I know of requires drivers to check ID when delivering alcohol. Most also require drivers to take a photo of an ID card, which is electronically verified for authenticity.
Thus, drivers are the weak link in the chain of delivering alcohol to minors. If ID cards are not electronically verified, drivers are essentially being asked to determine if they are real or fake, if they belong to the person presenting them, and if customers are too drunk to deliver alcohol to them. None of this is necessarily easy to do, but drivers and restaurants can still be held responsible for messing things up .
How do various delivery services prevent underage purchases of alcohol?
DoorDash: Checking their dual ID means that in order to deliver alcohol, you must first upload your ID to the company and then present it when the driver arrives. They will scan the front of the card and only leave items if your ID is verified. You can also choose not to have alcohol delivered to your address entirely. DoorDash drivers will also look for signs of intoxication and will not deliver if the person taking the delivery is clearly intoxicated.
InstaCart : When delivering alcohol, InstaCart grocery delivery services also require drivers to scan the front and back of an ID card, and sometimes manually enter information from it. They will also not deliver alcohol to people who are obviously intoxicated. As with all alcohol delivery, specifics may vary from state to state.
UberEats: UberEats was investigated by the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control in the early days of the pandemic, shortly after it began offering cocktail and beer/wine delivery in select markets. Drivers in Cali were reported to have delivered drinks without ID verification, without required food orders, and in open containers. UberEats alcohol delivery policy requires customers to present a valid government-issued photo ID to drivers, who then scan both sides of it to verify authenticity. They will also make sure you are not drunk. If your order is sent back, you may be charged a restocking fee. Drivers have been instructed not to deliver alcohol to public places, as well as to schools (including collage campuses) and prisons.
GrubHub : GrubHub’s restaurant delivery service only offers alcohol delivery in Cook County in Illinois and the state of New York. In New York, the company only delivers beer. While it offers drivers some guidance on how to check ID validity and signs of intoxication, GrubHub doesn’t require a scan — you just need to sign it digitally to accept delivery. GrubHub does not deliver to schools, college campuses, prisons, warehouses, or liquor stores.
Drizly : In the 31 states where it operates, Drizly only supplies alcohol and related alcoholic beverages such as mixers and ice. Its drivers will ask for and scan for an ID showing you are over 21 years of age . Drizly’s “proprietary technology” will verify the validity of your ID by scanning the barcode on your license. If you are unable/unwilling to present a valid ID, your order will be returned and a restocking fee may apply.
What about a weed delivery service?
If you happen to live in a state where marijuana is legal, there are no doubt a lot of companies out there willing to offer it to you. The state of California, the largest state where marijuana is legal, requires marijuana delivery drivers to present valid identification, but does not require verification other than verification by the driver. Many delivery services reportedly do not ask for ID at all .
Minors who want to drink are extremely resourceful.
If your teen really wants to get their hands on hard seltzer while you’re away, there are delivery options outside of DoorDash and UberEats, and these smaller services, individual restaurants, and grocery stores probably don’t have the strict ID requirements of the major players. While any business is no doubt required by law to verify ID (in a state where even alcohol delivery is allowed), the degree of meticulousness of stores, restaurants, and drivers will actually vary greatly. If a business is defying the law and catering to minors, I bet your teen will know about it before you do.
In the absence of an alcohol delivery service, your child may resort to the old-fashioned method of buying alcohol, hanging around the liquor store and asking nasty-looking scoundrels to buy for him. If so, at least they will get some fresh air and meet new people.