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.

I’ve travelled to 17 different countries. Granted, they are all in Europe or North/Central America, but preferring wine with a meal doesn’t make me an insular Little Englander.

This thread makes me wonder how many posters have actually travelled beyond the UK and/or the West.

I’ve just asked my Russian colleague how people in her home town would feel about a dry restaurant. I would tell you her response but she is still laughing at the thought.

A restaurant (e.g. Chinese ) where you drink Jasmine tea or similar - lovely
or somewhere you have been invited to join in because most of the guests do not want to be with people drinking alcohol for whatever reason - lovely

If I were to choose a restaurant for a celebratory event I would choose one where I could have a glass of wine as could DH but if guests choose not to - absolutely fine.

Memo to self remember there are some who think there is no middle ground between no drinking at all and going out to a restaurant and getting 3 sheets to the wind and spoiling everyone else's experience.

I'm teetotal so it wouldn't bother me.

I feel I've touched a few nerves.

Strange as I'm not anti-alcohol in the right circs. I don't feel it should be expected though, anymore than putting pressure on someone to smoke should be.

I do drink alcohol but I'd be more than happy not to if the food was good. I hardly ever order dessert, I prefer a starter or extra side dishes.

One of the best no booze restaurants I've been to Clink at Styal Women's prison in Cheshire. It's brilliant. I've been for breakfast, lunch and a few dinners.

@KarenofSparta I agree - if someone does not drink then amongst a group of friends no-one but no-one should try to make them "have a taste" or whatever. I think your analogy with a cigarette is quite good - why would you ?

My only point is that some people who are not going to be rowdy & boisterous do like a glass of wine with their meal . But most people who like a glass of wine with their meal would be happy to go to a dry restaurant because it is not a big deal - would they have chosen that restaurant themselves - maybe not but Heavens to Betsy if a friend invited me to a restaurant with out wine I'd go and be happy to be invited. That said I would also invite them to a restaurant where wine was on offer ( if they were comfortable with that ) and just be happy with what they chose instead.

I am sure I have missed the point here

Oh and one further point - I do not have a sweet tooth - just don't like them - I am fed up of in reaturants people trying to encourage me to have a pudding "Are you dieting?" - no - "do you have a thing about sugar" - no "are you diabetic?" - no

Enough questions pass me the cheeseboard

This thread makes me wonder how many posters have actually travelled beyond the UK and/or the West

No one, ever. Do they have restaurants outside the U.K.? Mind boggling.

@TheDuchessOfBeddington

Outside of Covid government restrictions last year, I can’t think of a restaurant that doesn’t allow byob if unlicensed.

Even the Muslim owned ones near us get around it by charging ‘for the glasses’, not the BYO wine, thereby not profiting from alcohol.

There is no " getting around it" anything to do with alcohol is prohibited. And they are profiting as providing glasses for the alcohol is still getting money for the glasses which are then being used to drink alcohol in.

No.

If I'm paying for a nice meal in the evening I want to be able to enjoy a glass or two of wine to compliment it.

This thread makes me wonder how many posters have actually travelled beyond the UK and/or the West

I've been to many countries in Asia and South America for example. Drinking alcohol with meals is perfectly standard in all of them.

There are exceptions, mainly Muslim countries, but it's a very widespread norm, so making people out to be some kind of little Englanders makes you sound silly.

Memo to self remember there are some who think there is no middle ground between no drinking at all and going out to a restaurant and getting 3 sheets to the wind and spoiling everyone else's experience.

There are some unusual views on alcohol on MN that I've not come across in RL *

• that if you have children under 25 young children, one parent must abstain from alcohol at all times in case there is an emergency and they need to take the children to hospital.
• that having more than one drink a week/month/year means you are alcohol dependent.
• preferring to have a drink in a restaurant means you are an addict.

• I had a friend at school who came from a very religious teetotal family. She didn't seem to realise that there was a difference between "having an alcoholic beverage or more than one" and "being drunk" ....but she was a young teen and had fairly limited experience of people drinking socially.

I'd eat there as long as the food was good and they had a nice range of soft drinks.
My pet hate is when the soft drink options are limited to basic fizzy drinks such as coke/fanta, and fruit juice

Lunch - yes
Dinner - no

This thread makes me wonder how many posters have actually travelled beyond the UK and/or the West.

Beyond the uk? What is this mystical place you speak of? Won’t we fall off the planet when we get to the edge?

I don't always drink with dinner at a pub and sometimes have dinner in restaurants that don't allow alcohol, so yes I would. As others have said some food is enhanced by a good wine, others it's nice to try the local alternative. I enjoy trying new flavours and different foods so will give most things a go

@KarenofSparta - what a ridiculous thing to say 😅 I have travelled extensively both within and outside of Europe. Even in strictly Muslim countries, tourists can normally have alcohol in hotels and restaurants. The only place I’ve ever been to where I went unintentionally found myself in a dry restaurant was Florida. I didn’t like it, it was very Quaker like and the food was terrible.

There would be some occasions when I'd still go, I don't always want a drink, but there would also be lots of occasions when I wouldn't go.

Oh I flipping wish! It’d be great. No loud obnoxious table spoiling the evening.

Yes of course, and I often have. Many Turkish, Kurdish & Pakistani owned restaurants in Leicester, my nearest city, cater predominantly to Muslim customers and therefore don’t serve alcohol.

@WomanStanleyWoman

But again, *@nosyupnorth*, is it really that they ‘can’t stand’ to be without alcohol? Or just don’t want to be?

I think if you want it so much that you'd refuse an otherwise good invitation simply because there will be no oppotunity to drink alcohol then yes, it suggests that they can't stand to be without it.

It's one thing to say if given the choice between no alcohol and alcohol you would favour the restaurant that serves alcohol, but to say that the prospect of going without alcohol for a few hours isn't an acceptable option suggests their relationship with alcohol goes beyond a preference.

"This thread makes me wonder how many posters have actually travelled beyond the UK and/or the West."

So I have been to Africa , Russia Japan , US ( which the latter I realise is the west )

The worst meal I have ever had ( but I said thank you because the host was paying ) was US - steaks about the size of my back garden and cokes all round. ( I managed to get some tap water ) I would have loved a steak of little proportions and cooked well , and a little glass of red wine with it. But not on offer . So go through as much as I could (smiling) and left the Coke - sweet fizzy drinks don't do it for me.

Japan - happy to have water because I don't like saki - but some of their little beers can be nice and quite light. SA - fabulous seafood and nice wines.

@Fluffycloudland77 - Oh I flipping wish! It’d be great. No loud obnoxious table spoiling the evening."

There is a middle ground between loud obnoxious people and people who would just like a glass of wine with their meal

I think most restaurants can cater for those who prefer not to drink and for those who prefer a small amount with their food.

But yes - if a friend chose I would absolutely go to a dry restaurant.

Even preferring a glass of wine I would not choose a restaurant where I thought there are going to be loud shouty people having gone one over the eight.