I’ve touched on this several times. Ice rinks are a family place, but not everyone in the family skates. Siblings of skaters run madly about the lobby and ice rink, wreaking havoc where ever they go. They lock all the bathroom doors, stick their fingers in the spigots of the water fountains and coffee machines, leave clothing strewn throughout the building, spill food and drinks all over the floor, break anything that can be broken, steal things off the snack bar counter and front desk, open all the sugars and creamers, throw stuff at the tv screens, and scream as loudly as they can. Not because they’re mean, just because they’re bored. Many siblings don’t skate and have nothing to do for hours.
It’s not so bad during the day, when more adults are working in the building. At night when the young bucks are in charge, all hell breaks loose. The nighttime rink employees sit behind the front desk with their chairs facing away from the lobby, collecting a paycheck for doing nothing.
I suggested a fenced, outdoor playground several times. I doubt Todd even considered it or passed the suggestion to corporate management. A playground would have solved many issues and given kids a creative way to burn energy. A few rinks tried setting up a little floor hockey area, but that didn’t go well and was soon dropped. The best way to keep kids out of trouble is to give them options. McDonalds learned this early on. Take note, hockey franchise.
Learn From My Mistakes 