why are there no J D Wetherspoon pubs in ROI?

humanji

W. G. Grace wrote: »

It's a haven for low lifes...before you know it Temple Bar will look like any British city centre with plastic bottles everywhere

You've clearly not been to Temple Bar in some time.

shruikan2553

W. G. Grace wrote: »

It's a haven for low lifes...before you know it Temple Bar will look like any British city centre with plastic bottles everywhere

Would rather get hit over the head with a plastic bottle than glass.

humanji

W. G. Grace wrote: »

I use temple bar all the time, the PorterHouse, The Temple Bar, The Palace and the Foggy Dew are regular haunts and none give you plastic glasses or bottles on weekends.

Oh, you mean when they get thrown out on the street at exactly 11pm and rather than have everyone holding glasses, they give them plastic? And then the people finish up their drinks and, if there's any staff about, they give the plastic cups back to them, or else stack them up and leave them on a table for collection when the staff is free.

And count yourself lucky for not having to witness the obscene amount of trouble you find around Temple Bar.

Augmerson

Mr Simpson wrote: »

They are coming here....

Serious?

RayCon

0ph0rce0 wrote: »

For the same reason i never will never eat the shíte that comes out of lidl or aldi

The power of advertising .... brand loyalty.

Mr Simpson

Augmerson wrote: »

Serious?

Read back a page or two. 30 of them planned

Grayson

Tar.Aldarion wrote: »

Even if you hate them, like ryanair, they force those around them t be cheaper, so I dunno why anybody would be unhappy with that.

have you ever heard of the vintners association?

karma_

LordSutch wrote: »

Surely we sould welcome the likes of JDs with open arms precisely because they will be breaking the stranglehold of another large company, namely Diageo. I look forward to a selection of local Irish & English Cask Ales on tap (along side the usual selection of lagers) & bottled beers . . .

The Irish pub industry (stale) needs a long overdue kick up the backside for the good of the consumers pocket & palate, and JDs are the very chain to do it. Expect sunday roast+ a pint of Ale for a tenner!

We have them in the North and they are exclusively the domain of the wanker. They didn't revolutionise the pub industry up here at all, in fact most people are willing to pay more for a pint just to avoid aforementioned ****.

Tar.Aldarion

Grayson wrote: »

have you ever heard of the vintners association?

Yes

grizzly

I think it's great news. I'm sick of hearing how special Irish pubs are. They are mostly overpriced and with a very limited selection of beer.

osarusan

Good news surely? If you want a few cheaper pints, there's the place for you.

If you want to head to your usual pub but would like the...ah...less desirables removed, well, they'll probably head to Wetherspoons for the cheap pints.

Richard Hillman

grizzly wrote: »

I think it's great news. I'm sick of hearing how special Irish pubs are. They are mostly overpriced and with a very limited selection of beer.

But what about "The Craic" and the "atmosphere" and other (imaginary) phenomena?

I hear "craic" is banned in Wetherspoons :eek:

Links234

You know what, I'm going about this all wrong!

I'm comparing Wetherspoons to other UK pubs, last time I went to London I had the absolute best night out in the Brew Dog in Camden, which also did some absolutely fantastic pizza. The food in the Wetherspoons in the airport was rank, but I did have a nice pint of Jaipur and something else I can't remember on cask. But my problem with them is they're not the kind of place you can really have an evening out, it'd be like spending your evening in a Starbucks, they're grand in a train station or an airport or the like if you're grabbing a quick pint and a bit of cheap food. Even as far as chains go, I find Nicholson's pubs are far, far better than any Wetherspoons I've been in, better selection of ales, the food is easily some of the best pub food I've had, way better atmosphere and I could actually spend a night out there no problem. Hell, I'd be happy if there was a Nicholson's opening up in Ireland.

But compared to most Irish pubs? Yeah, I could well imagine myself having a nice pint or two in a Wetherspoons before heading on somewhere else. Ireland seriously lacks places that does cask ales. If they're supporting more Irish breweries and not just serving the usual Diageo piss, then all the better.

Links234

Also, I know I've said it before, but...

www.galwaybaybrewery.com > Wetherspoons

awec

karma_ wrote: »

We have them in the North and they are exclusively the domain of the wanker. They didn't revolutionise the pub industry up here at all, in fact most people are willing to pay more for a pint just to avoid aforementioned ****.

Spot on, absolutely terrible pubs.

The one in Belfast is a total dive.

Links234

happyoutscan wrote: »

Can't remember the name of the pub but 10 or 15 years ago a '2 euro per drink' pub opened in Salthill Galway. Started out ok but wasn't very long before it was taken over by the scumbag/whino element.

Lasted no length after that.

It was called Fast Eddie's and it was the worst pub I've ever experienced

grizzly

Links234 wrote: »

Also, I know I've said it before, but...

www.galwaybaybrewery.com > Wetherspoons

Great pubs, went to Oslo and the Cottage Bar last time I was in Galway. Recommend both!

Sulla Felix

Richard Hillman wrote: »

But what about "The Craic" and the "atmosphere" and other (imaginary) phenomena?

I hear "craic" is banned in Wetherspoons :eek:

Why? Sure it's a good, wholesome word of English origin.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Craic

karma_

Sulla Felix wrote: »

Why? Sure it's a good, wholesome word of English origin.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Craic

Holy sheit, Kevin Myers even has a problem with how the word is spelled. Is there no low point in self loathing that man is not beyond?

Beefy78

ted1 wrote: »

An English measure is only 25ml where as an Irish one is 33ml. Drinks are often served in 440 ml glasses.

When comparing prices its always important to compare like for like

Spot on about the measures but I'm going to need some evidence on the 440ml glasses. A few years back Wetherspoons made a huge deal of the fact that they give you a real pint for your money - to the point where they were serving in oversized glasses so that even if your beer had a decent head on it you would still get a pint of it.

Personally I'm an unashamed fan of Spoons pubs. Whenever I'm home I tend to schedule a meet with friends starting at one - they a great place for starting the night as well. Food isn't all that but you learn what to go for - the stuff which can get microwaved is to be avoided but a steak or a breakfast is great for the price you're paying. Curry Club is microwaved but the curries pack enough punch and the deal is so good that you get on with it.

It does attract a certain clientele and there are a fair few people in there who I wouldn't necessarily invite over for Christmas lunch but a lot of that is snobbery. People tend to just mind their own business and in 15 years I can't remember seeing much/any trouble in them.

Best thing about it will be that it'll make drinking spirits in Dublin affordable. I'd expect a double gin & tonic or rum & coke to be €6-7 in there vs probably €13 in most places.

Cienciano

Allyall wrote: »

I don't think it's a case of 'falling for it' or not.

1 Irish unit of acohol is worth 1.27 British.
The standard value of a unit of Alcohol in Ireland is 10 grams or 12.7ml, whereas in the UK it's 7.9 grams or 10ml

Irish measure is 35.5ml (Metric) or 1/4 of a gill.
It's 25ml - 35ml in England, the choice of the Landlord, but as a rule of thumb the further North of England you go, the larger it is.
So, usually 25ml South, and 35ml North.

And a lot of the time you buy a shot in Ireland and you get it in a 25ml glass. Most of the time if you get a shot in a plastic glass in ireland, it's 25ml from my experience. Normally a fiver for it too.

Grayson wrote: »

have you ever heard of the vintners association?

And anything that pisses off the LVA or VFA is fine by me.

Penny Dreadful

dd972 wrote: »

You'd think with the boozing culture we have they'd have colonised our town and cities some time ago, plus costwise they'd annihilate the opposition paying through the nose for their Guinness and Heineken.

Only heard bit and bobs of rumour as to why there's no Spoon pubs here ranging from the fact that it's in the Eurozone and it doesn't fit in with their business plan and the Victuallers Association here are keeping them out by some means or other, anybody heard anything more substantial?

Why would a butchers care whether they were here or not?

anncoates

Dunno why people are automatically assuming they'll be much, much cheaper than the existing pubs here.

I'd wait and see.

I've been in a few Wetherspoons and some have been grand and some haven't.

Again, I'd wait and see.

Menas

I look forward to them coming over here. I love English ales and bitter on draft and really hope they sell these. If they do then I will be knocking on their door regardless of the type of crowd in there.

OldRio

Cienciano wrote: »

And a lot of the time you buy a shot in Ireland and you get it in a 25ml glass. Most of the time if you get a shot in a plastic glass in ireland, it's 25ml from my experience. Normally a fiver for it too.


And anything that pisses off the LVA or VFA is fine by me.

So, you attend the type of drinking establishments that dare not trust its customers with glass.

Beefy78

anncoates wrote: »

Dunno why people are automatically assuming they'll be much, much cheaper than the existing pubs here.

I'd wait and see.

Because that is the business model. If they're literally just using the existing supply from the North then we can expect the new pubs to follow the pricing strategy seen in the other 870 Wetherspoons pubs in the UK.

Links234

Trigger Happy wrote: »

I love English ales and bitter on draft and really hope they sell these.

Try the Black Sheep on Capel Street so, they've 3 or 4 casks on rotation, and plenty of English ales available, I'd highly recommend it.

McG

karma_ wrote: »

We have them in the North and they are exclusively the domain of the wanker. They didn't revolutionise the pub industry up here at all, in fact most people are willing to pay more for a pint just to avoid aforementioned ****.

still worth having then if only to keep the "****" out of the pubs you do want to go to.

harney

Trigger Happy wrote: »

I look forward to them coming over here. I love English ales and bitter on draft and really hope they sell these. If they do then I will be knocking on their door regardless of the type of crowd in there.

Don't forget the amber nectar that is Fosters on tap in all their pubs

Geuze

ted1 wrote: »

An English measure is only 25ml where as an Irish one is 33ml. Drinks are often served in 440 ml glasses.

When comparing prices its always important to compare like for like

It's true that English spirit measures are 25ml, yes.

It's 35.5ml here in RoI, also 35.5ml in NI



But the reference to 440ml is incorrect. Some cans in shops are 440ml in the UK.