Wether To Or Wether Not To. (J.D. Wetherspoon in general)

Member Name: Emmald

Product:	J.D. Wetherspoon in general
Date:	30/08/09 (124 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: The prices.

Disadvantages: It can become crowded and too noisy.

Yesterday we paid a visit to our local Wetherspoons, it is absolutely ages since we last visited but The Other Half was at a loose end and in his infinite wisdom he thought it was time to go and try a pint of their finest.
The large building is situated on the edge of our small town and it is not by any means architecturally beautiful, in fact Christopher Wren would surely spin in his grave if he was able to see the monstrous carbuncle that is the watering hole of the masses !

Our local Wetherspoon's is separated into four different sections, there is a seating area that looks out over the Market Square, another seating area adjacent to the bar, the restaurant and an ante room that leads out onto the patio come smoking area.
As you approach the building the first thing that grabs you is all of the advertising boards that are placed here there and everywhere, Breakfasts for £3.99, Curry Night, Steak Night, Burger and a drink meals, Meal Deals, Wine Tasting weeks, Real Ale tasting weeks, the list is endless and some of the deals look to offer good value.
I noticed that Wetherspoon's offered many of their meal deals as a package, the meal and a drink for one set price. This is a good offer as long as your tipple is one of those mentioned on the list.

Having been in many months ago I knew what to expect and nothing had changed, the bar was busy and the ante-room was quiet, so we decided to sit in peace. Wetherspoon's do not have piped music, I presume that this cuts costs, no music equals no Licence fee.
But I happened to notice that there was a large flat screen television attached to the wall, though it remained turned off and people were far too busy catching up on the local gossip to be bothered with television anyway.

Wetherspoon's would certainly benefit from a visit from The Sixty Minute Makeover Team but having said that I have seen far tattier. The décor is contemporary and it has so many people visiting during the course of a day that it would almost be impossible to make it any different than what it already is.
The floors are a combination of wood and carpet and the carpet does look tired.

The Other Half settled for a pint of Carling and I decided to enjoy just a half a pint of Fosters Amber Nectar. The glasses were fresh and clean and the lager was well chilled and clear.
The majority of the bar staff are young and that includes the Duty Managers. When you pay for your drinks the staff are polite and at least they acknowledge your presence.

We were both quite enjoying watching the world go by and on the spur of the moment we decided that we were feeling a bit peckish and would take advantage of one of the offers on the menu.
I cannot go into great detail regarding the menu or this review will turn into Encyclopaedia Britannica but I will say that the menu seems to cater for everyone, including children.
I ordered the Ploughman's Lunch at £3.99 and The Other Half fancied the Ham, Egg and Chips for £2.99.
Common sense is going to tell you that the meal is not going to be Haute Cuisine or have mammoth portions at that price.
We placed the food order at the bar and then returned to our table, in a couple of minutes our cutlery was delived. The cutlery was clean ( one of my worst nightmares - dirty or marked cutlery!) and a couple of minute later our food appeared, the table was clean and tidy but I put my plate on top of my magazine !

The Ploughman's Lunch looked surprisingly good, a good lump of strong `Tickler` cheddar cheese, a handsome slice of pork pie, a brown baguette, a side salad and some pickle.
The Ham, eggs and chips looked a little lost on the large white china plate but apart from that it looked perfectly acceptable.
I enjoyed every mouthful of my meal, The Other Half was not quite as lucky - he felt that the eggs were overdone ( crispy edges) and the portion of chips was far too small to meet the demands of a growing man ( LOL).
I gave my meal 7/10 and the Ham, Egg and Chips scored a lowly 4/10.

We had chosen to visit at the quiet time of day and the venture was reasonably successful.
Yes, there were quite a few enjoying a drink and a few that had seemingly enjoyed one drink too many but we chose to sit in the quieter area and we were well away from the madding crowd.

As we were getting ready to go there were people who were just finishing work who obviously fancied a quick pint on the way home and Wetherspoon's was starting to fill up.
A visit to the loo was essential, the loo is at the top of two flights of stairs which seems rather strange. But the toilets and handbasins are clean and tidy.

The patio area is filled with tables and it is well used, as the sun started to shine more and more people were taking advantage of that seating area and the opportunity to enjoy a cigarette.
Wetherspoon's does have wheelchair access and a downstairs toilet for the disabled.

The pint and a half of lager cost just £3.30p, so that represented good value.
If you wanted to celebrate a special occasion then Wetherspoon's may not be the place to do it but if you fancy a chat over a well priced pint of beer then you may well be more than happy to take advantage of what they have on offer.
There is no pretence, Wetherspoon's is what it is and it cannot possible be anything else !
I noticed that someone was enjoying a delicious looking mugful og frothy Latte coffee, so this idea may appeal to me if I visit again.
For an impromptu visit I would not rule out the idea.

Summary: If you can choose a quiet time then you just might enjoy a cheap drink.