Wetherspoons

biko wrote: »

I go to Wetherspoons in Derry all the time and find the food fine, it's not pretentious, there's lots of it, and it's cheap.

Cheap and lots of it, hallmarks of quality alright.

ongarboy wrote: »

Wetherspoon's drink choice and prices are good. Their food is very mediocre the few times I've had meals in the Dublin pubs over the last few years but it will attract people for the food because they feel they are getting value for money (especially with the cheap soft drink/alcoholic drink add on).

Yeah to be fair, the food at Wetherspoons is not exactly 5-Star gourmet quality although; they never claimed so either. It's easily on a par (if not better) than Burgerking, Abrakebabra etc; It's a basic food offering at a reasonable price in a comfortable setting where alcohol is also on sale but you can buy Tea or Coffee and they offer FREE Tea/Coffee Refills. It just brings something different to the table in terms of meal deals and cheaper alcohol prices in a bar. If you do not opt for a meal you are still able to avail of Wetherspoon's more competitive drink prices in a city centre venue in a safe comfortable setting. It's a no-brainer for someone who enjoys socialising but may have little income after paying their bills, rent/mortgage etc.

ongarboy wrote: »

That's a very good point. A night club is only open for 4 hours a couple of nights a week and is dead street frontage for the remainder of the week. This will bring life to the street from 8am to midnight or so 7 days a week.

Yeah, I always felt that a large section of that street was asleep most of the day which cannot have been attractive for neighbouring retail outlets. This could benefit other venues on the street based on increased footfall alone once Wetherspoons opens from early morning to late evening. I think it could be a win, win for all concerned.

Robbo wrote: »

We *are* the land of the wretched pub carvery in fairness.

10 out of 10 - Indeed we are - Pub carvery meals can be of high quality in many places but yes the reason most pubs stay in business tends to rely on it's food offering especially to boost daytime trade.

Other factors that have probably led to a decline in alcohol sales in Pubs may be down to:
Gulf between price of Alcohol on sale in Bars/Pubs V's Off-Licences, Supermarkets, Garage forecourt shops etc;
Smoking Ban in the Workplace which included Public Houses some of which may not have adequate smoking areas for all weather use causing some punters to change habit.
Stricter drink driving legislation and random breath testing was introduced including next morning spot-checks.

Wetherspoons know exactly what they are doing and have probably been anxious to gain a foothold in Galway for quite a while I suspect. I hope it leads to further competition in the sector as it has become quite expensive to go out in Ireland leading to the on-trade being less busy at times that would have been a lot busier some years ago. Given that we are almost at full employment, there is clearly something wrong in the pubs sector if many are still struggling.

gordongekko wrote: »

Where in the town does a carvery anymore

Imperial.

One spot hardly make us the land of the carvery!!

Murphys Bar does all three.

Myself and some colleagues did a blind tasting during a night out about 6 months ago .

Beamish and Murphys were level on 4 and nobody picked Guinness.

Andrea Large Condolence wrote: »

Having spent time in Cork where both are popular and tried both on many different occasions (usually forced due to no Guinness for whatever reason) they are both far inferior to Guinness taste wise IMO. I would know instantly which one was which and have brought back pints after one sip on a number of occasions when I was given Murphy's or Beamish by mistake rather than Guinness.

I think it's really a matter of personal taste. Guinness has without question been a national and international brand for many years and has stood the test of time. St. James's Gate Brewery is a brewery founded in 1759 in Dublin, Ireland, by Arthur Guinness. The company is now a part of Diageo, a British company formed from the merger of Guinness and Grand Metropolitan in 1997.

The reason Murphy's Irish Stout (established in 1856) and Beamish Genuine Irish Stout (established in 1792) are so popular in Cork is down to the fact that both have been brewed in Cork City for a very long time and there would always be a certain rivalry between Dublin as capital city with Cork as the second largest city in the state since Irish independence.

According to Murphy's Irish Stout marketing it's described as follows:
Murphy's is classified as an Irish Dry Stout, is dark in colour and medium-bodied. It is silky smooth with toffee & coffee undertones, almost no bitterness, and a irresistible creamy finish. ABV 4.0%

According to Beamish Genuine Irish Stout marketing it's described as follows:
Beamish has a rich roasted flavour with coffee and dark chocolate undertones, making it a genuine Irish stout. ABV 4.1%

Murphy is brewed at Lady's Well Brewery which eventually became the Heineken Ireland Brewery and is situated north of the River Lee whereas; Beamish was for most of it's existence brewed at the Beamish & Crawford brewery situated at a different site located south of the River Lee.

In times past, most Public Houses were owned by the various breweries (which favoured & stocked their own products) so; some Pubs were Beamish controlled, others were Murphy's and other's would have been Guinness houses.

Both Murphy's Irish Stout and Beamish Irish Stout are now brewed at the Heineken Ireland Brewery at Leitrim Street in Cork City along with other products such as Heineken lager for instance. The former Beamish & Crawford brewery site off South Main Street in Cork City is earmarked for the long awaited Cork Event Centre which has yet to be finalised & built although; there is other construction of student apartments ongoing in another part of the site.

I'm not sure if Wetherspoons will stock Guinness, Murphy's Irish Stout or Beamish Genuine Irish Stout at it's new Galway bar when it eventually opens so it will be interesting to see what's on sale.

Sources:
https://brewcrew.ie/products/guinness-stout-4-2-abv-20l-keg-35-pints
https://brewcrew.ie/products/beamish-irish-stout-4-1-abv-30l-keg-53-pints
https://brewcrew.ie/products/murphys-irish-stout-4-0-50l-keg-88-pints

Is there a provsional opening date on the Galway spoons? Would imagine the second half of 2020 at a guess, its a big job they are undertaking.

So when I was walking past yesterday I heard some work going on inside.
May have been some other reason for the works or the current people controlling the site stripping it.

From frequenting a number of their places in the UK I would say they'd fit it out quickly especially as it was already a bar with a kitchen.

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

I noticed it had been secured and all the Carbon signage gone during the week.





Did it definitely have a kitchen? I've heard a few different opinions, none were totally sure.

But if it did, then I'd guess it won't need planning, since it's not a change of use.

there was - think it was called studio - only open for short time.

JCX BXC wrote: »

Any updates?

No: there's been a small amount done on the building, but it doesn't look like the fit out gas started ( unless they're very good at hiding it!)