I work at Wetherspoons and here is the real reason the prices are so cheap

WETHERSPOONS are known and loved for their cheap drinks – but how do they keep prices so low?

An insider has spilled the beans, uncovering the dirt on behind-the-scenes pub practices that mean YOU get a pint cheap.

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Around 900 JD Wetherspoon pubs are located across the UK, serving food and drink at great prices – including its famous curry club.

The ‘Primark of Pubs’ was founded by Tim Martin in 1979 and has since become a national treasure on many a high street.

In a Channel 5 show, Wetherspoons: How Do They Do It?, the secrets of the channel’s success were revealed.

Fast service

Former bartender Sophia Nasif explains that the most popular booze is put on a “speed rail” under the bar to provide easy access on busy nights.

This means employees can prepare the drink at the bar rather than having to check elsewhere for the correct bottle.

“Speed ​​is important,” said Sophia. “The faster you are, the more you will sell.”

Craig Henry, a former pub manager, said: “It’s about focusing on speed of service, that general turnaround is key.”

It’s a similar story in the kitchen, where meals are prepared using microwaves and deep fryers.

Staff are informed that there is a 10 minute delay between taking an order and delivering the food to the customer.

Precision pouring

Another way for ‘Spoons to save money on booze is to be very careful about how much beer goes into each pint.

Each pint must have a 5% head and managers can apparently test this by weighing the beer.

Former staff said they weigh the glass first and then head office tells them what the weight should be with the correct size tops.

Drip trays are also emptied nightly to get an accurate count of each line’s wastage.

“Minimum waste equals maximum profit,” Craig said.

Additions

All drinkers will have experienced something called upselling in a pub or restaurant at some point.

The money-making tactic was part of Wetherspoons’ official training strategy – although the channel has now abandoned this method.

Former staff have revealed they would ask customers if they would prefer a double or single shot of alcohol – in that order.

Indeed, saying “double” first encourages consumers to settle for the larger and more expensive option.

Former employees also revealed that they would suggest more expensive food items.

Or instead of asking “do you want onion rings”, they would say “how many onion rings would you like?”.

Wetherspoon told the documentary that he ditched the strategy in 2015 and was now doing meal deals instead.

He also said he had discouraged the upselling of spirits for more than a decade.

Curry club “ping” meal

Wetherspoons’ club dining nights have earned the chain huge popularity.

There is a club day available every day of the week, such as Mexican Mondays, Tuesday Steak Club, and Fish and Chip Friday.

“Clubs were very popular and there was one available every day of the week,” Craig said.

But the most popular and well-known is the Thursday Curry Club, which has been around since 1997.

It offers good value by selling pub grub classics at low prices – and the food is delivered frozen before being microwaved to keep cooking costs down.

Price monitoring

Former staff members lifted the lid that they would be sent to check prices offered by competitors in their area.

Then each pub will try to keep it below the local average.

This is why you will find that the price can vary from one Wetherspoons pub to another, depending on where you are in the UK.

And it can also set its own prices, rather than having them imposed by a brewery because it is neither owned nor leased by a brewery.

Has its own ads

Many rival pubs are owned by large brewers who charge pub owners low rent on the condition that they buy all their alcohol from them at fixed prices.

But Wetherspoons operates on a different model and has several of its own buildings, meaning pub bosses can buy from whoever they want.

And with the amount of beer Wetherspoons sells, everyone is keen to supply them, which means management can score some great deals.

Just like shopping when you do your grocery shopping, Wetherspoons can do the same and get the cheapest prices possible.