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AIBU?

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Original poster

Family friendly pubs and restaurants

98 replies

crunchymint · 26/03/2018 10:36

AIBU to think all pubs that serve meals and restaurants are family friendly these days?

This is in answer to those saying if you don't want kids running about screaming, don't go to a family friendly pub. I literally can not think of one place where I live that serves food, that is not family friendly. These must be very rare. I enjoy going out for Sunday lunch, so this means going to a family friendly pub or restaurant.

OP posts:
FusRoDah · 26/03/2018 11:51

To me, if it has a kids menu it's 'family friendly', if it doesn't, then it isn't, though it will probably tolerate kids ie not outright refuse to let them in.

Original poster
crunchymint · 26/03/2018 11:53

Wonderlime As I said upthread, you live in a City with over 1050 restaurants or trip advisor. That is not typical. There are 81 on Trip Advisor where I live. Of course there are going to be more independents where you live. So stop accusing people of being stupid please.

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Cheekyandfreaky · 26/03/2018 11:54

Put plainly, the type of places everyone is moaning about couldn’t afford to stay open without families.

upsideup · 26/03/2018 11:55

Why do you need kids to be banned? Are you unable to eat when there is an under 18 in a close proximity to you? Are you alergic to children?
95% of restaurants (excluding places like mcdonalds whose target audiance is children not adults anyway) would not tolerate kids running round and screaming anymore than they would tolerate an adult running round and screaming, you would immediately be asked to leave.
My kids will sit at the table and eat their food like you, most of kids I have ever met would do the same, they really are not going to affect you at all.

WonderLime · 26/03/2018 11:58

I haven’t accused anyone of being stupid. But you can’t spend more, won’t travel further afield and seem to be gravitating to very family friend restaurants so you aren’t really helping yourself.

The point is they do exist. And there are plenty of places that are children-friendly that don’t have screaming children in them (a parenting issue, not a restaurant issue).

I don’t live inner-city by the way. I work there and travel in when I want to eat out.

Original poster
crunchymint · 26/03/2018 11:58

I don't want kids to be banned, simply to behave.
So last time I went to the local Nepalese place, there were kids there sitting behaving and enjoying family time. And ONE family with kids running around, jumping on and off benches and being total pains. The kids barely ate, just playing the whole time as if it was a playground. They are the kids I want banned.

OP posts:
Original poster
crunchymint · 26/03/2018 12:01

WonderLime No my point is they do not exist where I live. There are two very posh places I can not afford. Everywhere either welcomes children, or are as I posted upthread two places with terrible food where drunks go after going to the pub.

I live in the main town in my area. Going further afield means going to pubs in villages. I would have to travel maybe 45 miles to get to a City with as many restaurants as where you live.

OP posts:
PeapodBurgundy · 26/03/2018 12:02

The problem isn't the restaurant/pub allowing children. The issues is parents not teaching their children how to behave in them, and the staff not prompting the parents to either ort it or leave.

WonderLime · 26/03/2018 12:04

When you do go to a restaurant with misbehaving children, do you ever say something to the staff?

I’d imagine if more people complained the restaurants would be more motivated to do something about it to retain custom.

Cheekyandfreaky · 26/03/2018 12:05

When your money is worth more than what families will spend is when they’ll act.

Let me say again, unruly behaviour should be discouraged but by parents not businesses. We live in a society governed by money, you can’t expect businesses to turn away paying customers.

SpringNowPlease2018 · 26/03/2018 12:05

crunchy I live in London - outer London but have the whole of central at my disposal. I used to go to nice places for Sunday lunch but now I don't bother.

as I said on a previous thread, London is now simply a pedestrianised pram park. So you wouldn't find what you wanted even if you looked this far.

anothersuitcase · 26/03/2018 12:08

Gosh how miserable you sound. "Selfish entitled idiots"?? "Please try and appreciate not all of us have a lot of money" "please try and appreciate we don't all have a huge choice of restaurants" Hmm
You don't want to eat where there are kids. Apparently you also dislike students and drunk people. And then demanding everyone trying to help you compiles a list of suitable restaurants in the tone of, "name these please as I simply don't believe such a restaurant exists! Oh well that's a nightclub, another thing I dislike"
Do your own bloody market research!

I eat out loads both with and without kids and fail to see why you have such a massive chip on your shoulder about it. Do you really hate to share your air space with kids so much? Surely there must be at least one restaurant in your area where children don't behave badly? I have experienced plenty!

Original poster
crunchymint · 26/03/2018 12:08

SpringNow Very sad.

The best behaved kid I know in restaurants is a friend with a young daughter. Friend is a waitress and refuses to have her DD inflicting what she has suffered from badly behaved kids. She says staff paid very little are often expected to put up with a lot of shit from posh people with terribly behaved kids, who leave their table as if a bombsite had hit it. Her daughter who is not an angel generally, is beautifully behaved when eating out.

OP posts:
orangesmartieseggs · 26/03/2018 12:10

Going further afield means going to pubs in villages.

Then that may be what you have to do. All the decent pubs around here are at least a 20 minute drive away. Sometimes you have to travel to get the facilities you want.

Ollivander84 · 26/03/2018 12:11

My parents pub restaurant is family friendly to a degree. They won't tolerate running around or massive amounts of noise, and it's also dog friendly. My dad is happier if you bring a dog rather than a child GrinWink

Original poster
crunchymint · 26/03/2018 12:15

anothersuitcase I have no problem with students. The two places I won't eat don't just have drunk people. They serve terrible food and exist to serve food to drunk people. One indian place that is very grubby with simply very hot curries full of drunk people. One with very cheap food and bring your own alcohol - food is crap, and also full of drunk people that go to party. They do not exist to serve good food. They exist for people drunk and wanting to party and eat.

OP posts:
Original poster
crunchymint · 26/03/2018 12:18

The village pubs are family friendly. They only exist because they welcome families.

My point is there is in many places in Britain nowhere that is not family friendly to eat that is also not expensive. So control your kids. That is all.

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SpringNowPlease2018 · 26/03/2018 12:20

@crunchymint "Very sad."

It really is. London was a wonderful place in the past. I had many a hilarious Sunday lunch at - actually I won't name it because one of the funniest things was we knew the waiters and they'd often still be off their face on a Sunday afternoon - and it was SO MUCH FUN and it was all adults and it was just hysterical.

I remember working in Soho and casually chatting with the "characters" of Soho at lunchtime.

now - wow. But I'm told New York went the same way. I think that's a globalisation thing - sorry to go off piste - but everything changes to the same thing at the same rate.

The first time I remember bars changing rules and allowing babies in the day was mostly in NY - Park Slopes is it, in Brooklyn?

I do think that's one reason so many of these chain restaurants are closing though - they opened too many of them and they're all aimed at families. A childfree bar or restaurant would make a fortune in many parts of London, I reckon.

I went to a 40th recently, big hall, hired band etc, and quite a few parents were annoyed that they'd got all dressed up and hired a babysitter and there were kids running around everywhere. It's not just the childfree who want childfree fun!

upsideup · 26/03/2018 12:55

So control your kids. That is all.

The majority of parents do control their kids.
I have never been to a restaurant where kids have been allowed to just run free because either their parents or the staff immediately intervene.
If theres kids running round which I find hard to believe happens everywhere you go everytime just complain and they will be asked to leave or be quiet, problem solved.

Lethaldrizzle · 26/03/2018 13:14

I'm not entirely sure where you anti kid people are going out but I eat and drink out alot in the UK- cities and villages, and I can honestly say I rarely see what you are describing, But maybe I just don't notice it. If I want to go to a more Grown up place to drink or eat, i would find a wine bar or such like. But there are plenty of establishments in this country for us to choose from. Just stop focusing on the negative.

SpringNowPlease2018 · 26/03/2018 13:22

@Lethaldrizzle "If I want to go to a more Grown up place to drink or eat, i would find a wine bar or such like"

again, suggestions of wine bars that don't allow children in the day .....

Lizzie48 · 26/03/2018 13:25

I agree, I've been in a lot of restaurants and I really haven't seen a lot of kids running around and causing havoc. Noisy sometimes, and the odd tantrum, but not anything that's particularly bad, and the parents do handle it. I actually think some posters exaggerate in order to have a moan.

The only places where I've noticed bad behaviour are soft play, where the parents just don't give a damn, and, sadly, at church.

Original poster
crunchymint · 26/03/2018 13:25

Most places are too afraid of being labelled as unfriendly to families via bad trip advisor reviews, that they will not ask a family to leave. Kids running about everywhere are not solved by a waiter having a quiet word with the parents. Parents like this don't give a toss.

OP posts:
LostInShoebiz · 26/03/2018 13:26

London is now simply a pedestrianised pram park

Amen to that. I'd happily pay a premium to have an adults-only Sunday lunch.

thecatsthecats · 26/03/2018 13:33

I used to live in a very trendy area of Birmingham that was virtually kid-free. It wasn't at all suited to children - all flats, no proper parks. Lots of trendy bars and more casual/some upmarket restaurants.

I think I can still count the number of times I saw kids in the pubs and restaurants on one hand, and I lived there five years (I still remember one occasion with a smile when some children came in trick or treating one year, and the yuppies in the bar recoiled visibly as if they were plague bearing rats before they were shooed out).

Have you tried hipsterish locations, OP? You might have to sit on a bicycle seat, but you won't be plagued by children. I've moved out to a suburb and everywhere is 'child friendly'.