We’ve all seen it: the crowded coffee shops just after mums have dropped their children off at school in the morning – and again when they pick them up in the afternoon.
Good business for the coffee shops, and now the wider hospitality sector is getting in on the act and boosting their ‘child friendly’ credentials using initiatives which H & C News certainly welcomes – and so do the mums.
Capital Pub Company leads
Take a look at Capital’s Victoria Inn in Peckham where mothers with babies now account for up to a third of daytime sales, and which boasts a Kid’s Room with toys, puzzles, books and dvd’s:
The jungle themed playroom keeps children entertained for hours, and has a built in camera which is linked to the pub so parents can sit back, relax & enjoy their lunch or drink whilst keeping a watchful eye.
Mum’s the Word
Mum’s the Word is a loyalty card for their local mums: it entitles them to lots of different exclusive offers, and operates across the Victoria Inn, The Actress, The Bishop, The Clarence, The Florence, The Merchant and The Paxton.
Find out more by clicking here
The National Childbirth Trust also advises that 80 London pubs have now signed up to a scheme that welcomes breastfeeding in public – another sign of progress.
The wider market
Chains such as Cafe Rouge and Giraffe have always been ‘child friendly’, and benefited accordingly, but it’s not just pubs that are now recognising the potential and taking action.
A few JD Wetherspoon pubs already run parent and toddler sessions, with sales of tea and coffee correspondingly increased. And M & B has partnered with Mumsnet and is working to making its Harvester outlets deliver a better environment for families.
For many years, the UK was notorious for lack of facilities and service for children and families. Perhaps, finally, the economic winds of change are forcing a very overdue transformation?