A jaundiced view of life from the darkest recess of the saloon bar...
Very heartening to see this lunchtime, in one of the very best pubs in this area, that the policy referred to in this post is still being firmly but politely applied.
The pub does admit, indeed welcome, children, but merely asks that they be kept out of the main bar area.
I just wish this applied to my own local, where noisy, poorly supervised children can be a major problem at weekend lunchtimes.
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Absolutely, the little blighters should be seen and not heard! (Preferably not seen either).
ReplyDeleteI can just about tolerate other people's well-behaved kids, but unfortunately many parents think it's perfectly acceptable to let their little darlings run riot whilst they enjoy a drinking session with their friends.
The truth of the matter is that children have a very low boredom threshold and soon get fed up waitng for their parents to drink up.
Old style childrens' room yes; kids in the main bar area no!
This is something of a tricky subject. Some pubs depend upon the family trade to survive. Sunday lunchtime can be a significant trading session. This has resulted in the "family friendly" pub style, typified by the likes of Brewers Fayre. This style not only permits, but encourages a Kindergarten attitude to pubs.
ReplyDeleteIs this right or wrong? This perhaps depends on your perspective.
If you are unable, or perhaps due to modern shared parental responsability, unwilling to go to the pub without children, then this style of pub might be great.
Personally, I think the concept has been taken a little too far. Many people expect to be able to use every pub in a "family friendly" way. This can result in pubs becoming unfriendly to people who don't have kids.
Permitting kids in pubs is virtually essential for pubs survival, but ensuring harmony between the family and non-family trade is a constant nightmare for the licensee.
Supervision is never an issue; my child is not the responsibility of the pub. It is my role is attend to him. If a pub turns me away because I have a child with me then it doesn't receive my trade. I do not revisit the pub either (unless there are special circumstances). There are plenty of pubs. I can pick and choose and I am pleased to see such public houses close. There is obviously something dysfunctional about such people.
ReplyDeleteThe upshot of not having children accustomed to a pub environment is that they shall probably not use pubs when they are older.
I have only experienced this kind of attitude in the UK. This attitude is usually adopted by people who do not have children or never bothered with their own children when they had the opportunity; miserable and selfish people who would ruin whatever they touch.
Philip,
ReplyDeleteThe pub I mentioned does actively welcome children, it simply asks that they do not use one room out of three.
But surely what we want is choice and diversity amongst pubs - some being child friendly, others having an adult atmosphere.