Would You Bring Your Kid To The Bar?
Where’s an up-and-coming place for kids to hang out these days? It’s the local bar! But it’s triggering a turf war among bar customers. The truth is, it’s legal for children to be in a bar if they’re accompanied by a guardian. But for years, bars have rarely welcomed children and most of them outright banned kids at night.
There’s a growing number of bars across North America that are rolling out the welcome mat to customers with kids. They’re even adding kid-friendly games and redesigning floor plans to be more stroller-friendly. They think it’s a smart move to make parents feel welcome, especially if they have their kids with them. That way, parents will stay longer and spend more money - whether it’s on drinks, food, or a glass of milk for their kid’s sippy cup.
But it’s setting off a backlash from customers without kids, who say they can’t relax at a kid-packed bar. After a new family-friendly bar recently opened in Brooklyn, hundreds of people ripped the bar’s reputation on the rating website, Yelp. One poster said the hip bar felt more like a “Chuck-E-Cheese.” Another wrote that a kid on a tricycle crashed into him, spilling drinks everywhere. The anti-family crowd says they like children – they just don’t want to party with them. But parents are firing back. They’re arguing that it’s legal for kids to be in a bar, so they have every right to bring the whole family. And if people want to get wild, they should do it somewhere else.
So, do you think children be allowed at a bar? Would you bring your kids to one?
