Should pubs and restaurants be kid-free zones? (The Guardian)
Should pubs and restaurants be kid-free zones? (The Guardian)
'I don’t come here to enjoy other people’s children!' Should pubs and restaurants be kid-free zones?
Children were once banned from most British pubs. Some owners and customers miss ‘the good old days’ – but can they really turn back the clock?
Pubs are dying. So I'm' not sure making them no-go area for people looking to get a bite to eat with the family is a great move.
The reason people don't go to the pub anymore isn't because the Smiths brought their kids along for a lunch at 2pm, it's because it's expensive, full of drunk people and all in a bit of a sh*t experience.
19I live in an area with a large number of pubs that are local. There are ones as you described which are just full of drunks and shit quality overall which I avoid.
There's definitely ones I avoid because they're intended for families and the children will scream about the place as you would expect children to do. They're great for families though, they have play areas for kids, those little claw grabby machines, they serve food and have a large beer garden with an outdoor play area.
My favourite one is a microbrewery, no kids, not too many people in there so bar staff can see who's had a bit too much but the people who drink there generally don't cause any trouble anyway.
8I think it very much depends on the pub. My parents' local is great. Fairly average prices for beer and very good food that you pay understandable prices for. Of course not every pub is like that (and tbh I don't want them to be, I have a bit of a soft spot for what someone on a different forum called "terrifying dives", although they tend to be the first to close in hard times for fairly obvious reasons)
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The good old days involved me in a pub as a kid whilst my parents drank and smoked and fed me scampi fries.
Wtf are these clowns on about.
16Me too, but it was crisps for us. These "good old days" are fictional, as they too often are.
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Like every headline that wants to polarise opinions and start an argument, the sane answer is "some of them can be if they want". Just make it clear if it's a family place or not, then choose what kind of place you want to go to. Simple as, no bickering required!
16I went to a low league football game the other week and had a few pints in their club house after which had a proper "social club" vibe, kids running about, etc. Actually felt it was a nice atmosphere. If you want a quiet glass of wine, bugger off to the wine bars, that's not what pubs are about.
12The choice should be that of the pub landlord. I think there is a market for both "old man pubs" and family style bars/pubs/restaurants.
I don't think that this is an issue that needs enforcement one way or the other.
6Yeah, fair play, I'm all about freedom for the guv/brewery that runs the place.
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I could see the argument for some kind of curfew in pubs, restaurants and cinemas (say 9), so if adults want to go out without encountering kids then they can do so but an outright ban would be too restrictive but perhaps I know too many parents who like a tipple.
7I don't understand why this is an issue that needs enforcement. The choice of whether to allow kids in a pub should be that of the landlords, not the patrons or the government.
Every town has plenty of both "old man pubs" and family friendly bars and restaurants it's not like there's a need to force them to amalgamate.
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As the link keeps timing out and The Guardian doesn't have a paywall, here's the original article.
7Including children or not invites different crowds, and neither people who want to get away from children or those who don't are essentially better.
4Sure, now no single people are allowed in amusement parks, fairs arcades, parks and any other "family entertainment." I do support banning children after 8 or 9 PM from places that primarily serve alcohol.
3In my opinion, there's pubs for adults and pubs that allow kids. If there's a ball pit or a climbing frame or something then it's for kids if not then it's not for kids and your kids are going to be bored even if they were allowed.
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