Comfortable pub furniture is just one of the things that helps to put the 'local boozer' at the heart of many communities, providing a focal point for socialising and meeting with neighbours especially in rural locations where there may be few other public spaces in which to do so.
But it's not just the wider community that can benefit from having somewhere to go - pubs can also be a home from home for families too, even those with small children.
Increasingly, many pubs are opting to provide some form of child-friendly entertainment, whether that means suitable board games, a bucket of building blocks to play with, or some kind of activity book or colouring-in.
This can keep young customers quiet and occupied, meaning there is no need for them to disrupt other patrons who are there to enjoy a daytime drink.
And catering for different groups in this way is helping the pub industry to thrive, assisted further by pro-pub policies.
Jonathan Neame, chairman of the British Beer & Pub Association, said at the recent BBPA annual dinner: "We have argued consistently and coherently that policies that are pro-beer are in the health interest of our nation; that policies that are pro-pub are good for the economy and our local communities."
He added that, after three downturns, even those who have been in the pub industry for a long time might be surprised by how swift its recent transformation has been, with growth in national beer volume sales, accelerating investment in pubs, and a return to the pub as 'the heart of family life'.
Of course, all of these things work in tandem with one another: increasing sales means more money for investment; more investment means new, good-condition pub furniture and fittings; and this provides a safe, family-friendly environment for customers.
Together this is giving people a local place to go to get out of the house for a few hours, at a time when many families might be looking for cheaper alternatives to costly activities like a family cinema ticket or hiring a lane in a bowling alley.