Page 12 | To not want to eat in Wetherspoons?

ErickBroch · 28/10/2021 09:31

YANBU the food is vile, all cheap pub chains are, not just Wetherspoons. Happily drink there but I don't eat the food - no snobbery, it just tastes terrible. I'd rather have a McDonalds or KFC!

Twirlywhirly1 · 28/10/2021 09:32

YANBU OP. I would go in there to drink if I had to and if I really had to eat in one I'd have something inoffensive like a cheese panini but otherwise, no.

I live in Norfolk and a lot of them here are grubby and full of undesirables, I never feel particularly safe in one.

EdenFlower · 28/10/2021 09:34

You sound like a right weirdo; sitting there with no lunch and watching everyone else eat theirs. Whetherspoons might not be your first choice, but at the end of the day a sandwich, a salad, pasta, chips etc. are all essentially the same wherever you buy them, and if everyone else wanted to eat there any normal person would just go with it or turn down the invitation and stay at home.

ChrissyPlummer · 28/10/2021 09:36

Haven’t RTFT but the one in my town centre is certainly the haunt of the local alcoholics. However, I often used to pop into the one at Lime St station for a cup of tea on my way home from a late shift as there was nowhere else open. It was fine. I’ve eaten there, it was fine. Not somewhere I’d choose to go if out and about but when you do, it’s fine.

Offmyfence · 28/10/2021 09:37

@EdenFlower

You sound like a right weirdo; sitting there with no lunch and watching everyone else eat theirs. Whetherspoons might not be your first choice, but at the end of the day a sandwich, a salad, pasta, chips etc. are all essentially the same wherever you buy them, and if everyone else wanted to eat there any normal person would just go with it or turn down the invitation and stay at home.

Oh course, steaks, sandwiches, salad and pasta are not the same wherever you buy them! Ridiculous comment!

SummerOfComedy · 28/10/2021 09:38

@Mammyloveswine

My kids love a Wetherspoons 🤣🤣🤣 it's not fine dining but it's fine! Their breakfasts are nice! The wine is cheap!

The food isn't rancid... it's quick, it's cheap, but it's fine! The fish (as on fish and chips) is lovely!!

You do sound a bit snobby.. it's a cheap lunch not a fancy birthday dinner!

I agree. The fish and chips is lovely. Not forgetting the curry sauce on the side!

Blurryeyedbeast · 28/10/2021 09:39

I'm wondering what all this 'vile' food was.

I've had burgers, curries, garlic bread, salads, jacket potatoes, Wraps, all sorts in wetherspoons, different cities and branches. The worst thing that happened was one dish was a bit cold and I sent it back. Same thing happened to me in the Ivy in Leeds once! No big deal but certainly not vile! What's vile about the food?

catgirl1976 · 28/10/2021 09:40

I boycott Spoons due to the behaviour of their owner. But prior to that I was happy enough to eat there.

It is what it is in terms of cheap fast food - you can get sandwiches etc if you are really freaked out by the quality of the fish and chips or whatever. And the pizzas were good.

Cactus1982 · 28/10/2021 09:42

So much fucking snobbery on here it’s unreal. Food from Iceland goes off quickly?! It’s FROZEN FFS it will last for at least a year. Possibly longer. But then if you are lucky enough to be able afford to shop at Waitrose or wherever instead you crack on and thank yourself lucky that you don’t have to lower yourselves to that 🙄

As for ‘Spoons some are nice, some are not nice. I’ve been in some lovely ones and some grotty ones. Like any chain actually. There is nothing wrong with the food though, environmental health would be on them like a ton of bricks otherwise.

Blurryeyedbeast · 28/10/2021 09:43

Forgot to add yes their pizzas are fab! Had those many times.

amicissimma · 28/10/2021 09:44

My nearest Weatherspoons is very nice. It's clean. The food isn't really the sort I like, but it's fine.

The nearby 'naice' cafe got closed down for food hygiene offences, however.

thebabessavedme · 28/10/2021 09:44

Frankly I think its a shame that the CEO is such an arse as its a pretty good business model, its cheap, caters for old lonely men who can have a cheap pint, watch sport and have a chat, there is a 'family' dining area where a family can eat out quite cheaply, its certainly not gourmet food but it isnt 'rancid', its horses for courses surely? The ones in this town appear clean and well run, the only reason we dont use them is because Martin is not getting any of our money, but we are lucky and can afford to be 'snobs' and go elsewhere , I dont look down on anyone else who cannot afford to be 'snobs', they are entitlied to a bit of lunch out and a pint the same as we are.

amicissimma · 28/10/2021 09:45

I should say repeated food hygiene offences, not just a one-off.

RincewindsHat · 28/10/2021 09:48

I don't think you're unreasonable, I haven't set foot in a Wetherspoons for years and years and won't unless someone insists on it. I don't like the ambience, don't like the food, and if I am spending money on eating out I want to go to a local cafe that does food I enjoy in an atmosphere I like. It's not snobbery; I also don't go into very expensive restaurants as I am just not enough of a foodie to see the point of spending tons on food, and I don't go into very loud places to eat either as I hate being surrounded by all that noise. I'm with you, OP!

Ponoka7 · 28/10/2021 09:49

I started going in because they took over a large local pub and the same drinkers when in there. You don't see alcoholics in that one. At one time it was sometimes the only place that I could get a decent vegan meal and vegan wine.
They do vary and there's some I wouldn't go in, but that's true of all pubs/cafés. When my DD was looking for work we found that more expensive places don't pay any better and don't have any better working conditions. I know a few chefs who had to go to work in Weathers after lock down and they've stayed because the pay and conditions are better. One of my DD'S friends started as bar/waiting staff and has been put through her management training, he recruits and promotes from within if possible.
My income has increased over the last few years and I like going out, I've found it a myth that more expensive equals better quality.

MissNothing1991 · 28/10/2021 09:51

@giveitarestplease

Popped out with BIL and OH today, I absolutely despise Wetherspoons but they love a bargain and aren't too fussy.

I'm not a snob in anyway shape or form I just can't stand it. I eventually went with them and sat in there and waited until they finished.

I just hate the old dirty pubs and how fast the rancid food comes out 🤢 the alcoholics that have been sat there since the moment they opened the doors on the morning.

I'd much rather go to one of our local independent cafes and have a nice lunch and I know it's not coming out of the microwave. I know it's not the same price bracket but you know what I mean.

They always laugh and joke and call me a snob and say I think I'm better than everyone else. But I'm really not and I don't think that.

As someone who has suffered from problems with alcohol, I don't appreciate your platitudes about alcoholics sitting there from the moment the door opens. It is stereotyping at its best, it is insulting and you clearly are a snob who thinks you're better than everybody else.

Addiction is a disease, would you speak that way about anyone else with a disease?

SusieBob · 28/10/2021 09:51

The odd Weatherspoons is ok but let's be honest, they do cater for a certain demographic and it's not snobby to pick and choose where you want to eat. EVERYBODY does that. That said, it's a bit weird to go in and just sit and sulk while the people you are with have food.

Plus the owner is a massive cunt so there is another good reason not to give them any money.

Glugglejug · 28/10/2021 09:52

I AM a snob (although I don’t mind alcoholics drinking before breakfast) but fuck me mumsnet, Wetherspoons is fucking horrible. I don’t know why the OP is getting such a hard time on the first few pages (and I can’t be bothered to read much further). The food is rank and the brexit propaganda is ridiculous. The owner also sacked all his staff in the first few days of the pandemic and told them to go and work in Tesco. What a cunt, and shame on anyone spending money supporting this fuckery.

OldTinHat · 28/10/2021 09:53

The several 'spoons near where I used to live were a bit grim. The town I've moved to since has an amazing 'spoon! It's stunning. When I have guests and take them there (because I don't have a fancy budget!), they don't want to go anywhere else. And there's a Michelin star restaurant and countless other options here!

BigFatLiar · 28/10/2021 09:58

I think the food is probably on par with the the other chains (Toby/harvetser etc). We go there with friends as the foods fine and for several of our friends they're more interested in the beer and with high turnover Weatherspoons tend to have a decent beer selection. OH doesn't mind we've eaten in 'posh' places and dives and it's a bit random with standard. We have payed a lot for a fine dining evening and stopped for chips on the way home as the portions were so small. When we started going out together he showed his true class by stopping at a roadside caravan and getting us both breakfats baps and cups of tea, class.

Thecurliestwurly · 28/10/2021 10:00

I think some Wetherspoons are ok. I have been to some nice ones in more affluent places, but if you go to one in the centre of a deprived area it won't be very nice. There really are some hardcore drinking sports bar pubs that are just full of gambling old men who drink all day and I find them much worse. It's not my first choice of pub, but I wouldn't not go to one if someone wanted to.

I don't like the Tim whatshisface though, so I don't choose to go to one off my own back.

loudbatperson · 28/10/2021 10:01

@TinyTickler

All the people boycotting due to the owner you also know you're then refusing to support thousands of people who earn a living by working there, right?

Nothing I'm wrong with Wetherspoons.
Decent drink selection, basic menu but ultimately fine. Stop being a snob.

By that logic I should also shop in Primark, Fraser Group shops, Amazon, Nestle, BooHoo etc.

If I disagree with a company or the owners due to ethical, environmental, political activism or any other issues, I choose not to shop there. It's not about not supporting the workers, but about not giving my pound to practices I don't agree with.

I support plenty of other workers in shops and businesses I do shop at.

EdgeOfTheSky · 28/10/2021 10:02

Not my first choice of places to eat, but apart from stale tasting chip oil the food has always been sound enough, certainly not rancid.

My local Wetherspoons is in a non leafy part of S London, it has a table of perma-drunks, sociable older men, families with eating out for an early dinner or weekend lunch, trades people in early for a hearty / heart attack breakfast, people having a group drink after work, locals out for a pint. Everyone, really.

They were the first chain to install accessible toilets in every pub, and they serve decent beers on tap.

When they first started up they were good employers and offered great training and promotion prospects.

But can’t stand the owner now. Where did he go so wrong?

And the calorie count on the food is sky high. But at least they publish it.

Twatty to sit and eat NOTHING when you were outnumbered in venue choice. There is plenty that is harmless.

Whatiswrongwithmyknee · 28/10/2021 10:03

@LittleBearPad

Why?

They are pretty fair points.

Many Wetherspoons are pretty grotty. They aren’t necessarily clean and they do attract alcoholics. Why is it snobby to say this?

How it is said is snobby. Saying parents would die if they saw me inside is snobby. Making your own choices is not snobby. Looking down on people who make other choices is snobby.

KarmaElBanana · 28/10/2021 10:04

As someone who has suffered from problems with alcohol, I don't appreciate your platitudes about alcoholics sitting there from the moment the door opens. It is stereotyping at its best, it is insulting and you clearly are a snob who thinks you're better than everybody else.

Addiction is a disease, would you speak that way about anyone else with a disease?

Some people do do this – they’ll be there for when the doors open at 9 then sit there all day. She’s not saying this is all alcoholics just that the people who do do this are, and she doesn’t like being round it.