What do you think of Wetherspoons pubs?

[BasilRathbon]

Although Wetherspoons' Sheffield pubs frequently crop up in the "going out" section, I don't think we've had a general discussion about Wetherspoon's pubs in general, so I thought I'd start one.

 

From my point of view, I'd sum them up as follows;

 

Plus points

1. Cheap prices.
   
2. A wide selection of real ale!
   
3. A wide variety of other drink choices, such as real cider.
   
4. Wetherspoon's do a very good job of sensitively refurbishing old and architecturally-interesting buildings.
   
5. Basic good value food.
   
6. If you find yourself in a strange town and see a Wetherspoons, you know what you're going to get.
   
7. A good venue for group meetings (as recommended by all the best forums!)
   

 

Minus points

1. Cheap prices tend to attract a lower class of person, which can lead to an intimidating atmosphere.
   
2. Real ales aren't always as well kept as they could be and are often served too cold.
   
3. The "generic" Wetherspoons design means that most of their pubs end up looking the same.
   
4. Food is not (as far as I know) freshly prepared and availability can be unreliable.
   
5. It takes ages to get served, and sometimes customer service can be poor.
   
6. Their market dominance is killing off other more individual pubs.
   
7. If you find yourself in a strange town and see a Wetherspoons, you know what you're going to get.
   

 

However, on balance, I'd come out in favour of Wetherspoons as being far and away the best of the pub chains. What do you think?

[neeeeeeeeeek]

Westons cider....

 

[savbaby]

I like it for the cheap meal deals and drinks. Its is a good place to start a night out on

[Tricky]

Why go in somewhere you know will be mediocre?

 

Try somewhere different. It may be bad, it may be good, you won't know til you've tried it and if it turns out to be good, go there instead.

[foxforcefive]

Plus: Reasonably priced vodka, Reasonably decorated.

 

Minus: The old perv sat in the corner looking down my top, the watery lager, the bad food.

[Chopsie]

They vary wildly in my experience. The Moon Under Water in Manchester is (or at least used to be when I lived in Mancsville 10 years ago) a fine pub, and a Wetherspoons. Yet the Piccadilly, another Manc Wetherspoons the other side of town, is full of rather scary looking people who have opted out of the work rat race (a bit like the Bankers Draft in our own fair city).

 

Generally speaking, I avoid them.

[alex3659]

Plus: Reasonably priced vodka, Reasonably decorated.

 

Minus: The old perv sat in the corner looking down my top, the watery lager, the bad food.

 

need bionic eyes to see owt down your top.

don't very often use wetherspoons but when I do it's ok.

[Fiat500]

Plus: Reasonably priced vodka, Reasonably decorated.

 

Minus: The old perv sat in the corner looking down my top, the watery lager, the bad food.

 

Agree with your minus quote about pervs. Totally put off going in Wetherspoons or Lloyds as seems to be full of sleezy blokes. They try to hide it by leering over the top of newspapers. It's not just Sheffield, it's Wetherspoons all over the country.

[Kaizabella]

I find the Benjamin Huntsman near City Hall a good Wetherspoons, food is OK (not amazing, but I'm not expecting the world for that price) and the atmosphere isn't horrible (especially upstairs), I think the outside bit is a bit small though, but nothing they can do about that really.

 

The bankers draft on the other hand is IMHO a very bad example of a Wetherspoons. I avoid it like the plague if I can.

[mahonia]

Everytime Peterborough United play away we always go on the Wetherspoons website to find the nearist pub

 

The only downside is its always dark inside the places