Wetherspoons limits parents drinks.

[Flame]

I always thought that wetherspoons was supposed to be a family pub?

I dont think they should be able to stop parents having soft drinks or tell them how long they can be in there for. I dont really think they should be able to say how many alcoholic drinks they can have either but at the same time sometimes people need telling when they have had to many to look after a child.

 

[Steelgoddess]

I agree, What about families that go to have a sunday lunch and just an enjoyable meal?

Stuff em I say plenty of other places will allow children, i dont see the problem.

There was me thinking they were curbing the drinks to stop parents getting drunk while they were with children...

 

[PinkPunch]

I think its a bit harsh and drastic but overall its quite a good idea. The company needs to safe guard itself from these irresponsible parents. Im sure its putting off other customers and creating health and saftey hazards for the kids running about.

I doubt its a descision they have made lightly and im sure they have their reasons. Its just one of those things were thats the pubs policy and we have to decide whether we want to go there or not.

 

[kimmumof2]

i agree that parents shouldnt be having more than 2 drinks or drinking at all when out with children, however i voted it should be up to the parents not the pub. if they dont want children staying there for long periods and they cant cater for them then they shouldnt have a liscence to be a family pub. its not just limiting the amount of alcohol, they may also refuse to serve soft drinks to prevent you from staying longer and also they are applying this rule to everyone who is in a group that has a child with them even if they arent the parents which is ridiculous.

xxxxx

 

[happy-chick]

I dont think its a good idea as its up to the parent the decide when their child/children need to be taken home & any responsible parent will know when its time to go home.

Restricting drinks will make wetherspoons loose business, whats the harm in parent sitting having a few drinks (alcoholic or non alcoholic) while their kids are happily sat colouring or playing and behaving themselves?

I do agree that some irresponsible parents may use wetherspoons as somewhere to get drunk and not have to find a babysitter for their kids but thats a minority.

 

[PinkPunch]

its up to the parent the decide when their child/children need to be taken home

Yeah but obviously some parents don't and wetherspoons are liable for accidents etc. The way I see it is, wetherspoons is like someones house, and if they think its putting other visitors off or its dangerous, they have the right to ask me to leave as its their house.

The last thing they want is to turn customers away so it must have been pretty serious.

 

[Squiglet]

OMG that's so silly....

Maybe its cos I live in a country where parents are actively encouraged to go out with their kids to the wee hours of the morning... you often see kids as young as one or two out at midnight with mum and dad... and on fiesta nights... (like tomorrow night which is the three kings... ) all the kids in our town will be out till the tiny hours, with all the carnivals and festivals going on.

its just so relaxed here, kids play around the table... their parents drink and chat, the kids are involved with the conversation... and tbh, other than the rare occasion, I have never seen a time when a kid has been really acting up in those situations, unless they are British kids, who unfortunately never get the opportunity to experience this way of life (thanks to companies like Weatherspoons), and you can understand that.

I know not to go out and get myself plastered... I know that Tia needs to get home before 10/11pm .. although I prefer for her to get home around 9ish on a week night. But she's as much a part of my family and life as anyone else and I enjoy going out to a bar/resturant/cafe and having a nice meal/snack/drink with her... and she enjoys the same. Its bonding as we chat to each other...

 

[PinkPunch]

but Spain is like that, totally different to (mainly) English culture

 

[PinkPunch]

I know not to go out and get myself plastered...

Your all speaking from a responsible parents point of view, I just think alot of people aren't like this and just go out and drink and leave the kids to their own devices and the bar is saying enough is enough.

There are more child friendly places to go to, perhaps a pub isn't one of them.

 

[Jen & Her Men]

Yeah but that doesnt explain why they would also refuse to serve non-alcoholic drinks as well as alcoholic ones.

I think there are far worse things that you can do as a parent than go out socially in the daytime for lunch at an apparently "family" pub and have lunch with other parents and children.

If its creating such a huge problem then Weatherspoons should just go the whole hog and ban children completely, rather than making parents feel on edge and that they deserve to be in the pub less or have different rules imposed on them just because they have kids.

Its not up to a corporate business to thrust their moral stand point upon parents as to how long they should be in a pub etc etc. I appreciate that there are certain pubs that dont allow children - fair enough if thats their policy. But I would hate to go into a pub knowing that I have to clock watch and feel on edge about having a child with me. I think there is a big difference between the two.

I wish England was more like Spain in that respect Squiglet. I think a lot of the reason we have such a problem with underage drinking etc is because we dont integrate our kids into our social lives and therefore its seen as more of a mystery and more exciting for them to do illicitly Its a real shame.

 

[Squiglet]

I think there are far worse things that you can do as a parent than go out socially in the daytime for lunch at an apparently "family" pub and have lunch with other parents and children.

Thats what I thought Weatherspoons was... A place where people could go out as a family and eat,....

but Spain is like that, totally different to (mainly) English culture Embarassed

It is true that the culture here is completely different... but its not like English people are incapable of integrating it into their culture. My parents come from an area that is mostly British (its Spain, but 90% of the population of their town are English speaking). Thing is all the bars and restaurants in the area (which are mainly owned by British people, with British staff) allow kids in with no problems, and no one bats and eye lid... In fact most British families revel in this freedom.

Your all speaking from a responsible parents point of view, I just think alot of people aren't like this and just go out and drink and leave the kids to their own devices and the bar is saying enough is enough.

There are more child friendly places to go to, perhaps a pub isn't one of them.

Irresponsible parents would drink full stop, if they can't go to Weatherspoons they'd just drink at home anyway.. or just go out and leave their kids home alone... also Weatherspoons are banning soft drinks too... which makes me think there are some upper level managers in the company chain that hate children...

 

[Becs]

I posted not sure. I really hate badly behaved kids in resturants and pubs. Some parents allow them t leave the table and run around the place and that just ruins it for everybody else. On the other hand, I will be frequenting the odd beer garden in the summer after my baby is born for a couple of shandys and would feel enormously patronised if pubs felt they had to impose restrictions on me rather than trusting my judgment as a parent.

 

[mrs_tommo22]

I totally agree with it - for the irrsponsible parents not those of us that are responsible.

When I worked in a certain pub and worked the evening shift in the kitchen there were always parents keeping their toddlers and babies out all day unti closing time - it used to make me really angry and once a mum of a newborn asked me for hot water at 10.30pm i think it was I said no the kitchens closed etc etc, when really i just wanted her to take the poor mite home. This was when smoking was still going on in pubs too

 

[babsi]

If I want to take Kai to Wetherspoons all day until whatever time they ban kids (6 or 7?) then that is MY choice.

As long as Kai is not running around, screaming and behaving and I am not drunk and I keep buying food/drinks there should be no problem.

I don't need them to tell me how to parent, that is not their job.

It is taking away freedoms.

 

[PinkPunch]

If I want to take Kai to Wetherspoons all day until whatever time they ban kids (6 or 7?) then that is MY choice.

I hear ya, but its their business and their choice thats all im saying.

 

[Melly+2]

Its a bit pointless really, there are thousands of family friendly places to eat round britain and im sure most of them have bars anyway. And as for them giving us a specific time to leave, fook em there are plenty of places that let you stay as long as you want, or just have a meal at home, simple

 

[kimmumof2]

I hear ya, but its their business and their choice thats all im saying.

so why did they apply for a liscence(sp) to allow kids in. if they cant entertain them and they dont want kids getting bored there and playing up then why dont they just change their liscence to only allow adults in? their reasoning is not to protect children, its becus they dont want out of control children there bored for hours on end!! if they had made these rules purely to prtoect children whose adults go there and get drunk all day then i could see the point but they arent doing it for that reason, they are doing it becus they dont want children reaking havoc in their pub for more than is necessary. so in that case they should just not allow children in altogether.

on a different note, does anyone know how you spell liscence(sp) it looks wrong but i just cant think of how you spell it!!

xxx

 

[Angelblue]

this is a statement from their website...

Families In J D Wetherspoon Pubs
Article date: 04 Jan 2008

For those of you that have seen the news regarding a visit to our Wallasey pub in Merseyside and our policy for families purchasing food and alcoholic drinks, it would seem that there is some confusion as to the J D Wetherspoon company guidelines in this area.

Basically, if parents are accompanied by their children when they visit our pubs we have a responsibility as a pub company to ensure that this is handled in a professional manner and in a way that is in keeping with our duty of care to our customers.

Below are the guidelines by which our pubs address the issue of children in our pubs:

• Adults that are accompanied with children wishing to purchase an alcoholic drink should purchase a meal
• Once the meal has been finished and tables cleared it is our recommendation that only one more alcoholic drink should be purchased for each adult

If parents and their children are visiting our pubs and purchasing non-alcoholic drinks, then there is no limit to the number of drinks that can be purchased or the length of stay at the pub.

In all situations it is important that our Pub Managers assesses the behaviour and attitude of the parents as well as the interests of other customers to ensure the situation is handled in a suitable manner.
As a company we do not want to restrict families visiting our pubs, if fact, we actively encourage families and have recently won an award for our children's menu.


From that it seems to me that they don't mind how many non alcoholic drinks you buy or how long you stay. It would appear they really are tring to deter the paretns that just go in and drink irresponsibly

 

[muppetmummy]

I voted not sure. Unfortunately there are parents out there who will take their kids to the pub and just ignore them whilst they get drunk.

When I was younger and used to go to the pub regularly after work there was always a woman there who would bring her daughter (aged about eight) to the pub after she finished school and would stay there until they got chucked out because it was past the time that kids are allowed. The girl used to go from one table to the next looking for attention and used to end up annoying the other customers, asking them to look at the pictures she's drawn, or do colouring in with her. Her mum would sit there with her OH and they would pay no attention at all.
Often the landlady would end up making the girl something to eat cos she felt sorry for her. With hindsight the landlady should have just barred the mother, or someone should have called social services but I was only 20 at the time and didn't really give such things much thought

I think restricting the amount of alcoholic drinks is good for this reason, but then they should just ask people to leave anyway if they are ignoring their kids.
If a family is having a meal with a few drinks but not getting frunk I don't see how thats a problem.
We used to take James out for meals when he was little in pubs and he'd always sit in his highchair eating and be as good as gold. He's actually more of a pain now at 5!

For me personally a wetherspoons would be the last place I'd think of taking James anyway, my experience of wetherspoons has always been somewhere to go to get drunk on the cheap drinks. I've never thought of them as being child friendly and the food isn't that good. I prefer somewhere with a play area like a brewers fayre or a beefeater.

 

[libs]

I just don't agree with a rule being made to cover all - when its only a few making a problem - that doesn't actually help the children whose parents are going to go out and sit and ignore them - they'll just go elsewhere.

If wetherspoons are having problems with this - grow a pair of you know-whats and actually confront those parents. We used to go to a Brewers fayre near us when DS was younger and had problems with drunk families in the kids area. I complianed and rather than actually have a word with the family involved - bad language etc they advised us to leave we did and never went back until it changed hands - they now have far stricter guidelines on children's behaviour

But the best thing I saw this christmas was a sign at a family pub we went to for my Nans anniversary which had a sign saying Badly behaved children will be sold - this is not a playground, please ask your children to sit down at your table with you