Pub chain limits parents to two drinks

LONDON, Jan. 5 (UPI) -- JD Wetherspoon, a chain of 683 pubs throughout the United Kingdom, is setting a two-drink limit on parents accompanied by children.

"Once parents have finished the meal with the child, we would expect them to leave soon after," said JD Wetherspoon spokesman Eddie Gershon.

The pub chain wants to avoid situations where adults drink for hours while children linger with nothing to do, Gershon told The Telegraph.

The policy already has infuriated at least one customer, Stephen Gandy, 44, who visited a Wetherspoon pub in Wallasey, Merseyside, Dec 27 with six other adults and a 2-year-old child, the Telegraph reported Saturday.

The adults were refused more than two drinks each, even though the mother of the child was drinking only water because she was driving, Gandy said, noting, "I was furious. We left. It was embarrassing not to be served."

JD Wetherspoon pioneered non-smoking areas, bans dogs and is considering printing a warning on menus asking drinkers not to swear, the Telegraph said.