Unruly children deter pub customers
Kids behaving badly are putting customers off their pub grub - and publicans are scared of taking parents to task, according to the latest edition of the Good Pub Guide.
The annual guide reports an increasing number of readers complaining about unruly children - described as 'baby lager louts' - running around pubs unchecked by either their parents or the licensee.
With family menus and Sunday lunch more important than ever to many pubs' business, the clash with traditionalists out to enjoy a quite pint or a meal has become more pronounced.
Fiona Stapley, joint editor of the guide, said: "People have finally snapped. Children are driving them mad. This is not about the weather keeping kids inside the pub, this is everywhere. 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."
The guide, which features pubs based on recommendations by readers, also suggests that publicans will think twice about asking parents to keep their boisterous children under control for fear of losing family trade.
Writing in the introduction, editor Alisdair Aird said: "You can imagine the retort when a publican asks a badly behaved family to quieten their children - 'We've just spent over 50 quid here, do you want us to leave without paying?'"
Having last year accused pubs of pushing menu prices too high, the newly-published 2009 edition notes the effect of the credit crunch. It reports an average 2 per cent rise in the price of a pub meal over the past year, acknowledging this is far less than the increased costs of running a pub and buying food.
- The price of fish & chips varied from £4.49 to £13.75 in pubs featured in the guide, while steak pie ranged from £4.50 to £13.50.
- Its annual 'price of a pint' survey reports beer drinkers in the West Midlands getting the best deal, at an average £2.25 a pint, while the average in Surrey is a spluttering £2.88.
- The Golden Heart near Brimpsfield, Gloucestershire has been named Pub of the Year by the Good Pub Guide.
