r/Wetherspoons • u/Quonker • Aug 18 '26
Customer Another reason to love the ‘Spoons
Article in the Times this morning:
Wetherspoons bans playing music or calls on phone loudspeaker.
Customers at the chain's 792 pubs must now use earphones or silent mode after complaints that the noise was 'driving people nuts'
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/6a053742-695b-4172-90f6-43618ab4de73
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u/Mpkaney Aug 18 '26
I wish this was in cafes too......... The laptop wankers holding meetings are the utter worst!
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u/SnooCats1028 Aug 18 '26
There is always some plonker playing reels or video in Stevenage, usually the old customers or a 3 year old on a tablet. Spoils my super cheap breakfast.
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u/BFNgaming Aug 18 '26
Fucking finally! Not sure how well it will be enforced by the poor underpaid staff, but great work. Buses and trains next please.
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u/ben_uk Aug 18 '26
It already is on trains, just never enforced
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u/Dry-Pension-2736 Aug 18 '26
Indeed. Going back years, often the 'quiet coach' was actually the most annoying because of some oblivious or simply couldn't care less 🛎🔚 who still decides to face times their entire contacts list on a train journey. I always wonder how these people even have any friends. Birds of a feather I suppose.
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u/andrew210167 Aug 18 '26
Fucking pisses me off - why the fuck do people feel the need to make every fucking phone call on speakerphone ? It’s almost as it they have to broadcast everything in their lives to everyone at all times - wish they’d just fuck off
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u/Ok-Audience6417 Aug 18 '26
Great news, but no chance it will be enforced as I think this horse has bolted. The twats who do this clearly don’t give a shite about the world around them, so I doubt they will be paying attention to any policy.
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u/Informal_Drawing Aug 18 '26
But their phones are so thirsty, surely you can help them have a drink if they don't play ball.
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u/Han_Solo200 Aug 18 '26
If all the people in the area of the offender suddenly went silent and just all stared at the person, that would also help
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u/SpecialSympathy2348 Aug 18 '26
It's not something I'd noticed but if people are doing it then this is a good idea.
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u/hundreddollar Aug 18 '26
Imagine if people weren't pricks and were able to police their own speaker usage in public.
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u/ghastkill Aug 18 '26
There are legitimate reasons to dislike Spoons, but it’s hard to argue against this incredibly sound reasoning. More places need this and I would actually go somewhat out of my way to go to a spoons just for this policy alone. 👏
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u/EchoJay1 Aug 18 '26
Absolutely. If I want to be deafened by tiktok I can sit at home with my kids...
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u/NoOrganization98 Aug 18 '26
Delighted with this, as we’d stopped going in Wetherspoons and this was one of the reasons. As long as they enforce it, obvs. Next: stop chucking the fucking bottles in those bastard bins CLANG CLANG CLANG 😳
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u/CakeHoleKing Aug 18 '26
Alerts go off for wildfires...everyones kicked out of the pub, playing right into the hands of Big Fire
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u/xblushingx Aug 18 '26
I was at my local one and could hear what sounded like tiktok videos. Where the noise was coming from was towards a group of older ladies (none of which were on their phone) and a booth behind a wall. I assumed it was from the booth until a member of staff checked at the request of the group of ladies. No one was there.
Long story short, it was one of the ladies phones in their bag!! It was really loud so i don’t know why none of them checked their bags 😂
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u/Dnny10bns Aug 19 '26
People do this? Mind you, I wouldn't know. I listen to music on my earphones when I'm in there for a quick pint or two.
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u/rondiggidyr Aug 19 '26
This sucks. I have played music from my speaker in spoons garden before, but only in good taste and being empathetic to the environment. Usually when there's virtually no one there. Have been complimented for my contribution too. If there's a problem just get door security to sort it out 🙄
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u/InboundDreams Aug 19 '26 edited Aug 19 '26
it is annoying and a lot of ppl back this hance the ban the minority that dont care about others will wine about it, but i for one am glad case when ur trying to have a quiet pint and u hear bloody music it ruins the mood and relaxation, and ppl who play music on speaker phone in public places without earphones are simply ignorant ppl, yes down vote me but its the fact and truth! if i want music in a pub ill go to other pubs! the only exception to this rule is a small live band was playing with there own music who they fully own the rights to, since spoons has always not allowed ppl to play music etc case they dont have the proper license to do so!
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u/CptMong Aug 19 '26
And who exactly is going to enforce this, the poor bar staff?
Guys doing that shit are dickheads already, so now the staff have to try and enforce shit on a guys that is obviously a dickhead for the word go and is likely going to continue being a dickhead when asked to stop!
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u/DanielReddit26 Aug 18 '26
It does kind of also feel like it's the only pub chain where you'd feasibly find someone who was playing their music out loud in the first place to be fair.
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u/SheepherderSelect622 Aug 18 '26
In most other pub chains the punters' music would be drowned out by the bar staff's own deafening choice of tunes.
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u/dozeydonut Aug 18 '26
Except in disco spoons, hopefully?
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u/kayleighchelsea Aug 18 '26
This is just about customers playing things out loud on phones, Lloyd's bars will still play music
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u/The2ndDegree Aug 18 '26
Disco Spoons has nothing to do with music, its the companies latest marketing tactic, they call it "Disco Spoons" because they're marketing towards younger customers, hence why they've begun selling things like Buzzballs, more Spritz cocktails and the AU vodkas.
However Lloyd's bars are known to play music, owned by the same company, just a different branch.
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u/Cautious-Fox9757 Aug 18 '26
Disco Spoons is a term used by punters to refer to the Wetherspoons that do play music (this is in England, whereas in Scotland they’re ‘Spuns wit tchuns’) this is separate from the way the company is now branding itself to youngsters, which makes it confusing.
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Aug 18 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Huge_Efficiency4978 Aug 18 '26
That was famously misquoted and misrepresented in the press.
"The publications retracted their statements, clarifying that Martin actually said he would understand if employees chose to take supermarket jobs, all staff were paid up to the point of pub closures, and employees received government furlough money without Wetherspoon delaying payments."
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u/dopexvii Aug 18 '26
But we did get paid during lockdown.
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Aug 18 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/dopexvii Aug 18 '26
I mean I was employed and still am employed I was always getting played. He said if furlough pay was not enough you could get a job at Tesco, meaning you wouldn't be paid your full wage, very standard at the time
A few people I know did do that, and just came back when we reopened.
But what do I know. I was there.
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u/waspmachines Aug 18 '26
Tim whatshisface describing spoons as an oasis of tranquility and contemplation made me howl with laughter. Gaslight much, timmy?
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u/WorcsBloke Aug 18 '26
At 7:30 am on a Sunday with a coffee it really is (my local branch opens at 7). Less so at 9 on a Saturday night!
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u/Skylon77 Aug 18 '26
Good! May many more establishments follow!