A jaundiced view of life from the darkest recess of the saloon bar...
Ever been tempted to complain about howling children in a pub or restaurant? Perhaps best not to bother, as you run the risk of getting a bottle smashed over your head. And in future, give your business to establishments that have an adults-only policy, or at least have a completely separate room for families. Realistically, if you do feel the need to complain, it may be more prudent to do so to the management rather than directly to the offending customers.
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I've been in a few pubs that seem to be a creche for parents boozing. Some at last are cottoning on and banning kids from certain areas.
ReplyDeleteThere must be a market for child-free pubs and restaurants. Eventually more business owners will take advantage. I heard an interview on R5L not long ago with a publican who had banned children altogether. If there wasn't a smoking ban, I'd seek out child-free pubs.
ReplyDeleteEarlier this year I did a post about the Albion in Chester which describes itself as "family unfriendly".
ReplyDeleteIt would't be so bad if pubs could have, and enforce, separate areas for families and adults instead of allowing the little darlings to rampage unchecked throughout the whole of the interior.
Some of the comments on that article imply that if you complain about the presence of badly-behaved children it's tantamount to child abuse :-(
What about badly behaved "grown-ups"?
ReplyDeleteI'd much rather listen to overexcited children than lairy/brawling adults. Pubs aren't the place to avoid a section of the population, they should be welcoming to all ages.
In the old days pubs were strictly over-18s only, and were much busier than now. Kids have ruined too many pubs.
ReplyDeleteI saw two tiny girls in a bar last Saturday: one was on the floor drawing and the other was sitting quietly - not a problem at all - but the adults they were with didn't stay for hours, so the kids didn't become a nuisance. People who take children to pubs should remember that there's very little to interest a child in a pub and plan their stay accordingly.
ReplyDeleteAs for taking a baby to restaurant at 10.00 p.m., you don't have to be a parent to realise that is thoroughly selfish, both to the child and to other diners.
If children behave badly in a pub, it's usually the parents' fault. One pub in Southport banned children, not on principle, but because the landlady was sick of running out of the pub into the busy street after children whose boozing parents hadn't noticed their kids were dashing in danger.
This is something I've often been told. It's not your pub - if another punter's behaviour is annoying you, let the management deal with it. The other point is that if you do say something and they take exception to it you could be given a kicking for your trouble later on.
ReplyDelete