iStockphoto / Nicolas Micolani
An Ohio brewery has ignited a heated debate over what some deem as an ‘anti-family policy’ which bans all children from the brewery after 7pm at night. To most people that would seem like a perfectly reasonable policy. They do, after all, sell alcohol as their primary product.
However, many people have taken exception to the manner in which the Eastside Brewing Company in Reynoldsburg, Ohio has gone about defending its policy and how they see the matter as black and white without nuance.
Ohio Brewery Defends What Some Deem To Be ‘Anti-Family Policy’ Banning Kids
The brewery reignited the debate after a Facebook post on October 15th that has since gone viral. It started with outlining how the Eastside Brewing Company in Reynoldsburg, Ohio has “experienced a lot of change recently” including a new food partner.
It details how they opened in 2012 as just 45 seat taproom. How they survived the mayhem of 2020. And then the messaging in the post takes a turn…
They wrote “although things have been going very well for us, there is one sore spot, that seems to come back again and again. Unsupervised children.” A little aggressive, sure, but totally reasonable given the circumstances.
It does on to say “It’s not that we don’t like kids. We manufacture alcohol. Our thoughts about production, marketing, the ambiance, are all geared toward providing this product for our customers to enjoy. We have created an environment that appeals to adults.”
Again, perfectly reasonable. Their product is sold and marketed to adults. They want the business filled with customers. But here’s where things seem to turn combative….
The Facebook post continues, saying “then there is a small group of adults who call me a d— head, an a——, and a child hater among others. Many of these parents are the ones who sit inside the taproom drinking beer while they let their kids go outside to “play”. There are kickballs and frisbees to dodge. Some kids like to dig up rocks in the beer garden and create hazards for our adult guests to trip over. They antagonize our neighbors dogs through the fence. Our patio swing had to be taken down as it was confused with an amusement park ride. The bolts nearly fell out. The ping pong table is broken and we rarely put corn hole out as the bags end up on the roof.”
I’m an adult. I like digging up rocks and swinging on patio swings. I stink at ping pong but enjoy playing. Am I welcome?
The whole Facebook post can be read/seen here.
What the people are saying
Most of the commenters agree with the brewery’s take. In fact, there’s a suspicious percentage of positive comments, almost as if the negative comments are being hidden.
One of the top ‘liked’ comments reads “I agree send a little Rugrats across the street to the YMCA. That’s their place.” The #1 comment starts by saying “When I visit breweries, even restaurants, I seek out those where I know children aren’t going to be running aimlessly.”
But if you hop on over to Google, the reviews themselves aren’t so favorable. It sounds like the actual enforcement of the policy is quite harsh at times. A review from ~4 months ago reads:
“We had a group of small children on the large swing, being gently pushed by an older child, with three parents standing approximately four feet away, actively supervising. The manager initially walked by and thanked us for being diligent in watching our children. Moments later, he returned and instructed the young man pushing the swing to sit down with his parents. When we inquired why, the manager was abrupt and unprofessional. He accused us of not supervising our children, despite our close proximity and active engagement. He mentioned a sign requiring parents to accompany children at all times, which we were doing. His solution was that we all return to our tables seemed to defeat the purpose of having an open area for guests to mingle.”
Later in that review, the customer made a valid point. If the idea is to keep children away then a 21+ policy would make the most sense. Being inclusive as they see fit leaves a lot of room for there to be disagreements and unhappy customers.
Another Google review from ~4 months ago echoes a similarly hostile experience. That customer writes “the environment is far from family friendly — there was little accommodation or patience for children, and it quickly became clear that families with young kids are not welcome here. On top of that, the owner was shockingly rude and dismissive when we tried to address our concerns. It’s one thing to have a bad day, but there’s no excuse for the kind of attitude we encountered.”
The ongoing tug-of-war game between families and this brewery made it to the local news after the Facebook post. Ohio’s Local 12 picked up the story.
Interestingly, the comments on that article are from people also in support of the no children policy after 7pm. One person wrote it’s “great” to be somewhere “adults can have fun without the little monsters in the way.”
As a beer lover, business owner, and parent. I guess I just question how sustainable a policy like this is? Are you driving away long-term customers in favor of patrons that might be happier at a dive bar? There’s no clear cut answer here, and a ‘no children’ policy at breweries is perfectly acceptable and obviously very welcomed by the majority of their customers. But is it a good long-term growth strategy for a business? Does that even matter? Let us know what you think in the Facebook comments.