[Drinking] The Pub Debate - Weatherspoons

[jcdenton08]

You make a good and valid point. But if I was to say I don’t go into pub A because the beer is shit, or pub B because it’s full of idiots no one bats an eyelid. I say this about Whetherspoons and I’m branded a snob.

It’s more that you brand all Wetherspoons as shit by default, not taking into account the number of absolutely dreadful “local taverns” which are considerably worse in terms of clientele, cleanliness, quality of ale and value.

There are some really good Wetherspoons and some really shit ones, depending on clientele, the building, location, quality of staff and loads of other factors.

My issue is the disinformation you can’t resist spreading about them selling short date beer. It is a myth, one you have brought up every single time Wetherspoons is mentioned, and every single time been proven wrong about. But for whatever reason, you’re absolutely fixated on this “fact” despite constantly being shown it’s untrue.

The reason they are cheap, as has been explained several times over many years, is they have enormous buying power. They place orders from breweries at negotiated prices for enormous numbers of barrels.

Let’s say an independent landlord wants to buy Carling. He buys 2-3 kegs to fulfil his minimum order. Now imagine Wetherspoons want to stock Carling, they buy 10 kegs for every single one of their 1,000 pubs.

10 kegs x 1,000 pubs is an order for 10,000 kegs of beer. Wetherspoons know this, so they leverage big discounts of the price per barrel. Breweries would rather sell 10,000 barrels for a smaller margin than 3 barrels to a local pub at a higher mark up.

Wetherspoons have never bought short-date stock. It’s simply never happened.

 

[Springal]

It’s more that you brand all Wetherspoons as shit by default, not taking into account the number of absolutely dreadful “local taverns” which are considerably worse in terms of clientele, cleanliness, quality of ale and value.

There are some really good Wetherspoons and some really shit ones, depending on clientele, the building, location, quality of staff and loads of other factors.

Which ones are really good out of interest ?

 

[ManOfSussex]

It’s more that you brand all Wetherspoons as shit by default, not taking into account the number of absolutely dreadful “local taverns” which are considerably worse in terms of clientele, cleanliness, quality of ale and value.

There are some really good Wetherspoons and some really shit ones, depending on clientele, the building, location, quality of staff and loads of other factors.

My issue is the disinformation you can’t resist spreading about them selling short date beer. It is a myth, one you have brought up every single time Wetherspoons is mentioned, and every single time been proven wrong about. But for whatever reason, you’re absolutely fixated on this “fact” despite constantly being shown it’s untrue.

The reason they are cheap, as has been explained several times over many years, is they have enormous buying power. They place orders from breweries at negotiated prices for enormous numbers of barrels.

Let’s say an independent landlord wants to buy Carling. He buys 2-3 kegs to fulfil his minimum order. Now imagine Wetherspoons want to stock Carling, they buy 10 kegs for every single one of their 1,000 pubs.

10 kegs x 1,000 pubs is an order for 10,000 kegs of beer. Wetherspoons know this, so they leverage big discounts of the price per barrel. Breweries would rather sell 10,000 barrels for a smaller margin than 3 barrels to a local pub at a higher mark up.

Wetherspoons have never bought short-date stock. It’s simply never happened.

Next you'll be telling me you drink Directors Bitter.

 

[jcdenton08]

Next you'll be telling me you drink Directors Bitter.

I’ve got it coming out of my taps

 

[ManOfSussex]

I’ve got it coming out of my taps

I was drunk. I woke up this morning asleep on the sink just like this. Asleep for 8 hours just like that. Got up, walked downstairs, straight downstairs, had breakfast, didn't even wash my hands because I'm a bloody bloke.

 

[jcdenton08]

I was drunk. I woke up this morning asleep on the sink just like this. Asleep for 8 hours just like that. Got up, walked downstairs, straight downstairs, had breakfast, didn't even wash my hands because I'm a bloody bloke.

 

[ManOfSussex]

View attachment 180517

I think I'll, erm, go to my room and, er, lean on the sink.

 

[jcdenton08]

I think I'll, erm, go to my room and, er, lean on the sink.

Alan, this is a hotel…

 

[ManOfSussex]

Alan, this is a hotel…

Yeah, a three star.

 

[Bodian]

I also think people are quick to judge branches of Spoons, forgetting local nuances that apply to any pub.

E.g. some publicans are better at keeping Cask beer better than others.

Some pubs in town attract the local knobbers.

It's not the same one size fits all rule, only the menu. In summary, Some Spoons are great, some are shite.

And the tables & chairs.

I was in the Boot Inn yesterday, and didn't actually realise it was a Wetherspoons until I saw the identikit seating / eating arrangements.

 

[Paddington Gal]

It is literally made at the Carling factory as well

As an aside to this thread, Madri is everywhere up my way. It's tasteless shite that everyone seems to drink at top tier prices.Its basically expensive Carling.

Is this everywhere down South as well or just a midlands / north thing?

Did you notice how suddenly it replaced Fosters/Carling almost everywhere. I have to admit to having a pint or two, in my lunch break. With good intentions of not going back to the office slurring my words.
All of a sudden I don't have the choice of these cheap low alcohol lagers anymore and as I don't like Madri I decide to have myself one of the more premium lagers, automatically my lunchtime spend has gone up by just over two pounds a time.
I always ask the manager/ staff why they have taken the cheap session lagers out for this shite they are trying to fool us into believing is on a par with more expensive continental lagers. Usually met with a shrug of the shoulders as they are totally void of thinking for themselves. In every instance I can recall, whenever I have asked what was their best selling lager, the answer 100% of the time is Fosters/ Carling.
Now call me a sceptic, but why would you take out your best selling products and start selling an even more shit product that you don't sell as much of?

PROFIT MARGIN

 

[Blue&WhiteSea]

Breweries would rather sell 10,000 barrels for a smaller margin than 3 barrels to a local pub at a higher mark up

Some breweries maybe, but a lot of decent small independent breweries would rather not cheapen their brand by doing so or cannot supply that kind of quantity, these are the kind of breweries I would prefer to give my custom to

 

[jcdenton08]

Some breweries maybe, but a lot of decent small independent breweries would rather not cheapen their brand by doing so or cannot supply that kind of quantity, these are the kind of breweries I would prefer to give my custom to

They wouldn’t have the facilities or capability to produce product in the volume that Wetherspoons would require anyway. There’s room for both in the world.

 

[BrianB]

Nobody seems to have mentioned timbo:s attitude during covid ,

JD Wetherspoon denies ‘abandoning’ staff in coronavirus crisis

Tim Martin says pub chain cannot afford to pay wages until government steps in

www.theguardian.com

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

And the tables & chairs.

I was in the Boot Inn yesterday, and didn't actually realise it was a Wetherspoons until I saw the identikit seating / eating arrangements.

…..and thought “this beer tastes a bit past its sell-by date”

 

[Uh_huh_him]

I have no issue with Spoons.
As many others have said some good some bad.

The Greyhound in Bromley is a decent pub.
Never noticed any issue with the quality of the beer.

 

[beorhthelm]

Some breweries maybe, but a lot of decent small independent breweries would rather not cheapen their brand by doing so or cannot supply that kind of quantity, these are the kind of breweries I would prefer to give my custom to

one of the reasons i go to Wetherspoons is the wide variety of ales. every month is different, small breweries across the country, porters, rubies, golden ales, a change from citrus hopped "IPA" fashion. many breweries are in still in the business of selling beer not images. pretty well kept despite being told how terrible they'd be. the mood of their pubs is very varied, some utter shiteholes, others perfectly pleasant. i do tend to frequent a couple in and around the City which is a difference, but you dont hear people moaning all Punch Tavern's are shite because one on their high st is full of louts prone to a fight.

also the price thing is misleading, there are a few chains larger or as large as 'spoons, so would get better pricing. seems to me the dodgy owner/pubco relation with pub tenants is the problem there.

 

[Boroseagull]

There was a good article in The Times a few weeks back that set a lot of of the misquotes straight, including the beer prices, the 'so called telling the staff to go to Tesco'. You can read it here if you like.

Why is Wetherspoons so popular? I spent 24 hours in one to find out

Profits have soared at Tim Martin’s budget pub chain. What’s his secret? Harry Wallop spent a day and a night in a Birmingham branch — and went for a cuppa with Sir Tim himself

www.thetimes.co.uk

 

[Is it PotG?]

Goodness me we have some precious snob types on here, who'd have thunk it?

Each one on its own merits, from travelling here and there I feel that the of the pub, food and drink varies from place to place. To put them all under one critique umbrella is ridiculously short-sighted.

 

[BrightonCottager]

My daughter (just turned 18) has started venturing into pubs with her mates and apologises to me every time she's been in a Spoons (normally North St) because she knows I boycott them because of Brexit Tim. Ironic because when some of her earliest Fulham memories are of us having lunch in one of the Putney spoons before a game. But for young people, most pubs are very expensive.