First-of-its-kind Wetherspoon pub weeks away from opening
Britain’s first university-owned Wetherspoons pub will open in May. The new bar, named after Sir Ronald Wates, will be located on the University of Surrey’s Guildford campus.
Unlike the current Wetherspoons in Newcastle (Luther’s Bar) and Hull (Sanctuary Bar), which are run by the student union, this one will be run by the university.
Birmingham University Students’ Union is also planning to open its own branch in May.
According to the model, the University of Surrey will determine staffing, prices and licensing, and the pub chain will provide guidance to the franchisor.
Will Davies, chief operating officer at the University of Surrey, said: “We wanted to give our community a pub-style venue that could offer quality as well as real value for money.
“Wetherspoon’s model means students can get a full breakfast for less than £5. The Wetherspoon franchise gives us pricing power and supply chain efficiency, whilst allowing us to deliver a great experience for our students and staff.”
The new pub will also be open to local residents as well as students and staff.
It will operate from the Wates House building on campus and will be named after the boss of a construction firm whose family financed the original building.
The university said staff working at the Wates House bar, which closed for refurbishment in December, had been retained.
John Hutson, managing director of Wetherspoon, said: “We are delighted that a Wetherspoon pub will be opening at Surrey University.
“We are confident that it will be popular with the public as well as students and will make a great contribution to the university.”
The news comes as the British pub chain recently opened its first mainland European establishment at Alicante airport in Spain.
The pub, Castell de Santa Barbera, is located in the departure area and aims to give UK holidaymakers a taste of Britain before returning home.
Operating seven days a week from 6am to 9pm, Alicante’s menu will feature many of the dishes found in Wetherspoon bars across the UK, such as breakfast dishes, burgers and pizzas, as well as signature dishes inspired by the local area, such as garlic prawns, Spanish omelettes and cracked eggs.
