A pub landlord says parents’ behaviour has deteriorated to the point he has now banned children from his east London pub.
Egil Johansen, who has run The Kenton in Hackney for the last 17 years, told Sky News that “entitled parents” now have a “lack of understanding that when you are in a public space, like in a pub, you need to look after your children.”
As a consequence, he said he and his team are no longer able to manage the risk of children at the pub, which only serves drinks and regularly shows football.
“We’ve had a couple of accidents, kids have been running into people carrying drinks, they’ve been approaching dogs, poking them, stroking them, and then dogs are barking because they are feeling stressed, which has then caused confrontations with parents,” said Mr Johansen.
In November, the pub posted an update on Instagram telling customers that “lately, a few have mistaken The Kenton for a creche”.
At the time, children were allowed until 5pm but Mr Johansen said the rule was under review.
“The sad end of the story is that we have now decided to become an 18+ only pub,” he said on Sunday.
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“That’s because these things have continued to happen despite having numerous posters around in a pub to please supervise your kids at all times.”
Although the reaction to the rule change has been “98% positive” according to Mr Johansen, some parents were disappointed by the move.
“That is a shame. We used to live on Queen Anne [Road] and come and visit friends often and would call in. We love your pub and have a very well-behaved 4-year-old,” wrote one regular on Facebook.
“Obviously, the decision hasn’t been taken lightly but it’s a massive shame that the actions (or inactions?) of a few parents when it comes to controlling their kids’ behaviour has led to this,” said another.
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Mr Johansen said he’s sympathetic – he’s a parent himself – but that his pub is simply not right for children anymore.
“It’s a big shame for people who do respect the rules or who do respect others but sadly the majority has ruined it for everyone.
“There are loads of other fantastic pubs in the area that are much more child-friendly.”
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And as for his own trips to the pub with his seven-year-old son, Mr Johansen said he comes armed with board games, pens, crayons.
“We [also] know our limits because he’s an active child. We know that we only have one hour window and then he’s expired.”
