Health group angered by 99p pint

Toiletroll

A pub chain is cutting the price of a pint to 99p to cheer cash-strapped drinkers - but the move has sparked criticism from an alcohol charity.
JD Wetherspoon, which operates 713 pubs across the UK, is offering "indefinite" reductions on some beer, bottled lager, wine and spirits, plus £2.99 meals.
Health campaigners fear other pub chains could follow.
Alcohol Concern says pricing drinks at 1989 levels could cause more people to drink too much and end up in hospital.
Nicolay Sorensen, from the charity, said prices across the industry were already 65% lower in real terms than in 1980.
"The number of alcohol-related hospital admissions is continuing to rise at an astonishing rate," he said, adding that treating drink-related illnesses costs the NHS £2.7bn per year.
He said that by selling beer at 99p per pint, pubs were not acting responsibly.

"The drinks industry isn't able to regulate itself responsibly and it's for the government to take action."
But Mark Hastings, of the British Beer and Pub Association, said the 99p pint only applied to one brand of beer - Greene King IPA - in one chain of bars.
Customers could stay at home and drink beer from supermarkets much more cheaply, whereas pubs offered a more responsible environment, he said.
"We are trying to stay in business, keep jobs in our sector and compete in a very competitive market," said Mr Hastings.
He said that with pubs closing at a rate of five per day, the sector had already lost 44,000 jobs.
Wetherspoon's chief executive John Hutson said the company was helping people in the face of the economic downturn.
"We believe that our new food and drink prices will allow people to enjoy a visit to a Wetherspoon pub without it costing them too much," he said.

URL="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7810263.stm"]source[/URL

FloorBoard

this government tatter.

we care about your health, blah, blah, blah.

In the north you can buy 45 cans of larger for £20. You can buy two fillet steaks for £12.

Soviet union, bottle of vodka for free, queue for about 6 hours for a piece of bread.

Some things never change.

super_furry

I'd fecking love Wetherspoons to open up here. Weren't they trying to a few years back?

mikemac

Reminds me of when Tesco started selling cost price beer and the publicans said would it damage their profit margins cause irresponsible drinking

That chain are in Belfast and Enniskillen, nice bar food too. I'd welcome them to this market.

Highsider

Why are'nt this chain set up in Ireland :mad:

Thomas_S_Hunterson

Fair play to the pubs, I wish there was something similar here.

ergo

please no Wetherspoon's in Ireland

just what we need, a chain of identical, soul-less pubs selling cheap booze to batter the already struggling industry and kill off any pub with actual character

Mint Sauce

ergo wrote: »

please no Wetherspoon's in Ireland

just what we need, a chain of identical, soul-less pubs selling cheap booze to batter the already struggling industry and kill off any pub with actual character

+1, have never been in one that had any atmosphere

Toiletroll

ergo wrote: »

please no Wetherspoon's in Ireland

just what we need, a chain of identical, soul-less pubs selling cheap booze to batter the already struggling industry and kill off any pub with actual character

Wrong imo! The atmosphere in the Derry & Liverpool one is awesome in my experience! All types of people go there with all different cultures. Only stupid idiot fools would go somewhere thats twice the price lol

All the publicans will be on here now votaing against them lol as above

Toiletroll

Also I dont drink much at all, perhaps 3 or 4 times a year. I would be pissed after 3 quid in there! lol

Value value value... Id be set up for an amazing night. One of the things that stops me going out in Ireland is the fcuking €100 - €150 dent it seems to leave in your wallet even if you DONT have a crazy night... !!

mikemac

ergo wrote: »

please no Wetherspoon's in Ireland

It's another option.
You'll still have your pub with character selling overpriced drink. Wetherspoons are the value no-frills option so something different.
We have expensive hotel bars, we have overpriced pubs, we have some pubs that try to be reasoanble.
Wetherspoons will be just another section of this

Mc Love

Wetherspoons is a great pub chain! Cheap food, breakfast is quality and beer prices are dead on!!

Toiletroll

irish-stew wrote: »

+1, have never been in one that had any atmosphere

Also if everyone went around trying to find "atmosphere" then you would end up in a very boring world!

You make your own atmosphere with your friends! - You dont rely on others... Start with yourself it may spread! :P

juuge

Even if the publicans were to charge 99c for a pint they would still charge 2.50 euro for a glass of orange. Publicans motivation is like any other business, profit driven - nothing else.

galwayrush

I've been in Weatherspoons in England, always managed to get good value and a good meal there.:cool: If they did come, they won't take over , it'll be just another choice.:cool:

Tawny

It doesn't help prices I know, but I hope to God Ireland never develops the pub chain culture.

Lived in England for 6 years, and got used to the pubs in the city I lived in. Then you go for a day out or a weekend away in Cardiff, Liverpool, London.. wherever.

You decide to go for pub dinner somewhere... and wherever you are all you can find is Wetherspoons, Yates, Rat and Parrot, O'Neills, Slug and Lettuce, which is exactly the places you go to at home and you are sick of eating from the same menu, the same decor, staff that all look the same and the same choices of drinks and cocktails.

You might find a pub that isn't branded, and you think, 'Oh wonderful, a local pub, lets go there', so you go in, and the menu is the same as your local at home because its owned by the same brewery company. I went into 4 non-branded pubs in London in a row only to see the same menu on the tables.

Seriously, the longer the chains stay out the better.

Guy:Incognito

Smacks of Walmart-ism to me. Huge chain that can afford a hit drops prices to what a single publican cant afford and pushes him out. Long term result is that Wetherspoons rule the world.



Theres only so much cheap bangers and mash you can eat.

Toiletroll

Stekelly wrote: »

Smacks of Walmart-ism to me. Huge chain that can afford a hit drops prices to what a single publican cant afford and pushes him out. Long term result is that Wetherspoons rule the world.



Theres only so much cheap bangers and mash you can eat.

I wouldnt eat in there though. The bangers are microwave and mash bought in and mixed from powder stuff... They call it Colcannon

daveirl

This post has been deleted.

Tawny

-- P.S, I worked for one of the biggest groups too (http://www.thespiritgroup.com/pub-search-results.php?gsearch=&psearch=&cat=0&chk=0) and they do not treat employees particularly well.

My individual manager was okay, but the overall management was another story.

humberklog

Agree with posters re chains (soulless etc.) but sometimes it should be about cheap booze and food and we don't have that as an option. And we should. Shake up our shocking greedy owners.

The CurryClub on a Tuesday is a cracker. And the 5quid for a pint, burger and chips got me outta many a hole.

There's room for these places if only for the reason for choice. I like choice (even if I choose not to go).

Guy:Incognito

humberklog wrote: »

And the 5quid for a pint, burger and chips got me outta many a hole.).

Thats a lot of burgers if your a heavy drinker.:)

Kold

Because it's better to be poor when you drink too much. F*cking tards.

milly4ever

i don't drink but £2.99 for meals is brilliant! they have good food, and a much better menu than other pubs.

thelordofcheese

milly4ever wrote: »

i don't drink but £2.99 for meals is brilliant! they have good food, and a much better menu than other pubs.

I don't know what witherspoons you've think you've been visiting, but their food is anything but good.

Enjoy your zebu.

Galvasean

£4 for a pint and a meal. Who cares if the meal isn't top quality? Considering a pint here costs a fiver without freebies.

Mimikyu

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oztots

This smells like a ryanair argument. Its cheap, its tacky, but its makes money still. And all the other people making massive money off customers saying they have to charge high prices complain to everyone.

Theres some law here against promotions isnt there?

Thomas_S_Hunterson

oztots wrote: »

Theres some law here against promotions isnt there?

As far as I know it's only that the price of a drink can't be reduced during the course of a single night.

Mimikyu

This post has been deleted.

oztots

Sean_K wrote: »

As far as I know it's only that the price of a drink can't be reduced during the course of a single night.

In that case i'd welcome any bar that sells cheap drink all the time.