Monday, February 28, 2011

Tough Topic: Should Kids Be In Bars?

Many bars and brewpubs have age limits for entry.  Owners and managers need to determine if having an age limit works for them.  Without this balance owners could be costing themselves revenue from the pro-kid camp or pro-kidless camp.

A bar is a bar is a bar.  If there is no food then your kid has no business being there.  If the establishment has food then personally I think kids should be allowed in the door.  Where you sit is another issue.  If an establishment has a dinning room and a bar kids belong in the dining room.

Some establishments have zero kid policies.  Establishments may be losing out on customers who want to bring their kids for lunch on a Saturday afternoon.  While on the other hand places with kids running rampant may be losing customers.  If they wanted screaming kids they could just go to Chuck E. Cheese.

Either way, bars and brewpubs need to find a balance, and restricting child entry to certain times and parts of the establishment are certainly appropriate.

Finally, if your kids are in an establishment running around screaming take them to Chuck E. Cheese.  When they are ready to behave bring them to the brewpub-you are going to need a beer.

What do you think?

2 comments:

  1. Only thing I hate is when they want to sit at the bar. But my fav bar the kids are banned from sitting at the bar they must sit at a table.

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  2. I think this topic needs to be considered on a case-by-case basis. We're a production brewery with a tavern/beer garden. Hardly any food.

    But we get kids all the time, mostly at the picnic tables in our open space. Sometimes at the bar, but not that often. As it gets later, the crowd turns decidedly older. It works.

    But that's our space, and results certainly vary.

    Cheers,
    Sean at Fullsteam (Durham, NC)

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