separator Posted 3 June 2013 Posted 3 June 2013 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-22760874 Seems like a good idea to me. Not everyone that visits a motorway services is driving (ie. coach parties, passengers etc) so a stop off for a pint and some grub is reasonable.
Rincewind Posted 3 June 2013 Posted 3 June 2013 True but I bet there will be police waiting to catch those that do. It is also a temptation. Are you able to buy drink at the restaurants? Nothing to stop people buying before they set out. A pub that sells low or xero %ABV would be a good idea though.
Fox92 Posted 3 June 2013 Posted 3 June 2013 "its licence allows it to serve alcohol between 08:00 and 01:00" Why can I see this ending up bad?
stix Posted 3 June 2013 Posted 3 June 2013 "its licence allows it to serve alcohol between 08:00 and 01:00" Why can I see this ending up bad? It's alright, the pissheads won't get to the motorway. There'll just be a big pile up of dead alki's and their cars at the junction at fosse park....walking dead stylee.
Fox92 Posted 3 June 2013 Posted 3 June 2013 It's alright, the pissheads won't get to the motorway. There'll just be a big pile up of dead alki's and their cars at the junction at fosse park....walking dead stylee. Yeah, this bit is probably my favourite... "it should make its drink-drive warnings "extra clear"... I doubt the normal warnings influence anybody anyway.
stix Posted 3 June 2013 Posted 3 June 2013 Yeah, this bit is probably my favourite... "it should make its drink-drive warnings "extra clear"... I doubt the normal warnings influence anybody anyway. They won't be able to see the warnings....the MASSIVE picture of a can of Stella will be in the way.
The Year Of The Fox Posted 4 June 2013 Posted 4 June 2013 Ha that's the services we pulled into last week on the way to Slough. It struck me as being brand new anyway!? X
Rocket-Ron Posted 4 June 2013 Posted 4 June 2013 You can bet they won't be Weatherspoons low prices though
sphericalfox Posted 4 June 2013 Posted 4 June 2013 I do hope they have a large accommodating lorry park for overnight stays. This is going to end badly. Very badly.
indierich06 Posted 4 June 2013 Posted 4 June 2013 Don't get what the big deal is? People could already buy booze from the shops on-site at service stations anyway? If drivers literally can't stop themselves from going and having a pint just because there's a pub on site, they're the problem, not the pub. I would never even dream of drinking and driving, and I'm sure the vast majority of people wouldn't either.
Bayfox Posted 4 June 2013 Posted 4 June 2013 On the plus side, the cheap food may drive down the silly service prices for crap food. However, I really think this is putting temptation on a plate for Drivers, Lorry drivers staying overnight etc. And I can't wait until a matchday when we see a return to people kicking shit out of each other at a services, I'm not sure they have thought about the repair bills and I'm surprised the old bill haven't objected, can you see them wanting to police these places some services can be miles from the nearest junction, the response time could be ages and all hell could of kicked off.
Ric Flair Posted 4 June 2013 Posted 4 June 2013 Petrol stations have been selling booze for quite a while, I don't see this being any different really.
Bayfox Posted 4 June 2013 Posted 4 June 2013 Petrol stations have been selling booze for quite a while, I don't see this being any different really. Don't know about you but i'd prefer to sit in a pub drink a pint. than a car park drinking a can.
StanSP Posted 4 June 2013 Posted 4 June 2013 I fail to see how this will be a successful decision. Surely it's better not to have the temptation at all on a motorway to drink? I don't think it's been well thought out, and I don't think many emphasised messages of 'don't drink and drive' will work either. If a person wants a drink, they'll drink. It's unlikely they'll stop at this pub, see a sign and just walk back to their cars. It's all a bit too much expense just for the sake of 50 jobs it'll create, too.
ADK Posted 4 June 2013 Posted 4 June 2013 I wouldn't want alcohol anywhere near a motorway. There's no good reason for it being there, even if just the passengers drink, that's not a good thing to encourage either, having drunk passengers is a risk factor when driving too. But many drivers will have a pint too and while not legally over the limit, they are worse drivers after drinking even if under the limit.
MooseBreath Posted 4 June 2013 Posted 4 June 2013 You'd think there's never been a pub near a road before judging by the reaction on here. I'm sure I read somewhere that they relaxed rules around service stations so that they can become destinations in their own right, so we may start to see things like cinemas and bowling alleys at our service stations as well.
Nationwider Posted 4 June 2013 Posted 4 June 2013 Wetherspoons don't need to sell any alcohol at a motorway services; this move is about the ubiquity of the brand. They latched on to the concept that there's far more money to be made in food than wet sales a decade or so ago. That's why the number of Wetherspoons is increasing by about 5% a year despite the fact that the traditional pub sector has been in decline since the credit crunch/smoking ban era began. They may well operate an initial motorway restaurant/cafe at a loss (Let's not kid ourselves, it's not a 'pub'; their competitors are Harvester, MacDonalds, Greggs and Costa, not the Whistle & Trumpet...they just happen to sell alcohol) but it's all about getting the brand into the services before anyone else; like they have done in shopping centres, stations and airports. As MooseBreath points out, if service stations become bona fide leisure destinations, you can bet that Wetherspoons and Costa etc will be the first to pitch up. There's far more money to be had from families with kids and bus loads of OAPs than there is in sales reps in Mondeos after a cheeky Carling on the way home.
Rincewind Posted 5 June 2013 Posted 5 June 2013 There are pubs at airports. I thinks pilots still stay sober.
Guest Posted 5 June 2013 Posted 5 June 2013 There are pubs at airports. I thinks pilots still stay sober. Hmmmmm. Not so sure myself
DB11 Posted 5 June 2013 Posted 5 June 2013 I'd rather have a Spoons meal than overpriced Little Chef or whatever they have there nowadays.
ADK Posted 5 June 2013 Posted 5 June 2013 If Spoons want to open up and sell food then fine, they can simply not serve alcohol at the service station branches.
stix Posted 5 June 2013 Posted 5 June 2013 If Spoons want to open up and sell food then fine, they can simply not serve alcohol at the service station branches. Well that's sorted then. Close thread.
Fox92 Posted 5 June 2013 Posted 5 June 2013 There are pubs at airports. I thinks pilots still stay sober. Pubs for passengers, yeah. Can't imagine pilots and air traffic controllers downing pints during their breaks.
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