I've just had lunch in Wetherspoons
Discussion
okgo said:
It rather depends where they are I think. There's some which aren't too bad. Then there are others which you wouldn't wish on your worst enemy. More often than not they're an 'avoid at all costs' for me. The knights templar is the only one I think I have ever been in that wasn't a total horror show.
Avoid at all costs? Really? Why?Considering they are a huge chain, always have security, are covered CCTV (including on staff in our local one), I struggle to see why you would avoid at all costs, unless you mean the food? Which for the price is perfectly adequate.
I thoroughly enjoy a Wetherspoons, steaks obviously aren’t great but for two curry’s and two drinks for about £16 you can’t really moan when a pint is £3.50 odd in there.
I’ve never been in one that I’d call ‘rough’, Liverpool, Wrexham, Glasgow, Blackpool, all over N Wales, South Coast, Derby, Nottingham iirc, Manchester, etc.
Johnnytheboy said:
People on here are hilarious snobs at times.
IME Wetherspoons holds a mirror up to the locale in which it is set. In nice towns they are very civilised, in rough areas they are like a Hogarth painting.
So if you think the whole chain is full of ghastly daytime drunks and wifebeaters, it's probably because you don't live in a nice area yourself.
Work a bit harder and you may be able to afford to move somewhere nice.
I wouldn't dream of setting foot in a Weatherspoons (I have in the past), not because I'm a snob, ut because Tim Martin is an absolute aIME Wetherspoons holds a mirror up to the locale in which it is set. In nice towns they are very civilised, in rough areas they are like a Hogarth painting.
So if you think the whole chain is full of ghastly daytime drunks and wifebeaters, it's probably because you don't live in a nice area yourself.
Work a bit harder and you may be able to afford to move somewhere nice.
holeVasco said:
Trophy Husband said:
Johnnytheboy said:
I haven't met him so can't confirm that. Is this a brexit thing?
To be fair.He is a cock.
But then so is Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk and more importantly Boris Johnson.
holes at the top, not all of them, but think you have to be wired a certain wayDan_1981 said:
To be fair the one in the centre of Manchester... Just off Deansgate I think is grotty as anything.
Moon Under Water I think it's called.
Oi i was in there last week. Moon Under Water I think it's called.
But can confirm it's still a huge grotty drinking barn
But to be fair they have a number of large older buildings that would probably be decaying and derelict if spoons weren't in them.
Supposedly won a fair few awards.
okgo said:
lord.vader said:
Avoid at all costs? Really? Why?
Considering they are a huge chain, always have security, are covered CCTV (including on staff in our local one), I struggle to see why you would avoid at all costs, unless you mean the food? Which for the price is perfectly adequate.
I thoroughly enjoy a Wetherspoons, steaks obviously aren’t great but for two curry’s and two drinks for about £16 you can’t really moan when a pint is £3.50 odd in there.
I’ve never been in one that I’d call ‘rough’, Liverpool, Wrexham, Glasgow, Blackpool, all over N Wales, South Coast, Derby, Nottingham iirc, Manchester, etc.
Security, CCTV are two things that really should warn you as to what sort of people are going to be inside.Considering they are a huge chain, always have security, are covered CCTV (including on staff in our local one), I struggle to see why you would avoid at all costs, unless you mean the food? Which for the price is perfectly adequate.
I thoroughly enjoy a Wetherspoons, steaks obviously aren’t great but for two curry’s and two drinks for about £16 you can’t really moan when a pint is £3.50 odd in there.
I’ve never been in one that I’d call ‘rough’, Liverpool, Wrexham, Glasgow, Blackpool, all over N Wales, South Coast, Derby, Nottingham iirc, Manchester, etc.
Awful decor, awful crimes against amazing buildings in many cases, awful people (young and old), it's just an all round no. Unless there's almost no choice (at an airport, say).
No idea what that is meant to imply to be honest.
Decor is personal taste and most of those amazing buildings would be left to ruin if they weren’t Wetherspoons.
To be honest you just come across as a bit of a stuck up w
ker yet you drive a S3, the init brigades chariot of choice (if they can’t afford a C63). Edited by anonymous-user on Monday 15th November 23:22
Bacon Is Proof said:
dapprman said:
I thought the anger at Tim Martin was because at the start of lock down he laid off the vast majority of his staff, including at the head office in Watford.
He said he wasn't going to pay any of his staff until he'd got his free money from the government.A colossal
.bristolbaron said:
Like Greggs, I’ll avoid Wetherspoons wherever possible. ‘Okay for the money’ isn’t what I’m looking for in a pub on the odd occasion we have a night out.
It does the job for stag do’s etc, but other than that I’ll leave the alco’s to it.
This sums it up perfectly for me. It does the job for stag do’s etc, but other than that I’ll leave the alco’s to it.
Wetherspoons is 'fine for the money'. The food and drink are what you would expect at £5.99 for fish and chips with a pint included. Average at best, but nothing that isn't edible or drinkable.
When I'm going to a pub/bar, for food or just drink, I want to either go to a traditional pub that serves a good range of quality real ales, or I want to go somewhere a that is nicer/more upmarket and with better food, and in either case, I have no issue paying for it.
I have been in Wetherspoons a few times, in various cities, both for food and drink, when meeting friends, clients, work colleagues, or whoever, and they suggest 'Spoons. The one thing I remember is that if you go in one during the daytime, there is always a selection of dishevelled, almost tramp like blokes stood around the bar drinking, whilst rummaging in their coat pockets for smoking paraphernalia with which to make roll ups with.
I am not the target market for Wetherspoons, and that is fine for all concerned.
okgo said:
No I don't think so.
Though Greene King certainly at the rougher end of the scale vs say a Fullers.
The food in a Greene King is fThough Greene King certainly at the rougher end of the scale vs say a Fullers.
king awful in my experience. Although I imagine it depends heavily on which chef and/or manager is in that particular establishment.aka_kerrly said:
Lord Marylebone said:
When I'm going to a pub/bar, for food or just drink, I want to either go to a traditional pub that serves a good range of quality real ales, or I want to go somewhere a that is nicer/more upmarket and with better food, and in either case, I have no issue paying for it.
The bold part, this is part of the problem for me, its the blurred lines that have been created in the pub world. There are a lot of pubs in what I'd describe as no mans land , not a traditional "drinkers" pub where a group of lads are welcome, not a place for a quiet meal with the mrs, it's almost pointless. There are pubs that try too hard to be a restaurant but barely offer anything more than a microwave meal in a soulless room with too many tables/chairs for the given floor area. These also risk attracting too many families and I for one do not want to go to a pub that doubles as a creche!
Or they go even beyond this and charge proper restaurant money for a average meal, an expensive run of the mill pint of larger in an environment that still falls short of a good dining experience.
Weatherspoon seem to have nailed down what they want to do, cheap & acceptable food cooked quickly, a reasonable range of cheaper than average pints served in an acceptable often quirky environment.
I frequent a number of traditional drinking boozers who are squarely aimed at 'serving great pints of ale' and not much more, and I really enjoy them (anyone familiar with The Harp in Chandos Place?) but I also enjoy pubs who serve really good food. What I meant by 'no issue paying for it' was that I wouldn't go to anywhere that served 99p pints or cheap lagers like Wetherspoons do, purely because that sort of thing attracts the type of people that I don't really want to drink with, and I fully appreciate that sounds terrible.
But I get what you mean, so many people want a pub to be a different things these days and it does complicate matters.
Trophy Husband said:
I love Weatherspoons. My local is in a converted theatre with dummies in the upper seats.
The decor is fabulous.
I go to eat, drink and watch!
That sounds like the Palladium in Ludo, been in there a few times and someone i know works in there.The decor is fabulous.
I go to eat, drink and watch!
It is like another massive barn but quirky
speedyguy said:
Trophy Husband said:
I love Weatherspoons. My local is in a converted theatre with dummies in the upper seats.
The decor is fabulous.
I go to eat, drink and watch!
That sounds like the Palladium in Ludo, been in there a few times and someone i know works in there.The decor is fabulous.
I go to eat, drink and watch!
It is like another massive barn but quirky
The Wetherspoons in Keswick is the old police station and courtroom, and they have kept all the police station cells and the courtroom pretty much as was, which is good. You can walk through the corridor that led prisoners from the cells and sit and drink in the defendants box, or eat your burger at the judges desk.
okgo said:
If I cared enough about your opinion I’d click on your profile and make some silly comment too (I haven’t updated my car profile for years FYI).
They’re budget pubs. They do it well, the best even. But to suggest they’re in any way ‘decent’ is quite amusing, 99% of the positive posts here have been about the price. For those that don’t care about that, there’s a million places better.
If you don’t care then why respond They’re budget pubs. They do it well, the best even. But to suggest they’re in any way ‘decent’ is quite amusing, 99% of the positive posts here have been about the price. For those that don’t care about that, there’s a million places better.
Of course they are budget that’s the point.
Wealth whispers, I see, get that humble brag in to show you don’t care about cost, you’re one of them I see.
Food is just fuel, whether I pay £25 or £500 the end result is the same.
focusxr5 said:
There really are some incredibly pompous people who post here. I may not be "own my own yacht" rich but I'm comfortable enough to be able to eat out wherever I want and order whatever I want from the menu. If the Mrs and I visit somewhere new though, we invariably seek out the Wetherspoons at some point during our stay. We have been to some amazing buildings (Harrogate and Llandudno stick in my memory) and some really grim places (Wick, horrific) but they are solid pub food and cheap drinks. Maybe it's because we're happier in the company of grounded people over those who brag about how expensive their last meal was. We're equally at home in a nice steak house or a cosy country pub with our dog snuggled by the fire. Maybe because we both grew up as council kids and both became reasonably successful in our chosen careers we can blend between all aspects of social backdrop, but that just means I genuinely feel sorry for those who feel that something such as a pub is beneath them. You really don't know what you're missing.
To many people there is a clear difference between a Wetherspoons and a 'normal pub'.I happily go in normal, old fashioned, traditional, bog standard pubs (as long as they serve decent real ale) but I wouldn't go in a Wetherspoons out of choice. So no, I don't feel that a pub is beneath me at all, but I do feel that a Wetherspoons is 'beneath me' to use your own phrase.
There isn't anything wrong with liking Wetherspoons, and it all comes down to personal choice, but in your example I cannot understand why you would habitually seek out Wetherspoons in new places when you could be enjoying local independent pubs, bars and restaurants. It seems to be the equivalent of going to a McDonalds every time you go on holiday and ordering from the same menu.
lord.vader said:
Food is just fuel, whether I pay £25 or £500 the end result is the same.
That is a really silly thing to say, but you already know it is.Vasco said:
focusxr5 said:
Lord Marylebone said:
To many people there is a clear difference between a Wetherspoons and a 'normal pub'.
I happily go in normal, old fashioned, traditional, bog standard pubs (as long as they serve decent real ale) but I wouldn't go in a Wetherspoons out of choice. So no, I don't feel that a pub is beneath me at all, but I do feel that a Wetherspoons is 'beneath me' to use your own phrase.
There isn't anything wrong with liking Wetherspoons, and it all comes down to personal choice, but in your example I cannot understand why you would habitually seek out Wetherspoons in new places when you could be enjoying local independent pubs, bars and restaurants. It seems to be the equivalent of going to a McDonalds every time you go on holiday and ordering from the same menu.
Just because we habitually seek out a Wetherspoons doesn't mean we spend our entire stay there. It's a known quantity when we arrive, usually late on an evening before we have sussed somewhere out. Like a comfort blanket. It's somewhere that we know, at any point up to 11pm, we can get food and a few drinks after what has usually been a long drive after work. We can then spend the next day exploring and finding somewhere else. It's convenient amd generally a welcoming place. Not all, but most are friendly. I happily go in normal, old fashioned, traditional, bog standard pubs (as long as they serve decent real ale) but I wouldn't go in a Wetherspoons out of choice. So no, I don't feel that a pub is beneath me at all, but I do feel that a Wetherspoons is 'beneath me' to use your own phrase.
There isn't anything wrong with liking Wetherspoons, and it all comes down to personal choice, but in your example I cannot understand why you would habitually seek out Wetherspoons in new places when you could be enjoying local independent pubs, bars and restaurants. It seems to be the equivalent of going to a McDonalds every time you go on holiday and ordering from the same menu.
To feel that anything in life is beneath you really is sad in my opinion. But that is just my opinion.
There are a load of snobs on here, most of whom have probably never been in a 'good' Wetherspoons (we all know there are a good many 'poor' ones). Unfortunately, these other places so often mentioned are also just as 'snobby' as their typical customer base - m
If it is less inflammatory, you can swap 'beneath me' for any of these other reasons as to why I try not to go in Wetherspoons:
1) Having eaten there on serval occasions, I genuinely think the food is cheap rubbish, and far better can be found in ordinary independent pubs for only a few quid more.
2) I find them to be large and soulless 'drinking warehouses' that feel utterly devoid of character or tradition despite their efforts to restore old buildings and suchlike.
3) I find the sort of people that are attracted by the 99p pints and dirt cheap food are sometimes the sort of people who I don't wish to spend my free time around.
4) They aggressively undercut and squeeze out other local pubs when they arrive in town. They are responsible for the closures of actual traditional pubs in many places.
5) In some towns they open several branches close tougher and are effectively creating a cut price monopoly.
6) They present their pubs as friends of independent brewing, real ale, and so on in all their promotional material, but they very aggressively shaft their suppliers.
7) I dislike Tim Martin and would rather not give him my money.
Those are my personal reasons for avoiding Wetherspoons, but as I have said repeatedly, if you like eating in Wetherspoons then crack on, nothing wrong with having a different opinion or different tastes. The food they serve is 'fine' for what they charge, and no one can deny that Tim Martin has been highly successful at serving dirt cheap food and drink. It is clear that many people are very satisfied with this type of establishment.
Edited by anonymous-user on Wednesday 17th November 12:15
paulguitar said:
This is one of my favourite threads. It's properly surreal.
I'm going to spoons for tea tonight (or is it dinner), do i need to start a new thread as it's not lunch 
Not good that they've stopped doing pies, i did fill In a feedback form to ask why but they didn't even bother to respond. It didn't seem hard to do them.
Driver101 said:
anonymous said:
[redacted]
The staff don't get paid the living wage. They are dependent on tips. If they've given good service and you thought it was good value I'd be leaving a tip.
So what is the 'living wage' ?
Driver101 said:
speedyguy said:
Driver101 said:
anonymous said:
[redacted]
The staff don't get paid the living wage. They are dependent on tips. If they've given good service and you thought it was good value I'd be leaving a tip.
So what is the 'living wage' ?
I'd be very surprised if a 17 year old was getting £10 per hour on Wetherspoons.
6am three hours a day before school.
I thought it was ok money. My kid won't do it as she gets £12 an hour helping out at tennis.
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