Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
News
Original poster

refused an alcoholic drink in pub as two ladies had children with them..

25 replies

ivykaty44 · 21/08/2011 09:02

they could purchase soft drinks but the barperson decided it wasn't allowed to serve alcohol to the two mums as they had children with them - is this reall on to decide whether drinking sensibly with your children present is allowed.

Who put the barperson in charge of my childrens welfare?

OP posts:
VaginaPuddleduck · 21/08/2011 09:03

Have you got a link?

I always thought it was down to their own discretion who they served - no one has a 'right' to be served in a pub do they?

babycham42 · 21/08/2011 09:06

Wonder if the barperson would have had the same response if it was two Dads with children?

Original poster
ivykaty44 · 21/08/2011 09:07

they were served though - but not the drinks they had asked for - so it wasn't a case of no we refuse to serve you it was a case of we will serve you but not what you want to order. A bit like a person going into a cafe and being told they can't order the dish of the day as they have children with them and its not allowed but other customers can eat that food - just not you

OP posts:
OP posts:
VaginaPuddleduck · 21/08/2011 09:10

No, they can exercise their own discretion re: serving alcohol. They can refuse to serve someone if they think they've had too much, for example.

Is there a link please? It's quite hard to comment on the story without hearing the pub's side.

I think if you want to drink alcohol around your children sensibly then that's fine, I've certainly done it. BUt no one has a RIGHT to be served alcohol in a pub. I just couldn't bring myself to get worked up about it tbh.

VaginaPuddleduck · 21/08/2011 09:12

THat article is hilarious! In what way is it even slightly relevant who she's married to!

CristinaTheAstonishing · 21/08/2011 09:20

VP - she does have a PR agency, so perhaps thought she'd put that in too, a bit of publicity for her DH. I love the way they had cameras at the ready for a quick photo for the papers :)

I think it's a poor decision by the barman, I'd be annoyed someone would be so patronising and decide what I'm allowed to drink. What next, no fatty food in front of the children as sending the wrong message?

Original poster
ivykaty44 · 21/08/2011 17:13

so will service staff start exercising their own discretion on what food we eat and how many calories it has if we are over weight or obese, yes you can have three scoops of ice cream as your slim but you can only have two scoops as your a little podgey Shock any service staff can refuse to serve but to go out for a meal or drinks and have someone tell me I can have this from the menu but not that as it is at their discertion is taking any service to far imo

OP posts:
VaginaPuddleduck · 21/08/2011 17:32

Prob best you don't go there then?

I really don't think it's the start of a slippery slope, definitely not worth getting worked up about.

Shit pub, shit barman = avoid. Not much more to say is there?

Original poster
ivykaty44 · 21/08/2011 17:41

Yes just the same when people like that object to breast feeding in public or in pubs, just walk away and don't get worked up or make a fuss, I guess it just makes their day when a fuss is made

OP posts:
VaginaPuddleduck · 21/08/2011 18:16

Ok.

sincitylover · 21/08/2011 18:27

if you are with a child in some supermarkets and try to buy lottery tickets or alcohol they sometimes refuse to serve you!!

Once got told not to talk about lottery with my ds2 as otherwise they wouldn't be able to sell me ticket.

I kid you not!! The world's gorn mad!!

Sofabitch · 21/08/2011 19:38

Is it a weatherspoon. ? They are quite specific that you can only buy an alcoholic drink if you have children with you when everyone buys a meal.

ProfYaffle · 21/08/2011 19:39

yy, Wetherspoons are v specific on what/where/how much you can drink with dc with you. We were refused alcoholic drinks because we hadn't ordered food in one near Liverpool St. Evil place.

Portofino · 21/08/2011 19:48

Sometimes I am very glad I don't live in the UK anymore!

adamschic · 21/08/2011 20:03

I would have been furious too. Hope the barman gets a rollicking (sp) and the women get an apology.

This sort of thing needs to be nipped in the bud. I did warn people when the smoking ban was introduced that they will start on the drinkers.

create · 21/08/2011 20:20

Wetherspoons is Fab Wink (Britannia near Monument isnt a Wetherspoons BTW)

A friend and I, plus our 3 DC often have breakfast there, plus 2 pints of beer (and pure fruit juice for DCs obviously) on our way to football. Total cost for huge fry ups all round and drinks, less than £20. There's one about 5 mins walk from the Britannia - they shouldn't have been so snobby Grin

onagar · 21/08/2011 20:40

Regardless of anything else the argument that a pub can refuse to serve whom they like works just as well for turning away black people and gays. It is still right for the rest of us to consider if they were being reasonable or not.

Do you really want it to get to the point where the teenager at the tesco checkout can say "I'm not serving you those cakes cos you are fat?"

No one has to serve anyone anything they don't want to. They can go get themselves some other job where they wont have to deal with other people.

VaginaPuddleduck · 22/08/2011 14:00

"Regardless of anything else the argument that a pub can refuse to serve whom they like works just as well for turning away black people and gays."

Who said it was an 'argument'? I said it was a fact, not an argument.

DilysPrice · 22/08/2011 14:06

Obviously the right of a pub to choose which customers it will serve is restricted by discrimination law - hence you could refuse to serve ugly people, or tall people, or parents, or Man U fans, but you cannot refuse to serve black, gay, short-to-the-point-of disability or female people.

PuppyMonkey · 22/08/2011 14:09

Well I think it's very pertinent to the whole issue to know her husband was away filming the new Julian Fellowes drama Titanic.Grin

It is a very very odd policy, even if it is the Werherspoons issue of only serving alcohol to families if they are having a meal. So you can all get trollied in front of the kids as long as you've had sausage and chips first.GrinHmm

ravenAK · 23/08/2011 03:51

It's true the bartender can refuse to serve a potential customer full stop, or refuse to serve alcohol at their discretion.

Personally, if I'd been one of these customers I think I'd've cancelled the round & left him disconsolately surrounded by posh Fruit Shoot equivalents.

It's certainly not a very sensible policy given the state of the licensed trade atm.

But equally, you'd just ring up head office & chunter - surely? If you could be bothered at all? It's hardly newsworthy!

MadamDeathstare · 23/08/2011 04:04

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Ephiny · 23/08/2011 10:19

It does seem a bit unnecessary - though I'm always aware in these situations that we don't have both sides of the story. For example, maybe they'd already had quite a lot to drink?

Personally I struggle to get used to the idea of people taking young children into pubs with them at all, though I know it's become quite normal/acceptable these days, just seems an odd thing to do to me. Better I suppose than the days where the kids were left to play on the steps/street outside the pub while Mum/Dad was drinking inside!

JosieZ · 24/08/2011 19:21

Thanks for that madameds -- I just wasted 11minutes of my life - which I'll never recover.

New posts on this thread. Refresh page