Why Does The Wetherspoons 'Two Drinks Per Parent' Rule Touch A Nerve?
Wetherspoons can restrict parents to two alcoholic drinks each if they’re with their kids – a little-known rule that’s been in place at the pub chain since 2011.
The guidelines, which individual pub managers can enforce as they please, have been highlighted this week, however, after there were reports of a notice in a pub in Gravesend, Kent. The sign stated adults in charge of children were allowed one drink, plus “a further alcoholic drink with a sit-down meal”.
It has since been taken down in that specific pub, but the sign sparked heavy debate among parents – myself included. “Boycott Wetherspoons,” one person angrily wrote on Twitter. “[We] don’t want to be dictated to by idiots.”
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I live close to a Wetherspoons and it’s somewhere I go with my parent pals for an affordable, no-frills tea with the kids. We don’t go often, but on a Friday every now and then – after school pick-up – to celebrate the start of the weekend? Absolutely. And when we go, it’s orange juice for the under 10s, and a glass of wine or two for the grown-ups. Hell, sometimes we’ll have a couple of G&Ts, instead.
Like any parent, I’d never get drunk if I’m in charge of my children. For one, it’s not safe – we have to navigate buses and busy roads on scooters, bikes and buggies to get home. And secondly, they’re my responsibility. I don’t see anything wrong, however, with having a small glass or two to celebrate the end of a long, arduous week of childcare. Wine can even be the secret to a successful playdate, I’ll have you know.
And that’s why Wetherspoons’ rule feels... wrong. It’s not just about the booze. The fact is, being told how much we should – or shouldn’t – drink by a pub chain raises our hackles because it smacks of being “judgy”....
