Voices: Independent readers discuss how Wetherspoons impacts high streets

Tim Martin, the boss of JD Wetherspoon

– PA Archive

The division around Wetherspoons’ existence on Britain’s high streets runs deep.

And Independent readers appear to be just as split as the general population on the cut-price pub chain.

While some labelled Wetherspoons “a curse” and labelled it “image-before-substance” others declared it an “amazing business” and eagerly listed off the pros of newly knighted Tim Martin’s venture.

A few readers declared that they’d never set foot in a Spoons – but others were clearly regulars and were keen to highlight how many “iconic” properties had been saved in town centres up and down the country.

For many the brand’s cheap prices simply can’t mitigate the sour taste left by Martin’s forays into political discourse.

Here’s what you had to say:

‘Rescuing iconic property’

For every plus there can be a minus – but overall a positive.

Mostly for rescuing iconic property from the wrecking ball and not allowing property developers to turn them into squalid flats.

It was the brewery industries very own business model that killed pubs.

SWPete

‘Not proper pubs’

They’re not proper pubs. They’re low quality restaurants that serve booze.

I can’t ever remember having a conversation with a stranger in a Spoons. As for the man himself. A disingenuous Singapore -on-Thames zealot.

I remember Spoons getting a load of Aussie ales in then Martin claiming in his in-house propaganda rag that if we left the EU these were exactly the type of ales Spoons would be able to stock. Er….ales they already had in stock.

The final straw for me was him trying to weasel out of paying his staff already agreed bonuses. And he should be jailed for that haircut.

Ollyboro

‘A curse’

It’s a curse – breakfast and pints? Still it’s more sane than giving the arch brexiteer Martin a gong for an act of stupidity that harmed his employee base.

NineteenCanteen

‘What’s not to like?’

What’s not to like?:

• Iconic buildings repurposed for community enjoyment and use
• Affordable drinks
• Reliable food choices
• Cross-section of community customer base
• Staff training and empowerment
• Customer communication information
• Changing selection of products

Winterdance

‘A distinct drop in quality’

I used to use them occasionally as a middle-age equivalent of McDonald’s – a quick and cheap place to eat in airports or when away from home and wanting something familiar, cheap and easy. I’ve never been a beer drinker, though their soft drinks pricing was a welcome alternative to overpricing of those elsewhere. Over time, though, as their larger business pool allowed them to undercut and push out smaller, local pubs, I found the prices rising. By 2016, I had noticed a distinct drop in quality and quantity of the food also. Martin had always been rather a twit: the Michael O’Leary of the pub trade.

I remember some years back him making a show of saying publicly that none of his pubs would ever accept the Euro under any circumstances. Then he opened a branch in Dublin. I skipped visiting that when I was in Dublin last, so I don’t know what alternative currency he uses there – Disney Dollars, maybe? Or perhaps he’s revived the Punt. In any case, as he chose to make Wetherspoons pubs a cheerleader for Brexit, I chose no longer to patronise them.

I am well aware that some businesses I still use are run by people who were in favour of Brexit – Charles Tyrwhitt, where I buy many of my shirts among them. I have no quarrel with other people’s right to an opinion that differs from my own. Where I draw the line is when – as with Martin – they tie the brand identity of the business to their politics to the extent that I feel that by supporting the business, I am supporting their politics. By mid 2016, Wetherspoons had clearly crossed that threshold, and I’ve not been in one since.

Padraig Mahone

‘Brexit lunacy’

At 19 I was banned from my local Spoons. At 21 I worked at a Spoons for a few years, I really enjoyed it. I remained an occasional patron up until the pandemic: The way Tim treated his staff, compiled with his Brexit lunacy made me realise I don’t want to give him any more of my money, a difficult decision considering Spoons is the last pub to shut in my small town, and by far the most affordable!

If you’re asking me, the British institution that is Wetherspoons could be worse, Tim Martin however, would really struggle to be much worse.

Hamster

‘Shot himself in his own foot’

Tim Martin placed his own political views over the welfare of his own employees. Many of them was born over seas and did not meet the new post Brexit criteria to work in the UK. Many left and it’s been difficult to find new staff in the industry. Shot himself in his own foot.

Bri

‘He is a great businessman’

I am absolutely pro.

He created a huge business thanks to low prices and the best quality that can be provided at that price.

He identified his business persona and went for it creating millions of devoted customers and he is able to have a global view so weak pubs are closed before they impact the rest, providing employment to thousands and thousands people.

Do I like his ideology? No, but that is irrelevant. He is a great businessman and Wetherpoons is an amazing business.

Spanish Guy

‘Image-before-substance’

The concept of having a low end chain of outlets, broadly modelled on the British pub, that serves cheap beer and inexpensive food, is a good one. There is a market for that, and with a few basic standards in terms of how you run such a “neo-pub” it should be possible to provide an offering that provides for people on a limited budget, while ensuring decent employment standards, hygiene levels and long-term community commitment.

The issue with the owner of this particular chain is a problem in many respects. Not only has he used his position to peddle unsound political views, he also falls short in terms of the standards that he sets for his company and its outlets. Some of the hygiene concerns may be exaggerated by those who dislike the owner and/or the outlet, but there are real concerns about the way staff are treated and the real commitment to the communities that the outlets serve. The image-before-substance management style may work in a populist environment, where the serfs are kept in thrall to their masters, but I would suggest that this particular version of the cheap neo-pub is not the one that this country needs.

RichardM

‘I’m pro’

Cheapish beer. No piped music. Adequate service although the manager at The Mannamead in Plymouth is excellent – just a bit short staffed for oldies who like to order at the bar. I’m pro.

JakeDaykin

‘Surly staff’

I have seen many comments on how good a business Wetherspoons is, however from my experience and my experience only (leaving out politics). Every Wetherspoons I have been in the premisis has not been very clean, the beer was kept badly, the wine is apalling and kept badly, the food is often cold and the staff surly. This has been my experience without exception.

Kinder

‘You can’t fault the service’

I’m a definite pro. My current local is the Spoons at Lime Street Station in Liverpool. It’s a great building and we always ensure that we get there in time for a seat.

Beer prices have increased over the last 12 months but are still better than elsewhere.

I love the breakfasts and pizza in there along with the fish and chips, mixed grill etc.

The app is a godsend for the lazy for sure. The staff there are great.

We used to go to one in New Ferry, locally know as “The Adolf” but, unfortunately, that was one of the ones closed down.

Might not agree with the owner politically but you can’t fault the service he provides.

TheCardinal

‘Richly deserves his knighthood’

Sir Tim Martin richly deserves his knighthood. Wetherspoons employs thousands of people, it has preserved hundreds of historic buildings, and it has provided the community hubs that the closure of numerous public amenities would otherwise have destroyed. In those hubs, the cross-section of society is the embodiment of equality and diversity. What, exactly, is it that the haters hate?

Yet how some people do love to hate Wetherspoons. How they gloat at closures, a certain number of which are inevitable from time to time in a business of that size. What they mean is that they hate the customers. Obviously, since we are so numerous, then we must cover the full economic, social, cultural and political range.

At the same time, though, we are by definition the people who value the reasonable prices at Wetherspoons. We are the backbone of Britain, and they know it. We should wear their hatred as a badge of honour, as Sir Tim should wear the insignia of his knighthood, and no doubt does.

David Lindsay

Some of the questions and answers have been edited for this article. You can read the full discussion in the comments section of the original article.

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