Tuesday October 27th 2026
McClarens on the Corner in Morningside is one of three Edinburgh venues seeking permission to serve unaccompanied 12 to 15-year-olds.
Witten by Local Democracy Reporter, Nicholas Malizia
A hospitality company is seeking licensing permission to allow children aged 12-15 to enter several Edinburgh pubs and restaurants unaccompanied by adults.
Signature Pubs Limited has asked the council to approve plans enabling youngsters to enter alone or in groups up to six to buy a meal, snack, or soft drink.
If granted, youths would be served at McClarens on the Corner in Morningside, Cold Town House in Grassmarket, and The Fountain bar on Dundee Street.
Restaurant bosses claimed there is a strong demand for schoolchildren to attend their family-friendly venues after school for a meal. They also hope it will prevent youths from venturing farther from home to hotspots like Lothian Road and St James Quarter.
Some councillors shared concern about the plans at the Licensing Board meeting on Monday, October 27 and have expressed intentions to arrange a site visit. Councillors believed the application was perhaps the first of its kind for pubs in Edinburgh.
Caroline Loudon, a licensing solicitor representing the company, said at the meeting: “These are family friendly venues with well-trained staff. It offers an accessible space for children to start going out without parents or guardians but with the checks and balances you’d want for your own family.”
Youths aged 12-15 would be permitted to enter the venues unaccompanied to purchase food and soft drinks until 8pm. They would be required to provide proof of age with a valid Young Scot Card or passport, with hospitality limited to face-to-face table service.
The company is also seeking a licence to serve children under 12 years old if they are accompanied by an adult. Such youths would be permitted until 11pm unless they are attending a private function, in which case they can stay until 1am.
Ms Loudon told the committee that her own daughter is a similar age and she struggles to identify appropriate local venues for her to attend on her own. She said: “When they’re nearer to home, the answer of where to go is harder. Coffee places tend to close at 6pm. Teens then tend to migrate near Lothian Road.”
She claimed there is high demand for youths to be served at the well-known and trusted local eateries under Signature Pubs’ portfolio.
Councillors aired questions and concerns at the meeting. Cllr David Key (SNP) asked what staff would do if kids entered a venue and started acting in a “feral way”.
A representative from Signature Pubs replied: “We would deem it the same way we would with anybody and ask them to leave. It’s a case of monitoring the situation and police it as we do with any situation.”
Groups of children entering the venues would be capped at six with a total of 21 youths total being permitted.
Cllr Key pointed out how a fast-food eatery like Five Guys in Fountain Park serves alcohol while also being a hotspot for youths seeking a meal. He added: “What’s the difference in terms of licensing going to Five Guys when there is beer on sale?”
Convener Louise Young (Lib Dem) replied: “It’s perceived as being less controversial. [The applicant’s venues are] seen as being more alcohol-led than a fast food restaurant. We have got precedence on this. We have done this before. We have nothing in our policy prohibiting us. We just have to make sure it’s appropriate.” She pointed to an example where the Board granted permission for a pizza restaurant to serve unaccompanied secondary school pupils.
Cllr Key asked whether these were the first pubs for which the Board had been asked to approve such a licence. Convener Young said: “It’s the first I’ve been aware of.”
Cllr Cammy Day (Lab) queried whether the venues were comparable to Lane 7 in St James Quarter where there are activities for young people alongside a bar. A representative shared: “We do have premises in the city that are more relaxed. These are family friendly food venues in the Signature portfolio. The restriction is for the children to come in for the purposes of a meal or a hot chocolate after school.”
The three venues vary in their relationship to alcohol. Ms Loudon disputed the term ‘pub’ in some cases, with certain venues being more akin to a restaurant which serves alcohol, she said.
For one of the venues, Cllr Key questioned whether children would walk past adults drinking at a bar on their way to the table service area. A company representative said the area had only three seats and was “more of a service part than a standing bar”.
Councillors Cammy Day, Chas Booth, David Key, and Catherine Fullerton all voiced their intention to attend site visits. Decision was paused until the next Board meeting to allow councillors to inspect the premises.
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