By Jamie Findlay

J.D Wetherspoons has increased the price of drinks by 15p and meal deals by 30p, leading to a six percent rise in prices, taking the average cost of a UK pint well above £5.

This follows an announcement on the 23rd of January 2025 that due to budget decisions the increase of drinks and food was inevitable. Wetherspoon’s net debt was revealed on November 3rd, 2024, as £723.9 million.

Charlie Huggins, manager of the Quality Shares Portfolio at Wealth Club, stated that the budget changes pose a problem for the entire hospitality sector.

Charlie said: “The £60 million annual increase in labour related costs Wetherspoons is facing is almost equivalent to the entire profit it made last year when profits before tax were £73.9 million.”

City Live went to the Counting House Wetherspoons in George Square to see how patrons felt about Wetherspoons and the talks of a price increase.

Aspen Bitta, 18, from Stonehaven is a resident of Glasgow and frequently visits the establishment for drinks.

Aspen said: “I love spoons, I love the cheap drinks, the table service and the fact you don’t even need to go to the bar to order.”

Aspen was asked her thoughts on a potential price increase for drinks and food.

She said, “I don’t like that because I think the whole point of spoons is that it’s so cheap, so what’s the point in raising the price?”

Dillon Morrow, a student of the city of Glasgow College, said: “Yeah I like spoons mate, I like the cheap beer, that’s the main reason I’m going to spoons. It’ll still probably be the cheapest place around because everywhere else is so expensive.”

Ben Wilson, from Bathgate, said: “I like the cozy atmosphere, the amazing priced food and drinks section and the colourful characters you meet, especially in George Square.”

“I think its daylight robbery, I think Wetherspoons dies with this city, the working class will be robbed.”

It is clear that there is a mixed reaction to the thought of increase in pricing, with the consensus being negative, however there is the idea that Wetherspoons will still be cheaper than other pubs around Glasgow.

This line of thought is often regarded as being true and Wetherspoons is famously known for its cheap drinks and pints, this being due to how fast they can sell their alcohol stocks.

However with the price increase, despite it being such a small amount, 15 pence to 30 pence, it will still compund over the course of a night of drinking and could lead to customers becoming fed up with the pub and moving on to looking for other alternatives. However, the increase being so small could also not have any major impact on the pubs reputation.

Wetherspoons prices are on the rise