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.

It looked like a restaurant but restaurants often have bars - so who knows how they were licensed. But generally, we couldn't stop anywhere for a drink at the end of a day sightseeing, you know the lovely drink you have sitting at a pavement table before you head back to your apartment to make dinner. It just felt a bit miserable as we'd opted for self-catering.
It was the first and only time we had encountered such strict licensing laws in Europe, had we known we'd have delayed Edinburgh till the kids were old enough for it not to be a thought.

There are way more nice pubs that allow children than do not allow children.

Most of our local pubs won't allow kids in after they stop serving food. I thought it was some sort of licensing law. To be fair what is there for kids to do after they have eating?

Give me a warm and cosy family oriented pub over a blokey pub any day

Same. All day long.

Give me a warm and cosy adult-oriented pub with no sport or drunk men over a family oriented pub any day.

Adults only doesn’t have to mean blokey!

What's "warm and cosy" about screaming toddlers and iPads with Peppa Pig blaring out?

Works both ways, doesn't it?

Those things aren't a problem in my local

Why would you take your child to a pub at 5pm on a saturday? Ever?

Chuckling aside. If you have a child, the very least you should be doing is going to your local supermarket and stocking up on cheaper booze to drink at home.

Not chuckling aside. Why would you be at a pub with your child?

However, I think the pub has made it clear, they will welcome children at lunchtimes - but absolutely no tired, grumbly children for evening meals.

You would hope those children are at home for tea, bath time and reading a story bedtime.

When I was a kid going to the pub was VERY rare and when we did it was a family occasion and fills me with happy memories. However in my early 20s I spent a LOT of my time in a pub 'my local'. I hated seeing the kids in there for hours on end over the weekend. It wasn't much of a childhood for some. Some were there every weekend in this dark and dingy pub. That was the main reason I stopped drinking and left the toxic relationship with a functioning alcoholic. It made me wake up watching those kids loosing their childhoods.
Seems odd that children are banned from a pub that early if they serve food but I suppose if its a sports bar or similar children don't really fit in.

I’m childfree so prefer adult only pubs (and I often go to the pub to escape the screaming kids I live next door to…), but I don’t mind kids in pubs, as long as they behave and I don’t have to listen to iPads etc. But some adults misbehave and play loud videos on their phones too.
Can we just ban loud annoying people regardless of their age please?

She likes guinness and pork scratchins?

In age appropriate stages surely ?

I think the point is this was common in the 70’s and 80’s - in those days there were very few pubs kids could go into at any time of the day. Pubs have changed since and many have become more restaurants than pubs, and therefore allow kids during the day.

however they are STILL pubs, where there are legal restrictions. And whether you like it or not, the purpose of a pub is to sell alcohol, not entertain families.

Been there too after a drive that should have taken 4 hrs took closer to 10 hours - the only place open serving food late at night was a pub and despite having a no kids rule the landlord made a very generous exception.

When would you defined age appropriate stages?
I think that's the difference with Mediterranean countries. In Spain your baby goes with you everywhere so socialisation starts from early age. They eat the same food, and as they grow up they learn how to talk in a more formal situation (restaurant) with other adults and kids that aren't your family.
We see this as part of socialisation, like going to school. It's easier they do it from early age, and it's the frequency of it too.

Not saying everything in my home country is best of course, just explaining this point.

Do we have a local family friendly pub of a well known sizzling chain. It’s next to a theatre. Often busy pre theatre for drinks. Serves kids meals. Even has silly little kids toy machines. We go quite a bit if we are watching something at the theatre as you can park for free giving your reg when you buy something at the bar. However they don’t advertise what time they kick out kids or indeed if they do. So we went a few times however the performance we see is one my oldest DD is part of and we usually watch on the last night as they have an after party for the performers. We usually agree a 10:30pm finish for DD and often the performance has finished by 9. In previous months we’ve gone back with my younger DD, grabbed a seat near the door and fairly away from the bar so we can have a soft drink whilst we wait til older DD is ready to leave theatre. Never had a bother. Then last time we went we were sat right by the bar. We came back in, sat in our seats, I ordered drinks and we went and sat down to drink them. It was about 9:15. Then the manager came over and apologised for actually serving us as they have a no kids after 9pm policy. But she would give us til 10 to drink up on this occasion. We felt so embarrassed so we drank up quicker and sat in the car and waited for DD to come out and texted her to come out a bit sooner.

Not sure if it was coincidence but when I was waiting at the bar a drunk man started an argument with me. There was no actual queue, just people hovering at the bar. The server shouted next and no one moved so o went to the bar and got served and he just started on me. I’m wondering if he then complained after I sat down that he didn’t like the fact I had a child in with me. But it was just after that we got told to drink up and leave.

What I think needs to happen is pubs to have clear signage. Then at least people know. To also have it on their website/fB would also help. I actually don’t have an issue with kids not being allowed in pubs but as to reply to the OP 5pm seems quite early. Some families go for their evening meal. Many we go to have a bar area which children aren’t allowed into and then a lounge area which is more family orientated. Bar usually means men, pool, Tv with footie on where we live although there are some women go in too. lol.

I remember the 'children's room' that many pubs had where kids were plonked with a coke in a scruffy room with a dozen other miserable, bored children.

Yep.

Usually made from breeze blocks and corrugated plastic and full of spiders.

Britvic tomato juice straight from the little bottle via a stripey straw tho? Yes please!

I grew up going to pubs in Ireland and absolutely loved it, became a pool shark and loved the singing and dancing, was a great family atmosphere and no one badly drunk

Maybe there’s been an incident, I have to say some pubs have been ruined by going too family friendly. Kids running round with hot food being served etc.
I have no problem with kids in pubs and I am a parent but our child is absolutely not allowed to run around and wasn’t allowed to when she was a toddler either. Often it’s the minority who spoil it, one of my favourite regular holiday pubs has banned dogs because a child got bitten by a dog. Not badly but obviously the owners had to take action. And we can’t go there with the dog now, which was one of the reasons we choose this area.
I would ask why the sudden change though?

Can we just ban loud annoying people regardless of their age please?

You mean those with bad manners? Absolutely.

Why wouldn't a group of guys who've been at the football go for a pint after the game with kids in tow to finish off their afternoon?

I actually didn't realise kids in English pubs was so common, Scotland they pretty much need food to get round the licencing laws so kids are bought some food, burger, chips etc even if the adults aren't eating.

One of my locals has also just changed its hours to 5pm for cut off for people with kids. This happened because there had become an increasing number of people who were getting pissed until 9pm while their children run riot bored out of there head and a lot of complaints had been made.

I get it! I guess what i mean is, the catchphrase annoys me. Like it attempts to shutdown any conversation, sometimes the business/couple/whatever make bad or weird decisions and you need to vent a bit.