Mums thrown out of 'family friendly' pub

[CatherineHMumsnet]

Story today from Southampton about a group of mothers who were asked to leave an apparently 'family-friendly' pub because the landlord thought their infants were too noisy. We've been asked on by BBC Three Counties radio to comment - what do you think? Sounds a bit strange, doesn't it?

Story here

I am wondering if they can make a claim against the pub under the sex and discrimination act which has recently had a clause protecting women and babies under 6 months old.

what a bunch of muppets have left their comments.

"before the party could order any food they were told to leave the venue"
?We informed him that due to his incredibly poor customer service and complete disrespect to us as people ? let alone mothers, we would only be staying for a drink,?

So they were told to leave or they decided to leave? Either way as far as I know pubs are not legally obliged to serve anyone.

Eh, the Cowherds is notorious for its miserable manager. It has pretensions of being a restaurant, rather than a pub - I was refused entry a few years ago as we weren't eating, only wanted a drink and we were scruffy students.

There is probably more to the story but ultimately they can't claim to be family friendly and not welcome babies. If they don't want children there (and I suspect they don't) then they should make it clear rather than being half-hearted abut it. The landlord does have the right to refuse service so that part is a bit of a non-story but I think the comment that they couldn't handle 'mums, babies and their emotions' is quite shockingly patronising.

I wasn't one of the parents btw.

I think there is more to it, too. To be fair a lot of places hate to serve families. I just make sure we will never ever go back to those places, and leave huge tips to the nice restaurants / pubs.

I wonder how they would have coped with my son shouting "My dinner?" very hopefully at the waitress every time she passed us...

On foxytocin's prompt I read the comments. Shocking is not the word.

Yes I think we are only getting half the story. Maybe all the babies were bawling their heads off when the group entered (a concerto of crying babies is TBH a bit much for other people to put up with). Though in general I think pubs should decide whether or not they are 'family-friendly' (pubs are allowed to ban children altogether if they wish) and make it clear.

I heard this story on R5 this morning.

I think the mums were totally unreasonable expecting to bring four massive prams into a pub and expect to have them in walkways where waiting staff need a clear space to carry hot plates.

Why can't they leave their prams outside and carry their babies. I'm sure that would have been fine.

Well, as we don't know how noisy the babies where being, how emotional the mums where being, or whether they where noisy and rude or polite to the staff, it is very hard to pass judgement.

Hmm they look like a right lovely lot

Guys
Ive heard the discussions by Luscious Lucy on the radio

1. Their babies were not screaming
2. the pub wasnt crowded
3. the landlord was rude

Suggest you all stop trying to pretend theres a different and untold side to this story

The fact is pubs dont make huge profits out of 4 lemonades and these ladies have done nothing wrong apart from chose the wrong pub!

MrsReality - the only reality is your a right idiot to bother to write such rubbish.
Go to another blog or get a life

Who cares? So find another place to go. Babies . . . in pubs.

'Luscious Lucy'?

Obviously not a Radio 4 presenter :o.

It depends how loud they were being. I agree with Expat. You have to respect the other punters if you're bringing infants into a pub.

I've just looked at the photo and I must be missing something because they look fine to me.

What is wrong with how they look?

i think its nice to be able to go to a pub for a couple of drinks with young children.

we have a lovely pub/restaurant type place that has a bouncy castle outside, and you don't have to order food.

i don't think they way they look should come into it to be fair.

i don't think it is acceptable to be in a pub with kids all day and get wankered, but its nice to break the tedium if its your(

"'mums, babies and their emotions' ".
surely, no manager would say that, right ?

they could have had buggies: " would you mind moving you buggies ladies, my staff can't get through"

babies could have been crying :" very sorry, crying, is distrubing other customers, i have a place over here thta might suit better"

all these kind of things COULD have been said. but i am struggling to beleive that any manager would actually say those particular words.

maybe MN would be more sympathetic if the mothers were all wearing Boden and didn't look rough

being an ex pub, restaurant and hotel manager.

Much ado about nothing. They went somewhere else, it was all good. So don't go there anymore. BFD.