Wetherspoons

[SocketRocket]

dear me, this is descending to the level of "my dad's bigger than your dad".

Don't keep going on about it then ?

 

[Bazz]

I think it's a bit of snobbery to slag it off. Imagine you want to take your family out for a meal and a drink after a hard week, good for you if can afford an up market place, how about if you can't? Should you stay home? They've got a place for lower income families who still fancy a treat, it might not be good enough for you but it certainly is for some.

 

[Bazz]

The real question here is why does Tashyboy feel the need to jump straight on Golf Monthly whenever he's in a pub? Company boring him?

'ad an 'our to kill w'ile 'is Mrs went the toilet

 

[hovis]

Scumbag company who shaft local breweries, treat staff like dirt and the ownership holds repugnant social and political views.

But they do a burger and a pint for £4 ?

 

[GB72]

Very hard to judge an entire national pub chain as a single entity. The Weatherspoons in Stamford (in the old Mercury newspaper building) and in Oakham (in the old cinema) are both perfectly decent pubs. They do not seem to pilfer custom from the other establishments in town and are a decent addition of an alternative option in two failry expensive towns. That said, they are a product of the areas that they are in. I have been in some rough as hell Weatherspoons as well as some loaded with stag and hen parties but, again, they are the product of the location they are in. What they all do is offer beer and food at affordable prices in what used to be a traditional pub atmosphere with no blaring music or TVs. Who then fills those pubs is more a comment on the locality than the pub and product itself.

 

[SocketRocket]

Very hard to judge an entire national pub chain as a single entity. The Weatherspoons in Stamford (in the old Mercury newspaper building) and in Oakham (in the old cinema) are both perfectly decent pubs. They do not seem to pilfer custom from the other establishments in town and are a decent addition of an alternative option in two failry expensive towns. That said, they are a product of the areas that they are in. I have been in some rough as hell Weatherspoons as well as some loaded with stag and hen parties but, again, they are the product of the location they are in. What they all do is offer beer and food at affordable prices in what used to be a traditional pub atmosphere with no blaring music or TVs. Who then fills those pubs is more a comment on the locality than the pub and product itself.

Absolutely. If the carpets are sticky with spilled drinks its a reflection of the customers who are throwing drinks around.

 

[Kellfire]

I think it's a bit of snobbery to slag it off. Imagine you want to take your family out for a meal and a drink after a hard week, good for you if can afford an up market place, how about if you can't? Should you stay home? They've got a place for lower income families who still fancy a treat, it might not be good enough for you but it certainly is for some.

It’s not snobbery at all to think a large business like Wetherspoon’s should have more ethical business practices and not try to drive local prices down so they can monopolise.

 

[Foxholer]

It’s not snobbery at all to think a large business like Wetherspoon’s should have more ethical business practices and not try to drive local prices down so they can monopolise.

Hang on a minute...
What are the 'unethical business practices' that you mention?
Where they have actually monopolised? If that's their aim/business model, then they've failed, as I know of none that have driven other pubs out of business!

 

[backwoodsman]

Great business model - volume, cheap prices, lots of promotions. Absolutely exceptional value. Some are in lovely buildings. I miss the one in Wokingham after they moved out about 4 years ago. It is what it is - cheap, very cheap, lacking in style for sure but was happy to nip in for lunch on many occassions. I think a chicken burger and a pint was £5 when a pint most places was the same price - lunch for free!! Steak special was one day each week - circa £8 including a pint. Food was not great but well worth what you paid. And anyone who wants to get into business practises and how employees are treated maybe ask yourself again next time you buy from Amazon

I think this is why I don't go often. The food is definitely worth what you paid. Which is not much.

 

[Dando]

Hang on a minute...
What are the 'unethical business practices' that you mention?
Where they have actually monopolised? If that's their aim/business model, then they've failed, as I know of none that have driven other pubs out of business!

unlike some high street coffee chains and a certain online retailer Spoons pays full UK tax but i guess that will get overlooked

 

[SocketRocket]

It’s not snobbery at all to think a large business like Wetherspoon’s should have more ethical business practices and not try to drive local prices down so they can monopolise.

You would like them if they put their prices up?

 

[Orikoru]

I think this is why I don't go often. The food is definitely worth what you paid. Which is not much.

Depends what you order. I certainly wouldn't order a steak or a curry from them, because I'd only order them from a steakhouse or Indian (respectively). But the beer and burger is unbeatable value when you want something quick and cheap when meeting friends. Absolutely nothing wrong with their burgers or chips.

 

[Dando]

You would like them if they put their prices up?

they’d still be cheaper than the other pubs

 

[Dando]

Depends what you order. I certainly wouldn't order a steak or a curry from them, because I'd only order them from a steakhouse or Indian (respectively). But the beer and burger is unbeatable value when you want something quick and cheap when meeting friends. Absolutely nothing wrong with their burgers or chips.

the curries aren’t too bad

 

[Foxholer]

You would like them if they put their prices up?

Rhetorical I know, but price isn't their only 'attraction'! They serve a much wider variety of ales than tied pubs.
Their's is a business model that's completely different from the 'traditional' tied (monopolised!) pub one. The fact that breweries have been able (needed?) to use that model seems to have eluded most posters!

 

[Orikoru]

the curries aren’t too bad

I've had it before, it was sort of on a par with the Tesco microwave curry. Not shocking but I would just stick to more normal pub grub in Spoons I think. Burgers, sandwiches, chips are good, the breakfast is pretty good usually as well.

 

[Dando]

I've had it before, it was sort of on a par with the Tesco microwave curry. Not shocking but I would just stick to more normal pub grub in Spoons I think. Burgers, sandwiches, chips are good, the breakfast is pretty good usually as well.

I have been known to demolish their burgers

 

[Jimaroid]

Wetherspoons is an independent success story and along with other independent chains and breweries were instrumental in helping to break up the monopoly that the megabrewies held with their tied pubs in the latter half of the 20th Century. If you think Wetherspoons is bad now you wouldn't believe how the likes of Whitbread, Bass and Courage operated during the 70's, 80's and 90's.

Sure they have their problems but the explosion in independent breweries is because people like Tim Martin took on the megabreweries with good, cheap, food and drink. They're a lot better than what they replaced.

 

[Wilson]

Hard pass from me, my in-laws try to insist a local one is the best place for family breakfast‘s, the food is so poor and I can’t stand the owner, so I refuse to go.

 

[Dando]

Didn’t Guinness refuse to supply spoons until they realised how many pints they could shift