JD Wetherspoons

[Teeniebf]

Mmmm interesting news about this well known 'family friendly' pub chain. They have in place a policy which limits parents to 2 drinks only - alchohlic & non alcholic - to prevent them from staying too long in their establishments with their children. One customer queried this when he was told about it and was told that the adults could stay in the pub that he child would have to leave, unsuprisingly he chose to leave and go elsewhere and was told yes this is true and that the JD Wetherspoons would back any of their staff/managers who enforced this policy. I used to take my family to a local wetherspoons as I enjoyed the fact that they are quiet and peaceful places. But from now on I will not be going anywhere near any wetherspoons - with or without my 2 sons and I intend to let everyone I know who has children that they shouldn't go into wetherspoons. Just another wonderful example of family unfriendly UK at it's best!

I think it might be a fair enough policy with alcohol,but it's just bonkers to apply it to soft drinks.

It means you can't have a glass of wine and two glasses of water with your meal, or two glasses of water with your meal and a coffee... There's the nugget of a sensible policy there, but as it stands it's mad.

For soft drinks as well? I hadn't read all the posts!! Well, for those that do like to take their children to Weatherspoons, I guess they won't and when the profits start to fall JD's will realise they need to re-think their policy and apply it to those who can't be sensible about alcohol and be out with their children!

if it was just alcoholic drinks then i could understand it but not soft drinks.

mosschops, i doubt the ban would stop parents like that drinking themselves stupid., they would just go elsewhere or to the off licence....

Didnt realise it applied to soft drinks, thats just bonkers.
They only mentioned alcoholic drinks on the radio.

true lulu but I still think its a good preventative measure e.g. no smoking in pubs doesnt prevent people from smoking but it does deter them somewhat and protect others

Mosschops - they had a man from Spoons (as the presenters nicknamed it) on Radio 5 this morning. He said that it was all drinks and that if people had had two drinks with a meal and then asked for a coffee the manager might exercise discretion. He also said it applied to everyone, even if they were not the parents of/responsible for the child.

For goodness sake, if I've had two diet cokes whilst eating a burger I fail to see that it is child abuse for a child to sit still for 10 more minutes whilst I have a coffee (although, IME, I am with those who say that Spoons can often be quite rough and you wouldn't want to take kids there in the first place).

This is all about their profits and keeping those pesky family tables turning over as fast as possible because they don't spend enough. Think about it, two adults three kids : max alcohol purchased probably one bottle of wine. More likely a handful of soft drinks and a pint. Five adults in a pub for lunch: probably a bottle of wine and some pints. Plus no cheap kiddy meals, all full price. No?

i don't think the policy has anything to do with nanny state just economics. the bars obviously want the space for people who will drink more booze over a shorter time/regular and more profitable drinkers have been complaining about kids/ some other reason unknown to me why this will increase profitability. i sincerely doubt the pubs actually care about parents getting pissed and neglecting kids.

I have to say that I generally avoid WS pubs, as they are fairly bleurgh, but it was when I was moaning about this to DH (as a general principle thing and another reason to avoid them) that he pointed out that we'd actually eaten in one with the DCs for lunch on NYE. I hadn't noticed before we'd gone in, I'd just seen the all the 'family' promotion on the doors, I don't drink socially in pubs in Croydon (does anyone over 18 or under 70 ). We'd have been almighty pissed off if we'd been limited in our (soft) drinks after we'd come in primarily because they were toting for families! We usually go to a different one, it's just because we were right there when Dcs expressed a wish for a pub lunch instead of the usual unanimous vote for McDs. As it happens it was nice, but not somewhere I'd go again.

If they had done this just for alcoholic drinks, I probably would have approved (but still not knowingly drank there) but to discriminate against families just because they are families, yet still promote themselves as 'family friendly' is just miserable arsieness IMO

urrghh, our wetherspoons is really skanky! I'd never take DS there! Country pubs are much better for kids IMO.

i cant say i think this is a bad thing tbh, pubs are not places for children, and while it is fine to enjoy a family meal with the kids i dont think it is nessacary to stay for more than 2 drinks, i can clearly remember being in pubs and noticing little children asleep on the pub seats whilst their parents swig merrily at their pint/v&t

So a pub with a play area in the garden, a climbing frame and a children's menu is 'not a place for children'? What rubbish and what a stupid policy. I'll certainly never go to one again. the ONLY reason I ever went to one was because it was supposed to be 'child friendly'!

ffs im sick of being jumped on all the time, this is my opinion im talking about INSIDE the pub

The one in the nearest town to us had a policy of no children,despite the fact they served food.They claimed that it wasn't their policy,but the licensing laws.I asked DH,who knows about such stuff & he said it was rubbish,they were trying to use a law that didn't exist to justify their policy.

I can't say I'm keen on the places anyway,but sometimes,when you are out looking for somewhere for lunch,you don't have much choice.I'll certainly avoid from now on.

i don't see anything wrong with little children being asleep inside a pub tbh especially as they are now smoke free

What on earth is the difference between parents sharing a bottle of wine or having wine and fizzy water and a coffee in Pizza Express or in these pubs (apart from the obvious fact that PE is much nicer)? Do people LIKE being treated like kids because they are parents or something? Really odd.

can see your point, but i think its to protect children from seeing the drunken weirdos u usually find propping up the bar in a pub

If you live in London, they'll see them anyway!!

nope am in chester

there are licensing rules about where children can be in pubs which vary according to where the bar is and etc

Just mentioned on the other thread - this is absolutely nothing to do with caring whether parents are sloshed in charge of kids!!! They say they will also limit soft drinks...it is all about getting you out quicker.

It is completely on the basis of maximising turnover, in which case they should just say NO CHILDREN!! I have no problem with that, just the fact that they assume that families will roll over and accept poorer quality service for their hard cash.

If my DC fell asleep in any place (pub, cafe, restaurant) I would take full advantage and stay there as long as poss. Would never happen unfortunatly my dc are hyper.

I think it best to avoid JD Wetherspoon's altogether.

They're rank and full of neds.

I don't think children should be sitting around in pubs for hours on end, regardless of the sobriety of the parents, actually. It's boring and crap for kids.

We took a packet of cards every time we went to the pub last hols, and had a lovely leisurely time with kids, more than 2 drinks certainly, and a really happy family time. When we found the pub that had a big range of board games it was even better - we certainly were an economically viable table for the pub.