Awful Experience at the City Arms

We made the mistake of visiting the City Arms yesterday afternoon hoping to have a pleasant Sunday pub dinner with our two little girls. Informed there was no food, we bought a round of drinks for ourselves and juices for our daughters. My husband then went to fetch our car leaving me with the children. Having come straight from watching Inside Out 2 at the Wells Cinema, the kids were understandably not keen on sitting for half an hour making small talk like adults.

I suggested we go inside and quietly play hide and seek in the near empty pub. We went into a side room so as not to disturb the few patrons next door and I told my girls to stay in "sight" (as in not go into any other rooms) and not to be noisy. They hid once and as we walked out again a very unfriendly man basically told me off saying "it wasn't soft play" and I shouldn't use them as a "day care centre."

Now, I understand that noone wants feral children running riot around a pub when you're having a quiet drink. I always make sure my children are well behaved and respectful of adults around and had he asked me politely to keep the kids outside I would not written this review.

I was shocked and appalled by how this man - I understood him to be the manager of the City Arms or in some position of leadership - thought he had the right to give me a dressing down in front of my own children, the other patrons and all his staff. He could have pulled me asked quietly but he made a point of addressing the room and I was really taken aback and felt extremely rattled afterwards.

The patrons outside were outraged on my behalf too so I do not feel alone in my reaction to this extremely unwelcoming and inhospitable establishment.