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Sitting at a bar with your kid(s) (1 Viewer)

Would/do you sit with your kid(s) at a table in the "bar area"

  • Yes

    Votes: 135 81.3%

  • No

    Votes: 15 9.0%

  • Depends (on what?)

    Votes: 16 9.6%
  • Total voters
    166
Arizona Ron

Arizona Ron

Footballguy
Another thread got me thinking but I didn't want to hijack. 

Let's say by "kids" we mean anyone under 14. 

"bar" means any dive bar, casual dining restaurant with a bar, 4 star restaurant with a bar, etc. etc.   

"bar area" I think is self-explanatory for anyone that eats out regularly.  The tables in the bar area are typically a free-for-all and not part of the tables waiting for reservations or being sat by a host(ess). 

 
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The only time I've done this is when we've been out of town (more likely meaning some other suburb I'm not familiar with) for a baseball/basketball tournament, had a long break and neededa place to hang out and eat for a bt.  Typically we try to find some known chain or something but a few small towns I've been to didn't have a lot of options.  One time this little podunk town had three choices; Subway, a dive bar, or the gentlemen's club.  We sat in the "bar area" as that was all they had but we sat as far away from the bar as we could.

If I recall correctly, they had great burgers so it was a good choice.  Would do again (though my youngest is now 15 so I don't qualify anymore).

 
Pretty sure there's a law in MA that prevents underage kids from sitting at the actual bar, but if not for the law I'd have no issue with it. If seats at the bar offer the best view of the game we're interested in watching, and they're willing to serve my kid chicken fingers and a Coke while sitting there, what's the harm?

I will add that if seats at the bar were scarce and there are booze-drinking adults pining for them I'd defer to them and sit elsewhere. And if I did sit at the bar with my kid I'd tip heavier than usual to make up for the opportunity lost for the bartender by my kid sitting there.

 
What time of day is it?  How many other people are there in the restaurant?  Is anyone else already sitting at the bar?

 
Nigel said:
Pretty sure there's a law in MA that prevents underage kids from sitting at the actual bar, but if not for the law I'd have no issue with it. If seats at the bar offer the best view of the game we're interested in watching, and they're willing to serve my kid chicken fingers and a Coke while sitting there, what's the harm?

I will add that if seats at the bar were scarce and there are booze-drinking adults pining for them I'd defer to them and sit elsewhere. And if I did sit at the bar with my kid I'd tip heavier than usual to make up for the opportunity lost for the bartender by my kid sitting there.
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Would you have a problem with someone cursing at a bad call while watching a game or two guys talking about their sexual conquest at the bar while your kids are there?  Would you give the other people at the bar the, "hey my kids are with me?" or actually say something?

 
Answered no, read the responses, and am now thinking I should have answered "depends."

I think Nigel's point about the game and the view was the best conditional divergence from "no." There are plenty of times, when I was a teetotaler, that I would sit at the bar so that I could see the game better, only I would order food and Red Bull to run up a tab so that I didn't feel guilty about watching the game without the requisite quid pro quo purchase.

 
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Arizona Ron said:
Would you have a problem with someone cursing at a bad call while watching a game or two guys talking about their sexual conquest at the bar while your kids are there?  Would you give the other people at the bar the, "hey my kids are with me?" or actually say something?
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If you bring your kids to the bar area, you can't get mad about grown adults having adult conversations.  I would hope most people would see young children and try to curb their vulgarness, but they are not required to.  

 
Arizona Ron said:
Would you have a problem with someone cursing at a bad call while watching a game or two guys talking about their sexual conquest at the bar while your kids are there?  Would you give the other people at the bar the, "hey my kids are with me?" or actually say something?
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no and no

Cursing...whatever. But if someone was having a loud conversation that I was uncomfortable having my kid hear I'd just move rather than saying anything.

 
Hard to answer definitively without knowing the kind of bar and how many people are there. Generally, my kids are young, so no to the bar but just took my 7 year old to a bbq place and we sat at a table in the bar area. Usually the best service.

 
And I'll add that if I'm with my kid we're probably out to get something decent to eat, which means the place isn't a complete dive, the clientele is likely not degenerates, and the bartender/management would probably say something before I would if people were speaking in a louder-than-conversational volume about banging hos.

 
My uncle brought me into a bar when I was 12. They served me a draft beer.

My uncle said, "draft beer is the best, isn't it?" I nodded agreeably even though I had no clue.

Patrons did not complain. 

 
Yes and yes. No one bats an eye at this in Wisconsin.  My son (now 14) and I get our hair cuts together at the same barbershop and almost always go for one after.  Our family and our neighbors frequently get together at neighborhood bars for lunch or dinner with our kids in tow.  Back before the widespread smoking bans I would not have done so.  

 
Definitely yes, but probably some time of day variables.  I took my 3 year old to a sports bar on Sunday afternoon.  We just got back from weekend travel, but had no food in the house for lunch, and I wanted to watch the end of the Masters.  My son is probably more into golf than me, and loved it (as well as being surrounded by other TVs showing NBA and NHL playoffs, and the Nats).

I would not have taken him to the same place at 9:00 on a Friday or Saturday night, but he's usually in bed by then.

 
Bar area...no problem 

Bar, probably not.  I don’t have any issue with them sitting at the bar, I’d be more worried about them being disruptive #######s and ruining the atmosphere for other bar sitting patrons 

 
I voted no and no.  But it really does depend on the age of the kid.  If we are talking "close" to the cutoff by AZ (14) and they aren't going to cause a ruckus, then the bar area would be fine.  I wouldn't want to take a little one to the bar or bar area as most people in those areas are there because it is generally known as an adult area.  More about respecting the others in the area than worrying about the environment for my kid.

 
Here in MA, I'm pretty sure you've got to be 18 to sit at the bar itself.  But the tables in the bar area are no problem for kids.  

 
In IL no kids at the bar by law so voted No. But have no problem with them in the bar area and have done it many times, however with kids say under 10 I wouldn't do to their ability to bug other people trying to watch games/have a conversation.

 
Don Quixote said:
Definitely yes, but probably some time of day variables.  I took my 3 year old to a sports bar on Sunday afternoon.  We just got back from weekend travel, but had no food in the house for lunch, and I wanted to watch the end of the Masters.  My son is probably more into golf than me, and loved it (as well as being surrounded by other TVs showing NBA and NHL playoffs, and the Nats).

I would not have taken him to the same place at 9:00 on a Friday or Saturday night, but he's usually in bed by then.
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Your 3 year old son is more into golf than you?

 
We used to sit at the bar with our kids at places we were familiar with.  They liked sitting on the stools and there were lots of distractions for them.  They liked watching the bartenders work and they developed a taste for maraschino cherries.  This was when they were little (age 5-7 tops). 

 
I don't have kids but I notice a lot of the craft breweries around here are really trying to foster a family environment with games and puzzles for the kids, etc...

 
I think this qualifies so I answered yes to both questions. 

When I'm at my in-laws I will take my 3 year old on a walk through a very clean, safe downtown area. On that walk there's an ice cream place right next to a brewery with a bar/tasting room.  I will routinely get her an ice cream and we head to the brewery and I'll grab a pint while she eats her ice cream. If it's nice out we'll sit outside but I have had us sit at the bar once or twice.  People are usually very nice and we're there no more than ten minutes. Never thought of it as an issue. 

 
Northern Voice said:
I don't have kids but I notice a lot of the craft breweries around here are really trying to foster a family environment with games and puzzles for the kids, etc...
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Yep. I do not hesitate to take my kids into a craft brewery/tasting room. 

 
shuke said:
That place sucks. 
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Most definitely. 

But it's surprisingly really really kid-friendly. So while I'd never want to eat there on my own I do appreciate it as a place to take my kids because they can be loud and messy and the kids' mac and cheese is surprisingly decent. 

 
shadyridr said:
Your 3 year old son is more into golf than you?
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Yeah, I mean he does not know the golfers, the tournaments, or anything.  But there are times where he'll request that I put golf on TV, and I end up having to find some random European golf tour broadcast on the Golf Channel or something.  This was him in my backyard about a week ago (playing golf with a hockey stick and wiffle ball, which are two sports that I'd rather watch/play if I had my druthers).  The mitten on one hand was totally him.  He was outside playing golf, and decided he needed to go inside for a glove -- just one glove (so, he somehow picked up just from watching golf on TV that golfers wear a glove on just one hand).

 
Really depends on the time and the place for #1.  Like Cletius said it's pretty acceptable in WI but if it was a Friday or Saturday night, and depending on the place I'd likely skip sitting at the bar with kids under the age of 14, but bar area is fine.  However there are a couple of local bars that have the best burgers around and my family would always sit at the bar when we went, kids were as young as 7 or 8 years old but at that age we'd go on a Sat/Sun for lunch.  Completely different atmosphere than a Friday or Saturday night for dinner.

 
Nigel said:
Pretty sure there's a law in MA that prevents underage kids from sitting at the actual bar, but if not for the law I'd have no issue with it. If seats at the bar offer the best view of the game we're interested in watching, and they're willing to serve my kid chicken fingers and a Coke while sitting there, what's the harm?

I will add that if seats at the bar were scarce and there are booze-drinking adults pining for them I'd defer to them and sit elsewhere. And if I did sit at the bar with my kid I'd tip heavier than usual to make up for the opportunity lost for the bartender by my kid sitting there.
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My initial reaction to the bar was being from MA and remembering the law against underaged kids sitting at bars.

Agree with Nigel and others that depends on the place, and I'd be more likely to do it at lunch than late nite on a Saturday.

 
Short answer - it depends.

Long answer w/one kid - we took our oldest (then 15 months old) to the neighborhood dive bar to watch a game some years ago.  It was the middle of the day.  There were about 10-12 or so of us there.  Not all of us knew each other, but we were all connected in some way - including the bartender.  We sat at the bar the whole time.  We even had our kid sitting on the bar at one point - and got a picture of him tipping an empty cup back.  It was hilarious - and a real fun day.  But if it were crowded we would have gotten a table behind the bar action - and probably wouldn't have stayed long.

Long answer w/multiple kids - probably not to the bar part, maybe to the table in bar area part.  It's because of us & them though - not the environment they'd be exposed to.  Like many kids these days they struggle with sitting still unless they're doing something.  It's a battle I have no issue picking at home, but out?  I don't think I'm being selfish in wanting to enjoy my time too.  But I'm not giving them a phone or a kindle to keep them quiet.  So it entirely depends on the establishment, who we're there with, and if we have backup plans if it isn't working.

 
It’s illegal in CA to have kids sit at the actual bar.

This really depends on the establishment.  I don’t think I would ever even take kids to a dive bar establishment, but I wouldn’t have an issue if we sat at the actual bar at Whole Foods (if it were legal). They are mostly serving food and coffee there anyway.

 
Northern Voice said:
I don't have kids but I notice a lot of the craft breweries around here are really trying to foster a family environment with games and puzzles for the kids, etc...
Click to expand...
Definitely. My kids go to the breweries all the time and there are always plenty of other kids. 

 
Don Quixote said:
Yeah, I mean he does not know the golfers, the tournaments, or anything.  But there are times where he'll request that I put golf on TV, and I end up having to find some random European golf tour broadcast on the Golf Channel or something.  This was him in my backyard about a week ago (playing golf with a hockey stick and wiffle ball, which are two sports that I'd rather watch/play if I had my druthers).  The mitten on one hand was totally him.  He was outside playing golf, and decided he needed to go inside for a glove -- just one glove (so, he somehow picked up just from watching golf on TV that golfers wear a glove on just one hand).
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Wow this is incredible. Get him lessons ASAP

 
mr. furley said:
if i can't belly up for shots with my 8 and 10 year old's then why the hell am i there in the first place?
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Ta get away from Mrs. MF? 

Me - I have no kids - never will, but, if I did, I think it would all depend on the situation & Time. 

Some bars here would be fine for kids at lunch - not so for dinner & later. 

 
by your qualification of < 14 yo, Yes, I have and would continue (if they were not all older now) to sit in a Bar with them. 

They can order a soda or water or even get a milk shake.  I would not allow them to drink any alcohol nor would I have more than 1 or 2 drinks myself.  The idea is to be responsible and to teach them how to be responsible with alcohol.  

 
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