[Drinking] The Pub Debate - Weatherspoons

[Blue&WhiteSea]

By far the worst pub I have ever been in is the Spoons in Kingston Upon Thames. not the worst Spoons. The worst pub. Absolute grief hole.

In fact K-U-Thames, despite being a quite nice town, is one of the worst night’s out. Pubs are shite. Really shite.

Funnily enough the best pub in Kingston is 'The Albion', bit of a walk from the centre but worth it.
Failing that, the Ram isn't terrible.

 

[Nicks]

When I was working away from home I would do Spoons every night for my dinner.
Cheap and cheerful

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

When I was working away from home I would do Spoons every night for my dinner.
Cheap and cheerful

Each to their own tho eh? There's some out there that prefer an unreasonably-priced feast of bone marrow and ocelot spleen, washed down with a 14% abv artisan alcopop. We should respect their choices. Hipsters have feelings too. Something something Tim Martin

 

[The Clamp]

A Spoons breakfast is a perfectly acceptable way to begin a day out.

I have drunk outside Spoons in Greenwich when visiting friends. Fine.

I wouldn’t particularly choose to spend an evening in the vast majority of Wetherspoons boozers.

I once tried to help resuscitate an elderly gent who had collapsed in a toilet cubicle in a Wetherspoons at 1am.

We lost him and I got a huge sense of how depressing a way that was to end your days.

In a ‘spoons toilet cubicle at 1am.

I tend to avoid them in the evenings after that.

 

[The Wookiee]

By far the worst pub I have ever been in is the Spoons in Kingston Upon Thames. not the worst Spoons. The worst pub. Absolute grief hole.

In fact K-U-Thames, despite being a quite nice town, is one of the worst night’s out. Pubs are shite. Really shite.

The Robert Peel wasn’t bad when we visited in cup back in the ‘90s

 

[Arthur]

No mention of the Spoons Opera House in Tunbridge Wells. When I've been there it seems to be populated by people who make this 80 year old seem young.

It's also full of the degenerates that Spoons attracts...they just may be Tunbridge Well degenerates though.

But quite frankly how expensive it is to drink in pubs now I can't blame anyone for using them.

My local in Tunbridge Wells has this week put its prices up 8-11% across the board. A Guinness has gone from £5.90 to £6.50 a pint. Just checked the Spoons app and a Guinness in the aforementioned Opera House is £3.80. The pubs are 5 minutes walk apart.

The Spoons in Crowborough had Burning Sky Aurora on at £2.63 over the weekend. Exceptional value. Made even better if you have the 50p off CAMRA vouchers.

Basically if you can tolerate the drongos, shit bar staff and questionable beer (at times) then I don't see why you wouldn't drink there. Sadly I can't.

 

[Ike and Tina Burner]

That George St one was for the professional soaks - punters standing around outside at all hours whenever I sloped past. Ladbrokes bang opposite as well, so a pisshead paradise all round.

Not sure if anybody else has mentioned it but the North street one has a massive Paddy Power basically next door! Always thought it was a strange location, now it makes a bit more sense.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

It's also full of the degenerates that Spoons attracts...they just may be Tunbridge Well degenerates though.

But quite frankly how expensive it is to drink in pubs now I can't blame anyone for using them.

My local in Tunbridge Wells has this week put its prices up 8-11% across the board. A Guinness has gone from £5.90 to £6.50 a pint. Just checked the Spoons app and a Guinness in the aforementioned Opera House is £3.80. The pubs are 5 minutes walk apart.

The Spoons in Crowborough had Burning Sky Aurora on at £2.63 over the weekend. Exceptional value. Made even better if you have the 50p off CAMRA vouchers.

Basically if you can tolerate the drongos, shit bar staff and questionable beer (at times) then I don't see why you wouldn't drink there. Sadly I can't.

Burning Sky Aurora….crikey.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

The Marina Spoons is easily the best one in Brighton, get a table outside overlooking the boats and it's a great spot

I used to go in there but the toilets are disgusting.

Btw, Martin had to close 32 pubs due to £30million losses so it's not such a great success story.

Wetherspoons sells off 32 pubs as it faces £30m loss – is your local up for sale?

Wetherspoons has announced that it’s selling off 32 pubs amid rising staff and labour costs.

www.lbc.co.uk

 

[schmunk]

Burning Sky Aurora….crikey.

Ha! Now you're interested...

 

[Papak]

I used to go in there but the toilets are disgusting.

Btw, Martin had to close 32 pubs due to £30million losses so it's not such a great success story.

Wetherspoons sells off 32 pubs as it faces £30m loss – is your local up for sale?

Wetherspoons has announced that it’s selling off 32 pubs amid rising staff and labour costs.

www.lbc.co.uk

On the other side of the coin from last month (apologies for the sauce (sic):

Wetherspoons reveals areas for 200 new pubs and wants to be on EVERY high street

WETHERSPOONS boss Tim Martin has doubled down on plans to have 1,000 Spoons across the country after raking in record sales of almost £1billion. The pub chief said that after Covid rest…

www.thesun.co.uk

 

[pb21]

Coincidentally, just seen that channel 5 is currently showing a hard hitting documentary called "Wetherspoons vs Toby Carvery: Which Is Better?"

Tough question!

 

[Bakero]

It's also full of the degenerates that Spoons attracts...they just may be Tunbridge Well degenerates though.

But quite frankly how expensive it is to drink in pubs now I can't blame anyone for using them.

My local in Tunbridge Wells has this week put its prices up 8-11% across the board. A Guinness has gone from £5.90 to £6.50 a pint. Just checked the Spoons app and a Guinness in the aforementioned Opera House is £3.80. The pubs are 5 minutes walk apart.

The Spoons in Crowborough had Burning Sky Aurora on at £2.63 over the weekend. Exceptional value. Made even better if you have the 50p off CAMRA vouchers.

Basically if you can tolerate the drongos, shit bar staff and questionable beer (at times) then I don't see why you wouldn't drink there. Sadly I can't.

2.63 for the Burning Sky is a phenomenal price.

 

[The Fits]

2.63 for the Burning Sky is a phenomenal price.

Especially Aurora, that's over 5%. If it's kept even slightly well that's too good to miss.
Elderly relative and I had our occasional brunch yesterday. Two breakfasts, one with black pudding, two coffees and a pint of decent porter, just shy of £20.

 

[Boroseagull]

JD Wetherspoons reporting that they have returned to profit and are paying dividend, the first to shareholders since 2019. But a significant part of the profit is being paid to staff members below board level - £49 million in bonus and free shares. That's the way to treat staff!

 

[AmexRuislip]

JD Wetherspoons reporting that they have returned to profit and are paying dividend, the first to shareholders since 2019. But a significant part of the profit is being paid to staff members below board level - £49 million in bonus and free shares. That's the way to treat staff!

The Grand Assembly

www.jdwetherspoon.com

They've recently opened one in Marlow, much to the disgust of some local residents

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

JD Wetherspoons reporting that they have returned to profit and are paying dividend, the first to shareholders since 2019. But a significant part of the profit is being paid to staff members below board level - £49 million in bonus and free shares. That's the way to treat staff!

The ground staff were treated rather appallingly during Covid though. Nice he’s finally acknowledging them although a cynic would suggest it’s a sweeter because of the staffing issues he’s subsequently had.

There’s clearly money to be made in microwaved meals and out of date beer.

 

[Boroseagull]

Microwaved meals maybe but the biggest urban myth is out of date beer. It's called purchasing power - just like the big supermarkets do.

 

[The Clamp]

Edited

 

[Hugo Rune]

Microwaved meals maybe but the biggest urban myth is out of date beer. It's called purchasing power - just like the big supermarkets do.

They also sign outrageously long fixed price deals with the major Breweries.