Strolling Along

Over the weekend my attention was drawn to an article about a Melbourne Cafe and the offense they caused some of their patrons by installing a 'No Pram' policy on weekends - read the article itself here.

The argument essentially goes that the Cafe owner has asked for no prams in the restaurant on the weekend due to the fact its a peak period and that, at capacity, perhaps there is little or no room to facilitate the use of prams without incurring potential risk to either the baby in the pram, the people around it, or god forbid the staff as well.

Caffe Panette (the name of the restaurant), whether you agree or disagree with the policy, has brought it to the forefront of hospitality issues and as you can probably expect, it's time for me to contribute my thoughts on the matter whether you want them or not.

There are a few things that need to be said about prams. I understand that they are necessary, I understand the purpose that they serve and I don't think parenting is easy. I want to make that clear, I am not against the function that prams serve, nor do I begrudge parents their rights to obtain one. I am not calling anyone a lazy parent for having a pram.

Desert the Sand-o

Last week I happened across a blog written by Brendan Maclean regarding the closing of the Sandringham Hotel in Newtown (you can find it here), and was subsequently lead to the response from the Sando and one of Sydney's most prominent, long-lasting venues, the Annandale Hotel (and you can find THEM here)

Essentially, this is how the conversation went. Maclean bemoans bad treatment and conditions he has received there, and given the stories he recounts it is, in many ways, understandable. Every performer deserves to be facilitated and assisted by the venue that is helping them ply their trade. That being said, every venue also deserves as much help as possible from the performers. Neither side of the fence should sit there and feel like they're doing the other a favour. The response from the pub owners cited a range of issues, including the amazing bureaucratic nature of Sydney, and asked for support instead of snide comments from people who can make a difference, such as Maclean.