Brit Pubs Limit Parents' Drinks to Two

Orange juice or lager, it doesn't matter: if you're a parent and you ask for a third drink at JD Wetherspoon, a chain of almost 800 pubs in the U.K., the staff will refuse and demand that you vacate the premises.

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. The family say they were told that the aim of the restriction was to prevent "child cruelty".

Wetherspoon management explains that the company is "uncomfortable" with serving thirsty parents who linger, because the pubs lack "play facilities" for the younger patrons.

Hmm. Maybe these families could bring their own play facilities — a pocket Nintendo, a deck of cards for a game of Old Maid, or a chess set. Then, I'd wager, we'll find out that this campaign is actually a bit of social engineering — aimed at telling pub visitors who happen to be parents that their rightful place is at home with junior and a nice cup of cocoa.

But who needs JD Wetherspoon anyway? There are plenty of other watering holes that aren't so high and mighty as to tell adults how many glasses of Coca-Cola or Boddington's they may consume. Long live consumer choice — and I hope Wetherspoon will lose a bloody fortune now that the story is out.

Comments

[Martin Owens]

Right.

So Dad can come in there alone , drink himself mean, go home and clobber the whole family and that's all right?

In America this might be somebody's bright idea to avoid predatory lawsuits :
" You let them have an extra drink and the car crashed so it's your fault, pay up" But the UK doesn't allow contingency-fee lawsuits. So this is just more damn meddling. Watch Seattle or Chigago or some other moral wilderness try to make it mandatory for all licensed premises....

[smurfy]

this is an interesting one for me. On the one hand, it's bullshit. On the other hand, keep your damn kids out of the pub! That's where I go to sin amongst other adults (I'm too cheap for tittie bars).

[David]

I thought libertarians thought that business owners should freely set the conditions under which they will do business -- if they want allow smoking, for example, that is their right (libertarians claim). Now a business owner is setting their own rules, freely and openly, and suddenly there is a problem with it. How does this jibe with your philosophy? If you don't like it, feel free to go elsewhere....

[Kid Handsome]

Smurfy, did you not read this part quoted below?

"But who needs JD Wetherspoon anyway? There are plenty of other watering holes that aren't so high and mighty as to tell adults how many glasses of Coca-Cola or Boddington's they may consume. Long live consumer choice — and I hope Wetherspoon will lose a bloody fortune now that the story is out."

[Kid Handsome]

Smurfy, sorry, I meant David. The bottom comment line confused me.

[Rogier]

David:

You display evidence of the very same blind spot that so many libertarians suffer from -- that is, when the scolds and bluenoses are members of the public, or private business owners, everything is hunky-dory and we don't need to resist their odious meddling. I addressed that issue in two related blog posts last year:

http://www.bakelblog.com/nobodys_business/2007/06/official_nannie.html
http://www.bakelblog.com/nobodys_business/2007/06/official_vs_fre.html

Cheers.