I have been a big fan of Czech beer tradition for a while (though I prefer Belgian beers), including Pilsner Urquell, therefore I decided to visit Plzen and the Urquell beer factory with my family (wife and two children with the age of 2 and...6). As part of the trip, we were planning to visit an official Pilsner Urquell restaurant/pub to make sure we can enjoy a well-served Pilsner Urquell, so we picked the “U Mansfelda” restaurant in the city center.
We arrived there around 19:50 on 25 Aug. As the restaurant and the terrace is on the first floor, the restaurant entrance can be accessed from the street via stairs. I took our stroller, climbed up the stairs, entered the restaurant and asked the waiter for a table. We sat at the table proposed by the waiter; the restaurant was almost completely empty. It was difficult to find a place for the stroller, so we decided to put it temporarily at the wall between two empty tables in an area where all of the tables were completely empty. My children were calm and behaved politely.
We did not receive the menu from the waiters, so we picked it up ourselves and quickly went through it. 10 mins later another waiter (probably the head) came to us with a rather cynical smile saying that the stroller is at the wrong place as it blocks two tables. Though the restaurant was empty and the stroller was not blocking any tables, I told the waiter no problem we had just placed it there temporarily, but we could put it somewhere else. I asked for his advice where I could put it. He said there is no place for the stroller in the restaurant. I asked him again politely where else I could put the stroller, when he asked if I could put it under the terrace on the street level. I said I could not put it there as I do not see it and anything can happen with it, but I am ready to place it anywhere else in the restaurant. Then the waiter answered with a cynical smile that it is not his problem suggesting he does not care, so we decided to leave the restaurant immediately. The waiter was obviously very happy and satisfied by seeing us leaving.
I have been visiting bars/restaurants/ pubs with my family for years, but I have never experienced anything like that: despite we were decent guests the waiter obviously wanted to get rid of us because we were foreigners and/or we travelled and wanted to have dinner with young children.
I sent an email to the restaurant and to the Pilsner Urquell Brewery wondering if this approach from the waiter is in line with the guidelines of Pilsner Urquell, namely foreigners and/or families with children are not welcome. Also, if there some other groups of people who are not welcome either? I have never received a reply, so it seems to be a normal practice in the official restaurant of the Pilsner Urquell.
I am planning the revisit this restaurant with a professional journalist to see if this will happen again. If you have the same experience, please share it with your fellow travelers.
As the result of this experience, no more Pilsner Urquell in the rest of my life.More
