Wetherspoons bans customers playing music from phones in pubs
The pub chain says the decision followed complaints about "other people's videos and amplified phone conversations".
Wetherspoons, the UK-based pub chain with 792 establishments, has implemented a policy banning customers from playing music out loud or using their phones for calls on speaker. This move comes after increasing complaints regarding the disruptive noise caused by such activities in their premises. The company asserts that staff will rely on "common sense" to enforce the ban, though it reserves the right to ask customers to leave if they refuse to comply.
Wetherspoons cites a widespread annoyance among Britons towards loud music and phone calls without headphones, supported by recent surveys. The British Beer and Pub Association, representing Wetherspoons, sees the policy as a means to streamline enforcement and inform customers of expectations. While the policy echoes a stricter rule set by rival chain Sam Smiths, which prohibits all phone or tech use, including swearing, it maintains that customers can still pay using their devices.
Additionally, Wetherspoons does not play music but offers evening music in 44 of its Lloyds bars. The firm has experienced a decline in its number of pubs over the past decade due to factors like the Covid pandemic and inflation, leading to lower-than-expected profits.
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