A BREWERY is receiving ‘threats from customers’ after a decision to ban children from its establishment.
The brewery announced that minors will not be allowed in the building after a certain time.
East Side Brewing Company in Reynoldsburg, Ohio, posted its controversial announcement on Facebook.
In a lengthy post, the company said that “things have been going very well” for them in the past few years.
The company stated that since opening its 45-seat taproom in 2012, it has grown exponentially and subsequently opened a second location.
It’s managed to survive the COVID-19 pandemic and expand its menu options.
Despite the positive growth, there’s still one major issue its owners face: unsupervised children.
The company said that its not that the owners don’t like kids, but that children should not be around alcohol.
“Our thoughts about production, marketing, the ambiance, are all geared toward providing this product for our customers to enjoy,” the company posted.
“We have created an environment that appeals to adults.”
The post did acknowledge that many of its patrons are respectful with their children and make sure to keep a watchful eye on them.
Many parents sit back and have a pint while playing board games with their children or watching them play on the playground.
However, a small group of parents sit in the bar while their child plays outside unsupervised.
While they’re drinking, their child is creating chaos.
“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,” the post continued.
“Our patio swing had to be taken down as it was confused with an amusement park ride. The bolts nearly fell out.
Eastside Brewing Company statement
The company wrote on Facebook:
Although things have been going very well for us, there is one sore spot, that seems to come back again and again. Unsupervised children. 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. Many families with children come and enjoy the brewery and are respectful of our property and our customers. They play board games at the table and enjoy having a pint while their kids sit with them.
Then there is a small group of adults who call me a dickhead, an asshole, 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.
The truth is, we never intended for our outdoor space to be a playground for kids. We have signs posted regarding our policies. Some breweries are built for kids. They want you to bring the family and they have things for them to do while they are there. Please understand, this is not us. We have built a space centered on adults having a conversation and a pint and a bite to eat. Meeting your fellow Reynoldsburg neighbors or craft beer passport stamp collectors is what this space is for. We want everyone who visits to have a pint in their hand. We run a business that survives and thrives on the sale of alcoholic beverages.
Yes, we want to keep the brewery open to families. However, on a weekly basis we have an experience with a family who wants to disregard our policies. Therefore we only allow kids until 7pm, but after 7pm we are adults only. Our Eastside Brewing Company taproom is great when you experience it as it was intended. Please note that kids (teenagers) are not welcome at anytime without their parents.
This post has been a little long, but as we are receiving threats from customers who don’t agree with our policies, I thought it was important to communicate what our taproom was intended to be. We work hard to provide a place for you to come and enjoy one another’s company over a pint. We hope you will continue to join us.
“The ping pong table is broken and we rarely put corn hole out as the bags end up on the roof.”
Children playing outside was never the intended reason for the brewery’s outdoor space.
“We have built a space centered on adults having a conversation and a pint, and a bite to eat. Meeting your fellow Reynoldsburg neighbors or craft beer passport stamp collectors is what this space is for,” the post continued.
“We want everyone who visits to have a pint in their hand. We run a business that survives and thrives on the sale of alcoholic beverages.”
In response to the growing issue of unsupervised children, the brewery is limiting the hours that children can be on its premises.
Now, children, including teenagers, are only welcome before 7 pm.
“This post has been a little long, but as we are receiving threats from customers who don’t agree with our policies, I thought it was important to communicate what our taproom was intended to be,” the post concluded.
“We work hard to provide a place for you to come and enjoy one another’s company over a pint. We hope you will continue to join us.”
Commenters under the post seemed to support the policy and said they will make it a point to eat there now.
“You just got a couple more new customers (after 7 pm) here. This is a completely reasonable policy to have,” one follower wrote.
