Unless they are meeting a friend and having coffee or soda instead, I don't see why they can't go. My husband and I had dinner at a pretty empty restaurant last week and the bar seemed bigger than the dining area... but I didn't even look twice at the bar. Went straight to our table and never took a second glance over. I wasn't interested. Had coffee instead. No matter where you are, there are temptations and alcohol all over. We have to be prepared to come face to face with those temptations all the time. If you know you're walking into a bar and do not want to drink, don't.