Should kids be allowed in pubs?

[chocolatesaltyballs22]

Currently having a heated debate with husband. Pub near us has just imposed a 'no kids' rule, which I'm happy about. We have teen kids but have never felt the need to take them into pubs unless going for a meal. Lots of the regulars in our local take their younger kids in while they have a sesh and leave them to run riot. The landlord won't stand up to them as they bring too much money in.

My view is that pubs are not a place for kids - they never were when I was younger. It's a place I go to escape from my own kids, so why do I have to put up with other people's? He thinks that kids won't learn how to behave in public unless they are allowed into places like pubs.

Opinions?

I'm a publican, if we didn't allow family's in I could just close my doors, we don't have hard drinkers as such, we are your normal run of the mill pub that does food, so 79% of my trade is food and drinks for families

Yes, I love pubs and the only way I can go is by taking my children. We got to lots of parents and children’s birthday lunches in pubs too. Quite old fashioned views about pubs on this thread

Also I never see badly behaved children, honestly never. And I’m in The pub with mine once or twice a week sometimes. I don’t know where people see all these awful children

I’m not surprised at that 79% info. Many family friendly pubs would go bust without that trade.

YABU I grew up in France where it is customary for kids to go in cafes and it really annoys me that you cannot take kids in pubs here.

I've stopped going to a few pubs because they were overrun with kids. And walked out of plenty because of the noise and disturbance of kids running around.

Pubs are for adults and for drinking.

One if our locals used be a very family friendly pub. It used to be packed on a Sunday afternoon with families. It was a real community hub and we all used to spend a fair amount as we'd all order drinks and food.

The landlord's wife decided she no longer wanted kids in the pub so we've all stopped going in. I walked past yesterday and it was empty.

I wouldn’t take the kids unless we were going out for a family meal but tbf I rarely go to a pub otherwise except maybe on a Saturday night at a time children aren’t likely to be awake or present anyway so this obviously isn’t aimed at me.

My parents used to take us as kids and sit and drink while we played with other kids in the car park. That’s pretty unheard of around here now!

Got a bit carried away there, apologies to all and to @DowntownAbby. Chalk it up to monday morning grumpiness. I have now had coffee and feel more normal.

I'm a publican, if we didn't allow family's in I could just close my doors, we don't have hard drinkers as such, we are your normal run of the mill pub that does food, so 79% of my trade is food and drinks for families

And this is what it comes down to. For those who feel publicans shouldn't be able to run their businesses in the way they see fit, where do you expect the money to keep them afloat to come from?

I'm in the depends camp!
My kids are adults and they take us to the pub now.
However when mine were young I used to like going to a pub after a long day walking on the mountains with them. I always had ( and still do) have a pint of lime and soda for my first drink and a pint of lager shandy if I was having a second and a packet of cheese and onion crisps.
Guess what my kids do after they finish hiking or mountain biking? Yeah, first pint is always soda and lime.

We have a local pub about 300 meters away and it is always packed. My boys go in it now and are regulars but it would never cross my mind to take them there when they were children. I think they only went in twice. Once was to a wake in the afternoon and the other was after a Christening.
The boys went to plenty of family friendly pub/restaurant places and that was for a meal, not for me and their dad to casually drink.

I live somewhere where pubs are only for adults and they are dying. My local is empty until 11pm on weekend nights, so now it's staying shut more and more and the owner is trying to sell and no one wants to buy. I really miss the UK style of family friendly pubs.

Of course kids should be allowed in pubs - but it's up to the landlord/lady really.
Good luck to the pub. They can choose to be how they like. I don't go to pubs that are full of students anymore, or ones that play loud rock/metal, or ones that are full of all day drinkers, or the ones that have Skysports on all day. Nor would I be likely to take kids to any of those...
A pub can create whatever 'culture' it wants to, and it;s not that hard to find ones that aren't full of kids.
Round here the pubs would shut if they didn't allow kids in or serve food, so they have board games, colouring stuff etc. around for them but it's rare to see a kid in any of our locals past 7pm anyway so it works. Plus none of the pubs would tolerate kids running around other than in the beer garden...

We had a trendy inner city pub near us in our last location - a craft ales and pizzas kind of a place. Word clearly spread that it was fine to take your kids in because the place became OVERRUN with them. They were running around unsupervised, there were toys everywhere, plastic beakers on every table, crying, bar staff getting legged up. On one occasion a particularly overconfident child came up to me and my DH, interrupting our meal, and started a conversation, to which I had to say: “would you go back to your parents and leave us alone please”! So I think kids in pubs are fine, but they must be strictly supervised and not allowed to roam, and not in there during the evening.

@footchewer you certainly didn't need to apologise to me. It didn't offend me in any way. Just thought it was a bit harsh.

I wouldn’t take mine in just for a drink they’d not enjoy that and I don’t think it’s an environment they need to bE exposed to at their ages

Pubs round here are full of families.
So not exactly places to be avoided.

They have climbing frames and swings in the garden and crayons and games inside.

I think the pubs of yester year where it was adults only, pork scratchings or bags of peanuts on a card hung behind the bar were the only nod to food are definitely either gone or on the way out.

It is economics.

It's not hard. There are pubs that cater well for kids, and where I'm happy to take my 3yo for lunch. There are pubs that have nothing to do with kids (nor anything to do for kids), where I much prefer going on those rare evenings when I can escape the monkey for a couple of hours. It's not about going out and getting bladdered, just a few moments of peace with a pint and something to read / someone to talk to.

andyindurham but the type of pub you are talking about is a dying trade as your couple of drinks every now and again doesn’t keep the doors open.

I am on the edge of London and I cannot think of one pub that solely survives on quiet drinkers.

They are either pubs that serve food to families at whatever time of day with a little section for those wanting a drink or Weatherspoon's in the evening