It genuinely saddens me to write this review because Friendship Brewery has been a place our family…read morehas loved for years. We've visited both this location and the former downtown location countless times, enjoying not just the beer and food, but the wonderful, relaxed, family friendly atmosphere.
Some of our favorite memories here involve a lively outdoor space filled with families, children playing, dogs, great beer, good food, and people simply enjoying themselves. It always reminded me of the joyful, welcoming atmosphere of a European beer garden.
One of the things we've always loved is recommending Friendship Brewery to friends and family. It's been one of those special places we genuinely enjoyed sharing with others. We've even celebrated multiple holidays here, including Mother's Day, because it always felt like the perfect place to bring everyone together and enjoy a wonderful afternoon.
Unfortunately, our most recent visit left us feeling very differently.
As we were heading outside, the manager approached us to explain the new rules. We were told our children must remain at our table. When we planned to sit under the tent, she recommended that we sit farther away. She also asked whether we'd heard that other breweries in Missouri were beginning to impose curfews on children.
There weren't even any other families outside at the time. There were also two large signs reminding parents to supervise their children and keep them out of the parking lot. Those expectations are completely reasonable. What felt surprisingly unwelcoming was being personally stopped and told that our children needed to remain at our table.
The manager explained that there had apparently been incidents involving children in the parking lot and even climbing on top of shipping containers. Those are legitimate safety concerns, and I fully support addressing them. Children should absolutely be supervised and kept away from dangerous areas. But requiring children to remain at their tables instead of enjoying the spacious outdoor beer garden feels like an unfortunate overcorrection.
One of the things that made Friendship Brewery so special was watching families enjoy that large outdoor space together, with children playing soccer, making friends, running around, and simply being kids. Parents could relax, enjoy a beer and some food, and watch their children have fun. It's a brewery beer garden, not a traditional sit-down restaurant where everyone is expected to remain at their table. That distinction is a big part of what made this place such a wonderful experience for families.
I've been fortunate to visit breweries all over the world, and one of the things I love most about brewery culture is how welcoming it can be to families and dogs alike. That relaxed, communal atmosphere is what makes a brewery special. When the experience becomes dominated by restrictions and reminders of rules, so much of that magic disappears.
I completely understand the need for reasonable expectations and respectful behavior. But there's a difference between maintaining a welcoming environment and making longtime customers feel like their families are an inconvenience.
What makes this especially disappointing is remembering how many times we've been here when the place was full of families, kids, and dogs, with everyone having a wonderful time. That was the Friendship Brewery we loved and kept coming back to.
Sadly, after today's interaction, that sense of friendship and belonging feels lost. We still appreciate the beer and food, but the atmosphere that made this place so special to us feels like it has changed.
I truly hope Friendship Brewery reconsiders how these policies are communicated and remembers the warm, welcoming beer garden atmosphere that made so many of us fall in love with it in the first place.
