‘Can’t enjoy your pint’: Wetherspoons customers welcome ban on loud phones

Patrons at two of the chain’s London pubs were all for Tim Martin’s ban on playing music or taking calls on speaker

T he terrace of the Moon Under Water Wetherspoons pub in Leicester Square was full of people enjoying the warm weather and chatting between tables – without a TikTok video or speakerphone call in earshot.

At Wetherspoons, the convivial atmosphere can no longer be punctuated by rude customers taking phone calls on blast, or playing videos without headphones after Tim Martin, the owner of the pub chain, banned both on his premises .

Gary and Mark, brothers who were catching up over pints, both thought anyone playing loud sounds in the pub should be barred.

“There is no way anyone should be allowed to be obnoxious enough to have their phone on loud. Why should people choose to play music that I don’t like and that other people around them don’t like?” asked Mark. “I listen to music with headphones on, in a private way.”

But Gary pointed out: “First they didn’t used to allow televisions in Wetherspoons but now they have TVs with the sound on. External noise is becoming part of the pub.”

Abdslam Elidrisi, 65, who was puffing on a cigar with a glass of white wine while people-watching, also welcomed the move.

“I come here because I am a member of a film club nearby and they don’t let me smoke my cigar, so I visit here to smoke it and watch the world go by,” he said, “Music is a personal thing, so I agree with Mr Martin. You can’t impose it on other people. Loud phone calls are the same thing. I don’t want to hear about your personal life – unless you are having a conversation with me about it!”

The company announced on Tuesday it had introduced the ban across its 792 pubs, saying sound from smartphones and tablets had become an “increasing problem in recent years”.

“In a world dominated by other people’s music and amplified sound, Wetherspoons pubs are an oasis of tranquillity and contemplation,” Martin said. “We are kindly asking phone users to pipe down.”

The pub company has recently been clamping down on some modern behaviours – including banning the use of Meta’s “spy glasses” to record inside pubs. The glasses contain very small cameras that enable the wearer to discreetly film.

Lily, 21, and Avril, 22, both students, agreed it was antisocial and inconsiderate to play video and phone calls out loud in the pub, but said they weren’t regularly troubled by it when visiting Wetherspoons for chicken burgers and spritzes. “I’ve seen it on the train,” Avril said.

Trev and John, who work laying cables for telecoms, were enjoying a quiet after-work pint. “I think it’s a great idea,” said Trev. “People have loud speakerphone conversations right next to you and you can’t enjoy your pint. In a pub, you don’t want that. I take my phone calls outside.”

Over at the Montagu Pyke Wetherspoons near Tottenham Court Road in central London, not everyone had got the memo.

“Someone was doing it just now, taking a loud call on speakerphone; it annoys me and it is inconsiderate,” said Mel Burton, 41, who works in the packaging industry and had just finished a late pub lunch.

Her colleague Sam Reid, 48, was supportive of the ban. “It does piss me off when people play music out of their phones,” he said. “I don’t want to hear someone else’s music.”

The manager of the Montagu Pyke said she had had to tell people to turn off the sound on their phones on a number of occasions. “It annoys me, it annoys other customers. I have to ask them to stop,” she said. “If it’s been banned by the whole company, it means it must be an issue across the different Wetherspoons. Some people understand when we ask them to turn off the noise – others are looking for a fight.”

Holly and Eleanor, both 18, were enjoying a meal after a day of shopping in central London, having come down from Darlington on the train. “We actually saw this happening on the train this morning, someone was on their phone playing music out loud,” said Holly.

“I agree with banning it in pubs, it’s loud and annoying, it should be banned on the train as well,” Eleanor added.

The London mayor, Sadiq Khan, started a campaign last year encouraging people to use headphones when playing music on the city’s transport network.