Reader: Give Stapleton parents a break and understand they need a beer

There are some standard hot topics in the restaurant industry: What constitutes good service, what's a fair tip -- and when and where are kids welcome? Last week -- just in time for the holidays -- we posted a list of ten great craft-beer patios to try this summer, and...

By Patricia Calhoun

July 11, 2014

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There are some standard hot topics in the restaurant industry: What constitutes good service, what's a fair tip -- and when and where are kids welcome? Last week -- just in time for the holidays -- we posted a list of ten great craft-beer patios to try this summer, and the mention of one particular spot, Station 26, spilled over into a sticky discussion this week. Station 26 is smack-dab in the middle of the Stapleton neighborhood, and so attracts many families. But this is not the only area where parents are hungry for a spot they can go with their kids....and still sample an adult beverage.

Says Pucklife:

Kids do ruin everything. Restaurants, breweries, airplane flights, schools, animals, public restrooms, churches, I could go on... So give Stapletonians a break and understand that they need a beer without having to pay for childcare. In honor of this post, I am going to Station 26 this weekend. I am bringing all my children with me and they are loud. But I always welcome parenting advice from people who don't have children. They are so much wiser on the subject than experienced parents.

Parents: If you want to take the family out and have a beer, where do you go? Where do you go when you leave the kids at home? And non-parents: What are the places you avoid if you don't want to see other people's children?

We're working on a list of family-friendly spots; all suggestions welcome. Post them below.

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Patricia Calhoun is editor-in-chief of Westword, the alt-weekly she co-founded in September 1977. She’s been inducted into the Colorado Press Association Hall of Fame, the Association of Alternative Newsmedia Hall of Fame and the Colorado Restaurant Association Hall of Fame. She’s also received dozens of local, state and national awards for writing, including first place for feature writing and first place for column writing with the Society of Professional Journalists. Patricia is a weekly commentator on Colorado Inside Out, PBS 12's public affairs roundtable, which has won two Emmys.

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