Would you eat at a restaurant that didn't serve alcohol?

[Yearn]

If a restaurant served only soft drinks and alcohol-free beers/wines/cocktails would you eat there on an evening? Even on a Friday/Saturday night. No BYOB either.

YABU - Yes, I would eat there even on a weekend night.
YANBU - No, I wouldn't eat there on an evening.

Yes, no problem for me at all.

@Almostmenopausal - generally at home and if I go to my relatives houses I drink water/juice apart from DB as they drink alcohol. So most of the time I don’t drink alcohol.

If I go out however I usually like most people do, like to treat myself.

A bit like - would you eat in a restaurant that served vegan food only? Well, I might, but the food would have to be very good, to tempt a whole group of people. Usually, better to choose a restaurant that caters to all tastes

I feel like there are more and more high-end, inventive and creative vegan restaurants opening every year. I'm not a vegan but I'd definitely try them out.

Seems like there's a bit of a division between people who think a restaurant should cater to exactly what they know they already want, and those who go to restaurants to try something new or be welcomed into a different way of doing things. Obviously those aren't mutually exclusive - I have my "comfort" local restaurants where I order the same things every time and know I'll be happy, but I also like going to places for a completely new experience.

@Almostmenopausal

Genuinely aghast at all the alcoholics & wine-o's on here I can't remember the last time I drank alcohol with a meal

What a puerile and offensive remark.

Yep I don’t drink alcohol with a meal. I like a massive pint of water.

I enjoy a glass of wine with a meal so I'd rather go somewhere I could have that tbh I'd definitely eat there for lunch or mid week though

It wouldn’t bother me. I don’t drink wine at all and i rarely choose cider with a meal. I’d like to see a decent range of soft drinks though.
It wouldn’t bother my immediate family either even though they do drink wine with meals.

It would bother a couple of my acquaintances but then I wouldn’t have to listen to their never ending wine related discussions while choosing or their pretentious behaviour when it arrived.

So I guess in some ways I’d prefer a venue that didn’t serve alcohol

I wouldn't mind, it's not like it is the only restaurant you will ever go to again and so if the food is good then I would be happy to go without the alcohol. Obviously if I happened to fancy alcohol with my meal I wouldn't choose to go there. I don't often drink though so I wouldn't really notice.

Depends who you are with
Family - fine no problem
Girls night out - no we wouldn’t as we tend to stay all night and drink bottles of wine too

We don't drink so no problem. But when we did we would have chosen a restaurant for the food .
Alcohol was not something that we considered important.

Our favourite restaurant in our town doesn't serve alcohol & we love going,we go for special occasions etc,and we've never missed having a drink with the meal,we'd have iced water and a soft drink,the food is what we go for 😁

Wouldn't bother me at all as I prefer soft drinks.

I would go if it was for a lunch. However for an evening out, I like a glass of wine, just like I enjoy a dessert and coffee. I only go out 3 or 4 times a year anyway, due to cost/childcare. I would not waste one of my chances to go out, attending an alcohol free restaurant just like I would not waste one of my chances dining with people who only order a main course!!!

I would go to an alcohol free restaurant if I was in the habit of going out every few weeks, as I know I could have a glass of wine with my meal in a few weeks time. Even though it may make me seem like an alcoholic, I would not wait 8 months for a glass of wine with my meal!! I go out so rarely that I want the full experience.

There’s a restaurant near me that serves only puddings. Many people think this is marvellous and it is a destination venue for them. I don’t especially like puddings and can’t imagine anything worse, so I have not been and have declined invitations to go. I don’t imagine that anyone has a problem with this.

I rarely drink and don’t miss alcohol at all in casual dining venues. However, on the very rare occasion that I go to a formal restaurant for an evening one of the primary pleasures and reasons for going is good food paired with good wine and I would not be prepared to miss this. I do not appreciate certain puritanical MNers declaring that this means I have an issue with alcohol. It, and they, are very tiresome.

Eating out is a treat and generally confined to the weekend. So yeah, even it was highly recommended I don't think we''d choose a dry place. There's lots of middle eastern restaurants around us that are mainly BYOB and they seem popular. TBH there's only one restaurant that serves evening meals and doesn't allow alcohol that I know of in our area. Its a Palestinian Restaurant

Completely unreasonable to force an adult not to be able to have a drink with their meal. Human right. Every meal. Now you mentioned it, think Government should force McDonalds, Burger King and KFC. Nanny state gone made if they don't.

If it was a cafe, I wouldn't have a problem. But a restaurant, no I wouldn't want to go if they didn't have any alcohol at all.

But, it would depend on where it is. Many restaurants in areas with a high proportion of some religions do have plenty of restaurants that do not serve alcohol.

No not at the weekend. I like wine as much as I like food! I'd be disappointed not to be able to have a glass or 2 with dinner.

I have done, mostly you can bring a bottle which is great, but I have been to one that was alcohol free and we didn't take anything. I can't remember whether we knew in advance or not as I was driving. They served some amazing soft drinks and incredible coffee though.

I would have no interest in going to restaurant that didn't serve alcohol if it was for dinner.
Brunch / lunch would be fine but for a night out we like to dress up & go somewhere nice & that will involve a cocktail or an aperitif & wine with dinner.

I'm always amazed at how many on MN never drink & order soft drinks - I hate sweet soft drinks so that holds no appeal.to me & the only places I would imagine ordering one with a meal would ce fast food or fish & chips (& even then if its a decent place a nice cold glass of white wine would be far preferable)

It's interesting to me because when I look around me in restaurants I very very rarely see whole tables with nothing but jugs of tap water or glasses of coke in front.of them

I mostly see wine/ beer/ cocktails etc

@GodIsAVegan

Of course. If it’s an issue to have a meal without alcohol, you might have a problem.

Seven posts in!!! 🔔 🔔 🔔

It really is as simple as if you liek a glass of wine or not.

I prefer a glass of coke, and I'm usually driving, so it wouldn't bother me at all.

But many people do like a drink, and if it is a treat, you might not wnat to compromise.
Nothing wrong with that is there?

So really, there is no right and wrong answer here, just what your own meal preference is.

What a weird question. If your enjoyment of a meal is dependent on alcohol, you should seek help.

I don't drink alcohol with food, (except cocktails at a Mexican restaurant).