I love going to breweries, but I have children. So say it’s a Sunday and we want a beer or two but we don’t have a babysitter. We will take our kids to a family-friendly brewery with a nice beer garden or an area inside where we can sit in the corner. I also make sure I bring coloring books and little toys to keep my children busy and entertained while my husband and I are trying the newest brew.
Family-friendly breweries have become a bit more popular over the last few years but not all breweries are family friendly and that is okay! Some breweries and their customers don’t want kids running around. But if as an owner, you build a beautiful beer garden so that families can sit out and enjoy your delicious beers while being together as family it can be beneficial. It is important to set some rules, however, if you are going to plan on being family friendly, as some of your customers may not be happy with kids running around and making noise. If you want to be a family-friendly brewery but want to make sure your other customers are happy, here are some ideas to make everyone happy:
- Add a sign that says, “Kids must be accompanied by adults.” Possibly add a disclaimer that the brewery isn’t liable for any injuries to unmonitored children and parents are responsible for any damages caused by a child.
- Create an area where kids can entertain themselves. In your beer garden, make a kids corner. Take a small part of the beer garden and fill it with a small playground or kid size tables and chairs and have crayons and coloring pages, chalk, and fun board games for kids to play.
- Big Foam stacking blocks are always a fun thing for kids to play with. You can do this same thing inside, if you have room.
- On Saturday and Sundays, dedicate part of your tap room for a kids fun zone. By having a corner (both inside and outside) dedicated to kids, families can migrate towards that corner and the kids will want to stay there because that is where all the fun is and adults without kids can stay away from that area.
The bottom line is that you need to do what is best for your brewery and your customers based on your core values. This will ensure everyone who walks into your brewery has a fantastic time!