Pub chain limits parents' drinks

Adults with children are only allowed two alcoholic drinks at JD Wetherspoon pubs in order to limit their stay, the chain has confirmed to the BBC.

 

A spokesman for the company said it was "uncomfortable" with children being on the premises for long periods because of a lack of play facilities.

 

And he said parents visiting its pubs could even be refused soft drinks or coffee to curtail their stay.

 

There are 683 Wetherspoon pubs throughout the UK.

 

Segregated areas

 

The drinks policy came to light when Stephen Gandy contacted the BBC after visiting a Wetherspoon pub in Wallasey on Merseyside for a meal with family and friends.

 

The group was told that they could not have more than two alcoholic drinks each because they were with a child, even though the child's mother was only drinking water.

 

Mr Gandy said they were told by the bar's manager that the aim of the restriction was to comply with "child cruelty legislation".

 

"I tried to tell him that I understand and know the legislation and it's not in relation to cruelty but in relation to comfort, environmental conditions and segregated areas and a comfortable environment for children," Mr Gandy added.

 

"But he was having none of it and the choice was we could stay but the child would have to go. Obviously we didn't want that so we proceeded to another establishment that made us welcome.

 

"Imagine a foreign visitor coming in and getting told that - it's unreal."

 

When the BBC contacted JD Wetherspoon, spokesman Eddie Gershon confirmed the policy was in place, but denied it had anything to do with child cruelty laws.

 

Mr Gershon said: "Wetherspoons is quite clear it wants children in its pubs but it's not a children's pub in as much as a Wacky Warehouse or that type of place.

 

"What we don't want is the adult just staying and drinking in the pub while the child is just sitting there and we will 100% back our manager in the approach he has taken."

 

In relation to Mr Gandy and his friends, Mr Gershon added: "The only people they need to look at are themselves."

 

Story from BBC NEWS:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/uk/7170939.stm

Child-friendly choice splits pubs

Pub chain JD Wetherspoon is limiting its customers with children to a maximum of two alcoholic drinks.

 

It says children will only be permitted when they and their parents have a meal - but it doesn't want to encourage them to stay for too long.

 

Wetherspoon spokesman Eddie Gershon said: "If parents want to have one drink with their meal, and then have another afterwards, that's fine.

 

"But once the children have had their meal we can't see a reason why they should still be in the pub."

 

The company appears to be responding to changes in the law that are transforming Britain's pub culture.

 

New rules introduced in 2005 allow publicans to choose whether or not they admit under-14s. And the ban on smoking in public places have made pubs even more welcoming to families with children.

 

While Weatherspoon seems to be favouring the adult drinker, many other pub chains have gone all out to capture the family market.

 

Bad language

 

It is easy to forget that only a few years ago anyone under the age of 14 was barred from entering a pub - apart from special set-aside "family rooms", or if the pub got a special licence.

 

Hot food was rarely served, and the air was thick with tobacco smoke and bad language.

 

Now the British pub is a much more family-friendly institution.

 

Rob Hayward of the British Beer and Pubs Association estimates up to 80 per cent of pubs now offer food - a good indication of the child-friendliness, or otherwise, of the premises.

 

Twenty years ago, he says, only 20 per cent provided food - and that was usually of indifferent quality, served at rigid times.

 

"There is now a general recognition that if you are just a spit-and-sawdust boozer, and your customers are not allowed to smoke, then they will leave and not come back.

 

"To compensate, over the last two to three years there has been a big move on quality food. It's been a dramatic shift."

 

Many more pubs also now offer extra seating, children's menus, and play areas, he added.

 

Backlash

 

But, while the family market can prove profitable for publicans, not all customers favour the idea of children in pubs.

 

According to a live online poll on the BBC News website, only 30 per cent of respondents were opposed to Weatherspoons' two-drinks limit at one point in the voting.

 

About 38 per cent supported Weatherspoon's stance - and 30 per cent wanted children banned from pubs altogether.

 

Some readers - like "Caring Parent" from Harlow write: "We take our kids to our local pub with our family and friends to have a meal and to socialise. I do not consider myself to be menace to society or poorly bringing up my children by going out with them to have a drink."

 

But she appears to be in the minority - many comments posted by website users wanted to ban children from pubs.

 

"It'd be nice to reclaim the pubs from the children. There are few places you can go as an adult now without having screaming kids around you," says one reader.

 

"Children have no business being in a pub at all. Period." writes another.

 

Specialisation

 

Some publicans agree. Ewan Turney of the pub website Morningadvertiser.co.uk said: " A lot of people who run pubs think customers with children take the mickey. They sit at the bar and drink while their kids run around making a nuisance of themselves and annoying the other customers."

 

PUBS FOR OLDER DRINKERS

Bright lighting

Low or no music

Wide range of wines, beers and lagers

Lots of seating

 

The answer, as demonstrated by JD Wetherspoon, is specialisation.

 

Pub-goers are increasingly able to choose whether they want a child-friendly experience - or enjoy the adults-only ambience of a traditional British boozer.

 

At one extreme that means the intensely child-friendly "Wacky Warehouse" pub chain, operated by the Spirit Group. Here parents can drink while their children enjoy a specially designed play area, supervised by trained staff.

 

At the other end of the age range, Ember Inns, owned by Birmingham-based Mitchells and Butlers, offers "desirable surroundings you’d want at home and genuine friendliness" making it "the best pub for comfortable and relaxed conversation."

 

PUBS FOR YOUNGER DRINKERS

Low lighting

Loud music

Few seats

Smaller range of drinks

 

Says Rob Hayward: "Whereas in the past pubs tended to cater for everyone - minus children - what we are seeing now is an increasing tendency towards different pubs catering for different categories of people.

 

"These days, as soon as you go into a pub you will recognise who they are aimed at. It's often quite subtle - but you will register the signs

 

"If they have more seats, brighter lighting, and a wider range of drinks it means they are after the older customers.

 

"Fewer seats, low lighting, and louder music means they are targeted more towards the younger drinker."

 

Choice

 

Owen Morris from the Campaign for Real Ale, which campaigns for drinkers' rights, said he broadly supported the trend toward specialisation - and the choice it offered customers.

 

"Licensees need to appeal to their biggest market base. If that means making your pub more - or less - child friendly then good luck to you.

 

"If at the end of the day the customer doesn't like it, then the answer is simple - they can drink in another pub."

What the hell?

 

I'm pretty sure that people wont like this.

It is a bit out of the blue.

I can not belive the control mentality they have in the UK ... !

I just noticed something that spokesman Eddie Gershon said

 

"What we don't want is the adult just staying and drinking in the pub while the child is just sitting there and we will 100% back our manager in the approach he has taken."

 

So when the adult is staying there drinking, isn't the child allowed a soft-drink (of which pubs make the most profit on) or something to drink?

i totally agree with them. pubs are not the place to take children for long periods of time, particularly not ones like Wetherspoon's which are definitely not created to cater for them. the sad thing is that its the pub having to limit the time the kids spend there, and not the parents taking the responsibility