No children in pub after 5pm

[SweetSouls]

My local banned children after 7pm a few years ago.

This seemed unnecessary to me, but I suppose that's after 'bed time' so I could sort of see the logic. Adult time etc.

On Saturday I went to stop there for a drink in the afternoon, and they have now banned children after 5pm.

This seems very odd to me given it's an area that people move to with their families. It's not some town centre boozer, it's surrounded by housing.

Is this just not terrible business? I do not get it at all.

It was almost empty, incidentally, at 5.15 on a Saturday afternoon.

When I worked in a pub years ago, the ‘no children’ was for insurance purposes. No idea whether having an earlier time might make insurance cheaper but it’s one possibility.

Their pub, their choice.

They have obviously decided being “family friendly” across a mealtime isn’t something they want. Or perhaps it alienates their more profitable customers.

Their business,their choice.

Some pub go for the play area, childrens meals, family friendly approach

Others want a more grown up atmosphere. I love my children, my god children, my nieces and nephews, my Cubs and Scouts... but honestly... sometimes I want a quiet pint without them popping up! Plus... some parents forget how to parent after a couple of drinks.

Yeah I think its a crazy business decision, even 7pm is early. We've just done an event this weekend in our pub and it was packed from 1pm right through til kids had to leave at 8pm. Having families in brings a lot of business. They mustn't need the business.

If it creates a financial loss they will soon change it back. If they stick with it, it must be working for them.

I mean do they do food ? .I don't know why people would want to take their kids to a pub after 5pm just to sit whilst the parents had a gin!

No pub actually wants kids there; they are often unruly and badly parented by parents just getting sloshed.

They reluctantly accept them for business reasons.

If they haven't got a kids playground then that tells you kids are admitted with gritted teeth,

For them to extend the child free time, it suggests either the post 7pm ban has been a roaring success or they've had major problems with kids in the 5-7pm window.

It certainly sounds as though this might be the case.

I assume even parents would like some child free time now and again.

Yes. And if it loses them business, or if the lost business is more of an issue than children running riot, they’ll change back to previous rules.

From reading the comments, I suppose mine would be an unpopular opinion, but I don't think children belong in environments where alcohol is being consumes in large quantities at all. There is enough of a drinking problem in this part of the world that we don't need to normalise drinking in front of impressionable children.

Yup, their business their choice.

we have a pub near us that’s no kids after 5pm, however it’s what you would call a drinkers pub and is a really old building with open fires so not exactly safe for kids! But I respect that people want to go there to have child free time, pre-kids I avoided kid friendly pubs like the plague!!

however if they do kids food and have a playground, yes it’s weird to say no kids post 5pm. I do agree with previous poster though that pubs aren’t really child friendly environments where people are drinking significant amounts of alcohol.

I can tell you from working in bars that its not a financial issue. Kids are usually plied with Mi Wadi or some other squash which is about the cheapest thing you can order. Some bars don't even charge for it, its that expendable.

Generally, in bars, children are a nuisance and a hazard. Sloshed parents aren't keeping an eye on them, staff carrying trays and glasses have to double-up as babysitters, and god forbid a child would slip on a wet floor you'd never hear the end of it from the parents.

What type of pub is it? A drinking focussed pub or a food focussed pub?

Evenings are when the pub is aiming to be making most of its money from dinner service and adults drinking alcohol. Tables buying mostly cheap kiddie meals and soft drinks are wasted space. But has any child ever actually enjoyed being dragged to the pub? I genuinely don’t understand why parents do it, take your kid to a playground and take some pre-mixed cocktails or cans with you. Taking children to the pub is just shitty for other customers who get annoyed by badly behaved children, shitty for staff who have to field the complaints, and shitty for the children who ultimately behave badly because they’re bored and not being properly supervised.

There’s a million other places for kids to go, never really understood why the pub needs to be one of them…

Depends what kind of local it is. We have two within walking distance. One is a local and definitely what I'd class as an adults pub, young lads are in there in a Saturday afternoon after work, people 'pre load' before heading into town, not the sort of place you'd want to take your kids tbh. The other is very family friends with lots of children running about and also has an indoor and outdoor play area. I don't have an issue with either, but it's up to the landlord who he wants to cater for:

Good. I much prefer child free pubs in the evening.

If it is a food place, or a beer garden with play area for the summer, that’s ridiculous and they will lose a lot of custom.

Neither of those things and I would say it’s not a place for children anyway.

Agree that a pub really isn't a place for a child. I was the child in the pub every day , I hated it and its definitely not a suitable establishment for children. It's an adult environment

my friend had a pub for years and they ended up “banning” children except for Sunday lunch as increasingly parents would just let them run riot. ..

I remember in the late 70s early 80s we would be sat in a pub on a saturday with a packet of crisps and a Lemonade apparently it was after a walk but we would basically just walk to the pub !

I can't image a sadder image than a parent drinking cans in a playground.

Definitely. I don't know if you were young enough to be lagged to the pub when it was still filled with cigarette smoke as well. People have such a toxic relationship with alcohol, feel like this thread is making excuses and suggesting alternatives to getting sloshed with the kids present.

Less sad for the children though than parents drinking in the pub whilst their children mooch about the place aimlessly, ignored and bored witless.