Witherspoon’s 2 drink limit for parents

[Leaannb]

I just saw an article about Witherspoons deciding to impose a 2 drink limit with parents who have their children with them. How do you feel about this? Is this being unreasonable?

to be honest I’m normally aghast at this kind of “rule” ... but actually on this occasion, am sort of in support of it.

I’m a LP and like to eat out with my 3yo DS (sometimes Nando’s, sometimes naice places earlier in the day) Sometimes I have a glass of wine - very rarely 2. And there’s been the odd occasion 2 glasses have felt on the edge of sensible...

Given the amount of pissed parents in our local Weatherspoons, then it is very good thing.

I don't really give a shit. My kids are older and I avoid pubs that allow kids or have loads of kids anyhow because then you get the parents all on MN bitching about how smokers actually using the beer garden to smoke when they do it all year but for some reason they're supposed to stop in Summer because of the children.

I am in favour, and wish that all establishments would introduce it too.

I agree with poster "ALongHardWinter" above who says what many want to say but are afraid of offending anyone.

It really is possible to enjoy an afternoon/evening in the pub with kids without annoying the heck out of everyone else if kids are allowed to run riot.

Sensible policy really, other places take note.

It’s fine I think. Two drinks is ample to have with a meal and frankly if you want to get bladdered, don’t bring your young children with you. No one should be looking after young kids while drunk anyway so I don’t see the problem.

A pub isn’t a place for dc anyway

I agree with the 2 drink rule. I think the fact they’ve made this rule shows they have trouble with pissed parents tbh.

If people don’t like it then they can drink else where 🤷🏻‍♀️

I think it is awful that they have had to do it!

As the adult child of an alcoholic, anything that is done to reduce the impact is welcome. Im suffering more in my 30s than I did as a 10 year old, from the emotional neglect. 2 drinks is plenty. Does my head in to See kids in school uniform in pubs til 8pm

They serve from 10 am in London... why would you take kids there anyway, it’s not overly family friendly.
Get a babysitter and have more than two drinks.

I imagine this rule has come in after incidents with drunk parents being too intoxicated to properly care for their kids in the pub in question

I think it's a great idea. I agree with the person above, if you want to drink more go home take the kids to bed and then open a bottle

I know the particular pub this has sparked from and yes, in their case it is totally necessary. Kids running riot while the poor staff try not to drop hot food and drinks on them while the parents get wasted. Drunk parents physically fighting in front of their terrified children. I have witnessed it first hand. Its not fair on normal parents but the rule has to apply to everyone to be enforceable.

I don’t think an arbitrary limit on drinks is helpful. Two drinks - over what period? Is this one or both parents? How will they police it? If parents want to buy a bottle of wine to share will they be stopped? What if they order doubles?

Not unreasonable at all. The license holder is responsible for what happens on the premises and if there’s an incident they could have to explain why they served intoxicating liquor to a parent who had a child in their care to the licensing board. It’s far a more about demonstrating they’re a responsible license holder than about judging parents.

It’s really sad to me that it’s necessary.

I love my wine but I don’t understand these people who take their kids to the pub so they can drink. DH has a friend who will quite often take their wee boy (4) to the pub all day Saturday so he can sit and drink and watch the football scores so his wife can “get on” at home. I think it’s sad, he must be so bored. Take him to the park, or the soft play or the science centre.

Back in my day we kids were left in the car with a shandy and a bag of crisps while our dads got pissed.

I think it tells you a good deal about the average clientele with kids in ‘spoons that they feel they need to do this, and no they not BU.

The rule has been around for years, it just varies on pub to pub on whether they actually enforce it. I don't think it's a bad thing. I don't think wetherspoons is really a place for young children to spend too long in anyway. I used to work for the company a long time ago and you would have regulars ordering several pints for themselves at 9 am.

I mean, where I live they could have 2 drinks in one Spoons and go down the road and have two drinks in another ... you're not stopping people getting pissed up you're just moving the problem along. Which is fair enough if that's what Spoons want to do but let's not fool ourselves into thinking that this is being done out of anything else but a sense of self preservation on their part.

I see the reasons for implementing the 2 drink rule. However, people will find ways round it. Buying rounds, getting mates to buy drinks or swapping drinks. I've worked in busy pubs and it's pretty hard to tell exactly how many drinks every person in the place has had.

We take our kids out to lunch in pubs because there are some lovely country ones near us that serve great food, it's nice family time and I really think you have to train your children how to behave in restaurants and cafés from a young age. Manners, sitting down and colouring or playing a game, not running about, appropriate noise levels etc. If you never take them, they never learn. I wouldn't have more than 2 drinks anyway as I'd fall asleep in the afternoon.

I doubt the unsupervised kid thing (that affects all clientele) ONLY applies to Wetherspoons either!

Thankfully I can go to places that are child free now, and I do.

I admire the OP, but I doubt this thread will get much traction because MNetters would never take their kids to a pub LOL.

Coffee shops are a pain too sometimes. I know parents need somewhere to go, that's fine, but keep your hyper kids away from me please, and most people actually DO supervise their kids best they can or provide them with colouring books/games to keep them from getting bored.

And as for the places that welcome kids AND dogs, whoa, not a chance!

If you are American I am surprised it has surprised you tbh, I think it is sad that the public house have felt it necessary to impose such a rule.

Tbh I can feel the effects of alcohol after two drinks. After 3 my behaviour and judgement would be affected. I don't think I'm unusual. So I think it's fair and necessary.

I think this basically is policing the poor again. Whilst I would expect more parents to be responsible for their children anyway, as it’s not something any middle+ establishments would impose this just slaps of classism

I think it's a fine rule. Should be the same rule anywhere that serves families and sells alcohol imo. I used to work in a cinema and in the school holidays you would often have a parent who would be back and forth all (day and time) movie for alcohol and I hated serving them.

Years ago, I was mortified when I was refused a pint of beer in a Wetherspoons because I had my daughter with me though. I hadn't had anything else to drink and we were eating Sunday dinner. I felt really judged! But it does make sense to me now. But three plus drinks would be excessive at a family meal in care of children. I imagine it will only be enforced or kept track of when necessary.

A pp who mentioned being left in the car while dad drunk for hours is what I remember too, during the 90's. I've often wondered how common that was. If we were lucky we would get a lime and soda and a packet of crisps brought out if we didn't get out of the car for what was deemed long enough.

I think it's a fine rule. Should be the same rule anywhere that serves families and sells alcohol imo. I used to work in a cinema and in the school holidays you would often have a parent who would be back and forth all (day and time) movie for alcohol and I hated serving them.

Years ago, I was mortified when I was refused a pint of beer in a Wetherspoons because I had my daughter with me though. I hadn't had anything else to drink and we were eating Sunday dinner. I felt really judged! But it does make sense to me now. But three plus drinks would be excessive at a family meal in care of children. I imagine it will only be enforced or kept track of when necessary.

A pp who mentioned being left in the car while dad drunk for hours is what I remember too, during the 90's. I've often wondered how common that was. If we were lucky we would get a lime and soda and a packet of crisps brought out if we didn't get out of the car for what was deemed long enough.