why are there no J D Wetherspoon pubs in ROI?

roboshatner

I have never seen a upmarket one.

I dont mind the lower market ones.

But I would see them as low market place.

It is not a pub I would stay in for hours.

You get your food and 2 beers then more on.

jonnny68

€4.75 for Heineken in the three tun tavern, it's €4.50 in my local if you go to O Reillys in Tara Street all pints are €3.60.

I'm all for Wetherspoon in Ireland but what's the point if they are just gonna charge over the odds for Heineken surely the whole point of them coming here was for cheap gargle

drumswan

Heineken is ****e, drink something else

roboshatner

O reillys is the bloody Kip....

and is cheap but I would much rather go to diceys on Mon Tue Wed.

The crowd are better crack.

The crowd in O reillys can be strange and it has this weird atmosphere to the place I cant explain it.

Not just the crowd the pub itself.

Yes I agree why come to ireland if you cant match the deals in the Uk.

Why because they know then can screw the irish and get away with it.

There is a pub/Hotel Dorset street.

They had this yellow sign outside which had up all the beers deals I was straight in.

They bar owners were a bit shocked we actually came in the usually expect a different crowd.

Nice bar but it had a bit of charm and good vibes.

dd972

jonnny68 wrote: »

€4.75 for Heineken in the three tun tavern, it's €4.50 in my local if you go to O Reillys in Tara Street all pints are €3.60.

I'm all for Wetherspoon in Ireland but what's the point if they are just gonna charge over the odds for Heineken surely the whole point of them coming here was for cheap gargle

Had three / four pints in O'Reilly's once, next day it felt like ten, many of the clientele were scum as well.

dd972

keith16 wrote: »

Got tickets for the training days and went in yesterday for an hour.

The furnishings / finish is excellent. Plenty of seating options and the place is far from being uniform and drab.

Fantastic selection of beers.

Child friendly too with plenty of space for buggies and high chairs for the toddlers.

No music - suits me fine.

Food was.....grand, nothing more or less than you would expect.

Overall, it is a great addition to Blackrock and I think it will do a good trade. I would deffo see myself going back.

The opprobrium about English !!! pubs coming here as well !, Is it really that different to it's predecessor Tonic ?

dd972

dd972 wrote: »

The opprobrium about English !!! pubs coming here as well !, Is it really that different to it's predecessor Tonic ?

Very different. The only similarity is that there are two levels to the pub.

The bar is now down along the back wall and the kitchen area is over where the toilets used to be (sounds dodge!). It's more pub than bar now.

Surprised they out carpet down though. That's going to be yocky soon enough I would think!

Macy0161

Cask ales for under €4, and the debate is about the price of heino!?!

Idbatterim

Sitting in supposedly expensive san antonio bay now in beachfront bar,3 pints 6 euro or 6 bottles for ten, thats san miguel. Also was in spoons in uk a few days ago, drink about half the price of three tun, will photo menu and prices in a few days and post it here...

Ronan|Raven

I was in in last night. Obviously the prices are not going to be as low as the UK.

That said, being able to get a few different choices of cask ale for under €4.00 was very nice indeed.

Amirani

Deleted User wrote: »

Surprised they out carpet down though. That's going to be yocky soon enough I would think!

Never understood the carpet in pubs thing to be honest.

Sir Arthur Daley

Diego Simeone wrote: »

Never understood the carpet in pubs thing to be honest.

Good for soakage.

Idbatterim

Uk spoons have 33cl cans of 3 or 6 flags? For 1.99 pound..

jonnny68

roboshatner wrote: »

O reillys is the bloody Kip....

and is cheap but I would much rather go to diceys on Mon Tue Wed.

The crowd are better and better crack.

The crowd in O reillys can be strange and it has this weird atmosphere to the place I cant explain it.

Yes I agree why come to ireland if you cant match the deals in the Uk.

Why because they know then can screw the irish and get away with it.

There is a pub/Hotel Dorset street.

They had this yellow sign outside which had up all the beers deals I was straight in.

They bar owners were a bit shocked we actually came in the usually expect a different crowd.

Nice bar but it had a bit of charm and good vibes.

Explain how you've come to the conclusion that it's a kip, because it doesn't have arty pictures on the wall no fancy seating or decor? "

Nothing wrong with O Reillys, grand spot nice crowd and best of all cheap beer, your probably just an oddball or a hipster there's absolutely nothing wrong with the crowd

jonnny68

drumswan wrote: »

Heineken is ****e, drink something else

Thanks for your thought provoking intelligent insightful answer.

Bravo old chap.

jonnny68

dd972 wrote: »

Had three / four pints in O'Reilly's once, next day it felt like ten, many of the clientele were scum as well.

That's funny because usually you have the after work IFSC crowd there /office party sessions I've never seen any dodgy people there , ever.

foxy06

Diego Simeone wrote: »

Never understood the carpet in pubs thing to be honest.

From experience it's to stop ladies in heel a snotting themselves on wooden or tiled floors

theteal

roboshatner wrote: »

I have never seen a upmarket one.

I dont mind the lower market ones.

But I would see them as low market place.

It is not a pub I would stay in for hours.

You get your food and 2 beers then more on.

I pass this place everyday. The first time I saw it I was taken aback that it was a JDW - I think I had similar preconceived ideas that I've noted from others in this thread. Things don't get much more upmarket than around there. It's packed with suits come a Friday afternoon/evening.

Just to balance that out, there are 2 JDWs in Romford, I've not set foot in either as they both look like odious cesspools - there are better places for a cheap scoop along the same street.

Anyway, my point, they can't all be pigeon holed just because it says JDW over the door.

roboshatner

They dont have a great name in the Uk.

And the north well they have a few.

As for o reillys maybe I have only been there on rocker nights where the rockers smell awful.

But in general I really dont like the pub it is not a place I would go out of my way to go to.

I would much rather go to diceys...its way better.

2 euro drinks ever Sun mon tue and 3 euro wed.

And full of nice normal people.

O Reillys in general the pub itself used to be a early house for bus rail and post staff years ago.

it just has a vibe in it.

Muahahaha

Popped in there on Sunday for a bite. Had the chicken Caesar salad and a coffee for €7.75. Pub was kitted out pretty decent, service was fast and the server came back to ask if I needed anything else which I wasn't expecting.

One thing I noticed vis a vis somewhere like McDonalds is that I didn't feel hungry 90 minutes later so I guess the food is a little more nutritious than fast food without being that much more expensive for many items.

Overall I'd say it's pretty decent and well run so far. I think opening in Blackrock first was a good strategy for them, it was never likely the Blackrock venue would attract hoards of people on all day cheap booze drinking sessions like some Weatherspoons in the UK do. When they open pubs in city center locations the clientele they attract will be the bell weather of Weatherspoons reputation in Ireland, all the negative preconceptions from the UK won't matter a bit if they build a chain of well run boozer with a good selection of beers and food at a decent price.

Also I heard on the grapevine that they have done a deal on a premises in Sandyford.

partyguinness

Muahahaha wrote: »

Popped in there on Sunday for a bite. Had the chicken Caesar salad and a coffee for €7.75. Pub was kitted out pretty decent, service was fast and the server came back to ask if I needed anything else which I wasn't expecting.

One thing I noticed vis a vis somewhere like McDonalds is that I didn't feel hungry 90 minutes later so I guess the food is a little more nutritious than fast food without being that much more expensive for many items.

Overall I'd say it's pretty decent and well run so far. I think opening in Blackrock first was a good strategy for them, it was never likely the Blackrock venue would attract hoards of people on all day cheap booze drinking sessions like some Weatherspoons in the UK do. When they open pubs in city center locations the clientele they attract will be the bell weather of Weatherspoons reputation in Ireland, all the negative preconceptions from the UK won't matter a bit if they build a chain of well run boozer with a good selection of beers and food at a decent price.

Also I heard on the grapevine that they have done a deal on a premises in Sandyford.

People like consistancy..a bit like fast food chains...a big Mac in Moscow will taste the same as one in Cork...people will grow to learn and accept JDW and the consistency (whether one likes it or not) will play a big part in its success..strangly comforting to see a Mikey Ds in deepest South America..

RDM_83 again

jonnny68 wrote: »

That's funny because usually you have the after work IFSC crowd there /office party sessions I've never seen any dodgy people there , ever.

I sort of like the place, well I end up there a lot because of the price and decent tunes regularly, its got a very mixed crowd lots of foreigners, IFSC workers and rockers etc it does have the occasional dodgy character though remember some lad having a moan to me about how he couldn't get work because he had a serious conviction.

On topic: Anybody have an idea of the selection of ciders and their prices, it annoys the hell out of me paying extortionate prices for "craft" UK ciders in the more hipsterish Dublin bars when I know what the UK prices for them are :mad:

Geuze

Article in Irish Times today about Tim Martin's visit to the JD WS pub in Blackrock:

http://www.irishtimes.com/business/sectors/retail-and-services/wetherspoon-won-t-stock-diageo-unless-brewer-cuts-prices-1.1877342

Interesting quote:

“I don’t want to put pressure on Diageo, but we simply baulked at paying a higher price for Guinness in Ireland than we do in the UK,” he said.
He declined to comment on the price difference between the two markets, but it is understood the Irish price is up to 20 per cent higher.



I think this again highlights the pricing power and dominance of Diageo in the Irish market.

People blame Govt taxes for too high beer prices here, but I've always said, the main cause is the inflated prices charged by the few suppliers into the RoI market.

Geuze

Tim Martin gave some news on next three outlets:

Cork to open "by Christmas" 2014.

Dun Laoghaire - no date given.

Swords - that town was confirmed as a location - "recently signed contracts"

So 1 open and 3 more confirmed.

"No other firm deals in place at the moment"

Badly Drunk Boy

jonnny68 wrote: »

That's funny because usually you have the after work IFSC crowd there /office party sessions I've never seen any dodgy people there , ever.

If you can't see the dodgy clientele, maybe it's you and your friends that are the dodgy element... :pac:

Idbatterim

I find the fact they stock nothing Diageo and that they actually have the clout not to have to do so, absolutely fantastic! The publicans here complain about the death of the pub culture and people drinking at home, can they not simply give Diageo an ultimatum on price or they pull a weatherspoons? I realise not every pub could do this i.e. the Temple Bar in templebar etc would have to have guinness...

Links234

Idbatterim wrote: »

I find the fact they stock nothing Diageo and that they actually have the clout not to have to do so, absolutely fantastic! The publicans here complain about the death of the pub culture and people drinking at home, can they not simply give Diageo an ultimatum on price or they pull a weatherspoons? I realise not every pub could do this i.e. the Temple Bar in templebar etc would have to have guinness...

But the Porterhouse is just up the road, and they don't have Guinness? 4-something for a pint of the Plain Porter is amazing compared to a pint of Guinness in the Temple Bar, not just price wise but a much nicer pint.

It's not like Weatherspoons are the first to come along and do this, Porterhouse have been at it for years.

Idbatterim

But the Porterhouse is just up the road, and they don't have Guinness? 4-something for a pint of the Plain Porter is amazing compared to a pint of Guinness in the Temple Bar, not just price wise but a much nicer pint.

It's not like Weatherspoons are the first to come along and do this, Porterhouse have been at it for years.

I am aware the few odd places do it, but I am talking about the existing Diageo pubs... The bottom line is, that when it comes to beers which is what a massive amount would be spent on in pubs, I simply couldnt care less what it is once its drinkable. Who is going to go into a pub an insist on a Heineken or Coors etc, as if its the "good stuff" :rolleyes:

jackofalltrades

Idbatterim wrote: »

Who is going to go into a pub an insist on a Heineken or Coors etc, as if its the "good stuff" :rolleyes:

Lots of people unfortunately.
Brand loyalty towards Diaego/Heineken products seems to be very strong in this country.
We really only have ourselves to blame for being ripped off, we're very stuck in our ways when it comes to drinks.

Idbatterim

Brand loyalty towards Diaego/Heineken products seems to be very strong in this country.
We really only have ourselves to blame for being ripped off, we're very stuck in our ways when it comes to drinks.

this is only because of the strangehold Diageo have and also marketing. People just drink one and probably stick to it...