Kids At Breweries - Yes or No? (4 Viewers)

[Joe Bryant]

Thought this was interesting.

And to be clear, this isn't about "well behaved" kids. This is more from the angle of if you're the owner of the brewery, do you set a policy that allows or prohibits kids under 16?

Why More and More Breweries Are Banning Kids From Their Taprooms

Sometimes you need a beer but can't find a babysitter. Is that so bad?

www.insidehook.com

Are breweries a place for children? For Forest City Brewery in Cleveland, the answer is an emphatic “no.” In September 2024, it announced a ban on children under 16 after too many “bad apples” and “irresponsible parents.” As founder and GM Jay Demagall explained in the Facebook post, “Our business is to serve great beer, food and other alcoholic beverages to ADULTS…Our staff are not equipped to monitor or babysit kids whose parents treat the brewery like a playground.”

Also -

Dogs Indoors At Breweries - Yes or No?​

 

[Don Quixote]

I think it depends on the brewery. I’ve been to breweries that make it part of their business model to cater to families by having playgrounds on site, or family board/arcade games. But I’ve also been to breweries where I’d say not really kid-friendly. More people with kids probably just need to read the room to figure out which one is which.

 

[Steve Tasker]

I think it depends on the brewery. I’ve been to breweries that make it part of their business model to cater to families by having playgrounds on site, or family board/arcade games. But I’ve also been to breweries where I’d say not really kid-friendly. More people with kids probably just need to read the room to figure out which one is which.

This is the answer.

 

[Dr. Octopus]

I don't care much either way. but the precedent of children not being allowed in a bar seems like it should carry over to a Brewery.

With that said, it's up to the laws of the State the Brewery is located in and what the owners of each Brewery want to do within those laws.

 

[Joe Schmo]

I can't stand kids at breweries, particularly if it's indoor seating only. I want to drink and have a nice time without some rugrats running around bored while mommy and poppy get their drink on. Breweries should be an adult space free of crying, annoying unengaged kids.

 

[Joe Schmo]

And no dogs too!!

 

[Dr. Octopus]

The Brewery I go to allows dogs, which I'm sure would set off a few members of this Board.

 

[Dr. Octopus]

And no dogs too!!

see?

 

[Joe Schmo]

From the op article:

“Our business is to serve great beer, food and other alcoholic beverages to ADULTS…Our staff are not equipped to monitor or babysit kids whose parents treat the brewery like a playground.”

 

[Dr. Octopus]

The Brewery I go to allows dogs, which I'm sure would set off a few members of this Board.

They do have to be leashed and can't run around freely. As a dog lover I like it - but can see why some would not. Some people do take it to irrational levels though on this Board - as if its one of the worst crimes against humanity.

ETA: I leave my dog home.

 

[STEADYMOBBIN 22]

Last week I saw a woman bring her (~8 y/o) kid into the (weed) dispensary.

I was trying not to judge but I judged indeed. I did keep my mouth shut but had to hold it shut otherwise it would have hit the floor.

 

[Uruk-Hai]

I think it depends on the brewery. I’ve been to breweries that make it part of their business model to cater to families by having playgrounds on site, or family board/arcade games. But I’ve also been to breweries where I’d say not really kid-friendly. More people with kids probably just need to read the room to figure out which one is which.

This is what I've seen. Some of my local breweries will do a "Kids & Pets" day once a week. A couple of them allow kids (& pets) every day. These places have separate areas for families and/or playgrounds. And I know at least one that discourages children altogether.

 

[SWC]

i mean alcohol is a vice and i am about 4 years sober myself i guess so this is grain of salt stuff but its a vice and so is porn i wouldnt want a kid on a porn set yeah its degrees of magnitude but i think all the studies show that the more we expose kids to these things early the more likely they are to participate so i would be a no take that to the bank bromigos

 

[3C's]

Well behaved kids and dogs allowed. Don't let the kid run around unattended, otherwise go to a park.

 

[cheese]

Might be an extreme/unpopular opinion, but I also don't love the idea of people drinking and then driving their kids home. I know people aren't usually getting hammered at breweries, but for whatever reason I would rather them be driving themselves home after a few than their whole family. At least that is a line I draw for myself. You can also make the assumption that their is no way they are ubering if they have too many if they have their kids with them.

 

[Nugget]

It would make more sense to have the cutoff at 21. Are people bringing their teens as designated drivers?

 

[STEADYMOBBIN 22]

The Brewery I go to allows dogs, which I'm sure would set off a few members of this Board.

They do have to be leashed and can't run around freely. As a dog lover I like it - but can see why some would not. Some people do take it to irrational levels though on this Board - as if its one of the worst crimes against humanity.

ETA: I leave my dog home.

The opinions of people who don’t like dogs don’t concern me. As far as the health angle, the staff has contaminated your food more than the dog laying on the ground.

 

[Jaysus]

If one of the parental units is not drinking... who cares.

 

[Joe Bryant]

New thread for Dogs.

Dogs Indoors At Breweries - Yes or No?​

 

[Instinctive]

I mean the article in OP problem isn't kids, it's garbage parents. As usual.

 

[Joe Schmo]

Cuz dogs are more adept at rule followi

It would make more sense to have the cutoff at 21. Are people bringing their teens as designated drivers?

I know someone who did that back in the day and while it was wise on his part always felt bad for his kid.

 

[psychobillies]

Just like the dogs, if you're gonna bring your kids, they should be on a leash too.

 

[Dr. Octopus]

Might be an extreme/unpopular opinion, but I also don't love the idea of people drinking and then driving their kids home.

I mean people will argue about ANYTHING around here but my guess is this is not an unpopular take.

 

[Joe Bryant]

And to be clear, this isn't about "well behaved" kids. This is if you're the owner of the brewery, do you set a policy that allows or prohibits kids under 16?

 

[Dr. Octopus]

The Brewery I go to allows dogs, which I'm sure would set off a few members of this Board.

They do have to be leashed and can't run around freely. As a dog lover I like it - but can see why some would not. Some people do take it to irrational levels though on this Board - as if its one of the worst crimes against humanity.

ETA: I leave my dog home.

The opinions of people who don’t like dogs don’t concern me. As far as the health angle, the staff has contaminated your food more than the dog laying on the ground.

The one I go to doesn't even serve food, outside of hot pretzels and free popcorn.

 

[BassNBrew]

Personally I think the bac allowed when driving kids should be 0.0

 

[cheese]

Might be an extreme/unpopular opinion, but I also don't love the idea of people drinking and then driving their kids home.

I mean people will argue about ANYTHING around here but my guess is this is not an unpopular take.

In my experience many families at breweries are on the "I'll only have a couple" plan. And they probably stick to that. But seeing someone drink literally at all and then drive hits different when the kids get in the back seat.

 

[Joe Schmo]

And to be clear, this isn't about "well behaved" kids. This is if you're the owner of the brewery, do you set a policy that allows or prohibits kids under 16?

One of the local breweries around here made the choice to not allow kids for much the same reason as was posted earlier, the staff was spending time corralling and correcting other people's kids and it became a liability issue.

 

[Jaysus]

And to be clear, this isn't about "well behaved" kids. This is if you're the owner of the brewery, do you set a policy that allows or prohibits kids under 16?

A local brewpub opened with a no-kids policy a little while ago: I have not been there yet. Their place, their rules, if I don't like it I can go elsewhere (sound familiar? )

That said, this place was obnoxious about it... live streaming the burning of high chairs from the previous owners in the parking lot and such. If not for that, who knows, maybe I would have stopped in sans kids at some point.

 

[Uruk-Hai]

This is if you're the owner of the brewery, do you set a policy that allows or prohibits kids under 16?

Depends.

I live in a rural area and several of my local breweries are on farm land. Some of these have set up outdoor areas for families because they have the room.

The brewery closest to me, though, is in town and can't do that (no room). I've never seen kids there, but I don't know if that's policy or what.

 

[Joe Bryant]

Why sad @Dr. Octopus ?

 

[Uruk-Hai]

live streaming the burning of high chairs from the previous owners in the parking lot

Damn

 

[Dr. Octopus]

Why sad @Dr. Octopus ?

Threads like this tend to bring out the dog haters.

 

[brun]

The Brewery I go to allows dogs, which I'm sure would set off a few members of this Board.

They do have to be leashed and can't run around freely. As a dog lover I like it - but can see why some would not. Some people do take it to irrational levels though on this Board - as if its one of the worst crimes against humanity.

ETA: I leave my dog home.

This should apply to kids too

 

[Joe Bryant]

And to be clear, this isn't about "well behaved" kids. This is if you're the owner of the brewery, do you set a policy that allows or prohibits kids under 16?

A local brewpub opened with a no-kids policy a little while ago: I have not been there yet. Their place, their rules, if I don't like it I can go elsewhere (sound familiar? )

That said, this place was obnoxious about it... live streaming the burning of high chairs from the previous owners in the parking lot and such. If not for that, who knows, maybe I would have stopped in sans kids at some point.

I can see how being obnoxious about it would be a big negative.

And yes, the "this is how we're going to try it and the market will decide" is familiar for sure. I'm a believer in the free market there.

I do think this is an interesting question for businesses.

 

[Joe Bryant]

Threads like this tend to bring out the dog haters.

Ah. Thanks. I would maybe say it also brings out the dog lovers too though.

From a business angle, I think it's an interesting perspective.

My favorite brewery allows both dogs indoors and kids. And it seems fine. And I love dogs.

My favorite pub does not allow kids or dogs (or at least I've never seen kids or dogs there but maybe that's a liquor rule thing for kids). And it's fine too.

 

[Dr. Octopus]

Ah. Thanks. I would maybe say it also brings out the dog lovers too though.

We've done these threads enough where I know how it will go. No big deal though.

 

[NutterButter]

Just like the dogs, if you're gonna bring your kids, they should be on a leash too.

And a muzzle if they bite

 

[dino259]

And to be clear, this isn't about "well behaved" kids. This is if you're the owner of the brewery, do you set a policy that allows or prohibits kids under 16?

Like most things, if people just showed a little respect for their fellow person, we wouldn't need these overly strict rules.

 

[SWC]

live streaming the burning of high chairs from the previous owners in the parking lot

Damn

i mean thats throwing down the gauntlet alright and then i guess lighting it on fire take that to the bank broburnos

 

[NutterButter]

Back in the day, a chain in my neck of the woods called fuddruckers had a separate seating area where there was a playground, video games, occasionally a balloon making person and face painter. It was heaven as a parent. You could get a nice burger or my fav was the blackened catfish sandwich and drink a beer while your kids ran around and had a great time. Then they decided to redo the whole thing, take out the playground and turn it into one of those classier joints. Never went back again. Maybe there's just no market for it but I always felt establishments like that are sorely lacking.

 

[The General]

Prefer no because they can be annoying. By no means a deal breaker if the place has decent beer.

 

[the moops]

Absolutely yes

 

[FreeBaGeL]

We went to Portland as a family a few years ago and wanted to check out a few breweries, but had our kids with us. It was great that there were a handful of breweries that not only allowed kids, but were set up for them with playgrounds, kids areas with kids books and connect 4, etc.

On the flipside, I'm sure there are times where it's just a couple or a group of friends and they want a more adult experience.

So it's the same as the dog question. It's good that there are some that allow them and some that don't, so you can pick and choose based on your mood/situation on any given day. Kind of like how they build all-inclusives right next to each other where one allows kids and the other doesn't.

 

[Instinctive]

And to be clear, this isn't about "well behaved" kids. This is if you're the owner of the brewery, do you set a policy that allows or prohibits kids under 16?

Personally, given how much revenue I see coming from parents with a kid because its a pretty big space with a concrete floor and you're not on top of the next table...I want that money.

So I have a "we reserve the right to ask you to leave if your child is causing a disruption to other patrons" posted in quite a few places. Because the $$$ matters in hospitality.

 

[NutterButter]

And to be clear, this isn't about "well behaved" kids. This is if you're the owner of the brewery, do you set a policy that allows or prohibits kids under 16?

Personally, given how much revenue I see coming from parents with a kid because its a pretty big space with a concrete floor and you're not on top of the next table...I want that money.

So I have a "we reserve the right to ask you to leave if your child is causing a disruption to other patrons" posted in quite a few places. Because the $$$ matters in hospitality.

i could see that going sideways quick. does the customer reserve the right to not pay in that case?

 

[Scoresman]

We have two threads for dogs and kids going right now. Personally, I'd rather sit near a table with a dog than a small kid. Kids are more consistently irritating in a restaurant environment. In other words, I've found that there's a higher chance someone brings a misbehaved child to a restaurant than a misbehaved dog.

 

[guru_007]

I voted absolutely yes, but this one did get me thinking a bit. When I had younger children, preteens, never would have thought to bring them to a brewery, unless the food was super special. Honestly, just didn't want my kids to be around a lot of potentially inebriated adults.
Then when they got a bit older, preteens/young teens, one of our favorite go to spots as a family was BWW as they had NTN trivia which we all competed at. Not that BWW is a brewery, but similar, and then we actually did find a local watering spot that had NTN which we went to on occasion as well. Never had any issues. Then when my kids were full on young teens/late teens, totally would take them to breweries. Pretty much every family vacation we went to, we'd make at least one night out at a brewery in town. Almost all of them had stuff for the children/young adults as well, such as board games, cribbage boards, etc... And oftentimes they had home made root beers or cream sodas as well for the under 21 crowd.
So, I stick with absolutely yes, and I am getting old (as are my kids)!

 

[Gatorade]

I heard this from a nephew years ago. My MIL would take the kids to Busch Gardens. For some strange reason, she would sometimes go with niece and nephew to the Anheuser Busch tasting room. She did not drink but, would get samples (when they used to give you full glasses of beer) and let the kids drink them. Not sure the reasoning, but this alone makes me think it is a bad idea to have kids in this area.
Dogs would be okay as long as they stay outside and don't drink the beer.

 

[Drunken knight]

And to be clear, this isn't about "well behaved" kids. This is if you're the owner of the brewery, do you set a policy that allows or prohibits kids under 16?

A local brewpub opened with a no-kids policy a little while ago: I have not been there yet. Their place, their rules, if I don't like it I can go elsewhere (sound familiar? )

That said, this place was obnoxious about it... live streaming the burning of high chairs from the previous owners in the parking lot and such. If not for that, who knows, maybe I would have stopped in sans kids at some point.

at least they are clear on targeting their market.