Wetherspoon staff are specifically trained to ask customers if they want a ‘double or a single’ with special phrase

A recent documentary revealed how Wetherspoons trains its staff to get you to spend a little bit more than you'd planned when you get to the bar.

Wetherspoons: How Do They Do It?, which aired on Channel 5 in May 2021, centres around the high-street icon that we all know and love.

Many branches of the pub in towns and cities around the UK are located in eye-catching historic buildings.

According to the doc, the unique venues welcome a collective half a million visitors every day - but it seems that even in big cities like London and Manchester, it's the wallet-friendly prices that are the ultimate draw.

One customer interviewed for the program said: "If it's in Spoons I wouldn't expect (a pint) to be more than £3.50. "Between £2.50 and £3.50."

That's a lot less than the report average cost of £4.54 from the Office for National Statistics - which has increased 46p since April last year.

But with its patrons watching every penny, Wetherspoon workers claim to have had training to upsell every order and to encourage customers to part with a little more money per round - all using one key phrase.

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"It's part of the training for members of staff to try and add an extra item onto every order," one employee said.

"[We say] 'do you want a double or do you want a single?' We say the word 'double' first so it sticks in their head. It works most of the time," another staff member added.

However, Wetherspoons made a statement denying these claims - saying that upsell is only encouraged for soft drinks.

The statement said that while customers are still asked 'if they want a pint of Pepsi, rather than the standard size', it has 'discouraged... upselling of spirits... for the last 10 years'.

LADbible has contacted Wetherspoons for further comment.

And while a budget-friendly pint is the order of the day, 'speedy service has to be matched with precise pouring'.

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"Staff mustn't give the staff more alcohol than necessary. So ensuring a fair share of froth is vital," the documentary's narrator says.

According to a former branch manager, bar staff need to ensure a certain amount of head with every draught pour to avoid giving away too much booze.

One worker said: "Managers can test this by weighing a beer. They weigh the glass first then I think they are told by head office what the weight should be with a 5 percent head."

Topics: Channel 5, Food And Drink, Money, Pubs, UK News, Wetherspoons

Amelia Jones