Server shares what they really think of customers who do this when showing ID for alcohol: ‘No cause how many times do they have to be told’
We’ve all been there. It’s a Wednesday night. You’ve had a long day. Cooking feels impossible, so you schlep to your neighborhood Chili’s. Maybe you’re fiending for some Classic Nachos, or maybe you’re mostly looking forward to a nice, big margarita.
There’s only one problem: You forgot your ID.
What do you do in this situation? Do you race back home? Grit your teeth and forego all hopes of a buzz? Or do you try and finagle a drink anyway?
Customers tend to default to one common solution—namely, scrolling frantically through their camera roll to pull up a picture of their ID instead. The efficacy of this gambit is generally a coin toss, but one server (@caela164) has gone viral for weighing in on the photo method.
In a TikTok video that’s racked up over 6.1 million views since being posted on Nov. 4, @caela164 tackles this ID discourse with a short sketch—and everyone’s in on the joke.
‘I have a picture of it, is that OK?‘
The creator’s video begins with the camera fixed on a “customer” sitting at a booth, waiting to be served. @caela164 then walks into the frame to take the customer’s order, and the customer asks for a margarita. The server, in turn, then asks to see some ID.
“I have a picture of it, is that OK?” the customer asks as part of the sketch.
“Yeah, that’s fine,” @caela164 assures her, and the video cuts to the customer showing a blurry picture of an ID to the camera.
Just when the viewer starts to think there’s no problem here at all, the video cuts to @caela164 walking back into frame.
“All right, I got that margarita right here for you,” @caela164 says with a bright smile.
The punchline? She’s holding her phone up, with a picture of a margarita plastered on the screen. Got ‘em. Truly, a perfect example of matching someone’s energy; if you want to show a picture of your ID, two can play this game.
Clearly, @caela164 is unimpressed with the photo method—and people are loving it.
Customers weigh in
The video’s popularity has viewers complimenting @caela164’s comedy chops, with one commenter writing, “I hate when ppl are funnier than me.”
“I fear this level of comedy hasn’t been studied yet,” another commenter agreed.
Other viewers weren’t laughing, however; many were outright baffled. They couldn’t understand why this issue is so prevalent in the first place.
“I don’t understand how people walk around without their ID,” one person wrote. “How you expect to go in somewhere and ask for a drink with no ID? Be fr.”
“I don’t understand how this is so common,” said another. “What do you mean you have a picture of your ID but it’s not on you. Why do so many people have pictures of their ID?”
One viewer took it a step further, observing a new possible concern in this new era of AI infiltrating our day-to-day lives.
“I’m actually glad they don’t take picture IDs, because with AI anything can be manipulated,” they commented.
Yet another subsection of commenters was surprised that there’s any controversy at all, with several people reporting they frequently show pictures of their ID without it being a problem at all.
“I show them a picture ID all the time with no issue,” said one person.
“Literally sitting at a bar rn with my drink that I got by showing a picture of my ID lmao,” commented another.
So what’s the actual protocol, here? Is it a Wild West situation, where servers randomly decide to accept pictures on a whim?
@caela164 a picture for a picture ?? @kayyy♡︎ #servertok #serviceindustry #drinks #pictures ♬ original sound – caelatheserver
Can you just show a picture of your ID to purchase alcohol?
As is the case with most issues in the U.S., laws tend to vary from state to state. This is even when alcohol is involved. However, according to WebMD, “most state laws require you to show a picture ID, or identification card issued by the government, to buy alcohol.”
While the government can dole out driver’s licenses, passports, etc., it cannot, in fact, issue you a picture on your phone. So that’s one federal strike against substituting physical IDs for pictures.
States like California have strict alcohol laws that encompass detailed protocol for mandating and checking physical IDs. Legislation in North Carolina, meanwhile, doesn’t technically specify whether or not “digital proof” is kosher. But Jeff Strickland, the North Carolina ABC Commission, has still drawn a line in the sand.
Pictures of IDs can’t be allowed because they can be “easily altered or manipulated to appear valid,” Strickland told The Charlotte Observer.
On the flip side, Colorado actually has a specific app dedicated to this exact idea: the Colorado Digital ID. One viewer in the comments of @caela164’s video championed the app as a lifesaver in these situations.
“Colorado stays winning – we have a digital ID app and bars are required to take it,” the viewer said.
All in all, the number one way to avoid an alcohol-related headache when out and about is to simply keep your ID on you at all times. Otherwise, make sure to check the laws for buying alcohol—and ID verification—for the state you’re in.
The Mary Sue has reached out to @caela164 for comment via email.
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