To say that there should be some adult only options?

[TooPoor4PandaPooTea]

Pubs making the decision to ban children

‘It dictated the whole atmosphere’: why some landlords are banning kids from pubs | Pubs | The Guardian https://share.google/E6IXhVu1U5Iv9vP7n

I agree, I would always choose an adult only pub. There should be more of them

It depends where. City centre pub - sure, make it child free. Anywhere else it seems like a pretty poor business decision given how under strain the hospitality industry is currently.

Sure, there are plenty of adult options (bars? Most pubs after 8pm?).

Many pubs rely on the revenue from families - coming for lunch or early dinners. Without that crowd, I doubt our local would survive.

Ultimately, this is about behaviour. So long as children are well behaved, I think the vast majority don’t mind their being in pubs. The issue is the small number of people who think their child can run riot wherever they are - and banning children is easier for these venues than individually addressing badly behaved punters.

I often take my children to the pub. I like to have a social life still, they are well behaved. I would not tolerate running around, shouting etc.

Like it or not, it’s not the 1970s anymore and rather than being adult spaces, most pubs are community social spaces for anyone who wants to use them. And - they need the money from anyone who uses them!

All Bar One used to be 14+.

No idea if it still is, or if it’s even still in business.

It would be nice to have a few child-free options. No shade to other parents, but it’s nice to have a quiet evening.

Not everyone wants to have to schlep into the city centre to have a quiet childfree drink.

They have to be very careful of their market.

A pub in our village banned kids about 18 months ago. The other pub took the increase of families and rolled with it - extended kids menu, board games to play at tables and some garden games outside - but still had a 9pm cut off for kids to leave and absolutely did not allow running about inside (and the manager actually manages problem customers which makes a huge difference). The pub that encouraged the kids is thriving. The other one closed a few weeks ago, the last 6 months they were desperately trying to attract families back but it failed.

Seems fair enough. They don't drink enough! 🤣

Some people will bring small kids in and not even buy them a pop, just get their own food out. Or get bladdered and the kids are going wild unsupervised.

I guess it could backfire if the locals with kids take a vendetta against it and try and smear it's name. But most sensible adults believe licensed establishments should primarily be aimed at over 18s. With some obvious exceptions.

I haven't really experienced any problems with kids in pubs but I rarely go now and the ones I frequented never really attracted families.

The manager of the thriving pub has said that they would rather have a pub with no kids, but people with kids are who currently spend the most money locally.

It’s down to the business to make what they decide is a good business decision.

If people don’t like it they will vote with their feet after all.

I may not have paid attention at school, I admit, but I thought that as the state religion of Britain is capitalism, then the answer to everything is to let the market decide ?

Absolutely. I have a lovely little chilled local where my daughter is welcome and doted on by the staff and we visit as a family.

And I have a nearby pub where she isn’t allowed in and I go with my friends to decompress once a month.

I love both.

I would too. I see no need to take children to a pub, plenty of other places to eat and I'm not going to be drinking alcohol while out with children.

Not a big surprise really.

pubs need to do what they think will benefit their business, not individual customers.

that's the bottom line.

what are some of you wanting to do in pubs that you can't do with children there?

if they're misbehaving that's down to the staff to deal with, no need to ban ALL kids.

Why not? Are you unable to drink responsibly?

There are already pubs that are child friendly and often meal focused and ones that are really not and they've been like that since I was a child.

They are bussiness and can serve and aim for who ever they want.

Though IL are part of a walking group and they plan their walks and often try and prewarn with larger groups landlords - some are happy to see large group wanting drinks and possibly food walk through the door others ask them not to come - or not that week - others are actively hostile to walkers.

I think I’d set a 6 or 7pm curfew so I could get the early dinner sales, but the atmosphere would be different when adults came later for a meal or a few drinks.

Many pubs rely heavily on food sales to make a living so they probably can’t risk losing family diners. If they only do bar snacks, perhaps going completely childfree would work.

Of course I am. However, a single drink renders me unable to drive and if something happened requiring a child needing to go to the hospital, that takes precedent over a drink.

Are you of the belief that designated drivers are irresponsible drinkers too?

Back in the dark ages of my childhood, it was unusual to find a pub which allowed children in. We were sometimes allowed into the beer garden. Now that I have children, it's unusual for me to come across a pub that doesn't allow them in for a meal.

I don't think that people who are drinking heavily and children should mix. The heavy drinkers are raucous, they swear and there's a higher potential for violence.

I agree with others, that there are pubs and there are pubs. A village pub is a very different affair to a city centre one in a nightclub district.

Pubs have to decide their business model for themselves. Most find that families bring in a heck of a lot of money, especially considering the mark-up on kids' food. If they can stay open with only adult custom, good for them.

If there's enough of a niche for adults only then pubs should do it.

But it's a bit of a risk. The sub-25s aren't as much of a pub and club generation (a few drinking venues aimed at this sector have closed near me recently). The 30+ group usually have kids (even though numbers are declining). Then 60+ have grandkids.

Select nights/sessions would probably b the best idea.

You don't have to drink in pubs they do non alcholic drinks.

IL have taken kids out with their walking groups who stop off in pubs for food and use toilets - we've had many nice meals out at them - sometime FIL and DH may have a pint or half with meal or MIL a cider mostly it's soft drink and a meal all round.

We wouldn't take them in pubs and stay where people are visibly drunk or acting aggressive - and time of day we go I don't think we've ever witnessed that at all.

I wouldn't take them to microbreweries, bars or real ale houses - as that a different atmosphere and focus is more on alcohol but a pub garden on a nice day with play equipment that one of those nice British things TBH

Being out with my children when they were small was always the time I needed to drink alcohol most TBH.

Misbehaving children is down to the parents to deal with not the staff. Pub staff are not child minders.

Did you read the article? Unsupervised children smashing into waitresses, falling down hatches.

Banning the parents would be the ideal solution but until such a thing occurs, how do you know which parents are irresponsible?

I disagree that there “should” be adult only options.

I’d agree with different owners choosing what works best for their business, which may mean adult only, and I wouldn’t criticise them for it.

Sounds fine to me. The pub in question is a drinking pub- they don't do food- so it seems an odd place to take children and it clearly wasn't working.