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So These Kids Walk Into a Bar (and Barflies Start Griping)

UK drinkers say brats put them off their pints

By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff

Posted Oct 14, 2008 8:37 AM CDT

(Newser) – A smoking ban and an increasing trend of serving food have made Britain's pubs more family-friendly, but many drinkers are far from thrilled about sharing their watering hole with rowdy kids, the Times of London reports. The editors of the Good Pub Guide say complaints have soared about "baby lager louts" running wild in pubs.

One major pub chain has adopted a two-drink rule for parents, to get them out the door before their kids start going nuts. The guide's editors say there doesn't seem to be an easy answer to the problem. "Can you imagine the retort when a publican asks a badly behaved family to quiet their children?" the editors write. "‘We’ve just spent over 50 quid here, do you want us to leave without paying?’”

A pint of beer is pulled in a pub in London, Monday, July 28, 2008.
A pint of beer is pulled in a pub in London, Monday, July 28, 2008.   (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
A pint of beer is seen in the beer garden of a pub in London, Monday, July 28, 2008.
A pint of beer is seen in the beer garden of a pub in London, Monday, July 28, 2008.   (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
An increase in the numbers of pubs serving food has caused a boom in family visits, irritating some patrons.
An increase in the numbers of pubs serving food has caused a boom in family visits, irritating some patrons.   (©LoopZilla)
A new edition of Britain's 'Good Pub Guide' finds a record number of pub-goers complaining about badly behaved children.
A new edition of Britain's 'Good Pub Guide' finds a record number of pub-goers complaining about badly behaved children.   (©Terry Wha)
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"When I owned a pub kids were welcome. But in the pub up the road, I think they probably cooked them if they came through the door. - Will Beckett, writing in the Guardian

Lots of people have reported it to us. Of course it is the parents' fault. Children get tired and then get disruptive, so they start tearing around the pub. - Fiona Stapley, joint editor of the Good Pub Guide

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