Wetherspoons locals

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22-02-2015, 21:52
london calling

Wetherspoons locals

I see we have 2 reviews of Wetherspoon,s new pub the John Hawksworth.Both mention its small with a limited amount of beers.This seems to go against their policy of buying freeholds ,building large pubs and pile it high sell it cheap (other than central London).They closed a lot of London pubs years ago as they realised they were too small for their concept to work.(I am assuming this is the reason).This if its the case will be the nail in the coffin to a lot of areas that till now have evaded McSpoons notice.This is just speculation but if I had his pub chain I would imagine this is the way to go.
22-02-2015, 22:44
Aqualung

Quote:

Originally Posted by london calling

I see we have 2 reviews of Wetherspoon,s new pub the John Hawksworth.Both mention its small with a limited amount of beers.This seems to go against their policy of buying freeholds ,building large pubs and pile it high sell it cheap (other than central London).They closed a lot of London pubs years ago as they realised they were too small for their concept to work.(I am assuming this is the reason).This if its the case will be the nail in the coffin to a lot of areas that till now have evaded McSpoons notice.This is just speculation but if I had his pub chain I would imagine this is the way to go.

I'm going there myself tomorrow and am expecting to hate it judging by the reviews.
The main reason so many London Spoons closed way back was because they couldn't do the food operation that they wanted to standardise.
I get the impression that this is a Station bar. I have no idea how busy Cannon Street station is as it must be the only London Terminus I have never used. The only comparison I can make is with the one on Victoria Station which isn't that big, but Victoria is a large busy station at all times.
I've been to two new Spoons recently, the Brentwood one which is a typical shop conversion but better executed than the 1990s identikit ones and the Hoddesdon one which is a large old barn of a pub. Slightly less newer ones are Shoebutyness, another large original pub and most surprisingly the one in Pwllheli on the Lleyn Peninsula in North West Wales which is quite a large shop conversion.
I get the impression that the biggest problems JDW have is from people objecting to them opening a pub, usually from the vested interests of other publicans or the gentrification brigade who think that a Spoons if far too common for their neighbourhood. In answer to your main point as to whether this will result in a number of smaller Spoons in new areas I would guess no. It really doesn't fit in with what they do.
23-02-2015, 10:03
Quinno

Cannon Street is mega-busy Mon-Fri during rush hour and nearby there has been a lot of new offices going up. It's quieter at weekends.
23-02-2015, 10:52
Strongers

Quote:

Originally Posted by Quinno

Cannon Street is mega-busy Mon-Fri during rush hour and nearby there has been a lot of new offices going up. It's quieter at weekends.

Cannon Street is dead at the weekends and I'm pretty sure the station shuts early evening on a Saturdays and is closed on Sundays.
04-03-2015, 14:22
Aqualung

Quote:

Originally Posted by Strongers

Cannon Street is dead at the weekends and I'm pretty sure the station shuts early evening on a Saturdays and is closed on Sundays.

The current national timetable shows trains running late on Saturday and on Sunday. Whether this is related to the rebuild of London Bridge I don't know. Wetherspoons news says that the hours are 07:00-23:30 but open until midnight Thursday / Friday and just 08:00-18:00 on Sunday. The JDW web site still shows no opening hours.
05-03-2015, 10:14
Alesonly

I would like too see some type of proper wetherspoons local that just serves beer and bar snacks. As I feel wetherspoons has totally lost its way now. Problem is now it resembles everything I tried to avoid in a pub during the 70s /80s that we first went into the spoons to avoid. Its just like a Beefeater or Harvester its all too foodie & full of kids & lager drinkers. I now avoid them at all cost when I can thank god there seems to be a revival in small Ale and craft beer pubs.
05-03-2015, 20:41
bcfczuluarmy

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alesonly

its all too foodie & full of kids & lager drinkers. I now avoid them at all cost when I can thank god there seems to be a revival in small Ale and craft beer pubs.

Really? Most I go into locally are full of people drinking cheap ale from early doors and not many kids in sight. The lager ain't cheap and cheaper can normally be found close by in most cases. Admittedly yes food is a prominent part of the business, people got to eat though and with the value for money why not embrace the value for money along with the ales offered. Was in one the other night and staff were doing a sterling job of promoting the craft beer range they stock.

But hey I'm a lager drinker so maybe I've rose tinted glasses on at getting charged more to drink lager in nearly every instance of venturing into a JDW premises.
05-03-2015, 22:00
Aqualung

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alesonly

I would like too see some type of proper wetherspoons local that just serves beer and bar snacks. As I feel wetherspoons has totally lost its way now. Problem is now it resembles everything I tried to avoid in a pub during the 70s /80s that we first went into the spoons to avoid. Its just like a Beefeater or Harvester its all too foodie & full of kids & lager drinkers. I now avoid them at all cost when I can thank god there seems to be a revival in small Ale and craft beer pubs.

The Tollgate at Turnpike Lane has always seemed to be a drinker's Spoons to me. I went there a few weeks ago and had a few good ELB Quadrant Stouts. I believe that they also have Redemption Hopspur and Dark Star Hophead as permanent guests.
I must admit I have had issues with the beer quality in the past.

You'll have the shiny new Mossy Well at Muswell Hill Broadway by the end of July. It seems odd that they should open a new one so close to the Devonshire House and The Tollgate so I have to wonder what it will be like.

A proper Spoons as you describe is going back to their first London venues which have almost all disappeared. The Sir John Hawkshaw in the original post is no way a Wetherspoons Lite but a Station Bar. When I went there around 11:00 it was virtually empty and I may have been the only one in there for just a drink.