Kids in Taprooms?

How is it going down hill? We're having a discussion. That's a good thing.

 

I totally understand that one and I think most people are cool with it. I think the key is respect for others, etc. A lot of places around my house are open to families being there, etc. I don't partake of that but I don't care if they do so long as the kids are behaved, etc. I totally get the fact that mom and dad need a break and maybe don't have family to watch kids or sitter. We all need a break and a cold beer so I don't get mad. I just ask as a fellow parent to consider others when out, if you can hear your kids others can too and maybe time to go home. I am a very mindful parent and know that if your out at the bar spending money I don't want to be that guy with my screaming kids arguing over a napkin, LOL. Sadly I will haul over to the pizza place and sulk in my domestic beer as my kids run wild thinking of the good beers down the road.
HAHA

 

Do you mean the odd vasectomy talk? LOL....

 

LOL

 

Ah! Then I change my vote to "yes," that was weird!

 

This... absolutely this...

It's also best to be smart about it. The great thing is that many breweries are trying to become family friendly spots. Surly and Alesmith come to mind. Both have large areas with dedicated sections for the little ones (books, toys, etc.). Others do not and are clearly not a place to take a child. I don't want to hear my daughter screaming and complaining that she's bored any more than anyone else does.

 

I owned a craft beer bar, I usually asked my patrons who had children to bring before 7 PM, so that they enjoy the bar and the children would not disrupt the other patrons who wanted the evening. My patrons had no problem with this arrangement.

 

Perfectly said! I agree and support all taprooms that do this. We have theaters here with "crying rooms" with a few seats and soundproofing so that parents can watch films without driving the rest of us bonkers!

 

I'm against kids in a taproom. You decided to make the sacrifice to have them, now it's time to be responsible and keep them out of adult establishments. Either get a babysitter or take them to places where kids want to be. Taking a 4 year old to a taproom isn't doing anything for the child, it's an adult putting themselves in front of their child and the patrons.

 

Some people think of bars/tap rooms/breweries/etc as a place to spend time with family and as a social gathering spot for the community. I don't know why in the world people are equating a perfectly legitimate time out with family with strip clubs?

The bar my parents met at, I still go their with them. I don't have kids, but was there with my niece and nephew not to long ago. It is a place the town would gather for the college or high school coaches to mingle with everyone. We would go there for lunch after Sunday Mass with many people from the congregation, my little league coach was part owner. Fried chicken on Sundays, fish fry on Fridays. The last time I was visiting in my hometown I still knew everyone there (it has been over 15 years since I lived there) we took a family picture (4 generations now) in front of the booth my parents met and eventually proposed to one another. Maybe some people think that is strange, but that establishment is a place I have a lot of memories from. I have never seen anything wrong with this, though of coarse people don't have to agree with my view or yours either. It just comes down to people being responsible and knowing when is enough, or what your personal comfort level is with this.

 

I think there is something to this, but I also think that in many parts of the country, craft bars and brewpubs are basically good restaurants that serve beer. There are certainly obvious bars (where no food is served, or have a particularly rowdy crowds, etc.), there are obvious restaurants (that don't serve alcohol) but most places are in between and have liquor licenses that require they serve food. So when a parent responding to this thread is saying "sure it's fine" it's probably these places they are talking about. In many parts of the country there is almost no difference between between a restaurant that has a bar and bar that has a restaurant.

 

I was coming down hard on the post because the poster seemed 'Entitled" to do as he pleased and it seemed sort of arrogant. I grew up in same environment you spoke about and I totally get that, I lived it. All I ask of people is common respect for each other when out. If your at a pub and your kids are going nuts be nice and head home. It is just a common sense thing. As a parent I am 100% opposite my parents. I don't want my kids at a bar setting at all. That is just my choice. I feel that kid time is best spent at places for them not me. I want the kids to have fun and I am along for ride, then when its my time I go out solo without them and have my fun with the wife or buddies.
I have a bunch of single friends and they have a hard line on bars and kids and I can respect that. They want their time and don't want to endure kids. Again, that is totally cool and I respect that because they are heading to an adult place so they sort of expect it to be kid free. As a parent I don't take offense to them I get it. The idea of the strip club was that the poster stated that people need to accept kids in bars and we are all selfish jerks so I was curious if he was taking his seasoned bar hopping 2 year old to the strip club also?
I think its super cool about the old school bar, I have one back home also, opened in 1976 and I was in it as a kid probably that year, LOL and many many years after that. It is still around today and has a ton of memories. I think its cool that community acts like that and I wish it did more.
Cheers

 

Interesting discussion. To me it depends on how the brewery sets up it's atmosphere. If the taproom says no kids - don't try to bring kids. If the taproom has a kids menu and says it's OK to bring kids - it's BY DEFINITION NOT AN ADULT ESTABLISHMENT (term being thrown around a lot) and the no-kids crowd needs to live with it or go to another place. If the taproom says no kids, the parents need to hire a babysitter or not go to that taproom. If the bar says kids are OK before 7, but not after that - those with and without kids need to respect the establishment's rules.

Point is, live by the establishments rules. They set them up to attract the type of patrons they want to attract. If you don't like it, go somewhere else, but complaining gets you nowhere.

 

It's all about common sense and social awareness. I'll make this real simple, If the place has a kids menu it's perfectly fine to bring a kid, if not, proceed with caution.

 

Toddler seats are also probably a clue.

 

I don't know that the there was a specific "beer or two in the afternoon" qualificaiton put on the OP or any subsequent posts. It seemed to be a very general question not limited to specific hours. I agree 100% that America has a long history of stupidity toward alcohol; however, having spent a great deal of time in Europe, I have not myself seen Europen parents bringing kids to bars. Dogs, yes; kids, no.

 

Sorry, but I thought the OP was asking what other PATRONS thought of kids in taprooms, not whether the taprooms themselves had menus and seats for kids. Two very different questions.

 

I forgot the most important item with regards to your post. You guys will be so tired once your baby is born you will forget all about the tap room and beg for an hour of sleep. Trust me on this one, any chance you get to sleep take it.
Congrats by the way, kids are a blessing and the greatest thing ever regardless of how they break about everything in your house and scratch your car.
Cheers.