Top Marks, Wetherspoons

[lord_seagrave]

Lunchtime pint and a steak dinner for less than a tenner. Decent bit of meat, and not stingy with the sides either.

 

Fair play them. The place is packed.

 

 

LS

[Dunkield]

Must be giro day then

[Fuji Shooter]

Best drink the beer quick it will be out of date by 4pm

[lord_seagrave]

Must be giro day then

Shut up and eat your sandwiches, Stu

 

Om nom nom

 

LS

[Paul223]

And they serve early... Steak and a pint for breakfast!!!

[rimfire4969]

Can't stand the places, yes they do cheap food and cheapish beer. I have always found the food is exactly as I would expect from frozen ding ding food, poor quality and no local beer.

[Zapp]

Ironically, having a Wetherspoons come to my home town has been just about the best thing to happen to the pubs there in years.

 

Prior to it coming in, you had a choice of estate pubs serving Red Stripe, Green King IPA, Caffreys Creamflow or John Smiths, or one of three seriously ropey (read dangerous) high street holes which served Red Stripe, Green King IPA, Caffreys Creamflow or John Smiths but with the non-optional extra of someone trying to pick a fight with you. You NEVER saw families or older people (a few dedicated alcoholics aside) in any of the high street places, if you wanted somewhere to go that was safe for kids or any otherwise nice people, you went to a different town.

 

Then, one of the big three went bust, sat empty for a while and was then bought and renovated by W'Spoons. It is now absolutely thriving from breakfast time through to closing. Up until around 8pm you'll see all ages having meals or out for a social drink.

 

Out have gone the idiots, the drugs, the fighting and most of the awful beer. In has come some equally awful beer, but also loads of imported stuff you'd never, ever have been able to get in town, plus some interesting craft beers and others on rotation. Plus, as LS has mentioned, you get the themed nights - the manager at our WS told me that per cover ours has the highest turnover of any Spoons pub on steak night. It is rammed on curry nights too. Why? Because until they came along, your affordable alternatives in town were a kebab or one of the last remaining Wimpys in the country.

 

So, while I can understand why people might look down on them when compared to a quaint village pub, if all you've had before has been essentially any of the pubs in Trainspotting, they take on a decidedly different light.

[grrclark]

Weatherspoon's have a formula that works very well, yes they can feel very formulaic, but it works for a reason and it largely works in every town and city throughout the country.

 

They offer really good value for money, sell a decent range of beers and spirits, the food is reasonable quality for very reasonable prices.

 

If real ale type pubs with a vast selection of lovingly tended ales pulled in the cash by the bucket load every high street would have one; likewise if high quality chef prepared food on premise was a real money earner then every pub would have a chef in the kitchen.

Edited March 15, 2016 by grrclark

[Dekers]

And the boss, Tim Martin, has extolled the virtues of LEAVING the EU in the forward to the latest Wetherspoon magazine.

 

So, even more reason to have a drink with them!

 

[Fatcatsplat]

My grumble with them is that they kill off opponents with ease - If you have a tied PubCo boozer down the road, you need to offer topless barmaids and free crisps to get the trade back from Spoons. The same can be said for Working Mens Clubs and British Legions as they just can cope with the pricing either - Once they're gone, they're gone!

 

The food is massively hit and miss - One of the wife's mates was chief cook in the Spoons at Stratford for a while and the food was great during her time there - Mostly cooked fresh (albeit from frozen) to order. Trouble is that zero hour contracts don't pay a fair wage to live on and tend to attract (generally) the young and the stupid and the quality of the food can be reflected in that - The best steak in the world cooked to death is still cooked to death and fit for resoling shoes.

 

And finally, the ale - Again, massively hit and miss. Regardless of the time left in the barrel, it's still in date - They can't all be going out of date. I'd say that Spoons have to be one of, if not the biggest wholesale ale purchasers in the UK, which gives them a massive leverage on price. Go somewhere where the guvnor gives a toss and cleans his pipes/rests the ale, you will get a good pint served up and everything is well with the world. Go to another Spoons down the road where they appear to be all out of tosses to give and you'll be making vinegar faces all day long on what you're served.

 

Their saving grace is in the 60+ age group that go and drink Greene King IPA all day, chat to their mates and go home with change from a tenner.

 

Use your local boozer, especially if it's a freehouse, otherwise you'll be stuck with the equivalent of Tesco for the rest of your days!!!

[AVB]

And the boss, Tim Martin, has extolled the virtues of LEAVING the EU in the forward to the latest Wetherspoon magazine.

 

So, even more reason to have a drink with them!

 

Which is a surprise as from my one and only experience 80% of the staff and 70% of the clientele were Eastern European.

[rimfire4969]

My grumble with them is that they kill off opponents with ease - If you have a tied PubCo boozer down the road, you need to offer topless barmaids and free crisps to get the trade back from Spoons. The same can be said for Working Mens Clubs and British Legions as they just can cope with the pricing either - Once they're gone, they're gone!

 

The food is massively hit and miss - One of the wife's mates was chief cook in the Spoons at Stratford for a while and the food was great during her time there - Mostly cooked fresh (albeit from frozen) to order. Trouble is that zero hour contracts don't pay a fair wage to live on and tend to attract (generally) the young and the stupid and the quality of the food can be reflected in that - The best steak in the world cooked to death is still cooked to death and fit for resoling shoes.

 

And finally, the ale - Again, massively hit and miss. Regardless of the time left in the barrel, it's still in date - They can't all be going out of date. I'd say that Spoons have to be one of, if not the biggest wholesale ale purchasers in the UK, which gives them a massive leverage on price. Go somewhere where the guvnor gives a toss and cleans his pipes/rests the ale, you will get a good pint served up and everything is well with the world. Go to another Spoons down the road where they appear to be all out of tosses to give and you'll be making vinegar faces all day long on what you're served.

 

Their saving grace is in the 60+ age group that go and drink Greene King IPA all day, chat to their mates and go home with change from a tenner.

 

Use your local boozer, especially if it's a freehouse, otherwise you'll be stuck with the equivalent of Tesco for the rest of your days!!!

Very well put. I will stick to my local free houses and leave Wetherspoons to others.

[leeds chimp]

Ironically, having a Wetherspoons come to my home town has been just about the best thing to happen to the pubs there in years.

 

Prior to it coming in, you had a choice of estate pubs serving Red Stripe, Green King IPA, Caffreys Creamflow or John Smiths, or one of three seriously ropey (read dangerous) high street holes which served Red Stripe, Green King IPA, Caffreys Creamflow or John Smiths but with the non-optional extra of someone trying to pick a fight with you. You NEVER saw families or older people (a few dedicated alcoholics aside) in any of the high street places, if you wanted somewhere to go that was safe for kids or any otherwise nice people, you went to a different town.

 

Then, one of the big three went bust, sat empty for a while and was then bought and renovated by W'Spoons. It is now absolutely thriving from breakfast time through to closing. Up until around 8pm you'll see all ages having meals or out for a social drink.

 

Out have gone the idiots, the drugs, the fighting and most of the awful beer. In has come some equally awful beer, but also loads of imported stuff you'd never, ever have been able to get in town, plus some interesting craft beers and others on rotation. Plus, as LS has mentioned, you get the themed nights - the manager at our WS told me that per cover ours has the highest turnover of any Spoons pub on steak night. It is rammed on curry nights too. Why? Because until they came along, your affordable alternatives in town were a kebab or one of the last remaining Wimpys in the country.

 

So, while I can understand why people might look down on them when compared to a quaint village pub, if all you've had before has been essentially any of the pubs in Trainspotting, they take on a decidedly different light.

 

 

Weatherspoon's have a formula that works very well, yes they can feel very formulaic, but it works for a reason and it largely works in every town and city throughout the country.

 

They offer really good value for money, sell a decent range of beers and spirits, the food is reasonable quality for very reasonable prices.

 

If real ale type pubs with a vast selection of lovingly tended ales pulled in the cash by the bucket load every high street would have one; likewise if high quality chef prepared food on premise was a real money earner then every pub would have a chef in the kitchen.

 

 

Its good that you can get a burger and a pint for under £7 but i find the portion size a bit small for me ....

 

Dont think ever had a "Really" bad pint (one that is off etc) but had a couple that just did not like...and enjoy going there but happy with my local pub as they let dogs in to sit at the bar

[Zapp]

Very well put. I will stick to my local free houses and leave Wetherspoons to others.

 

You're lucky to have local freehouses - not the case everywhere I'm afraid.

[secretagentmole]

Ironically, having a Wetherspoons come to my home town has been just about the best thing to happen to the pubs there in years.

 

Prior to it coming in, you had a choice of estate pubs serving Red Stripe, Green King IPA, Caffreys Creamflow or John Smiths, or one of three seriously ropey (read dangerous) high street holes which served Red Stripe, Green King IPA, Caffreys Creamflow or John Smiths but with the non-optional extra of someone trying to pick a fight with you. You NEVER saw families or older people (a few dedicated alcoholics aside) in any of the high street places, if you wanted somewhere to go that was safe for kids or any otherwise nice people, you went to a different town.

 

Then, one of the big three went bust, sat empty for a while and was then bought and renovated by W'Spoons. It is now absolutely thriving from breakfast time through to closing. Up until around 8pm you'll see all ages having meals or out for a social drink.

 

Out have gone the idiots, the drugs, the fighting and most of the awful beer. In has come some equally awful beer, but also loads of imported stuff you'd never, ever have been able to get in town, plus some interesting craft beers and others on rotation. Plus, as LS has mentioned, you get the themed nights - the manager at our WS told me that per cover ours has the highest turnover of any Spoons pub on steak night. It is rammed on curry nights too. Why? Because until they came along, your affordable alternatives in town were a kebab or one of the last remaining Wimpys in the country.

 

So, while I can understand why people might look down on them when compared to a quaint village pub, if all you've had before has been essentially any of the pubs in Trainspotting, they take on a decidedly different light.

What do you mean last remaining? They are not endangered, over 80 of the places left!

 

Best thing to come out of Wimpy was the Burger Time clone game for the ZX Spectrum Mr Wimpy!

[maxie]

Weatherspoons curry night is a really good deal and the curry is passable,where else could you get a curry and a pint of Guinness for under six quid?

Edited March 15, 2016 by maxie

[Zapp]

What do you mean last remaining?

 

Wishful thinking probably

[Fatcatsplat]

 

Wishful thinking probably

And you always seemed the Bender Burger type to me!!

[grrclark]

For what it's worth I would rather go to a decent local pub too rather than any chain, I like a 'spit in sawdust' type boozer so don't mind basic either, but the sad truth is that they just don't make money.

[Scully]

Nearest big town has closed quite a few pubs in recent years, with at least two of them standing derelict; the boarded up windows and peeling paint type of derelict, and when the local nightclub closed it was bought by Wetherspoons and is doing a roaring trade in the 18 months or so it's been open.

My experience of them is very limited but found a decent one in Leek recently; absolutely huge but unfortunately none of the particular drink we wanted. There were some very good pubs there despite the presence of Wetherspoons.

In my local town a few of the local pubs have closed as we had some owned and supplied by Jennings, and Jennings is just about the worst there is in my opinion, with the exception of perhaps Belhaven. Of the two, both are struggling.

On a similar note to Zapp, a pub which was a favourite with the local ****heads and troublemakers has been bought by a bloke who has turned it into a family friendly pub and made it known from the offset the previous clientele weren't welcome. He has completely turned the place around; it is a free house with guest beers; you can take your kids and enjoy a good meal, and it is a very popular place and is doing well. He could make a lot of money from the travellers during Fairweek but closes his doors for that week. It is like a breath of fresh air.

[welshwizard]

I often meet up with some old workmates and have breakfast in aWetherspoons pub , can't fault it full English and all the filtered coffee you can drink with toast for under a fiver. !

[Bluebarrels]

I often meet up with some old workmates and have breakfast in aWetherspoons pub , can't fault it full English and all the filtered coffee you can drink with toast for under a fiver. !

Me too mate

 

But it seems some are hard to please some on here would whinge about winning the lottery BB

[Vince Green]

I use the ones in London a lot and they are great value

 

To be fair the comments about high turnovers and variablity of staff is true of all the chains. Our local Harvester has really taken a dive in the past year or so

[Fatcatsplat]

Conversely, the big thing down South at the moment is in the micropub boom - Bundles of little boozers opening up in empty shops offering three or four local ales, generally very local and a small selection of soft drinks and wine (for the ladies). There's no music and very little space so you have to chat, except on your mobile where there's a fine for use, and generally be good, polite company. They are flippin' marvellous for a quick 12 thirsty or a pint of a weekend. They don't open too late, don't sell food (aside from pickled eggs and a generous selection of maize and potato based snacks) and don't tolerate bad behaviour.

[Imperfection]

A wetherspoons is opening shortly in my town and i know all the other various pubs are poo'ing themselves.

 

As for Wimpy-i didnt know they were still trading???