If you’ve ever tried to enjoy a quiet pint while someone nearby watches TikToks at full volume, Wetherspoons has some welcome news.
The pub chain has announced that customers will no longer be allowed to play music or videos aloud from their phones and tablets, or take calls on speaker.
The new rule applies across Wetherspoons’ 792 UK pubs and bars, with customers asked to keep their devices on silent or use headphones instead.
A quieter pint, please
Wetherspoons said it had introduced the measure after receiving increasing complaints about noisy devices, with the sounds of speakerphone calls, videos and playlists proving a source of frustration for other pub-goers.
The company said staff will be expected to use “common sense” when enforcing the policy. Managers are not expected to immediately ask customers to leave if they break the rules, but the chain confirmed that refusing to comply could ultimately lead to being asked to go elsewhere.
It is a move that will probably strike a chord with plenty of Londoners who have endured the peculiar public-space soundtrack of loud voice notes, videos and FaceTime calls.
A Transport for London survey of 1,000 people last year found that 70% viewed loud music and phone calls without headphones as a nuisance. Other research has similarly suggested that most people would rather not hear the contents of a stranger’s phone while travelling, eating or having a drink.
Wetherspoons has banned its customers from playing music out loud or taking calls on speaker
Wetherspoons’ decision is not quite as severe as the famously strict rules at Sam Smiths pubs. The rival chain has long banned the use of phones and other technology altogether, alongside its no-swearing policy.
Mark Evans, manager of the Black Horse Inn, a Sam Smiths pub in Bradford, described the result as a “digital detox”, saying that people who arrive as strangers can begin chatting with one another within minutes.
Wetherspoons is taking a gentler approach: customers can still use their phones, just without turning the pub into their own personal listening room.
There is one slightly modern contradiction, of course, many customers will still be able to pay for their drinks with their phones.
The ban feels particularly on-brand for Wetherspoons, whose standard pubs do not play background music. Chief executive Sir Tim Martin has previously described them as “an oasis of tranquillity and contemplation” in a world filled with amplified sound.
The company’s 44 Lloyds bars are the exception, with music played in the evenings. But the new rules on customer devices will apply there, too so even where there is a proper soundtrack, customers will not be adding their own competing audio.
Sir Tim summed up the policy in typically colourful fashion, saying the change was intended to stop customers being “driven chicken jalfrezi by a cacophony of sound”.
Will other pubs follow?
The British Beer and Pub Association, which represents Wetherspoons and other pub businesses, welcomed the decision. It said clear policies help staff manage difficult situations and make sure customers understand what is and is not acceptable.
And, frankly, it is hard to imagine many people mourning the loss of a nearby speakerphone conversation while they are trying to catch up with friends over a pint.
Whether the rule inspires other chains to follow suit remains to be seen. But for anyone who considers a pub a place to talk, switch off and enjoy a drink without hearing a stranger’s algorithm, Wetherspoons’ quieter-pub policy may be a very welcome round indeed.
