Operating a family-friendly pub doesn’t always need to be about bouncy castles, fizzy drinks, and chicken nuggets. Whilst there is obviously a market for that what parents are actually looking for can be much more basic and easier to deliver.
What you’ve got to remember to ask yourself is “why do the parents want to visit the pub with their kids” and the answer is exactly the same for them as before they had kids.
They want to be out of the house, in an environment where they don’t have to do or ‘be’ anything, where others are taking care of them, where they can relax and be free to chat and connect with others, bond with each other and be part of a community.
Being parents doesn’t change these needs, if anything, it can make them more pressing and urgent, particularly when the kids are young.
Certainly, when I had kids, I was not ready to give up on the quality venues that I loved.
Places, where I could get a good quality coffee, a decent meal or a perfectly served G&T. Just because I had kids, didn’t mean that now my favourite places were noisy warehouses surrounded by other people’s kids, flashing noisy arcade games and plastic glasses!
When I was a kid my poor parents live in a world where children we firmly unwelcome in most pubs, if we were allowed in it would be usually confined to the ‘children’s room’ or the skittle alley we were handed a bottle of pop and a packet of crisps and sent off to ‘play’.
By the time I had kids things had improved a bit but still most choices were defined as kids venues places like Whacky Warehouse. It wasn’t normal to expect to be able to go to your ‘local’ with the family. Fortunately for me though I owned my own venue and could create my own space for me and parents like me.
What I learnt was that what parents want is simple.
They don’t want to compromise on their pub experience, but they do have a handful of modest additional requirements:
1. Cleanliness.
Parents are hypersensitive about this, kids put their hands on everything and then they put them straight to their mouths!
What might just be tolerated for other customers cannot be by parents. To be honest, though having a clean venue without bits of broken glass on the floor or sticky tables should be a given for any pub.
2. Healthy balanced food options.
Whilst kids do love chicken nuggets and fizzy drinks parents feel guilty about feeding them that every meal!
For me eating out is always a treat. I don’t always mean a treat in terms of an expensive flashy restaurant or an unhealthy burger and chips, More regularly a treat is just not having to cook for myself and my family.
So, if parents are going out with their kids they need to find places that allow them to make healthy balanced choices for their family. Also, if they are planning to stay for a couple of drinks then their kids will be having a couple of drinks. Fizzy, sugary caffeine drinks can not be the only option.
A visit to the pub should be considered something that is healthy to do. It is certainly an important lesson in how adults connect and bond, form and maintain relationships and contribute to communities.
As modern pub menus need to reflect balanced options for adults both for food and drink so they should for children.
3. Entertainment
This isn’t that important, but it is a nice touch.
Parents know that their kids wriggle, that they are easily distracted and so most come armed with all sort of devises and fiddle toys but a pot of crayons, colouring sheets or a basket of toys demonstrates understanding and care and that you welcome children and happy to see them.
4. Attitude of staff
Really this is the most important one.
Kids need to be made to feel welcome. Yes, they can be messy and sometimes a bit noisy but most parents are trying their best.
Staff need to be able to treat children as though they are important because they are to the parents. They can’t be seen as a nuisance to the staff.
Staff need to be able to show flexibility toward children, but staff should be demonstrating both welcoming, friendly flexibility to all guests, children shouldn’t be any different.
Really being family-friendly is just that - being friendly.
It doesn’t cost anything, but it makes such a huge difference to your customers who whilst they may be parents with responsibility to a little person are also just like everyone else.
Using your venue for all the same reasons as everyone else, being relaxed, a little bit freer than at home and bonding with others (including their children).
They also dream of the day when they can once again come out for the evening and enjoy a time without the kids.
Get this family-friendly bit right and they will not forget. It will be you they return to time and time again in repayment for the kindness you showed them and their children.
