Go anywhere in the UK or Ireland and you're likely to find a Wetherspoons there. Though the omnipresent pub chain – or rather its owner – has divided public opinion, it's undeniably a mainstay of life in the islands, as well as the quintessential pub experience for many a foreign visitor. Today, there are more than 800 Wetherspoons pubs currently trading, and if that seems like a daunting number to visit, well, then you're not Steve Hayes.
More than a decade ago, Steve from the West Midlands began the herculean task of visiting every single Wetherspoons in the country, and we've caught up with him on the cusp of completing his mission, with just three left, to ask him a few questions. Read on to discover how it all got started, which are the top Wetherspoons in the country, and what he's got planned next.
When and how did you start with this massive undertaking?
It began quite spontaneously and wasn't something I ever set out to do. I became conscious that I'd already been to a lot of Wetherspoons pubs when browsing through one of the pub magazines in about 2013. I was on a midweek work trip involving an overnight stay in Glasgow and was on my own with no plans on a Tuesday night. I'd heard there were a couple of nice Wetherspoons there and being alone in an unfamiliar city Wetherspoons was somewhere I felt safe, so I decided to visit all five in the city centre in that evening. After that I began to make a concerted effort to go to Wetherspoons whenever I was in a town or city, but even then I never imagined I'd get to all of them. It was only about three or four years ago that I realized I only had a couple of hundred left that I decided I'd try to bag the lot.
How many Spoons have you visited so far? How many are still left, and do you have any plans for visiting them already?
I've been to 923 in total! Though pubs are opening and closing all the time and I've been to 810 out of the 813 pubs that are currently trading. The last ones on my list are Yeovil, a new one that opened at a holiday park near Filey in March, and another recent addition at Heathrow Terminal 4 (airside) – this will probably be the last one I get to because I will need to accompany that with a trip abroad. But there are plans for new pubs to open at London Waterloo, Marlow and Beaconsfield amongst others in the next year or so, so it's a challenge that never ends really; I get terribly excited when I read a new pub is opening somewhere.
Have you had any difficulties with visiting any of the pubs? Are there any that “got away”?
The airside pubs at airports have been the most difficult because you need to have a flight booked to get there. One that eluded me was the pub at Doncaster Airport. The flights from there were quite limited and then the airport closed permanently in 2022, so that is one that got away.
Have you kept any souvenirs from your visits?
No, in hindsight I do wish I had collected souvenirs from each but I only thought about this after I'd already been to a few hundred pubs, so it was too late. Really though it has been more about the experience. I did start taking photos of all the pubs I'd visited in about 2017, so I have those for memories.
Do you have a regular order, or do you switch things up? Do you have an approximation of how much you've spent at Spoons over the years?
I think one of the reasons for Wetherspoons success is that it has a varying ambience throughout the day and attracts different people at different times. I will always make a purchase, but that will depend on when I'm there and who I'm with. In the morning I might have a coffee and a breakfast, on my own in the afternoon I'll have a real ale which is almost always well kept. If I'm with my family we will normally have a meal, if I'm with my friends it might be cocktail jugs and shots! Given that I've had at least a drink and often a meal and have been to over 900 pubs I suppose I must have spent at least £10,000. Considerably more I suppose if you take into account the travelling, though I generally try and incorporate visits as part of other trips, such as family holidays or visits to friends.
What is it about Spoons that you found so appealing in the first place? Have you seen any changes at Spoons during this time?
The prices are obviously appealing, but also you know exactly what you're going to get. There is a great balance between each pub being unique in terms of architecture and layout but there are many other features in terms of service that are reassuringly similar. I also like that they attract people from all backgrounds and I think provide a great snapshot of 21st-century Britain.
I think the daytime trade seems to have changed over the years, when they started offering free hot drink refills a few years ago that was a bit of game changer and many pubs are just as busy in mid-morning as they are in late evening. Introduction of the app allowing you to order food and drinks direct to the table was also a great innovation. Perhaps what appeals to me most though is there is at least one in almost all major UK towns and cities – it is an excuse for me to visit places I would never otherwise visit, and I find that as enjoyable as going to the pubs. What other reason is there to visit interesting places like Accrington, Dumbarton and Midsomer Norton!
Which would you say is the top Spoons in London, and which in Manchester? Which three are your favourite ones overall, and why?
My favourites are the pubs which have been converted from other historic premises. The Metropolitan Bar near Marylebone Station is a great old building and probably my favourite in Central London. A little further out in London is The Greenwood Hotel in Northolt, which is a beautiful pub. In Manchester, The Moon Under Water is an old cinema that has been converted into a huge pub and retains plenty of interesting original features.
My top three? The Caley Picture House in Edinburgh, which is a former theatre with three tiers of seating high above the main pub, very unique. The Winter Gardens in Harrogate is another incredible building and a real work of art. Walking into that place you'd never imagine you were entering the country's best value pub chain! Perhaps my favourite of all is Keavan's Port in Dublin. This pub is huge but incorporates at least six distinct seating areas, including a former chapel and a courtyard garden all within a single premises.
Wetherspoons are known for each having an individually designed carpet – have any of them stuck with you in particular?
I like the carpets that pay some subtle reference to the history of the pub. The Poste of Stone, in Stone, not too far from where I live, is a former Post Office and has pillar boxes elegantly weaved into the carpet – that is one that always sticks with me!
What's the strangest or funniest thing to have happened to you at a Spoons?
The funniest was probably the incident that alerted you to me… Wetherspoons The Game is a Facebook page where you can post which pub you are in and other group members can send you a drink using the Wetherspoons ordering app. I'd tried this for the first time a few weeks ago when I was at the Man in the Moon in Newport Isle of Wight and posted that I was onto my last five pubs. This obviously struck the interest of a lot of people on the group because within just five minutes I'd had a dozen drinks sent to my table over the app. I was on my own and had only intended popping in for half an hour or so, so almost immediately thanked everyone and posted that I didn't want any more orders. However, after another 5 minutes I'd had another couple of trays of drinks – probably 30 or so in total and the waitress thought it was hilarious. I tried to offer some to a group sat on a nearby table, but they didn't know the game and just thought I was some weirdo I think. I was pretty overwhelmed by the generosity people show, and my post on the page had about 750 likes, which was close to a record I think.
Visiting some of the pubs in Welsh valleys has been an interesting experience, as they do not get many tourists in those parts. I was in the pub in Caerphilly during the Six Nations rugby championship last year. England vs France was being shown on a big screen in there and every time France scored, which they did a lot in that game, there was an absolutely huge roar of celebration – it couldn't have been louder if Wales were winning the World Cup! Being an Englishman I had to keep a very low profile! I knew there was a strong rivalry between England and Wales in rugby, but had not appreciated this would involve the Welsh supporting the French with such vigour!
How are your friends and family taking this project? Are they supportive, or do they just want to go to a non-Spoons pub for a change?
Well, I'm not so obsessed that Wetherspoons is the only place I will go to! My family have been pretty supportive and generally happy to call into a Wetherspoons whenever we go on holiday – my young children have probably been to well over 100 each. My friends have gone through phases, they got tired of me always insisting we go to Wetherspoons for a while, but now I'm nearing the end of the challenge they are starting to get very interested again, and lots of people have said they want to join me when I go to the last one!
What's next after you're done with Spoons? All the Costas?
There are quite a lot of Wetherspoons that have closed down that I have not been to, many of which are still pubs, so I might see how many of those I can get to. I also read an article a few years ago about a lady who had visited every pub in Britain called 'The Red Lion'. I must admit I had a tinge of jealousy about that, and reckon that would be a great way to see lots more new places.