Costa won't sell coffee/caffeine to under 18s?

[rcyclable]

Dd16 tried to buy a latte from Costa earlier. Apparently the man serving asked how old she was as he's not allowed to sell caffeine to under 18s. She got the coffee as he said 'just this once but he wouldn't be able to sell it in future.

I asked if he was joking and apparently not. Is there any truth in this? I know there are restrictions on energy drinks, but never heard of anything like this.

He was possibly new, they (DD and friend) hadn't seen him in there before, and he talked about how he could be fined for serving caffeine to under 18. I think it's possible he confused it with alcohol laws, though he had a colleague standing nearby who could have stepped in.

I didn't know the above when I sent my query to Costa so didn't mention it.

My dd got a coffee from Costa and she’s 13 🙄 I’d rather she hadn’t.

My school would serve us tea and coffee at after school clubs and I'm in my 20s.

I also used to buy coffee on my way to college every morning. Although that was Starbucks.

I've never heard of this before.

I'd love to see energy drinks completely banned from sale.
But restrictions on coffee??!! Ridiculous.
I've been drinking coffee since forever. I used to ask my grandma for a drop of coffee in my cup of milk when I was around 6 years old. I have been drinking proper fresh coffee since probably 12 or so. Overused it during all my teenage and young adult exams sessions and work deadlines. But overall I just drink a normal amount of coffee.
However I didn't grow up in Britain so it may be a cultural thing. But in Britain children start drinking tea very young.

Absolutely nothing wrong with drinking coffee as a youngster.

Adding the sugar and all the crappy syrups and nonsense is not a good thing.

Our school had a hot drinks vending machine in the seventies which included tea and coffee. Available to all pupils from 1st form to upper sixth I only got the coffee as tea was vile.

Well, shouldn't be any problem with Starbucks since their "coffee" barely contains any caffeine. Now Costa actually sells a decent pick-me-up.
But I am baffled by this idea that kids shouldn't have caffeinated drinks. When did it become a "thing?" And why? I have been drinking strong tea since I was old enough to hold a mugI literally can't remember a time when I didn't drink it and I can remember when I was 4. We hardly ever had coffee in those daysit was regarded as exotic and needing whole lots of arcane preparation--but when we did, I drank that too.

Sorry, messed up the formatting. Not supposed to be crossed out.

My son has adhd and autism and it helps his concentration no end if he has one for breakfast. I see no problem with it.

It does have caffeine

I also had no idea this was a thing. My ds has been drinking coffee every morning since he turned 11. He is 20 now, and entirely moderate in his coffee (and all his other) habits. My youngest dd is 16 and enjoys an iced frappe on a hot day, or a mocha on occasion. She's never had an issue buying one, even under 16 and looks very young for her age.

I genuinely can't comprehend a local policy that says coffee for a 15 year old is unacceptable, from a company that will happily sell a hot chocolate with marshmallows or a coca cola with a massive slice of cake to a child. Can they buy tea??

It wouldn't be the 'some lads' fault, so maybe just avoid Costa if you think you might get difficult about it.

Our one has never said anything. My 14yr old DS bought me a black americano and a mocha for himself yesterday from Costa. When he’s with us and orders a frappe they ask if it’s with or without coffee.

Its a company policy. I assume they don't want gangs of teenagers sitting in.

Yup. We give ds coffee every day for similar reasons. One cup. I also don't get the hysterics around coffee.

His school sells.coffee in the canteen!

My 11 yo was served an espresso in Italy recently 😂😂

It was mine - I hadn't arrived yet.

This thread makes me want a perfectly brewed Italian coffee. ☕

Coffee is good for you full of antioxidants.

I’m not sure how my son possibly being sad at the thought of being denied a pleasant hot drink counts as us being difficult. I had no idea emotions were so unnecessary!

As it stands, we don’t go to Costa often as the coffee is unilaterally shite at the three branches in our town. Starbucks is even worse. There is one decent place to get an indie brew, but it’s a bit out of the way and is not a cafe as such, more a concession in a food market.

We have a Costa close to a secondary school.and l think this policy is maybe to stop one student buying a coffee whilst a huge group then take over two or three tables for hours whilst on phones.

I can't remember when I started drinking coffee, I know I already strikingly at home before it was available in the 6 th form common room.I

I'm weird though caffeine really doesn't have an effect on me. If I go a day or two without it I don't get withdrawal symptoms. My son on the other hand was banned from anything containing caffeine until he off home. I believe his wife still has to remind him not to have too much.

anyway costa coffee is far too weak to be a danger to anyone over 5 .

I was having a little cup of Mellow Birds with milk at 3 and have to keep to no more than 2-3 a day or I'll fall asleep at my desk.

An update at last. Not under 18s then and they can't refuse to sell it even to under 16s.

Thank you for contacting Costa Customer Services.
We can advise that we do not encourage the sale of caffeine to children under 16 and it is at store discretion to question a customer’s age if they have any concerns. Our advertising is not directed at children and you must be 16 or above to own a Costa Club Card. We would also like to advise that caffeine information is available upon request should a customer wish to know the level of caffeine in their favourite Costa coffee.
Please be assured that we do encourage and welcome children into our stores. In light of recent health concerns regarding the intake of caffeine, we have advised our Barista’s to speak to any customers if they believe they are under the age of 16 and advise them of the caffeine content within the drink. However, our Barista’s should not refuse the sale.
We will ensure that your feedback is passed to the Area Manager who operates this store so that this can be picked up internally.
Once again, please accept our sincere apologies for any confusion caused and we do hope you find this information useful.