Child Friendly

[customersruinmylife]

Most pubs in the UK are like CRML's - if they serve food, then children can come in and have a meal, but they are by tradition places for adults, as - strangely enough - they tend to serve alcohol. I believe that after age 14, kids are allowed a glass of lager or shandy if having a meal at the same time, but not wine or spirits? I think that's how it works, but no doubt CRML can tell me if I'm wrong.

That is true, but I have never encountered a pub that allows this. 99.9% of pubs get a policy put on their licence saying that they will not allow accompanied over 14's alcohol. I've encountered many SC's in my time who give their teenager a pint, and scream "I KNOW THE LAW!!!11!!" when confronted about it.

[Cazzi]

I may be a bit rusty here, but don't those laws apply more to licensed restaurants? I seem to remember them being around when pubs were more traditional and mostly just served beer and snacks rather than full meals.
IIRC from my college days, in a restaurant, it was beer, perry & cider from 14 with a full meal, wine from 16 & anything else from 18. (Been a while since my college days )

Of course, the way lines are blurring between pubs & restaurants now, I may be a bit off

[Mr Hero]

And then there's the noise the kids make....

All that noise noise noise noise! There's one thing I hate it's all the noise noise noise noise!

[Thatgirl71]

What did she want? for you to put on a clown costume and dance around for them? If she wants that shit go to Chuck E. Cheese or McDonalds!

[FiddleFaddle]

All that noise noise noise noise! There's one thing I hate it's all the noise noise noise noise!

Your a mean one Mr Hero =3=

[ShinyGreenApple]

I always have to wonder when I hear these stories . . . why the hell bring kids to a BAR?! Just because they're allowed doesn't mean they're going to have a good time.

Of course, the only bar I've ever been to was the local gay bar, and you have to be 18 just to get in.

[customersruinmylife]

I always have to wonder when I hear these stories . . . why the hell bring kids to a BAR?! Just because they're allowed doesn't mean they're going to have a good time.

Of course, the only bar I've ever been to was the local gay bar, and you have to be 18 just to get in.

I think it has a lot to do with the area you live in. In my area in the UK, there isn't a whole lot of choices of places to take kids. You either have McDonalds, or fancy restaurants. Pubs are the in-between area, so unfortunately, we do get quite a lot of kids.

[Ironclad Alibi]

Of course, the way lines are blurring between pubs & restaurants now, I may be a bit off

I have been told it is easy to tell the difference between a restaurant and a pub. When you go into a restaurant, they say, "What would you like to drink?" But when you go into a pub they say, "Here's your drink."

[Beckpatton]

Here in Australia we have a lot of pubs that have family friendly bistros including a play room with swings and nintendo games etc. A lot of these are also gaming venues with pokie machines so the adults can have a play too. Of course the kids aren't allowed in the gaming area, but the bistro is a free for all. We don't have very many proper pubs anymore, like the pubs in the UK. Those that are around restricted to over 18's.

I hate that most 'pubs' are now gaming venues, but the bistro's are handy for families who want something a little fancier than Macca's and less expensive and posh than a proper restaurant.

[fireheart]

Here in Australia we have a lot of pubs that have family friendly bistros including a play room with swings and nintendo games etc. A lot of these are also gaming venues with pokie machines so the adults can have a play too. Of course the kids aren't allowed in the gaming area, but the bistro is a free for all. We don't have very many proper pubs anymore, like the pubs in the UK. Those that are around restricted to over 18's.

I hate that most 'pubs' are now gaming venues, but the bistro's are handy for families who want something a little fancier than Macca's and less expensive and posh than a proper restaurant.

There's still a few good pubs around my area that haven't been completely converted into pokie venues. Come to Adelaide and I can show you

It all depends on the place. A few general restaurants as well will have the kids area. There's an all-you-can-eat not that far from me that has a few kids games and the like. Also there are a few restaurants where kids have been that fall into that general category. Fasta Pasta is one, Cafe Primo would be another.

ETA: on the subject of food and drinks, I always wanted to go interstate and try a kebab since we don't have "kebabs" in SA. Then I found out the other day that we refer to them as "yiros".

[Seshat]

My parents trained us in 'restaurant behaviour'. I remember doing 'restaurant meals' at home from the earliest age my brother was capable of feeding himself without dribbling it all over himself.

Whenever we went out to eat - wherever it was - we ate with 'restaurant behaviour' or we were taken outside and chided. If it continued, we knew we would be taken home in disgrace: though I can't recall ever having it happen.

I don't recall there ever being a restaurant 'for kids' when I grew up. Restaurants were adult's places. Going to a restaurant meant being on our best adult-like behaviour. It was a treat and a privilege, and we earned the privilege by behaving right.


That said, I'm sure we had a reasonable amount of spilled sauce and other minor messes: however well behaved we were, we were children, with all the lack of developed coordination that that implies.

[fireheart]

I don't recall there ever being a restaurant 'for kids' when I grew up. Restaurants were adult's places. Going to a restaurant meant being on our best adult-like behaviour. It was a treat and a privilege, and we earned the privilege by behaving right.


That said, I'm sure we had a reasonable amount of spilled sauce and other minor messes: however well behaved we were, we were children, with all the lack of developed coordination that that implies.

I think my sister and I would keep ourselves entertained AT the table. So we would sit there and maybe draw or read a book while waiting for our food.

[MoonCat]

All that noise noise noise noise! There's one thing I hate it's all the noise noise noise noise!

I always sided with the Grinch, myself.

[Seshat]

I think my sister and I would keep ourselves entertained AT the table. So we would sit there and maybe draw or read a book while waiting for our food.

I recall Mum organising quiet things for us as well, but I can't remember what.

[SongsOfDragons]

When I was little the 'rents and I would go to the pub on some saturdays, perhaps once every one or two months. We'd go to Ye Olde Leathern Bottle (best pub name ever) for dinner - yay pub food!! This pub was out-of-the-way and large, and they had a room dedicated for children to play in. For years it was just lined with plastic-covered cushions and had a few moveable ones to climb on or sit. And there was a TV in the corner. A year before we moved from this area, they had a massive expansion made and turned it into a jungle gym, complete with several floors and a big slide. ^^
After YOLB we'd go to another pub closer to home - the Rifle Volunteer. This was a smaller pub more for the locals. We sat in the back room where there was an old table gaming machine. The 'rents would bring something to do, but eventually the landlord knew I was well-behaved enough to sit in the main part of the pub and watch the dart games.
I think the children issue depends on the pub, its location and intended market, as well as the children's and their families' attitudes, and how the landlord feels. Of course there's always the bad apples to colour their perception...