Texas & Taco Cabana Sittin’ in a Tree…K-I-S-S-I-N-G…
I put this in the ‘food’ category? Does that count?
Anyway, moving on…
Aaah…Taco Cabana. One of the many little pleasures that my life has gained since moving to Dallas. Those tasty tortillas and queso have held me over for many a near-penniless evening.
Marcie and I hopped into the Taco Cabana north of Greenville and Southwestern last night for some good eats and a beer. One friggin’ beer. LUPITA: GENERAL MANAGER was there to greet us and take our orders. My order included a bottle of Tecate. I handed Lupita my Florida Drivers License (I’m originally from Florida) and she inform me that she needed a valid Texas ID from me. OMGWTFBBQ?! I don’t have a Texas ID…I’m from Florida. I haven’t lived in Dallas a very long time. I still have my Florida ID. Lupita informed me that “It’s State Law.”
“What? Why? This is the only time I’ve ever had this problem. It’s Texas State law that alcohol can only be served to legal Texans?”
“Yes…”
“What about tourists? They don’t get any alcohol? You can still run it. It’s a valid ID. It works everywhere else that runs it.”
“We can’t run an out of state ID.”
“It’s the same machine. Just try it.”
“No. We can’t.”
“OMYGOSH. It’s the SAME machine. Are your machines only for Texas?”
“Yes.”
“You’re the only one that has them! Did the State of Texas make special ID things especially and only for Taco Cabana so they cannot check out-of-state IDs?”
“….Yes.”
“Seriously? Texas made them JUST FOR Taco Cabana?”
“Yes.”
I never got my beer. I was so irked. I’d really been looking forward to it. I hate you, Lupita.
So riddle me this: What is the Texas State law as far as drinking goes? It doesn’t make any sense to not allow out-of-state IDs because that would be really awful for the tourism industry here. Is there a factory where the state makes special Taco Cabana ID Nazi machines? I’m really unfamiliar as to how the laws here work ’cause they don’t make any sense. Help me out.
I don’t believe ANY state has that kinda law. If I’m mistaken, I’d love to see the statute and just how it’s drawn.
Lupita was just afraid of being stung by the ABC guys. It’s a shame she was too lazy to explain that or be honest.
Chances are, you could get a Texas license and have trouble using it in Florida for the same reasons.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but if you’re buying alcohol in a “dry” area, then you have to do so from a membership establishment. Taco Cabana (and almost every other restaurant) pays a TABC fee to operate as a membership club. In doing so, they are required to show that each member is of legal age. The cardscan systems have to output the info in a valid format – which in this instance just happens to be the data code off the TX DL mag strip. In other words, it *can* read any mag strip (even your credit cards), but it can’t output in the correct format.
While your clerk was incorrect about the details, they were technically correct in that the reader isn’t set up for other state id’s (or military ids, for that matter).
Or at least that’s the way I it was explained to me.
If you show a fake Texas ID and get alcohol, you’re in trouble with the law. If you show a fake out of state ID, the person who *served* you is liable.
Crazy, isn’t it?
Welcome to Dallas…