Working in Spoons
Author
Discussion

Popeyed

Original Poster:

565 posts

238 months

Yesterday (18:44)
quotequote all
Due to a change of circumstances, I’m considering going down a different career path for a little while before I go back to what I know.

I’m therefore wondering, what is it like to work for Wetherspoons, they seem, looking in from the outside, to be a flexible and good employer. There is one close to where I live, and it would (I hope) be an interesting change from what I know!

aproctor1

129 posts

187 months

I've not got that impression about wetherspoons at all.

They fired all their staff at the start of COVID and read about them firing a lad with special needs for a minor infraction on his discount (and lost in court).

Is your current job better paid than wetherspoons?

If not, I would look at the supermarkets, decent pay and a discount on your food shopping.

dundarach

5,837 posts

247 months

I can think of nothing worse!

Lidl\Aldi I've heard massively good feedback about.

Why the hell the Spoons of all places, cheap beerheads all day long!

The Mad Monk

10,902 posts

136 months

aproctor1 said:
I've not got that impression about wetherspoons at all.

They fired all their staff at the start of COVID and read about them firing a lad with special needs for a minor infraction on his discount (and lost in court).

Is your current job better paid than wetherspoons?

If not, I would look at the supermarkets, decent pay and a discount on your food shopping.
No they didn't.

Link https://www.londonstockexchange.com/news-article/J...

spoons have taken successful legal action against a number of publications that made that claim.

Whether you want to be working in a pub - any pub - when most people are out enjoying themselves is another matter.

Hoofy

79,015 posts

301 months

I would have thought working at a gastro pub (or whatever they're called these days - the ones where a burger and chips isn't called that and they charge £22 for it... I mean "22") would make more sense as the tips would be higher given that a meal for 4 would generally be higher than that at, for instance, the Abused Horse where a burger and chips is £9 so a 10% (or whatever %) would translate to a higher total tip... not to mention I don't think staff get tips at Wetherspoons as it's all done via the app.

megaphone

11,321 posts

270 months

They are better than many of the other big pub chains, proper management structure, proper shift pattern etc. Pay is competitive. Good perks. Security on busy nights to deal with the scum. Yes you'll have to deal with a few drunks, but most pubs a have drunks

Countdown

45,860 posts

215 months

dundarach said:
Lidl\Aldi I've heard massively good feedback about.
I've heard the opposite. They pay well but they work you like a dog. Basically minimum staff numbers to maximise profits.

In the dim and distant past I think they were offering Graduate trainee posts on £40k plus a Company car but you were expected to work 80 hours a week.

airsafari87

3,147 posts

201 months

My son works behind the bar in Spoons at Durham while he is waiting to go in the army.

Speaking to him he seems to enjoy it there overall. If he’s ever needed to change shift they have been flexible and I can’t ever recall hear him complaining about the company.

If I was ever in a pinch and wanted to do some bar work I’d consider working for them.


RichFN2

4,075 posts

198 months

Hoofy said:
I would have thought working at a gastro pub (or whatever they're called these days - the ones where a burger and chips isn't called that and they charge £22 for it... I mean "22") would make more sense as the tips would be higher given that a meal for 4 would generally be higher than that at, for instance, the Abused Horse where a burger and chips is £9 so a 10% (or whatever %) would translate to a higher total tip... not to mention I don't think staff get tips at Wetherspoons as it's all done via the app.
I know 2 people who worked in a Wetherspoons and they never got tips, ever (even on Christmas day) the best your going to get is a drink bought for you. Apart from that it sounded like a reasonable company to work for.

When I was 15-16 I worked in a local decent restaurant just doing pot washing etc on the weekends and school holidays. Even 25 years ago I could get around £600 - £800 in tips if I worked full time in August. Credit card tips were added to your wage slip and cash tips were given to you every Sunday.

Hospitality has never been well paid unless your a head chef in some high end restaurant in London, so I would strongly consider other options where tipping is more common. A few close friends are chefs and most places they work add 10% or 12.5% service charge to any table with 4 or more people. From what I have been told its rare for someone to ask for it to be removed.

21TonyK

12,651 posts

228 months

What were you planning to do for spoons?

Few views on their food/beer/service/ambience etc here...

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...