No children in pub after 5pm

Ditto. Many a summer’s evening in the 90s spent in the beer garden because we weren’t allowed inside the pub.

We didnt do the "in the car at the pub" thing, because we almost never went to the pub. My mother, for good reason, hates pubs and drunk people so if we did go it was a walk down the hill to the naice pub by the river in the summer. We would have one or two drinks in the beer garden and walk back home. But cousins/friends etc did get this. Their fathers would drive to the pub, often on a Sunday lunchtime, chuck a bottle of pop and a packet of crisps at the kids, and then go back in with their mates. The mum would be home making dinner without the kids around her feet and got a bit of peace.

Was it ok? No. Was it very very common? Yes.

Not RTWT but as someone who used to run pubs.....

It really depends on the clientele.

At the food based pubs, there was no limit because families where there to eat and then left. Yes we had the usual issue of kids being allowed to run riot while ma and pa sucked back the wine but that would usually be solved by me pointing that out that they stood a very chance of getting hot food spilled on them and that we would not be held liable if that happened.

However at "locals" it could be a massive problem. Most parents would go in early evening, have a couple with friends and the kids would play in the beer garden or play Uno or whatever and then they would leave. But (and it was always the same couple of families), Ma and Pa would get stuck into the alcohol and basically ignore the kids. The messes we had to clear up sometimes were appalling. The kids were bored and constantly asking for snacks and sweets which were readily bought so Ma and Pa would be left alone. Except most of the snacks would be thrown around and trampled on. They would destroy areas of the beer garden, one memorable incident involved them squirting their drinks over the fence to passers by, which because we were working inside we didnt know about until one of the villagers came in to complain. So, kids were banned after 7. Except that they would always push it. 7 becamce half 7 (you give a bit of leeway to finish drinks...ok) then 8....and then there was always a row about which parents turn it was to take the kids home so the other one could stay and get even more ratted.

So we instigated a "last orders" thing where we rang the bell and shouted "Kids out in half an hour!" in a friendly way but we stood by it. Yes there was a lot of push back (WE SPEND A FORTUNE IN HERE!!) and we were empty by 7.15 but a hell of a lot busier by half 8 as the regulars who had stayed away due to the kids, came back.

TLDR; they are not going to ban kids after a certain time without good business reasons. Just because your kids are ok, doesnt mean all of them are.

😂😂😂😂

1978, obvs. Shouldn’t have taken my glasses off while typing, clearly.

Blimey when we’re crisps and pop developed 😆

Actually alcohol consumption in Spain is higher per head than in the uk.

Throw a few dogs into the mix and everyone should be happy right? 😬

Who is going to out the door first? Me or you? Phew! 😥 I’ll meet you in the child and dog free beer garden

We sat on the wall if it was dry, and in the car if it rained. A packet of crisps and a Panda Pop. Summer 1878

Anon you’ve basically answered your own original question.
ie…………Med kids v uk kids.

I haven't ruined your pub experience, OP, as my local doesn't serve food.

This thread however did make me laugh because recently, DH and I were heading out, mid-afternoon for a rare, child-free treat. We walked up to our local micro bar, which is a tiny venue with a nice relaxed atmosphere, only to spot a pushchair in the window.

A week later, I told the landlord that we'd swerved his establishment on account of him now catering to 'younger' guests. I hinted that DH and I were looking forward to sampling much of his exorbitantly priced wine offering, but were deterred.

The following week, a sign appeared on the door stating that the pub is now 18+. 😂

I have never heard of anyone other than on MN spending time in a car while their parents were in the pub.

I'm '70s child and I swear it was not a normal thing to do.

The only times I ever remember waiting in the car were in petrol stations and when he went into the bookies to put his line on. The slip would already be written out.

I work in bars, have for years. I've seen loads of problems with women behaving poorly also. Honestly some of the worst people to cut off or kick out are middle age women. The entitlement is off the charts, as if they can't believe that I dare enforce the rules on them. Don't get me wrong, the men can be awful, but so can the ladies.

What @HesterPrincess is describing was completely normal back in the day. My parents did the same, bringing me and my brother coke and crisps to have in the car. It was one of our favourite things to do.

The language used in this thread is very controlling - telling adults when they should eat and when they should drink and if they don't follow these instructions they shouldn't complain.
How about kids shouldn't behave disruptively in a pub or a restaurant and if they do their parents should encourage them to behave and their parents are ineffective in their parenting, they should take their children home and not subject everyone else one else to their poor behaviour. Problem solved.

Same in France on the whole, and if children do misbehave I've noticed there's every chance that others apart from the parents won't hesitate to correct them on the basis that "it takes a village" and all that

@Puzzledandpissedoff I agree 👍

Apologies I meant I used to go out for dinner with my parents.
Can't edit my post now.

If the pub doesn’t allow children then it’s irrelevant what the time is.

Who makes people the arbiter of “when children eat” and “when adults eat” anyway? Different people eat at different times.

They can eat when they want but if they want to eat so a time when children eat rather than adults then shouldn't complain about the presence of children.

What exactly is wrong with children going to the pub with a play area in the garden on a sunny day

Nothing at all, providing they're adequately supervised

IME the problems only start when folk confuse "family friendly" with licence to allow feral behaviour, and worse still allow it at times and in places where adults might reasonably expect a bit of peace

I'm from Spain
I always went to my parents for dinner when I was a child and this is a normal thing there
Children are used to it and generally know how to behave (maybe is the frequency of doing this). Adults drink way less than the UK and Ireland

Same in France on the whole, and if children do misbehave I've noticed there's every chance that others apart from the parents won't hesitate to correct them on the basis that "it takes a village" and all that
Try that in the UK and see how it goes ...

I'm from Spain
I always went to my parents for dinner when I was a child and this is a normal thing there.
Children are used to it and generally know how to behave (maybe is the frequency of doing this). Adults drink way less than the UK and Ireland.

The trouble is that there are so many of them now that it's getting harder and harder to find pubs that don't put families and children front and centre.

Oh believe me, I do.

A 'pub' with a 'play area' is a bit like a vegetarian steakhouse.

I’d suggest that anyone who doesn’t want to go to a pub with kids avoids pubs that have play areas for kids. It’s not rocket science.

@IcedPurple the said pub we go to has a family area and a quieter garden for those who want peace.

Bring back national service. Young people have no respect these days. A good war would sort them out. All music is rubbish these days. In my day you just left the kids in the car for 12 hours outside the pub, with a bag of crisps and a warm bottle of flat Coke between 8 of the. and they were fine.
Did I miss anything??