Wetherspoon

gordondaviesmoustache said:
I never buy beer in a supermarket or a convenience store for that matter. None of the lagers (canned or bottled) remotely appeal to me. Use the same specialist beer shop in Birmingham that I’ve used for years for all my beer at home. They have an amazing range of Helles beers. All about £4 a bottle, mind!
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i dread to think of the day when it will come,
but likely it will do,
when the multinationals move into my town.

no yanky fast food chains yet or nothing,
not even copy-versions of kfc or anything.

it's one of the reasons i moved here.

there is a self-employed job for everyone who wants one in the grand structure of selling products,
just like it used to be in the uk,
people, like your father, working for themselves, instead of slaving for the big companies,
shops on every corner, often running up tick.

as you know, red wine is my thing.
i pay about £4 for a really decent bottle of local organic that the equivalent in england would be £15 or more.
if i feel like treating myself i spend a tenner.
and i know that none of the profits are not only leaving the area but not leaving the country.

the fruit and veg i buy is grown locally (obviosuly we have a better climate than the uk haha) but the farmers sell it to blokes with lorries who sell it to market traders who sell it to us.
no big companies are involved and the price reflects that.

i spend about £10 a week on really fresh fruit and veg.
if i eat out it about £2 for a tagine.
if i fine dine it's £8 for a 3 course.
these prices are a reflection of the lack of multinationals.

it's a fishing town, small boats only, family generations, like there used to be in the uk.
fresh every day.
i could walk out of my door right now and within 3 minutes there are people grilling sardines on charcoal,
8 for a quid, including salad and bread.

i have completely forgotten my point haha.
maybe it was that i miss a few pints of real ale but not much else
 
pepguardiola'smoustache said:
i dread to think of the day when it will come,
but likely it will do,
when the multinationals move into my town.

no yanky fast food chains yet or nothing,
not even copy-versions of kfc or anything.

it's one of the reasons i moved here.

there is a self-employed job for everyone who wants one in the grand structure of selling products,
just like it used to be in the uk,
people, like your father, working for themselves, instead of slaving for the big companies,
shops on every corner, often running up tick.

as you know, red wine is my thing.
i pay about £4 for a really decent bottle of local organic that the equivalent in england would be £15 or more.
if i feel like treating myself i spend a tenner.
and i know that none of the profits are not only leaving the area but not leaving the country.

the fruit and veg i buy is grown locally (obviosuly we have a better climate than the uk haha) but the farmers sell it to blokes with lorries who sell it to market traders who sell it to us.
no big companies are involved and the price reflects that.

i spend about £10 a week on really fresh fruit and veg.
if i eat out it about £2 for a tagine.
if i fine dine it's £8 for a 3 course.
these prices are a reflection of the lack of multinationals.

it's a fishing town, small boats only, family generations, like there used to be in the uk.
fresh every day.
i could walk out of my door right now and within 3 minutes there are people grilling sardines on charcoal,
8 for a quid, including salad and bread.

i have completely forgotten my point haha.
maybe it was that i miss a few pints of real ale but not much else
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Yes, think humanity peaked about 30 years ago, which ties in with what you’ve posted. All this technology isn’t making us happier I don’t think.
 
Been in many Wetherspoons working away for many years and you can’t beat it when you’re on a budget,always a decent pint and decent food(for what you pay) and I’ve been in some that are in some lovely old buildings that would have either been demolished or left derelict like Royal Tunbridge Wells in an old opera house that springs to mind.
 
Ahh, Spoons.

I frequent the Harbord Harbord quite often here in Middleton.

I go in for breakfast once a week. The same people sitting in the same spot. Most of them drinking from the minute go.

I go in for a few beers later on and the same people are sat at the same spot.

There’s a guy with no legs. Loves his carlsberg. A guy with a monocle who is in and out of the bookies all the time. A couple who do nothing but argue whenever they’re in.

Maybe once a month I go in around 1pm and I’ll have a few hours to myself just relaxing, drinking £3.75 Stella and people watching. It’s a fantastic place and the locals are in their own little world in there.

I don’t know what this community would do if it was ever to close.

Now to my gripe. The mixed grill has vanished!
 
dickie davies said:
That is absolute bollocks
Supermarket pricing has never been more competitive
You had the big four, which is now a big six
Tesco
ASDA
Sainsbury
Morrisons
Aldi
Lidl

Then the freezer discounters
Iceland
Farm Foods

And then the large independent discounters
B&M
Home Bargains

And in an emergency, there's always a Co-op or local store
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Purchased two 18 tin slabs of Strongbow for last weeks half term heatwave @£11 a slab and a ltr of Tanqueray for £20. The pressure on twilight ale houses lies more with the advent of the internet and supermarket discounting than dear old Sir Tim's buying prowess.

What a guy, what a man, what a knight of the realm, and just look at the character of his hostelries that ooze charm sophistication and joy de vivre:
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gordondaviesmoustache said:
Anyway, got talking to the manager who told me that Martin turns up unannounced and unaccompanied, other than a driver, at that pub from time to time. Visits about half a dozen of his units in a night and speaks to the people on the ground. Despite his untold wealth he’s still out there, in the trade, checking his boozers out on a wet Tuesday night in February.
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From what I can make out, he seems to spend pretty much his whole life these days doing this.

He's regularly turning up at the Manchester City Centre ones. Always seems to turn up at the Deansgate one first, then Oxford Street, then Printworks. Not sure he bothers with the Piccadilly one? Even he's got his limits. They always ask him where he's off to next and give them the head's up that he's on the way.

Despite the nonsense wrote about him during lockdown, he's really good with the staff. If any of them have a little moan to him about anything, he'll make a note of it and tell them someone will look into it and get get back to them. And they always do. However trivial.
 
LangleyBlue1970 said:
Ahh, Spoons.

I frequent the Harbord Harbord quite often here in Middleton.

I go in for breakfast once a week. The same people sitting in the same spot. Most of them drinking from the minute go.

I go in for a few beers later on and the same people are sat at the same spot.

There’s a guy with no legs. Loves his carlsberg. A guy with a monocle who is in and out of the bookies all the time. A couple who do nothing but argue whenever they’re in.

Maybe once a month I go in around 1pm and I’ll have a few hours to myself just relaxing, drinking £3.75 Stella and people watching. It’s a fantastic place and the locals are in their own little world in there.

I don’t know what this community would do if it was ever to close.

Now to my gripe. The mixed grill has vanished!
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That was the only thing I would ever eat in there apart from the surf and turf. Do they still do that.
 
hilts said:
That was the only thing I would ever eat in there apart from the surf and turf. Do they still do that.
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No. I’ve noticed a few pubs have stopped doing proper steaks. Must be the price of beef, which is fucking stupid at the minute.

The Holts pubs used to do a mixed grill. They do braising steak now.
 
manclad said:
The only disappointment I have had since I moved to Cleveleys 8 months ago, is that the nearest Wetherspoons to us ( The Jolly Tars in Cleveleys) is always jam packed all afternoon and evening from Wednesday - Sunday.
So we tend to jump on the tram ( free for us local FOCs) and go to the Spoons in Fleetwood,which is about 50 yard from the tram stop.
The Blackpool and Fylde MCFC coach picks up just over the road from The Jolly Tars, so I usually get my breakfast in there when City have an early kick off.
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I went to a Coleraine friendly last summer against Fleetwood. We stayed in Blackpool and went to cleveleys. There was a queue out the door at 9am at that place. We were already in and ordered our beers on the app at exactly 9
 
gordondaviesmoustache said:
The other thing is I’ll often end up in a Spoons for breakfast if I’m away and got some work or reading to do before the day starts in earnest and I’ve seen some right sights at nine in the morning. Addicts, feeding their addiction basically.

The Spoons in Hanley, Peterlee, Grimsby and Walsall being especially notable.
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2 closed down in Croydon town centre. The one left can be grim
 
Stephen230 said:
I have it on good authority that they stopped doing steaks and other grills company wide a couple of years ago. Apparently they were losing money on grill products, mainly due to the number of refunds and re-cooks.
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I only eat the breakfasts in there now. The Christmas turkey meal is pretty good.
 
gordondaviesmoustache said:
Martin is a mullet sporting **** but he’s a brilliant operator.

Was told by Wetherspoon’s head of legal a few years ago that he refuses all offers of corporate entertainment, for him, his directors and management. His message to their suppliers is: if you can afford take my directors to the races then you can afford to sell me a keg of beer for less. It made me appreciate at the time that corporate entertainment is a form of misdirection, a bribe of sorts. It clouds people’s judgement when making business decisions, which is sort of the point of it, really. I respected Martin for that, for his clarity of thought.

Spent the night in Merthyr Tydfil a few years back, and as I occasionally do when I’m stuck in a one horse town went to the Spoons for a few drinks and a bite to eat that night. I think the Wetherspoon’s food is ok and it’s a known quantity, although it means the place I’m staying is usually quite depressing because there’s nowhere good to eat, which I guess is a first world problem. Anyway, got talking to the manager who told me that Martin turns up unannounced and unaccompanied, other than a driver, at that pub from time to time. Visits about half a dozen of his units in a night and speaks to the people on the ground. Despite his untold wealth he’s still out there, in the trade, checking his boozers out on a wet Tuesday night in February.

Don’t like the guy, but you’ve got to respect him. The longevity and reach of the business he has built is truly astonishing.
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Yes, saw him in the Fort Madox Brown 'Spoons a few years ago.
Was busy talking to staff and having a walk around.
Fair play to him, although don't agree with his politics.
Has done a lot for Real Ale drinkers and CAMRA members...
 
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