Sir Tim Martin, the founder of pub chain Wetherspoon, has revealed his favourite things to eat and drink in his pubs. Speaking at one of his 800 pubs, the Moon Under Water in London, Sir Tim also revealed how he tried to make every Wetherspoon pub nod to the history of the building it occupies.
"If I'm having a pint in the evening it would be a pint of Abbot Ale (or two) and if I'm having a pint in the day I'm sad to say I'd have a Pepsi Max or a coffee," the 69-year-old, who lives in Devon with his family, said.
"For breakfast, I'd have a small breakfast, the breakfast of the gods. For lunch I'd have a southern fried chicken wrap with a salad and in the evening I'd have fish and chips, if I'm allowed. If not, I'd have steak and kidney pie, which is less calorific."
In an interview with the Daily Star, Sir Tim also shed light on the distinctive carpets found in each Wetherspoon pub, noting that they are part of the company's effort to create individuality and reflect the history of the pub's location and building.
He elaborated: "In design, we've tried to build pubs with individuality and, from a design point of view, something that links to the area and links to building historically."
What many patrons may not realise is that the unique carpet beneath their feet in a Wetherspoon pub is not just any ordinary floor covering. Each bespoke carpet comes with a hefty price tag ranging from £20,000 to £30,000 and is partly handcrafted by the esteemed Axminster firm.
Sir Tim also shared his thoughts on why Guinness is currently enjoying a surge in popularity in British pubs.
"I think every few years a product becomes very fashionable and our Guinness sales are up 80 or 90% compared with five years ago. Before Guinness it was gin," he said.
"So gin came from being a modest seller to becoming the number seller overtaking vodka. And a few years before that, it was Smirnoff Ice and a few years before that it was Magners cider over ice - who could have predicted that?
"So there seems to be things that catch on and trends, where Guinness is at the moment. Guinness will be trying to sustain that forever but there's always a trendy product that people attach to - it's not just bell bottom trousers or dyed blond hair or whatever the hell the latest fashion is, it also applies to beer and drinks."
Despite the popularity, and nationwide shortage of the Black Stuff over Christmas, he said that 'Spoons had managed to largely avoid running dry, like so many other pubs had. Wetherspoon has more than 800 pubs in the UK.
"My old man worked for Guinness for 31 years and they paid for my education so I have to be nice - but we were OK and there were a couple of temporary shortfalls, but nothing much," he said.
"I don't think it was regional, it was companies whose Guinness was delivered through wholesalers, so there might have been some wholesalers who ran out - ours is more direct negotiation."
