Wetherspoons

Tim Martin opened his first pub in 1979 in Colney Hatch Lane in Muswell Hill, London.{{cite web|url=http://www.morningadvertiser.co.uk/news_detail.aspx?articleid=2891 |title=Refurb for Tim Martin's first outlet | work = Property News |publisher=Morning Advertiser |access-date=26 February 2010}} Many of the other early Wetherspoon pubs were also in the western part of Haringey. The name of the business originates from JD Hogg, a character in The Dukes of Hazzard, and Wetherspoon, the surname of one of Martin's teachers in New Zealand, who was known to not be able to control his classroom, similar to Martin's first pub, thus the name.{{cite news |last1=Cumming |first1=Ed |title=How Britain fell for Wetherspoon's |url=https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2017/aug/06/how-britain-fell-for-wetherspoons |access-date=2 June 2021 |work=The Guardian |date=6 August 2017 |language=en}}[http://www.morningadvertiser.co.uk/news.ma/article/2891 Refurb for Tim Martin's first outlet] Morning Advertiser, 1 September 2005{{cite news |last1=Mathiason |first1=Nick |title=The real pub landlord |url=https://www.theguardian.com/business/2002/mar/03/theeuro.europeanunion |access-date=2 June 2021 |work=The Observer |date=3 March 2002 |language=en}}

During the 1990s, Wetherspoons began a policy of routinely closing its smaller or less profitable outlets, often replacing them with larger premises close by. In 1998, Wetherspoons introduced the oversized pint glass to promote the "full pint".{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/the-investment-column-wetherspoon-dips-in-growth-glitch-1149610.html |title=The Investment Column: Wetherspoon dips in growth glitch | work = Business, News |publisher=The Independent |date=11 March 1998 |access-date=26 February 2010 | location=London}} This initiative was withdrawn, supposedly because customers were still asking for top-ups, but arguably because other pub chains did not follow its lead.{{cite web|url=http://www.camranorthlondon.org.uk/fullpint/fp0605.html |title=Full Pint Issue 6 |publisher=CAMRA North London |date=28 August 2002 |access-date=26 February 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080604093624/http://www.camranorthlondon.org.uk/fullpint/fp0605.html |archive-date=4 June 2008 }}

Wetherspoons pioneered non-smoking areas in pubs before the Smoking, Health and Social Care (Scotland) Act 2005, The Smoking (Northern Ireland) Order 2006 and the Health Act 2006 in England and Wales became law in 2006.{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/4201053.stm |title=Wetherspoon pubs ban smoking|access-date=2 June 2008|work=BBC News | date=24 January 2005}}{{cite news|url= https://www.theguardian.com/business/2005/jan/24/society.smoking|title=Wetherspoon pubs to ban smoking|access-date=2 June 2008|work=guardian.co.uk | location=London | first=Mark | last=Tran | date=24 January 2005}}

In 2015, Wetherspoons was ordered to pay a total of £24,000 in damages for "direct racial discrimination" to eight individuals who were refused admittance to one of its pubs in north London (The Coronet on Holloway Road, Islington) based on what a judge described as "the stereotypical assumption that Irish travellers and English gypsies cause disorder wherever they go".{{Cite news|title=Pub chain pays damages over traveller race bias|date=18 May 2015|newspaper=London Evening Standard|page=10}}

On 16 April 2018, Wetherspoons deleted all of its social media profiles. Chairman Tim Martin cited the "current bad publicity surrounding social media, including the trolling of MPs and others" as a reason for the decision.{{cite news|last1=Christie|first1=Sophie|title=JD Wetherspoon closes all of its social media accounts with immediate effect|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2018/04/16/jd-wetherspoon-closes-social-media-accounts-immediate-effect/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2018/04/16/jd-wetherspoon-closes-social-media-accounts-immediate-effect/ |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|access-date=16 April 2018|work=The Daily Telegraph|date=16 April 2018}}{{cbignore}}

The chain, whose founder is a strong supporter of Brexit, replaced champagne with British and Australian sparkling wines on 9 July 2018. The firm stated that the goal was to reduce prices for its two million weekly customers.{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/wetherspoons-brexit-latest-champagne-sparkling-wines-beer-menu-a8396341.html|title=Wetherspoon to replace champagne with British sparkling wines in the run-up to Brexit|date=13 June 2018|website=The Independent}}

In mid-March 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom, the government advised the public to avoid areas like pubs, clubs, restaurants, and gyms. As a result, many pub chains closed. However, Wetherspoon chairman Tim Martin rejected the government's advice and initially did not close any pubs, saying that his instinct was that "closure won't save lives but will cost thousands of jobs".[https://www.theguardian.com/business/2020/mar/20/coronavirus-wetherspoons-boss-says-uk-pubs-will-stay-open-as-long-as-possible Wetherspoons boss says UK pubs will stay open as long as possible] The Guardian 20 March 2020 The government ordered the closure of all pubs from 21 March.{{Cite news|title=PM orders shutdown of all bars and restaurants|date=21 March 2020|work=The Times|page=1}}

Martin suggested that if some staff were offered jobs in supermarkets they should consider taking them and promised that he would give first preference to those who wanted to come back to Wetherspoons.{{Cite web |date=2020-03-24 |title=Millionaire Wetherspoon's boss says staff might want to work for Tesco |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/coronavirus-wetherspoon-tim-martin-pub-closed-tesco-supermarket-uk-a9420906.html |first1=Colin |last1=Drury |website=The Independent |language=en |url-status=live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20221020111949/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/coronavirus-wetherspoon-tim-martin-pub-closed-tesco-supermarket-uk-a9420906.html%3famp |archive-date= Oct 20, 2022 }} A number of newspapers inaccurately reported Martin's suggestion, adding that Wetherspoons would withhold staff pay also, but later issued corrections.{{Cite web |date=2024-01-15 |title=Wetherspoon founder Sir Tim Martin wins fifth retraction from newspaper |url=https://www.thebusinessdesk.com/south-west/news/10750-wetherspoon-founder-sir-tim-martin-wins-fifth-retraction-from-newspaper |access-date=2024-10-22 |website=South West |language=en}} The majority of staff were placed on the Government furlough scheme after its announcement.{{cite news |url=https://www.morningstar.co.uk/uk/news/AN_1588849742188310800/jd-wetherspoons-corrects-media-reports-on-staff-pay-and-reopenings.aspx |title=JD Wetherspoons Corrects Media Reports On Staff Pay And Reopenings |work=Morning Star |date=7 May 2020 | access-date=24 August 2020}}{{dead link|date=April 2024}}

Wetherspoons told its suppliers in March it would not pay them until its 874 pubs were allowed to reopen after the coronavirus lockdown.{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/business/2020/mar/25/jd-wetherspoon-refuses-pay-suppliers-until-uk-coronavirus-lockdown-ends |first1=Rob |last1=Davies |title=JD Wetherspoon refuses to pay suppliers until lockdown ends|date=25 March 2020|website=The Guardian|access-date=29 March 2020}} In October 2020, Wetherspoons reported its first loss in 36 years. For the year ending in July 2020, the company published a pre-tax loss of £34.1 million; the previous year, it reported a pre-tax profit of £102.5 million.{{cite news|url=https://www.ft.com/content/972248cf-1a78-4c3a-b50e-f3e58b29df6e |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221210/https://www.ft.com/content/972248cf-1a78-4c3a-b50e-f3e58b29df6e |archive-date=10 December 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Pub chain Wetherspoons pushed by Covid to first annual loss since 1984 |work=Financial Times|date=16 October 2020|access-date=16 October 2020|author=Alice Hancock}}

In March 2021, Wetherspoons reaffirmed its expansion plans including 75 projects, comprising 18 new pubs and 57 significant extensions to existing venues. Martin said that the ten-year project would create 2,000 jobs for staff, but that it would be "conditional on the UK opening back up again on a long-term basis, with no further lockdowns or the constant changing of rules".{{cite news |last1=Wood |first1=Zoe |title=JD Wetherspoon to create 2,000 jobs with post-lockdown investment |url=https://www.theguardian.com/business/2021/mar/30/wetherspoon-to-create-2000-jobs-with-post-lockdown-investment |access-date=2 June 2021 |work=The Guardian |date=30 March 2021 |language=en}}

The company announced, in April 2025, that it would open its first pub in the Isle of Man in Douglas in May 2025. Manx hospitality groups expressed doubt about the viability of further expansion.{{cite news |last1=Curphey |first1=Tom |title='We didn't really expect it': Pub bosses react to Wetherspoons announcement |url=https://www.iomtoday.co.im/news/we-didnt-really-expect-it-pub-bosses-react-to-wetherspoons-announcement-779560 |access-date=2 April 2025 |work=Isle of Man Today |date=1 April 2025}}

File:Cask beer pumps on the Bar at the Broken Bridge, Horsefair, Pontefract (4th December 2022).jpg.]]

File:WS Rochdale Chicken Katsu Curry Rice.jpg, as part of 'Curry Club' every Thursday]]

Wetherspoon's low-price food and drink offering is aimed at the mass market. A large standardised menu is available all day in every pub, cultivating a perception of "unpretentious good value". Wetherspoons claims to be "the only large pub firm which opens all its pubs early in the morning", serving breakfast and coffee.{{cite web|url=https://www.jdwetherspoon.com/clubs|title=Quality Food, Great Value – Food Menu |website=J D Wetherspoon|access-date=2 June 2021}} The food menu has regularly incorporated additional healthier and allergen-friendly options, and displays a calorie rating next to every item.

Wetherspoons hosts ale Festivals every March/April and October, during which a larger than usual range of guest ales is available. The chain also hosts a cider festival during the summer.{{cite web|url=http://cask-marque.co.uk/cask-matters/wetherspoons-spring-festival-focuses-british-hops/|title=Wetherspoon's spring festival focuses on British hops|publisher=Cask Marque|date=2 February 2015|access-date=16 April 2016}} The company claims to be the biggest investor in craft beer in the country.

Wetherspoons holds different 'clubs' each week, offering discounts against normal prices, such as 'Steak Club' on Tuesdays and 'Curry Club' on Thursdays.{{cite web|url=https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/whats-on/food-drink/wetherspoons-run-curry-club-steak-5549161|title=Wetherspoons to run Curry Club, Steak Club, and Fish Friday on every day of the week|publisher=LeicestershareLive|date=21 June 2021|access-date=1 May 2025}}

Wetherspoons objected to the value-added tax (VAT) rates on food sales in pubs and restaurants in the United Kingdom, and the fact they are higher than those paid by supermarkets.{{cite news|url=https://www.heraldscotland.com/business_hq/21306795.pub-giant-jd-wetherspoon-slash-prices-thursday/|title=Pub giant JD Wetherspoon to slash prices on Thursday|date=12 September 2022|newspaper=Herald Scotland|access-date=14 September 2022}} VAT rates on alcoholic drinks were the same in both pubs and supermarkets.{{cite web |title=VAT rates on different goods and services |url=https://www.gov.uk/guidance/rates-of-vat-on-different-goods-and-services#food-and-drink-animals-animal-feed-plants-and-seeds|website=www.gov.uk |publisher= UK government |access-date=14 September 2022}} When VAT was temporarily reduced from 20% to 5% during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Wetherspoons was one of several chains to pass some of that saving to customers.{{cite news |title=Wetherspoons launches £1.29 pint as VAT rates cut |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/vat-discount-rishi-sunak-beer-cheaper-wetherspoons-discount-a9616096.html |access-date=5 September 2020 |work=www.independent.co.uk |language=en}}

File:The Lord High Constable of England Wetherspoon pub.jpg]]

File:Liverpool and Martin's Bank, Park Row, (west side) Leeds - geograph.org.uk - 1394854.jpg, its name reflecting the building's former use]]

File:Palladium, Llandudno 4.jpg, a theatre converted to pub in 2001.]]

Though some are new-build or late twentieth century properties, many Wetherspoon pubs are conversions of existing historic buildings which have become redundant, including banks, churches, post offices, theatres and a former public swimming pool, with many properties being listed buildings.{{cite web|url=https://www.jdwetherspoon.com/pub-histories|title=Pub Histories|publisher=Wetherspoons|access-date=30 March 2018}} Pubs are furnished thematically according to the heritage of the building or location, and have routinely won design awards. This has been seen as part of Wetherspoon's wider engagement with local history, which includes the prominent display of posters on local history, a dedicated pub history page, and unique carpets.

Wetherspoons has opened outlets in the passenger terminals of some UK airports, including Doncaster Sheffield Airport, Edinburgh Airport, Gatwick Airport, Heathrow Airport, and Stansted Airport, as well as at several major railway stations, including London Waterloo, Leeds, Liverpool Lime Street, London Cannon Street, London Liverpool Street, and London Victoria.{{cite web|url=http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/whats-on/food-drink-news/first-look-see-inside-new-9584365|title=First look: See inside the new £2 million North Western pub at Lime Street|date=3 July 2015|publisher=Liverpool Echo|access-date=16 April 2016}}{{cite web|title=JD Wetherspoon To Open 900th Pub Next Week|url=http://catererlicensee.com/jd-wetherspoon-to-open-900th-pub-next-week/|access-date=24 March 2014|archive-date=24 March 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140324014945/http://catererlicensee.com/jd-wetherspoon-to-open-900th-pub-next-week/|url-status=dead}} The main station buildings at Aberystwyth railway station were converted to a Wetherspoons pub, Yr Hen Orsaf The Old Station, and received a National Railway Heritage Award in 2003.{{cite web |title=Yr Hen Orsaf Aberystwyth |url=https://www.jdwetherspoon.com/pub-histories/wales/ceredigion/yr-hen-orsaf-aberystwyth |website=J D Wetherspoon |access-date=20 July 2019 |ref=AYW-pub}}

The first Wetherspoons pub in Northern Ireland was The Spinning Mill in Ballymena, County Antrim, which opened in 2000.{{cite web|url=https://www.egi.co.uk/news/jd-wetherspoon-makes-northern-ireland-debut/?region=news-region-england-east-of-england|title=JD Wetherspoon makes Northern Ireland debut|date=14 August 2000|publisher=EG Radius|access-date=5 April 2022}} The first Wetherspoons pub in the Republic of Ireland, The Three Tun Tavern, opened in Blackrock, County Dublin, in 2014. Another opened in Cork in 2015.{{cite web |url = http://businessetc.thejournal.ie/wetherspoon-opens-in-blackrock-1559614-Jul2014/|title= Open for business: Wetherspoon's first Irish pub serves its first customers|date=8 July 2014|work= The Journal|access-date=8 July 2014}}{{cite news | url = http://www.irishtimes.com/business/sectors/agribusiness-and-food/guinness-pulled-from-menu-at-wetherspoon-s-blackrock-pub-1.1850415 | title = Guinness pulled from menu at Wetherspoon's Blackrock pub | newspaper = The Irish Times | date = 30 June 2014 |author = Ciarán Hancock }}{{cite web|url=http://m.independent.ie/business/irish/video-first-look-inside-irelands-first-wetherspoon-pub-30415014.html|title=Video: First look inside Ireland's first Wetherspoon pub|work=Independent.ie|date=8 July 2014 |access-date=3 April 2015}} The Three Tun Tavern closed in January 2022 after it was bought by a consortium of former and current Irish rugby players, including Rob Kearney and Jamie Heaslip.{{cite news |last1=Telford |first1=Thomas |title=Rob Kearney and Jamie Heaslip among rugby legends to buy southside Wetherspoons |url=https://www.dublinlive.ie/news/dublin-news/dublin-pubs-rob-kearney-jamie-22863972 |access-date=5 April 2022 |work=DublinLive |date=25 January 2022 |language=en}}

In 2014, Wetherspoons opened a pub at the Beaconsfield motorway service area on the M40. The move was criticised by road safety charities for potentially encouraging drink-driving.{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/m40-wetherspoons-first-motorway-pub-sends-completely-wrong-message-on-drinkdriving-9073803.html|title=JD Wetherspoon opens first motorway pub|work=The Independent|date=21 January 2014|access-date=3 April 2015}}

Its largest pub is the Royal Victorian Pavilion in Ramsgate, in a building which was originally a concert hall, and later a nightclub.{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/united-kingdom/britains-biggest-wetherspoons/ |title='It's like being in the 1980s again': My day drinking in Britain's biggest Wetherspoons |last=Haines |first=Gavin |website=The Telegraph |location=London |url-access=subscription |date=1 June 2025 |access-date=1 June 2025}}

Wetherspoons also operates a chain of hotels. In 2015, there were 34 hotels in England, Wales and Scotland, and also a pub and hotel in Camden Street, Dublin, Ireland.{{cite news|url=http://www.irishtimes.com/business/agribusiness-and-food/jd-wetherspoon-to-open-hotel-bar-at-homeless-hostel-in-dublin-1.2038197|title=JD Wetherspoon to open hotel, bar at homeless hostel in Dublin|date=15 December 2014|newspaper=The Irish Times}}

Every Wetherspoons in Great Britain was visited by Mags Thomson from 1994 to October 2015. She visited 972, which included 80 that had subsequently closed.{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-34440109|title=One woman's 21-year odyssey to visit every Wetherspoon's|date=31 October 2015|publisher=BBC News|access-date=29 April 2017}}

In 2018, the company announced plans to open a National JD Wetherspoon Museum in Wolverhampton in the West Midlands. The existing pub, The Moon Under Water on Lichfield Street, would be expanded to take in the whole former Co-Op Department Store, to include a hotel and gift shop.{{cite web|url=http://www.wolverhampton.gov.uk/article/13594/National-museum-part-of-7m-city-Wetherspoon-plan|title=National museum part of £7m city Wetherspoon plan|publisher=wolverhampton.gov.uk|date=13 December 2018}} Plans were approved in April 2020.{{cite news |title=Plans for Wetherspoon museum in Wolverhampton pub approved |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-52105768 |access-date=2 June 2021 |work=BBC News |date=1 April 2020}}

In 2022, the company announced it was selling 32 of its sites, including that at the Beaconsfield motorway service area.{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-63067712 | title=Wetherspoon to sell Beaconsfield M40 services pub | date=28 September 2022 | publisher=BBC News |access-date=29 September 2022 }}

Each Wetherspoons pub has one or more unique carpets, inspired by the pub's name, location and building. They are made by Axminster Carpets and, sometimes having more than the usual six colours, have to be partially handmade on old fashioned looms, costing up to £30,000 – twice as much as stock designs.{{Cite news |last=Haynes |first=Gavin |date=2016-01-10 |title=The secret life of Wetherspoon's freaky carpets |url=https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/shortcuts/2016/jan/10/wetherspoons-carpet-tumblr-blog |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |url-status=live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20230516054922/https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/shortcuts/2016/jan/10/wetherspoons-carpet-tumblr-blog |archive-date= May 16, 2023 }} These have been the subject of a book, Spoons Carpets, by Kit Caliss{{cite news |last1=Sanderson |first1=Caroline |title=Kit Caless: 'If I'd pitched the book from scratch, I'd have been laughed out of every publisher's office' |work= The Bookseller |url=https://www.thebookseller.com/profile/kit-caless-if-i-d-have-pitched-book-scratch-i-d-have-been-laughed-out-every-publisher-s |date=29 September 2016 | access-date=11 April 2021 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210411132550/https://www.thebookseller.com/profile/kit-caless-if-i-d-have-pitched-book-scratch-i-d-have-been-laughed-out-every-publisher-s |archive-date= 11 April 2021 }}{{cite book |last1=Caless |first1=Kit |title=Spoon's carpets. An appreciation. |date=2016 |publisher=Square Peg |location=London |isbn=9781910931493}} and a colouring book, Colour Your Own Spoons Carpet.{{cite book |last1=Hancock |first1=Louie |title=Colour Your Own Spoons Carpet: bumper uk edition. |date=2020 |publisher=Independent Publishing Network |location=[S.l.] |isbn=978-1838537524}}

{{Gallery

|JDW Raymond Mays Carpet 2.jpg

| Raymond Mays, Bourne

| alt1 = Racing car wheels in several red, yellow black and grey

| Moon & Spoon 20180307 151334 (49773407067).jpg

| Moon and Spoon, Slough

| alt2 =

| Talk of the Town, Paignton 20181204 103540 (49773051216).jpg

| Talk of the Town, Paignton

| alt3 =

| The Green Ginger 20181204 144339 (49772604293).jpg

| The Green Ginger, Torquay

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| The Imperial Hotel, Exeter 20181203 144924 (49772985781).jpg

| The Imperial Hotel, Exeter

| alt5 =

| The Isaac Merritt 20181204 100410 (49773365357).jpg

| The Isaac Merritt, Paignton

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| The Panniers, Barnstaple 20181207 122610 (49775628798).jpg

| The Panniers, Barnstaple

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| The Picture Playhouse, Bexhill (Dining2).jpg

| The Picture Playhouse, Bexhill

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| The Water Gate, Barnstaple 20181207 105454 (49773763247).jpg

| The Water Gate, Barnstaple

| alt9 =

| Wetherspoon carpet- Cambridge's The Regal.jpg

| The Regal, Cambridge

| alt10 = Pieces of 35 mm film, with sprocket holes and frames, some with spools at either end, and abstract shapes

| Wetherspoon carpet- Elephant and Castle.jpg

| Rockingham Arms, Elephant and Castle

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| Wetherspoon carpet- Windsor.jpg

| The King and Castle, Windsor

| alt12 =

| Wetherspoon's carpets- Midsummer Boulevard.jpg

| Wetherspoons, Milton Keynes

| alt13 =

| Wetherspoon's carpets- Moon Under Water, Milton Keynes.jpg

| Moon Under Water, Milton Keynes

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}}

The company produces a quarterly in-house magazine, Wetherspoon News, which contains information on the company's activities, its employees, pubs, political views and comments on recent media mentions.{{cite news |last1=Farrell |first1=Sean |title=JD Wetherspoon may have breached law over 1.9m Brexit beer mats |url=https://www.theguardian.com/business/2019/oct/27/jd-wetherspoon-may-have-breached-law-over-19m-brexit-beer-mats |access-date=17 September 2022 |work=The Guardian |publisher=Guardian News & Media Limited |date=27 October 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191027122514/https://www.theguardian.com/business/2019/oct/27/jd-wetherspoon-may-have-breached-law-over-19m-brexit-beer-mats |archive-date=27 October 2019 |location=London, England |language=en}} The chain also offers a mobile app and provides on menu QR codes from which customers can order food and drink to their table to avoid queuing at the bar, even from outside the pub.{{cite web |title=The Wetherspoon app |url=https://www.jdwetherspoon.com/pubs/order-and-pay-app |website=J D Wetherspoon}}

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