why are there no J D Wetherspoon pubs in ROI?

reprazant

Geuze wrote: »

Here pubs serve dinners from 12-2pm, ok fair enough, but it's hard to get a dinner for 8-10 euro at 6-10pm outside of Dublin. Not impossible, but not easy.

Pubs only serve dinner from 12-2pm?

I am sorry but that is just plain rubbish.

dinneenp

I know measures might be smaller (then again then might use 'irish measures') but they they offer a soft drink for 'reasonable' prices' and shorts the same then they'll do business.
€2.80 for a very small Coke is CRIMINAL imho
€5.50 for a gin without the tonic is CRIMINAL imho

Also isn't the soul of a place influenced very much by the patrons. So if they offer cheaper drinks and this gets people in then this might create an atmosphere.

Geuze

reprazant wrote: »

Pubs only serve dinner from 12-2pm?

I am sorry but that is just plain rubbish.

OK, OK, but I'm in a town of 20,000 people, and if I want a dinner from 6-10pm for 8-10 euro, I don't have much choice.

OK, yes, there are two pubs that serve food.

One of them has a burger at 12.50 on the a la carte menu. Chicken dishes are 14 - 17.90. They also have a 3-course early bird for 20 euro.

The other pubs has a burger for 14, Irish stew for 11, chicken pasta dish for 14.

In JDW, on some nights, steak + drink = 6.50 stg, that means about 10 euro expected price.

Beer + burger for 6-8stg.

Fratton Fred

jjll wrote: »

Is there anything stopping a person openning a jd witherspoon style pub in there town but with life and soul in it

Could you define life and soul?

awec

dinneenp wrote: »

Also isn't the soul of a place influenced very much by the patrons. So if they offer cheaper drinks and this gets people in then this might create an atmosphere.

What tends to happen is that people go to Wetherspoons for one or two pints early in the evening and then leave to go elsewhere. This is what Wetherspoons is good for - it is rubbish and difficult to spend an entire night in.

This is because:

1. The place has no atmosphere whatsoever, and people are more than happy to go and spend more on a pint in a better pub that's more lively

2. The undesirable characters start to arrive


It's also grand during the day for a quick lunch or whatever - it's glorified fast food so if you aren't fussy it's grand.

anncoates

Fratton Fred wrote: »

Could you define life and soul?

I assume by life and soul they mean irritating hipster fuckwits with stupid hair complaining about how football enforces fundamentally oppressive norms of masculinity.

Speak Now

Links234 wrote: »

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.

Wish Brewdog would come to Ireland and open a few pubs

Mr Simpson

Jerry Seinfeld wrote: »

Wish Brewdog would come to Ireland and open a few pubs

I'd say its not too far away

Lucena

Mr Simpson wrote: »

I'd say its not too far away

Do you have any info on that?

reprazant

anncoates wrote: »

I assume by life and soul they mean irritating hipster fuckwits with stupid hair complaining about how football enforces fundamentally oppressive norms of masculinity.

In that case you'd hate Wetherspoon's since they don't have football.

Interesting how people who go to pubs for the chat instead of watching tv are now hipsters. Don't get to meet up with my mates as much anymore so when I do, I like to talk to them instead of either staring blankly at a tv or trying to talk over it. I can do that at home.

Lucena

reprazant wrote: »

In that case you'd hate Wetherspoon's since they don't have football.

Interesting how people who go to pubs for the chat instead of watching tv are now hipsters. Don't get to meet up with my mates as much anymore so when I do, I like to talk to them instead of either staring blankly at a tv or trying to talk over it. I can do that at home.

Thanks x 1000

Fratton Fred

Jerry Seinfeld wrote: »

Wish Brewdog would come to Ireland and open a few pubs

The Magpie in Dalkey has a good selection of their beers.

Mr Simpson

Lucena wrote: »

Do you have any info on that?

Only rumours that they're looking at premises

anncoates

reprazant wrote: »

In that case you'd hate Wetherspoon's since they don't have football.

Interesting how people who go to pubs for the chat instead of watching tv are now hipsters. Don't get to meet up with my mates as much anymore so when I do, I like to talk to them instead of either staring blankly at a tv or trying to talk over it. I can do that at home.

It's a fair cop. :pac:

Just as long as you're not one of those mad people that always triies to accost me for a chat when I'm trying to have a toastie and a pint by myself in places like Grogans.

Menas

anncoates wrote: »

It's a fair cop. :pac:

Just as long as you're not one of those mad people that always triies to accost me for a chat when I'm trying to have a toastie and a pint by myself in places like Grogans.

I don't think it is a chat they are after!

listermint

Coolest bar i have been to in a long while is this place in Cleveland Ohio

http://www.lizardville.net/?q=bottles&location=Bedford

Its an off license / bar / restaurant.

I have never seen in my days the scale of selection of beers they have on the shelfs.

And the food was devine.

anncoates

Trigger Happy wrote: »

I don't think it is a chat they are after!

It's Grogans.

People would crawl over 5 supermodels with their legs open for a cheese toastie and a pint.

crockholm

anncoates wrote: »

It's a fair cop. :pac:

Just as long as you're not one of those mad people that always triies to accost me for a chat when I'm trying to have a toastie and a pint by myself in places like Grogans.

Jayz,tis terrible weather out there,huh?,Do you reckon Dublin wil do it against Mayo on Sunday,huh?.I reckon they will,and here's why.............:pac:

musicfan1ie

Trigger Happy wrote: »

I have no problem with an English chain opening up pubs in here. It should at least be different to what we already have here and if they are good enough they will stay, if poor then they will fail.

As pointed out earlier, the variety of draft beers on sale in most irish pubs is depressingly similar. Guinness, Bud, Carlsberg, Heineken and Smithwicks are the staples with one or two others on offer (Coors etc).

English pubs have a much larger variety, in particular those free houses. One thing I love about smaller English pubs is wandering in to a free house and sampling their wares before deciding which one to buy.
Wetherspoons while not a free house, will bring something different. So lets see how it pans out. Don't like it then don't go there.

They only have a selection if you like ales, which I hate!! Otherwise, they sell fosters, carling, Stella, Guinness. Not exactly a selection either

Beefy78

reprazant wrote: »

In that case you'd hate Wetherspoon's since they don't have football.

Interesting how people who go to pubs for the chat instead of watching tv are now hipsters. Don't get to meet up with my mates as much anymore so when I do, I like to talk to them instead of either staring blankly at a tv or trying to talk over it. I can do that at home.

You're not wrong about most of this post but some Wetherspoons do have football on nowadays and have done for a few years now.

branie

stimpson wrote: »

They were planning to open in 2003 but pulled out for some reason. They had bought a property on Capel St too

http://www.dublinpubscene.com/thepubs/pubnews_sep2003.html

Probably the smoking ban

LordSutch

Fratton Fred wrote: »

The Magpie in Dalkey has a good selection of their beers.

Thing is fred, a selection of bottled beer is great, but I guess Wetherspoon will have Real Cask Ale live on the pumps!
and as a beer lover, this is the tantalising prospect )

Admittedly the food might not be five star*, but the beer selection & the prices should shake things up a lot in this Diageo dominated market.

Irish ale producers should get a massive shot in the arm too, that's presuming JDs promote Irish cask Ale in their pubs, which I guess they will.

reprazant

branie wrote: »

Probably the smoking ban

The smoking ban is the worst excuse ever for people not going to the pub.

Fratton Fred

LordSutch wrote: »

Thing is fred, a selection of bottled beer is great, but I guess Wetherspoon will have Real Cask Ale live on the pumps!
and as a beer lover, this is the tantalising prospect )

Admittedly the food might not be five star*, but the beer selection & the prices should shake things up a lot in this Diageo dominated market.

Irish ale producers should get a massive shot in the arm too, that's presuming JDs promote Irish cask Ale in their pubs, which I guess they will.

The Magpie only has one cask ale, usually from Belfast, but they serve 5am saint on tap, but also have other brewdog beers in bottles.

They also have Howling Gale, Galway hooker, Sierra Nevada and (my favourite) Metalman from the Waterford brewery all on tap.

They are all €5.25 a pint or more though.

LordSutch

Very intersting^ I had no idea, and I say that as a sometime Dalkey/Queens drinker.

Fratton Fred

LordSutch wrote: »

Very intersting^ I had no idea, and I say that as a sometime Dalkey/Queens drinker.

Good food and good whiskey as well, it's kind of a very up market 'Spoons!

Menas

Fratton Fred wrote: »

Good food and good whiskey as well, it's kind of a very up market 'Spoons!

That is my sunday walk with the wife and kids sorted. Cheers!

JohnFalstaff

Seems Wetherspoons aren't the only chain that are looking to expand into the Irish market.

Article here says that Greene King and a third unnamed group are also looking to open premises in this country:

http://www.irishpost.co.uk/news/british-pub-giants-compete-to-open-bars-in-ireland

Richard Hillman

I think people are really underestimating the people that run the likes of Wetherspoons. They know full well that a British pub is different to an Irish pub in terms of decor and comfort. Their pubs will look like and feel like any other Irish pub. They will be more like McCoys than the Queen Vic.

Fratton Fred

Richard Hillman wrote: »

I think people are really underestimating the people that run the likes of Wetherspoons. They know full well that a British pub is different to an Irish pub in terms of decor and comfort. Their pubs will look like and feel like any other Irish pub. They will be more like McCoys than the Queen Vic.

Maybe they will follow the O'Neil's example and take an English pub, change the name of the steak and ale pie to steak and Guinness, put a few pictures of Galway on the wall and call it an Irish bar!