The Six Templars, Hertford

I like this place but they have a rather odd / ambiguous policy on children being present in the pub. As a single father who enjoys a quick drink with the children on our way home on a Saturday afternoon, this is a problem for me. Let me explain.

When my 3 children and I are on our way home after the usual weekend shopping trip, we like to visit the Six Templars of a late Saturday afternoon for a quick drink. We've been doing this for the past year or so and usually arrive some time between 5 and 5:30 p.m., we stay for around an hour.
On our most recent 2 or 3 visits, we've been informed that, as I have children with me, we must buy food or we must leave. Of course, I would say this, but I like to think that my children and I are very well behaved and are unlikely to cause obvious offence to anyone.
I understand and have no argument with the facts that a licensee needs to make a living and that food is a good way to do this, that a licensee is at liberty to ask anyone to leave their premises without offering an explanation and that many patrons would prefer that children were not present on licensed premises at all.
I have seen the "Rules of the House" board also marked "Guidance" in the entrance to the Six Templars that implies but does not explicitly state that children are not welcome unless they are eating and must leave by 8 p.m.
If the Wetherspoon organisation or the Six Templars wish to pursue this policy that is their choice, but I would prefer them to be rather more honest and explicit in their intent. Perhaps they could display a very prominent sign stating "no children allowed on Saturdays unless eating" or something to that effect. In this way, potential customers with children would know that it would not be worthwhile entering the premises at all unless they intended to eat and the Six Templars staff would not need to be embarassed by asking customers to leave the premises for no very obvious purpose.

30 Oct 2010 23:14