tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623537812609722663.post5886947007155332066..comments2024-03-29T08:01:51.705+00:00Comments on The Pub Curmudgeon: Success is still possibleCurmudgeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02558747878308766840noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623537812609722663.post-26210807204866426382011-08-11T09:57:44.659+01:002011-08-11T09:57:44.659+01:00The Turnpike has now been acquired by J. W. Lees.The Turnpike has now been <a href="http://www.morningadvertiser.co.uk/news.ma/article/91371" rel="nofollow">acquired by J. W. Lees</a>.Curmudgeonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02558747878308766840noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623537812609722663.post-19823731922452590912010-08-12T19:46:30.182+01:002010-08-12T19:46:30.182+01:00Well, the "scavenging" opportunity is op...Well, the "scavenging" opportunity is open to all pub operators, but only Spoons seem to have picked up the bone and run with it.Curmudgeonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02558747878308766840noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623537812609722663.post-12187687909518498702010-08-11T21:26:15.122+01:002010-08-11T21:26:15.122+01:00Cut the fluff,
Spoons is surviving by scavanging t...Cut the fluff,<br />Spoons is surviving by scavanging the stagglers from other pubs<br />closures.Hardly surprising Wetherspoons yelped down political<br />earholes for a TOTAL smoking ban<br />to ensure "a level playing field".<br />So cut the nice butty crap and get<br />some brass tacks on the table.<br /><br /><br />The FerrymanAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623537812609722663.post-25459661926925493882010-08-11T10:45:41.360+01:002010-08-11T10:45:41.360+01:00"ripping up the established orthodoxies of th..."ripping up the established orthodoxies of the pub trade"<br /><br />Does that mean not ripping off punters, charging reasonable prices, having clean toilets and not expecting punters to want to sit in a tatty dump?<br /><br />Spoons are the enigma most commentators fail to explain. That in a declining market blamed on all manner of excuses, old Tim Martin is doing very well. It is very simple to explain their success. Put yourself around and compare "value".<br /><br />The dark blot on the horizon for Spoons will be quality control. He likes to visit his own pubs. He's getting beyond the number of boozers he can visit himself with the frequency he used too.Cooking Lagerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02830924433230427226noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623537812609722663.post-81536508768130579362010-08-11T09:03:21.712+01:002010-08-11T09:03:21.712+01:00Wetherspoons if they are run well are ok pubs but ...Wetherspoons if they are run well are ok pubs but there are so many that aren't well run. Until they have an inspection when all of a sudden quality goes up, only to drop a month later. Well run Wetherspoons do attract a lot of business, cheaper drinks and food prices are attractive to folks especially in today's climate. If you have a manager that promotes beer well then you end up with a pub that gets a lot of interesting and different well kept beers on rotation but this is sadly a minority.<br /><br />Same with independent and brewery tied pubs, if you have a good landlord then you can end up with a cracking pub to go to. People don't mind paying more than a Wetherspoons if the quality and range are deserving of that rate.<br /><br />For example after abandoning two bad pints at the Wetherspoons in Harlow we ended up in a pub in Old Harlow where the food prices were about half again on Wetherspoons but the food was a much higher quality so we had no problems with the cost.Meer For Beerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06491541613823327962noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623537812609722663.post-85185791285759365212010-08-11T08:16:12.379+01:002010-08-11T08:16:12.379+01:00What Wetherspoons does, and does well is sell beer...What Wetherspoons does, and does well is sell beer cheaply.<br />On a Monday You can buy a pint of Guinness for just over a quid. Other places its closer to 4 quid. <br />Like them or not, and they do differ greatly, they have cheaper booze, cheap food, and HEATING. Last winter they were one of the few pubs I could actually walk into and take off my coat.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623537812609722663.post-24689903093168421682010-08-11T01:39:44.281+01:002010-08-11T01:39:44.281+01:00Spoons? I wouldnt set foot in a spoons in a milli...Spoons? I wouldnt set foot in a spoons in a million years. the nearest to us in in george street, hove, and its full of benefit scrounging wasters. same faces every time you go past it. a disgusting pit of wasted life and wasted potential. the sooner it is burnt to the ground the better.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623537812609722663.post-83793107349003697032010-08-10T23:25:59.866+01:002010-08-10T23:25:59.866+01:00if nothing else Wetherspoons will break the monopo...if nothing else Wetherspoons will break the monopoly that Robinsons obviously have.Its often forgotten how much regional brewers can dominate choice in some areas.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623537812609722663.post-19056255326296111062010-08-10T22:46:56.961+01:002010-08-10T22:46:56.961+01:00To some extent I agree with you about Wetherspoons...To some extent I agree with you about Wetherspoons - they are not what I think good pubs are about either. See <a href="http://www.spiked-online.com/index.php/site/article/7786/" rel="nofollow">this article</a>.<br /><br />But, on the other hand, they are conspicuously successful at a time when so many other pubs aren't, so they must be doing something right.<br /><br />In run-down places like Shotton they will considerably up the game in terms of both cask ale range and food offer, and will probably attract people in who didn't previously tend to visit local pubs.Curmudgeonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02558747878308766840noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623537812609722663.post-49156040213954189992010-08-10T21:18:43.203+01:002010-08-10T21:18:43.203+01:00Still can't bring myself to embrace Wetherspoo...Still can't bring myself to embrace Wetherspoons and they remain a last resort when we're on our travels. The vast majority are the antithesis of what good pubs are all about in terms of ambience and community.<br /><br />However, our local Spoons just won CAMRA Pub of the Season and seems to have finally worked out how to keep good, consistent ale (Thornbridge Ashford and two Titanics made an appearance on Saturday). It's like having a new pub.<br /><br />Also noticed that one of several closed boozers in Shotton, Flintshire, is just about to re-open as a Wetherspoons. Can't work out if this is what a town down on its luck needs to be honest. Did the other pubs nearby fail because of lack of demand or quality?granatahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08551985686564886849noreply@blogger.com