The Belle and Lion - JD Wetherspoon

About

22-24 High Street
Sheerness
Kent
ME12 1NL

Story

J D Wetherspoon plc (commonly known as Wetherspoon's) is a British pub chain with headquarters in Watford, Hertfordshire. Founded in 1979 by Tim Martin, the company owns over 900 outlets. The chain champions cask ale, low prices, long opening hours, and no music. The company also operates the Lloyds No. 1 chain and a modest number of Wetherspoon Hotels. The chain has become known for converting large, unconventional premises into pubs. Premises tend to be large by British pub standards, and use an open plan layout.

It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.

The chain began supporting cask ale when it was unfashionable to do so,[4] and is the largest single purchaser from microbreweries in the UK

In 1979, Tim Martin opened his first pub, on Colney Hatch Lane in London.[5] Many of the other early Wetherspoon pubs were also in the western part of Haringey. The J D Wetherspoon name comes from one of Martin's teachers in New Zealand who could not control his class,[6][7][8] and told Tim that he would never succeed in business.[9]

In the early 1990s, Wetherspoon began a policy of routinely selling off their smaller or less profitable outlets, often—but not always—replacing them with larger premises very close by. There are now around 100 ex-Wetherspoon pubs, and none of the earliest outlets in the chain is still part of the estate. The oldest surviving Wetherspoon is the Rochester Castle in Stoke Newington, opened in 1983.[10] Until the mid-1990s, when it began to expand across the country, most of the company's pubs were clustered around the Greater London area.

In 1998, Wetherspoon introduced over-sized glasses and promoted the "full pint".[11] This initiative was soon withdrawn, supposedly because customers were still asking for top-ups, but arguably because other pub chains did not follow their lead.[12]

Wetherspoon claimed to be "the only large pub firm which opens all its pubs early in the morning", serving breakfast and coffee as well as a full food menu into the evening.[13] Weekly food promotions include Steak club (Tuesday), Wing it Wednesday (Chicken club, Wednesday), Curry Club (Thursday), Fish Friday, and Sunday Club (traditional Sunday roasts).[14]

Wetherspoon hosts an "Ale Festival" in March/April each year, where a larger range of guest ales is available in each pub, and a "Cider Festival" in the summer.

"source : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J_D_Wetherspoon"

"The pub is open for breakfast until 12 noon and offers free refills all day every day on tea and Lavazza coffee. For lunch and dinner, there are lighter bites, with deli deal options and vegetarian choices, gourmet burgers and freshly made pizzas. Wetherspoon has championed a wide range of drinks, including real ales, craft beers, gins and soft drinks. Table service is available via the Wetherspoon app, using our unlimited free Wi-Fi. This pub has step-free access."