Wetherspoons In Cork

gimmick

Been open 3 weeks now. How much longer do the staff need to "learn"?

Reputable Rog

gimmick wrote: »

Been open 3 weeks now. How much longer do the staff need to "learn"?

As much like Spoons, everyone I go into seems like they just opened that morning.
The stocking issues is something I've found in a lot of pubs on the mainland but is something that doesn't go down well here.

sozbox

gimmick wrote: »

Been open 3 weeks now. How much longer do the staff need to "learn"?

They also get 12 weeks training in advance so I'm not sure why these issues exist at this point. Very annoying though it won't stop me going in there

Ludo

Reputable Rog wrote: »

As much like Spoons, everyone I go into seems like they just opened that morning.
The stocking issues is something I've found in a lot of pubs on the mainland but is something that doesn't go down well here.

The mainland?

jabberwock

Ludo wrote: »

The mainland?

Might want to check his location.

gimmick

If it were a Benny McCabe or an Ernest Cantillon establishment, the staff "Still learning" would be dismissed as the 2 of them cutting corners while ripping us off etc.

Poor service is poor service and if Wetherspoons hired all staff with no experience they were bloody stupid.

Reputable Rog

Ludo wrote: »

The mainland?

:pac::):):):D

Faith

gimmick wrote: »

If it were a Benny McCabe or an Ernest Cantillon establishment, the staff "Still learning" would be dismissed as the 2 of them cutting corners while ripping us off etc.

Poor service is poor service and if Wetherspoons hired all staff with no experience they were bloody stupid.

They do it to cut costs. Experienced bar staff cost more, so they specifically hire people with no experience and train them.

clerk

Faith wrote: »

They do it to cut costs. Experienced bar staff cost more, so they specifically hire people with no experience and train them.

Makes sense, so the pints are 1/3 cheaper and the service is poorer and the consumer decides at the end of the Day.

clerk

jabberwock wrote: »

Might want to check his location.

Fog in Channel; Continent Cut Off.

beer enigma

clerk wrote: »

Makes sense, so the pints are 1/3 cheaper and the service is poorer and the consumer decides at the end of the Day.

You'll find most of the pubs will have one or two experienced guys brought in ("from the mainland") lol - Wetherspoons have a floating pool of experienced new start managers that stay for a couple of months and then move on after training to setup another pub. To be honest, I have no prob with new staff providing they're open and ask questions rather than bluff it out

gimmick

Finally went in Saturday evening. Was surprised by how big the place is. Very busy too.

Birra Moretti was €2.95 for a 660ml bottle. Cannot argue with that price.

Seemed a grand spot for a few, but the lack of any background music to me is a bit jarring.

The food which was going out all looked pretty ok to me.

hufpc8w3adnk65

Witherspoons in Cardiff has been one of my regular spots last few days! Loads of tvs. Music pumping sat and Sunday night. Food is good. Lots of atmosphere and craic In there both nights

Reputable Rog

MrMac84 wrote: »

Witherspoons in Cardiff has been one of my regular spots last few days! Loads of tvs. Music pumping sat and Sunday night. Food is good. Lots of atmosphere and craic In there both nights

The Great Western? If so you were in a Lloyds No1 Bar which is different from the conventional JDW brand.

Nonoperational

Went in for some food and a pint. Curry was grand. Really for €10 with a pint I couldn't fault it at all. I'd prefer a bit of music but the place was hopping.

hufpc8w3adnk65

Reputable Rog wrote: »

The Great Western? If so you were in a Lloyds No1 Bar which is different from the conventional JDW brand.

Thats the one. Staying across the road so it's been our base. It says witherspoons on the menus but I noticed the llyods logo on the tvs

Reputable Rog

MrMac84 wrote: »

Thats the one. Staying across the road so it's been our base. It says witherspoons on the menus but I noticed the llyods logo on the tvs

Its a concept aimed at the younger market, with music and late licences. JDW think of everything.

.red.

Went in this morning for breakfast. I was surprised how nice the place looked and also how busy it was at 1045 in the morning.
We got a seat and i went to order, we went for a breakfast roll and breakfast wrap. I noticed the tea was "breakfast tea" and as its usually rank i went for a pepsi. My wife went for the tea and it was indeed rank lol. We both opted for no egg, never got an option for something else instead but thats fine, some places do, others dont.
We were seated near where the food comes down and noticed the waiter kept complaining over the phone and radio, most orders that came down were wrong so it seems the teething problems noted in this thread are still the norm here.
We eventually got our food after 25mins which was a bit much, the tea was stone cold at this stage. My breakfast roll had 1 sausage, 1 rasher and 1hash brown, all cut in half to fill the roll. I know i asked for no egg but it was miserable looking. The rasher was black and tasteless. The wrap was similar.
It came to €7.95 which seemed very cheap but considering how enpty the roll/wrap were it was no cheaper than any other pub. I could have gone to a centra and spent similar money on a roll and wrap that would have filled us up.
I dont go to town too often but would probably try it again for a dinner or lunch before i write it off for food but first impression was very bad.

kooga

Reputable Rog wrote: »

Its a concept aimed at the younger market, with music and late licences. JDW think of everything.

if you venture up the street you will find the prince of wales and the gatekeeper wetherspoons as well

Reputable Rog

Must check them out the next time in that part of Western England.

SusieBlue

Went in this evening for my 3rd visit and won't be returning again. I commented on my first visit earlier on in the thread, was reasonably happy with my experience although there were some teething problems. My second visit was much better so was confident in my decision to go there for dinner tonight.

A bit of back story is necessary for this one. My younger brother (aged 18) is in 6th year. I (mid 20's) no longer live at home and rarely get a chance to catch up with him so its a Thursday ritual for us to get some dinner together every Thursday when I finish work at 6:30pm.

We chose Wetherspoons this week for a change. He was obviously still in his school uniform (not that it matters, but its a smart uniform that includes a blazer) and I was dressed smartly in jeans and boots. At 6:45pm on a Thursday evening, we were stopped going in because "no school uniforms". I would understand entirely if this was a standard pub, but it isn't, its a bar and restaurant. I explained that we were just going for a bite to eat and that my brother was over 18, and could provide ID if necessary. The doorman begrudgingly after 5 more minutes of promising we were just getting some food, said we could go in, but we had to be gone by 8pm.

At that point, I no longer wanted to give them by business after the way we were spoken to. We made our way to SoHo where we were served without issue or any question of ID. Some of our other usual Thursday spots also have bars (namely Brick Lane, Sober Lane, and SoHo amongst others) and never before has my uniform clad brother been stopped or so much as asked for ID so early in the evening, because its obviously dinner time and we aren't ordering alcohol anyway.

It has completely put me off returning and I was keen to give the place a chance as earlier stated in the thread. I would understand if it was just a pub but when they are serving food, it doesn't give the best first impression to be ID'd at dinner time when we weren't going to be drinking anyway.

I heard a similar story from a customer in work last week but I thought perhaps she was dramatizing it. She said she and two friends tried to go in for dinner at around 7pm and weren't allowed because they didn't have ID, but all 3 were driving and weren't going to drink anyway.

I understand their prices would attract underagers but frankly, to be stopped going into an establishment that serves food at dinner time because they don't want school aged people in there is a joke. They should ID at the counter when the customer tries to order a drink, not at the front door.

I've never been stopped going in anywhere in my life and it was mortifying! For all the bad press doorstaff in Cork yet, I can't believe my first refusal was at dinner time in Wetherspoons. Will not be returning or recommending. They shouldn't advertise themselves as a restaurant if they are going to exclude a portion of their consumers simply for wearing a uniform.

Nonoperational

I actually wouldn't have a problem with that at all.

j8wk2feszrnpao

WhiteRoses wrote: »

.....My younger brother (aged 18) ......and could provide ID if necessary.

If he's 18, then he should be taking his ID around with him, and if he's in his school uniform (and it doesn't matter how fancy it is), he definitely should bring his ID.
Past 6:30pm I don't have a problem with a bouncer asking for someones ID entering a bar when they are dressed in their school uniform.

WhiteRoses wrote: »

I heard a similar story from a customer in work last week but I thought perhaps she was dramatizing it. She said she and two friends tried to go in for dinner at around 7pm and weren't allowed because they didn't have ID, but all 3 were driving and weren't going to drink anyway.

Age of the customer? And how young did she look? Maybe her friends were quite young looking. Why did they not bring their ID? If all three were driving, then then should have had their ID's in their cars.

WhiteRoses wrote: »

They shouldn't advertise themselves as a restaurant if they are going to exclude a portion of their consumers simply for wearing a uniform.

They also serve as a bar, so they are far from advertising themselves solely as a restaurant. And you and your brother were not excluded due to the uniform, you were asked for ID which your brother (who is 18, dressed in a school uniform) failed to produce (and yet as you said, ye were still permitted to enter).

My background on this is from working in an off-license a while back. Customers would come in, looking on the borderline of 18, and then be staggered when asked for ID. "But I'm 21!".
Management had no problem with us carding anyone that we didn't believe looked overage as it was our necks on the line if we served someone underage.
I've been to the States where they will card anyone. Recent experiences of London is that many places will card you as standard policy.

Reputable Rog

Wetherspoons are part of the Challenge 21 initiative, they're going to be very strict for the first few months.
The last day I was in, there were a couple having a debate with the manager over the amount of people that had been barred in the first few weeks.
Shouldn't be wearing a school uniform out on the town regardless if he goes to Pres or Christians.

the beer revolu

Munster, nowhere in that post does it say that the young man didn't have id. It seems to me that it was purely the uniform that was the issue.

While it is, of course, illegal to serve alcohol to someone underage, be it in a off licence or bar, children of any age are legally permitted in a pub up until 9pm and, I think, even later if a meal is served.

They weren't following the law here, it was some strange company policy which they only half apply.

j8wk2feszrnpao

the beer revolu wrote: »

Munster, nowhere in that post does it say that the young man didn't have id. It seems to me that it was purely the uniform that was the issue.

While it is, of course, illegal to serve alcohol to someone underage, be it in a off licence or bar, children of any age are legally permitted in a pub up until 9pm and, I think, even later if a meal is served.

They weren't following the law here, it was some strange company policy which they only half apply.

True on the ID. I misread, thanks for the correction.
The uniform was an issue, which the doorman eventually conceded. Don't believe WhiteRoses should be mortified by the doorman being cautious about someone being in place that recognised as a bar, while wearing their school outfit, approaching 7pm in the evening.
This is quite low down in the pecking order or issues I'd have against a doorman/bouncer.

gl0Rob

the beer revolu wrote: »

Munster, nowhere in that post does it say that the young man didn't have id. It seems to me that it was purely the uniform that was the issue.

While it is, of course, illegal to serve alcohol to someone underage, be it in a off licence or bar, children of any age are legally permitted in a pub up until 9pm and, I think, even later if a meal is served.

They weren't following the law here, it was some strange company policy which they only half apply.

Agree. I think it is a common enough policy for most places not to serve people in a school uniform or tracksuit. A fairly common sense policy in this case.

gimmick

If i were a bar owner I wouldn't allow school uniforms. However, i would encourage them on wimmin at hen parties etc.

the beer revolu

I really don't see the issue.
I thought that weatherspoons encouraged families.
If they allow children in the bar what difference does it make if they're in school uniform or not?
Especially when you consider that the person in question was
(a) over 18
(b) not drinking
(c) accompanied by an adult not in school uniform

j8wk2feszrnpao

the beer revolu wrote: »

I really don't see the issue.
I thought that weatherspoons encouraged families.
If they allow children in the bar what difference does it make if they're in school uniform or not?
Especially when you consider that the person in question was
(a) over 18
(b) not drinking
(c) accompanied by an adult not in school uniform

This isn't the same as two grown adults walking into the place with their family. We don't know WhiteRoses and their brother, we don't know how young they look. We don't have a full picture of the situation.

The doorman questioned them, had an issue with someone in their mid-20's and someone in a school uniform entering a place that serves alcohol. Yes, they said they were just getting food, but I'm sure that doormen have been lied to before. The guy was being cautious in the situation, and actually allowed them to enter, so no issue at all.