Wetherspoons - The Great Wood

AlanG · 17-11-2014 12:55pm #1

http://www.irishtimes.com/business/sectors/agribusiness-and-food/jd-wetherspoon-to-open-pub-in-blanchardstown-1.2003900

I know this is mentioned in the Light Nightclub thread but it really deserves a thread of it's own.

Cheap food and drink. Good selection of craft beers. Possibly no music or TVs. Here is a selection of the likely deals:
http://www.jdwetherspoon.ie/flash/flipping-book/#/16/

Biggest issue will be what type of crowd they get but i could see this taking a lot of food business in the center during the day. How they manage the night crowd will make or break the place.

TheDoctor · 17-11-2014 12:57pm

Big fan of the one that open in Blackrock over the summer.
Food is decent and priced reasonably, but the price for drink is mental!
Place is fairly busy even throughout the weekdays.

jeffk · 17-11-2014 1:06pm

As I said in that thread if they get any of the crowd the Budda bar got then they are finished

Hopefully it’s something different from what we have and not just well it’s cheaper to drink here so let’s go here.

oblivious · 17-11-2014 1:16pm

AlanG wrote: »

i could see this taking a lot of food business in the center during the day. How they manage the night crowd will make or break the place.

Spoons are the largest sell of coffee in the UK, I could see then taking some of that business from the center

Also there craft beer options and cask ale too, that with the meal promotions (curry Thursday) it's is a good day for the consumers

ongarboy · 17-11-2014 1:23pm

I'd say the demographic who go to Wetherspoons is more family or meals oriented. Not sure that will attract a crowd that just want to go boozing all day and who may or may not be prone to causing trouble. I'd imagine such types would find Wetherspoons a bit too sedate and boring for their liking.

I think this type of outlet will be a welcome addition to D15.

jeffk · 17-11-2014 1:25pm

Think a merger of threads or comments from the Light thread is needed

oblivious · 17-11-2014 1:39pm

If we can also get Galway Bay brewery to take over the old Grayhound pub too, I would be a very very happy man

Larbre34 · 17-11-2014 1:40pm

I've been in the Three Tun Tavern (Wetherspoons) in Blackrock a few times. Its much better for a quick pint and a bite after work or on a weekend afternoon than a night out.

No idea what style they might apply to the new bar in Blanch, but as far as Blackrock goes I would say:

Pros:

Cheap drink (Pints typically €2.50, but can be down to 1.99 and 400ml soft drinks are 1.25)

Cheap food (good variety and fair standard too, you would get TGIs style dishes for 50% less)

Clean and well run (it is a new bar still though)

Cons

Stock management (in Blackrock they have been cleaned out of their more interesting beers on several occasions, this is mainly due to a resurgent after work crowd, and no doubt will improved when they review their growth)

Atmosphere (It feels like a combination between a family food place and an airport. No pub like buzz even when full in the evening)

Lack of table service (Yes, they are keeping costs down, but everyone who wants a pint or food as to queue at the same bar, which can get very congested and which means there isnt a bar as such in the place, its just a counter)

Toto Wolfcastle · 17-11-2014 1:46pm

If they have decent management they should be able to keep any trouble away. They will probably attract troublemakers because they sell cheap alcohol but if they manage that from the start it should be okay. Wetherspoons are generally hit and miss. I've been in two of them and they were awful but others seem to be fine. A bit of competition is always good and hopefully the spread of Wetherspoons will mean better value in other pubs.

oblivious · 17-11-2014 1:48pm

Larbre34 wrote: »

Atmosphere (It feels like a combination between a family food place and an airport. No pub like buzz even when full in the evening)

Lack of table service (Yes, they are keeping costs down, but everyone who wants a pint or food as to queue at the same bar, which can get very congested and which means there isnt a bar as such in the place, its just a counter)

That's standard spoons experience. They always come across to me as some where to get a meal or have a few pint, not really for some where to send a whole night.

AlanG · 17-11-2014 2:32pm

oblivious wrote: »

If we can also get Galway Bay brewery to take over the old Grayhound pub too, I would be a very very happy man

I was surprised that they didn't go for the greyhound but I guess being in the center should give them much more food business. Galway bay would be great for the Greyhound alright.

oblivious · 17-11-2014 3:01pm

AlanG wrote: »

I was surprised that they didn't go for the greyhound but I guess being in the center should give them much more food business. Galway bay would be great for the Greyhound alright.

I had passed it on to them so who know, but they opened a pub in Rathgar the other week

Tiger Mcilroy · 17-11-2014 4:26pm

AlanG wrote: »

I was surprised that they didn't go for the greyhound but I guess being in the center should give them much more food business. Galway bay would be great for the Greyhound alright.

Isnt the greyhound owned by superquinn though and in fairness the interior was fairly tatty they last time i was in there and would they want to invest in somebody else property...anyways if they are going to give an alternative to the city centre prices being charged by the likes of the bell and roselawn then its only a good thing.

dodzy · 17-11-2014 4:36pm

jeffk wrote: »

As I said in that thread if they get any of the crowd the Budda bar got then they are finished

Hopefully it’s something different from what we have and not just well it’s cheaper to drink here so let’s go here.

A harsh reality Jeff. If they don't police it correctly from the outset, it'll be in the toilet in no time as there'll be no shortage of lurchers folk, that I personally would not let within an asses roar of the place, queuing on opening day. Nothing surer.

Larbre34 · 17-11-2014 5:29pm

So which are the well run pubs with the decent crowds in the area? Any of the ones Ive dropped into in Blanch village have been sketchy.

amdublin · 17-11-2014 11:20pm

Any free wifi?

If not I can see no reason I'd have a coffee there during the day.

As for drinking there at night - no atmosphere, no amdublin

R1_Pete · 17-11-2014 11:28pm

oblivious wrote: »

If we can also get Galway Bay brewery to take over the old Grayhound pub too, I would be a very very happy man

I thought exactly that as I drove by it last night!! Would love it!

miamee · 17-11-2014 11:46pm

I see the Greyhound are opening back up soon. Looking for waiting and kitchen staff so I guess it will be a restaurant of some description. I wonder if the new owners/licencees knew about Wetherspoons before they went for it?!

Murt10 · 18-11-2014 12:07am

miamee wrote: »

I see the Greyhound are opening back up soon. Looking for waiting and kitchen staff so I guess it will be a restaurant of some description. I wonder if the new owners/licencees knew about Wetherspoons before they went for it?!

Same crowd as run Paidi Ogs, I believe. Short term lease, so they can exit it as soon as they like or the competition becomes too much.

L1011 · 18-11-2014 1:01pm

amdublin wrote: »

Any free wifi?

If not I can see no reason I'd have a coffee there during the day.

As for drinking there at night - no atmosphere, no amdublin

Pretty sure there is, and it also goes out on a UK IP address rather than an Irish one due to kit being shipped over from HQ.

R1_Pete · 18-11-2014 10:28pm

Larbre34 wrote: »

So which are the well run pubs with the decent crowds in the area? Any of the ones Ive dropped into in Blanch village have been sketchy.

Strawberry Hall..

chucknorris · 19-11-2014 11:41am

The Bell is still the number 1 pub in my book.

It has a bar for the old fogies, a lounge for the young and good looking people like myself, a function room for events that seem to be booked every single week, a really good food set-up and the staff are there a long time and have built up a rapport with customers.

It's a decent night on winter nights and excellent outside on summer days.

oblivious · 19-11-2014 11:55am

R1_Pete wrote: »

I thought exactly that as I drove by it last night!! Would love it!

Yes it would, but spoons will proved some proper competition for pubs and choice for consumers. There range is not Galway bay but its a hell of a lot better than the Diageo et al cosy cartel that is Irish pubs

Nicoleye · 19-11-2014 11:35pm

I'm taking from this that it wouldn't be a late bar so, even though I tend to be in the city centre a late bar wouldn't go astray in blanch (apart from status *shudder*)

Larbre34 · 20-11-2014 10:59am

Nicoleye wrote: »

I'm taking from this that it wouldn't be a late bar so, even though I tend to be in the city centre a late bar wouldn't go astray in blanch (apart from status *shudder*)

1 a.m. closing in the Blackrock Wetherspoons, food available till 11 p.m.

Not to say thats what they will do in Blanch but its not unprecedented

oblivious · 19-02-2015 10:49am

Looks like planing has been granted with a few conditions

http://planning.fingalcoco.ie/swiftlg/apas/run/WPHAPPDETAIL.DisplayUrl?theApnID=FW14A/0148&theTabNo=2

oblivious · 26-02-2015 12:23pm

Work has started on the new premises this week

septictank · 26-02-2015 3:33pm

oblivious wrote: »

Work has started on the new premises this week

The lads arrived over the weekend and some are staying with a friend of mine who has a B+B, booked in for 7 weeks.

Gerlad · 01-04-2015 4:55pm

The pub will be called The Great Wood and hopes to open in June. No live music but there will be sports shown if on terrestial TV. The Paddy Powers beside it will be kept relatively busy so.

miamee · 01-04-2015 10:20pm

http://publin.ie/2015/the-wetherspoons-in-blanchardstown-has-name/

Listed there. They've a new Facebook page too but I can't link to it now.

Zaph · 01-04-2015 10:29pm

Facebook page here and Twitter here

Wetherspoons - The Great Wood

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