Bob Higginson, the owner of a small cafe on the English Riviera, is brewing up a lot more than fresh coffee these days. His decision to ban children under 12 from entering his establishment, but allow dogs, has sparked a boiling hot controversy in his community and online - but he's standing by it anyway.
The Chart Room, Higginson's vintage steamship travel-themed lounge, is located in the quaint fishing town of Brixham, Devon County. A sign on the door politely requests that patrons with children under the age of 12 find somewhere else to drink their coffee. It may sound harsh, but Higginson, who recently appeared on daytime TV program This Morning, has an arguably reasonable explanation for it. "Primarily we wanted to create a nice, relaxed atmosphere for our client base," he stated. "There are nice and expensive artifacts around... And we’ve had things broken by children in the past." According to local legislation, he's within his rights to do so.
Reactions to the restrictive policy have ranged from encouragement to outright offense. One local resident, Wendy Moore, has even called for a boycott of the cafe, which she deems "discriminatory." Others, however, don't seem to mind the idea of a little escape from the chaos that often follows with young children. Scroll down to read more, and add your view at the end.
This is Bob Higginson, the owner of a small coffee shop in Brixham, Engand, that bans entry for kids under 12
Speaking on TV, he explained that the policy is meant to provide "peace and quiet" and prevent broken valuables
One Imgur user openly endorsed Higginson's actions, which have since sparked a heated Internet debate
Many readers, who also liked the idea of a chaos-free environment, were inclined to agree
Others, however, responded less kindly the restrictions, and have even rallied for boycotting
