This was expensive?

[constantnc]

Local garden center..

2 toasted sandwiches with tiny side salad. The sandwich consisted of 2 pieces of bread with meat/cheese.
2 teas
1 fruit tea
£32 😬 for a quick bite to eat...

Good value for money is entirely subjective. I wouldn't want to spend my 'fun money' on what I would consider a mediocre eating out experience. I have other plans for it. But I can see the appeal of such places to others. It might be a rare occasion for someone to get out of the house and socialise for example, and if they get enjoyment from that then it was completely worth their money.

Good lord!

Yes there’s clearly a market and view it as a trip out so if food/drink is overpriced the overall trip is worth it. Things like accessibility, toilets and availability of plain foods is part of appeal. My elderly mum often just wants a jacket potato or toastie.

A nice loo is a must IMO. We used to take 'Nan' and having plenty of space round the table was one thing we considered as although she was brilliant for her age, she wasn't as mobile as she had been.

A calm environment too, it's hard to hear if there's a lot of background noise.

Probably find the garden centre contract the cafe out and as it has guaranteed foot traffic the cafe owners pay high rent or a decent percentage of takings. They may have a target they have to reach.

I can imagine 'spoons attracting people with an addiction as it is so cheap and opens early. At least they're socialising I suppose. I have just looked and a jacket potato with a soft drink is £6.49 there. Extra fillings only 99p. I've had them before and they are more than nice enough.

Some very heavy drinkers seem to last a very long time, surprisingly!

I am watching my own intake as I live alone and a couple of glasses most nights(or G&T) habit was creeping up. It was my little bit of pleasure at the end of a day and I do miss it, but I would absolutely hate to end up with an alcohol addiction so I have stopped buying it. The ones I have known weren't anything like what you might expect but having said that, the one I know well does drink more than a bottle of spirit a day when he's on a bad binge with it.

I don't think Wetherspoons attracts alcoholics any more than any other pub. We were in nice one in Norwich at the weekend with a nice outdoor seating area by the river, and it was full of younger people / students socialising, a few couples and families. Surely alcoholics would just go to Aldi and buy the cheapest stuff they could find.

I drove from Glasgow to Aberdeen to deliver some parts for our engineers doing a job, and I parked up next to a Petrol Station to wait for them. I popped into it for some crisps and a can of Irn Bru or Coke and maybe a sandwich. I walked straight back out because I wouldn't pay those prices. I know Aberdeen's an expensive, wealthy city due to the Oil Industry, but I didn't realise how bonkers their prices were. I sat in the van and went hungry rather than be ripped off. I popped into a corner shop in Dundee on the way back. My wife works in a local hospital here near Glasgow, and they all boycott the Cafe in it at lunchtime due to their extortionate prices. They've sent emails to them and NHS Scotland management to complain, but they've just been ignored. My wife just makes up lunches at home in the morning now.

We've been to a garden centre this morning we had a scone with butter, jam and clotted cream ( was yummy) a coffee and a pot of tea came to £16 but I treated it as a one off treat so it was worth it, average price at this one is around £8 for a sandwich and £16 for a main meal

I can imagine 'spoons attracting people with an addiction as it is so cheap and opens early. There's more to it but that's pretty much it.

@ScotchBonnet74 ,I don't think they'd walk all the way to Aldi when the Spoons is on their doorstep.

@LoyalMember , petrol stations are not usually cheap.

I think that is it now, pretty much. One of our local garden centres used to have a tiny cafe as an add-on when I was a teenager. Now they have tripled the size of the cafe, offer lots of meals (at the sort of prices the OP is talking about) and it's the reason people go to the garden centre at all. I tend to get a coffee and cake at most.

Food at garden centres is expensive. I avoid it. I’ve just had cheese and onion toasted sandwich, crisps and salad at the village cafe, £6.95 and very nice

If people are willing to pay those inflated prices nothing will change

I'm sure they would! The cheapest lager in Tesco is £1.25 a litre (I just checked). Unless they are very wealthy alcoholics in which case they would probably turn their nose up at Wethersoons anyway😂

There's a lot of alcoholism among the wealthy too.
I guess if I had AUD of any sort I might prefer to partake in a pub rather than at home as it then 'feels' more justifiable.

Garden centres being the realm of the fairly well off as a rule can make people stay longer/go more often if they offer food I guess. And they then have a captive audience. Grey pound meaning people are more likely to need a sit down after being on their feet for a long time, have to buy a coffee, might as well eat there too....

I can't say the people in the Spoons in the morning look wealthy.

Yes! I can believe it - it's always mobbed.

What do wealthy people look like then?

I wasn't saying they would be! Although to be fair I know a good number of wealthy people who enjoy wetherspoons. I could afford 'better' myself (although I am far from wealthy) but I enjoy their atmosphere as well as their fodder and wine .

Wealth can be visible of course but it isn't always obvious. A lot of wealthy people are total scruffs! And some far from wealthy people can appear wealthy if they're presenting themselves well. It isn't the 19th century where anyone without money dressed in second hand rags.

You've obviously not been to my nearest Wetherspoon.

Rory Sutherland (the marketing guy) talks about this on Youtube. Says a lots of people (this is me) either want a bargain or a treat. But not happy spending middle of the range for something mediocre. I'm happy with a wetherspoons meal, or a nice restaurant which may be expensive but is a special occasion and we have planned for.

I am exactly the same. I love fine dining and was devastated when the pandemic closed my most local restaurant down.

I also love Wetherspoons. For completely different, unrelated reasons. Same as I love exercise and the gym and healthy food but I also love wine, chips and pot noodles!

Wetherspoons are great for cheap, relaxed meals, anonymity, (find a table, click the app a few times, food delivered, done) nice enough food and inexpensive drinks and lingering as long as you want. I sometimes want that.

The restaurant I mentioned was great for bespoke meals made by a great chef, lovely food, gorgeous surroundings and excellent service. It was a treat, not expensive for what it was but obviously cost much more than 'spoons. Sometimes I want that instead.

What I don't want is mediocre food that's Wetherspoons (and often worse!) quality that's 'treat' price and crap service. And I find a lot of places, mostly cafes and 'normal' middle of the road restaurants, are exactly that!

BleedinglyObvious by name, Bleedingly Obvious by nature.

You're not very articulate are you, @ChimpanzeeThatMonkeyNews .
The post you quoted is one of the first replies and is an obvious and reasonable question given the information in the OP.

Our local Dobbie’s garden centre is expensive. I only go there when my son visits and chooses it and wants to pay..🤣
Breakfasts: 2 for £15 traditional breakfast deal (available daily until 11:30am). Individual breakfasts are approx. £9.
Afternoon Tea: £18.50 per person or 2 for £34.
Lunch: Sandwiches and wraps with sides typically cost between £8.50 and £10.50.
Kids Menu: Kids can eat for £3.50 (includes main, drink, and ice cream) at certain times.
Over 60s Offer: Main course and a hot drink for £14, Monday to Friday, 12:00–15:00

Its much cheaper in the local , owned by locals, cafe