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 would. I'm there for the food not the drink. I don't tend to drink much anyway.

Lunchtime or quick evening meal with DC... yes. Leisurely evening meal out with friends... no.

YABU- alcohol isn't the be all and end all if life. I've eaten in alcohol free restaurants before and has a lovely meal, I've visited a dry county in the US too!

I'd still eat there as I never drink alcohol with a meal

The last time I ate in a restaurant it was no alcohol. The food was Syrian so I went to try a new cuisine and it was delicious so no alcohol didn't matter. If all restaurants were alcohol free I would be disappointed as sometimes a nice wine is part of the experience but I usually pick restaurants for the food not drink.

Yes - there are some great restaurants in my area that don't because they are Muslim-owned. Not an issue - I go to restaurants for food, not booze.

I generally don't drink when eating, so if I was going solely for food it wouldn't bother me. If I was going for a very rare night out with dp or friends, I would probably find somewhere else, but it would depends what type of night we were planning.

@GodIsAVegan

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

Disingenuous. Lots of people eat most of their meals without alcohol, but want the option of a drink if they are going out and paying for a meal.

Some people relish the opportunity to leap down the throat of any person who says they would prefer alcohol in a specific situation to accuse them of having 'a problem'.

OP, to answer your question, it wouldn't bother me particularly because I'm not a big drinker, but I wouldn't suggest it for a group meal in case other attendees wanted a drink, and I wouldn't pick it for celebrations. But for a chilled out dinner with my husband or a friend who I knew also wasn't a big drinker, I'd be happy to go.

Lunchtime - yes.
Evening meal no. Or rather, I would (and would be driving) but dh wouldn’t. More so if it’s a Friday or Saturday.

The only exception would be if the food was out of this world so the experience made up for not having the ‘full package’ of a meal out.

Yes I would. I'd prefer it as I've been teetotal for 9 years. Being round people who are getting increasingly drunk and loud is a bore.

No I wouldn't. If I eat out, most times I want wine with my meal.

Wouldn’t bother me. I don’t like wine at all, and that is what most people drink with a meal. More often than not I’ll have a soft drink with a meal and a gin and tonic later on.

I would, but other relatives and friends wouldn’t

@gofg

Yes, I rarely drink alcohol and never when I go out for a meal. I'm far more interested in the food

This is me too. Plus, it would be nice not to risk being seated near a table that gets rowdier and rowdier as the night goes by and the bottles empty out. Many people who enjoy "just a glass of wine or two with a meal" do not realize what a group of them are like. Sometimes I would prefer being next to a table with children!

Not clear why you are asking. If you are considering opening such a restaurant I know from a couple of good friends who own restaurants that they only make money on selling drinks, not on the food.

Yes I would. I do drink alcohol but I prefer a soft drink when I'm having a meal, I don't like wine.

OP you won't get a representative sample from MN. It is anti alcohol with lots of non drinkers.

Apart from an occasional cocktail I often eat out and don't drink. I don't like beer and I'm not a fan of wine, I'd rather have an orange juice.

@OmgIThinkILikeYou

I don't drink so this wouldn't bother me or most people I eat out with. We are all always driving anyway

Ditto.

Even without the driving factor, I'm not interested in drinking alcohol.

I would, I don't drink anyway, so if it had a really good selection of non-alcoholic drinks I would love that. We had the opposite experience recently when we went to a French fine dining restaurant which, had an extensive wine list, but barely any non-alcoholic options. Most places now have a couple of non-alc beers to choose from but, in this restaurant, the only option was coke. When we asked them if they had any non-alcoholic beers they looked at us like we were mad! I actually think that it's quite old-fashioned not to have a range of more adult alcohol free drinks, there are many reasons why people might not drink including just having to drive, but then this place was all a bit 'fawlty towers'.

No I wouldn't even consider it. I like a glass of wine with dinner. Or, shock horror, more than one glass. I don't have a drink problem.

Lots of people saying 'wouldn't bother me as I don't drink'. No shit Sherlock, it's like asking a vegetarian if they would go to a meat free restaurant.

Shouldn't the question be 'for those of you that drink would you go to an alcohol free restaurant?' The point being that your options are restricted and whether you'd be bothered by that or not.

Depends on the restaurant and the type of night out we were planning.

I don't have a problem with alcohol and drinking but when I go out for a 'posh' or more formal dinner I do enjoy having a nice wine paired with it.

However, a more informal relaxed or impromptu quicker meal out - no alcohol isn't an issue.

Is this hypothetical or a real situation? I hate being asked questions with no context.

I wouldn't go because there seems no good reason not to allow alcohol to be consumed if the customer wishes. A restaurant for recovering alcoholics sounds too niche and most people don't become so obnoxiously drunk in restaurants that I would wish to avoid them.

Personally a meal out in the evening is a rare treat and I enjoy a glass of wine with my food. If we go to the pub for lunch I enjoy my half pint of whatever's on draft. Water would make it less of an occasion and I don't really enjoy soft drinks with my food.

So what's the deal op? Where is this restaurant with no alcohol licence and no byob?

It depends
If Michelin star or a fancy restaurant I would want wine as the wine enhances the flavour of the food. Having a coke - well it’s not the same & will spoil the effort of the chef.
A burger bar - no problem
Indian food - then tonic water goes really well & better than gin & tonic IMO.
Chinese food - well i may have a glass of wine but more likely jasmine tea.
And laughing at the Middle Eastern eateries not serving alcohol! Especially Lebanese & Moroccan. Moroccan wine - some of the best I’ve had.