why are there no J D Wetherspoon pubs in ROI?

Banjo String

annascott wrote: »

I am fortunate enough to be able to do most of my shopping in the North. Not sure what is what regarding tax percentages, but I do know that restaurants and general shopping is all cheaper.

I'm from the north and go home for a weekend once a month or every other month (depending on work)

I have noticed though that the price of eating out and drinking in the north is becoming on par (if not more expensive) with here.

As an example, headed to my local with my two kids last weekend (in kildare) for a bit of midday lunch.

I had toasted pannini with soup, the kids had chicken nuggets and a few chips. A generous salad was sprinkled on the side of my dish, and on the kids.

I also got a coffee, the kids got juice.

Total cost, €11.99

Yep. €8.99 for my soup and pannini, and 3€ for the coffee afterwards.

Kids eat free when an adult buys a meal. Actually tipped the waitress with the change from a twenty as I honestly thought that's what it was worth.

Nowhere near my home place in the north offers anything similar, and the quality of grub isn't a patch on what I get in the south.

(just saying)

rubadub

MYOB wrote: »

In terms of pub prices it appears to be the wholesale and distribution chain that makes up most of the price different

+1, aviva threatened to import it. I expect wetherspoons might import the guinness, if they bother stocking it.

Diageo has agreed to slash the price of Guinness to the company which runs the bars in Dublin’s new Aviva Stadium at Lansdowne Road, after the company threatened to import supplies from Britain.

Irish publicans pay €131.66 for a 50-litre keg of Guinness. The ex-duty price of the same keg to the on-trade in Britain is half that, at £54.15 (€66). Even after payment of Irish duty, the cost of importing Guinness to Ireland would be only €99.33 per keg, a saving of 33 per cent.

My local eurospar used to have 5% scottish market heineken cans cheaper than the 4.3% irish market cans along side it. Both brewed in holland.

Banjo String

Banjo String wrote: »

I'm from the north and go home for a weekend once a month or every other month (depending on work)

I have noticed though that the price of eating out and drinking in the north is becoming on par (if not more expensive) with here.

As an example, headed to my local with my two kids last weekend (in kildare) for a bit of midday lunch.

I had toasted pannini with soup, the kids had chicken nuggets and a few chips. A generous salad was sprinkled on the side of my dish, and on the kids.

I also got a coffee, the kids got juice.

Total cost, €11.99

Yep. €8.99 for my soup and pannini, and 3€ for the coffee afterwards.

Kids eat free when an adult buys a meal. Actually tipped the waitress with the change from a twenty as I honestly thought that's what it was worth.

Nowhere near my home place in the north offers anything similar, and the quality of grub isn't a patch on what I get in the south.

(just saying)

Things have pretty much equalised alright. Alcohol generally isn't a lot cheaper, deals are harder to come by and on beer once you correct for the lower percentage and smaller cans there's basically no saving to be had.
Food prices as in groceries have also risen a lot.
Toiletries are still a bit cheaper overall but that's starting to creep up as well.

suicide_circus

Geuze wrote: »

For your information, here is a selection of prices from Wetherspoon Enniskillen, based on a visit during April 2014.

All prices in stg.

Draught beer

Guinness 265

Carlsberg 3.8% 205
Stella 299
Heineken 5.0% 269

Ruddles ale 175
Abbot ale 5.0% 215
Adnam's Broadside 210
Sharp's Doom Bar 225


Spirits

Gin = 2.20 with free tonic, 4 choices - this seems very good value

Bells = 250
Malts = 305 - 3 choices
Jameson = 325

Double spirit, 70ml according to menu, for 1.00 extra

So for 3.20 you get a double gin and tonic, that's under 4 euro - unreal value

A double Jameson is 4.25, that's under 5.50 euro

There's not a hope in hell the price will be anything that good in ROI

suicide_circus

http://www.irishtimes.com/business/sectors/agribusiness-and-food/guinness-pulled-from-menu-at-wetherspoon-s-blackrock-pub-1.1850415

no guinness in wetherspoons blackrock as price point too high.

Murphys and Beamish to be sold at €3.95 per pint.

Idbatterim

why if it can be brought in cheaper via the uk, do pubs here not do this?

You'd swear this was the first pub group we've had in the state - Thomas Read group had nearly 20 pubs/ bars at its peak for example, and I'm sure there's more multi pub operators too.

They are the first chain to compete on price, like Ryanair /aldi / lidl? this is win win for consumers even if you never intend on using them. I assume they wont be be part of the IVF and given their strength there is nothing the IVF can do to try and blackmail them etc?

awec

Just how powerful are Diageo in the pub business in Ireland? They seem to control a lot of the brands?

Specialun

Idbatterim wrote: »

why if it can be brought in cheaper via the uk, do pubs here not do this?

The guinness in the UK is different in most places innt

Hootanany

suicide_circus wrote: »

http://www.irishtimes.com/business/sectors/agribusiness-and-food/guinness-pulled-from-menu-at-wetherspoon-s-blackrock-pub-1.1850415

no guinness in wetherspoons blackrock as price point too high.

Murphys and Beamish to be sold at €3.95 per pint.

They have told them to do one I salute Mr Witherspoon

Tar.Aldarion

awec wrote: »

Just how powerful are Diageo in the pub business in Ireland? They seem to control a lot of the brands?

Very powerful. If you stock this you cant have any of our drinks etc, also have have Guinness so...


Seems more expensive than I thought, whiskey is 5.50, nothing special.

smellmepower

Any spirit comes with a free dash though,so you're not shelling out a few quid for a small glass bottle of warm coke like in most pubs.

AlmightyCushion

smellmepower wrote: »

Any spirit comes with a free dash though,so you're not shelling out a few quid for a small glass bottle of warm coke like in most pubs.

So, it's cheaper if you take your whiskey with coke but more expensive if you prefer it neat.

RDM_83 again

Tar.Aldarion wrote: »

Seems more expensive than I thought, whiskey is 5.50, nothing special.

I wonder if they will do the doubling up deals they do in the UK though thats what makes spirits much cheaper to drink in wetherspoons

The price for Beamish though cheap-ish isn;t exactly amazing, to me these prices indicate that its going to be competing on the food deals more than anything else.
If O'Reilly's at Tara street can keep in business selling all pints at 3.60 without the economies of scale that Wetherspoons presumably want to develop in the ROI we can see they are either a different approach or its going to be like Tesco in Ireland (where its viewed as a cash cow).

miss no stars

The comments on the Irish Times' facebook post about this are priceless. True gems.

dub_skav

Idbatterim wrote: »

why if it can be brought in cheaper via the uk, do pubs here not do this?

They are the first chain to compete on price, like Ryanair /aldi / lidl? this is win win for consumers even if you never intend on using them. I assume they wont be be part of the IVF and given their strength there is nothing the IVF can do to try and blackmail them etc?

They don't need ivf to grow their family, they can do it the old fashioned way

Geuze

awec wrote: »

Just how powerful are Diageo in the pub business in Ireland? They seem to control a lot of the brands?

Guinness
Smithwick's
Carlsberg
Budweiser
Harp

Bushmills
many Scotch whiskys

Geuze

Specialun wrote: »

The guinness in the UK is different in most places innt

Guinness sold in the Uk is brewed in Dublin.

Sulla Felix

suicide_circus wrote: »

There's not a hope in hell the price will be anything that good in ROI

5-50 for a spirit with free mixer, still pretty good value though

Capt'n Midnight

Geuze wrote: »

Guinness
Smithwick's
Carlsberg
Budweiser
Harp

Bushmills
many Scotch whiskys

Other brand you'll see in most pubs include
Baileys Irish Cream

Hennessy Cognac
Gordon's Gin
Sheridan's
Archers Schnapps
Pimm's
Captain Morgan



Bell's
Buchanan's
Dimple/Pinch
J&B
Johnnie Walker
Old Parr
VAT 69
White Horse



Kilkenny

Blossom Hill
Piat d'Or

Dom Pérignon
Moët & Chandon

Geuze

Sulla Felix wrote: »

5-50 for a spirit with free mixer, still pretty good value though

Gin + tonic = 4.50

Vodka + tonic = 4.50


Very good prices for south Dublin??

http://fft.ie/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Final-ROI-Menu_Page_1.jpg

JONJO THE MISER

suicide_circus wrote: »

http://www.irishtimes.com/business/sectors/agribusiness-and-food/guinness-pulled-from-menu-at-wetherspoon-s-blackrock-pub-1.1850415

no guinness in wetherspoons blackrock as price point too high.

Murphys and Beamish to be sold at €3.95 per pint.

I thought they were meant to be cheap, i can get Beamish in most pubs for 3.40 max.

Geuze

JONJO THE MISER wrote: »

I thought they were meant to be cheap, i can get Beamish in most pubs for 3.40 max.

Dublin pubs selling Beamish for 3.40?

Please name them.

Seaneh

€3.50 for cans of Sixpoint's Brewery and bottles of 8 Degrees beers is fantastic value.

Less than €4 for pints of very good cask ales is fantastic value

€4.25 for pints of cask Irish craft beer is fantastic value.

€4.50 for a gin and tonic in Dublin is good value.


5.50 for whiskey isn't great though.


The real value is when you get food.Add a beer for €2 and get a meal and a pint/drink for less than a tenner, can't really whinge about that.

JONJO THE MISER

Geuze wrote: »

Dublin pubs selling Beamish for 3.40?

Please name them.

Where did i mention Dublin, the whole country is not the pale.

Geuze

OK, but it's not fair to compare rural pub prices with the higher property costs and overheads in Dublin.

My local charges 3.30 for Beamish, although the more usual price around the town where I live is 3.50 - 3.60.

Seaneh

JONJO THE MISER wrote: »

Where did i mention Dublin, the whole country is not the pale.

The pub IS in the pale though.

Their prices vary by region.

I'd imagine Cork will be slightly cheaper than Dublin.

London is more expensive than the rest of the UK for example.

Seaneh

Geuze wrote: »

OK, but it's not fair to compare rural pub prices with the higher property costs and overheads in Dublin.

My local charges 3.30 for Beamish, although the more usual price around the town where I live is 3.50 - 3.60.

The price of Beamish isn't great either, but by Dublin standards it's about par.

I've definitely paid over €4 for a pint of Murphy's in Athlone (Sean's Bar) and over €4.50 in cork though, so that's decent value.

Idbatterim

itsE4.75 a pint of Heinelen? You can get a pint in Harvey Nichols bar in dundrum for 5.50 in winters its 5.20! 4.25 a glass if wine, which isn't bad, but you get it in UK for 2 pound, at least you can in the one I frequent in the UK the odd time...

roboshatner

Ireland Needs Wither spoons to shake it up and to get it to cop on.

The Prices here are insane.

I dont have to mention how good wither spoons is to be honest....

we all know it is amazing and they should let them in.

It would at least repair the damage to such historical pubs that have been shut down.

discus

^^You do know they are charging minimum 5.50 euro for a single spirit and mixer, whereas its 2.20 (sterling) for that in england?