If it were one of the distinctive Wetherspoons (where they’ve taken over an interesting location or given it a good name based on local history) i’d probably refer to it by name, and then qualify that by mentioning it was a “Wethers” if the listener didn’t know. If it was in a random town, or an anonymous behomothic one like the Leicester Square location, i’d probably just call it a “Wethers.”
So if i was in Holloway Road, the conversation might go like this:
“I’m broke, but if fancy a pint”
“Well we could always go to the Coronet”
“You’re feeling fucking brave!”
“No, i’m feeling fucking thirsty.”
Or, if i was in Stevenage:
“Fancy a pint on the way back from the station?”
“Sure. Where?”
How about the Standard Bearer? Its a Wethers but it’s alright.
That aside, the Missus’ brother refers to them as “Spoons” if that’s any good to you - he’s from up Northampton way.
Easy tiger - Wetherspoons isn’t a popular place to eat because it offers culinary excellence, its popular because its possible to get a reasonably passable basic meal for a very good price without having to leave the pub.
Quite frankly, if it were twenty years ago they’d be serving toasted sandwiches and people would be just as happy - its that combination of cheap/passable/convenient that’s the winner there.
No one ever, replies to the question “Where do you fancy going for dinner tonight darling?” with the answer “Wetherspoons.” Actually, no, that’s a lie - there are people who do, but they’re the kind of people who genuinely can’t afford to pay more. Remember that quality is relative.
Going to a Wetherspoons and saying that it’s a crap restaurant is like going to a posh restaurant and saying it does a shitty selection of beers. In each case the two concepts are only loosely connected. Writing off England for the quality of Wetherpoons food is about on a level with writing off the whole of the US Southern States on the basis of the KFC Megabucket.
Want restaurant quality food in a pub? Then go to a Gastropub. They’ll do you better fare (or at least put more effort into disguising the fact that it’s microwaved). You’ll pay a pretty penny for it though.
As a side note, I’m not Wetherspoons’ biggest fan but I do feel that in comparison to the other big faceless brewery chains they come out very favourably - they actively promote and encourage people to try different varieties of lagers, ciders and real ales, even selling their ales at below-cost. You’ve never lived until you’ve heard an East London Rude-Boy order a pint of real ale (“Yo dog! I’s a pint of Spitfire innit!”). They also do make a conscious effort to preserve some element of local flavour/history in any place they run both old (google “Coronet Holloway Rd”) and new. The Standard Bearer in Stevenage, for example, was a completely new building but pulls on the local Roman history and is festooned with various other local history stories and images.
None of that may not sound like much but when you think of the sheer number of bland Edward’s Bars and Slug and Lettuces that exist these days its at least something.
Fair enough. I must confess that the early smoking ban was actually one of the reasons that I like the Commercial Rooms - I didn’t mind smoky pubs excessively, but since neither my fiancee or I smoke if it was just the two of us we preferred somewhere smoke free.