Wetherspoons boss Tim Martin has explained that customer complaining that they missed their favourite meals forced the pub chain to expand their menu . The company reduced the number of items it served as a result of the coronavirus lockdown, a move that the chairman of the firm said was welcomed by its chefs.
“When pubs reopened and gardens only, a year ago, we cut down the menu,” he told MyLondon . “Our kitchen staff said this menu, which has got 25 per cent fewer items, is a lot more efficient and we can get food out more quickly. So, we kept it for for a while.”
However, loyal Wetherspoons punters soon grew frustrated about the absence of dishes they loved and inundated the pub chain with calls to have them reinstated.
READ MORE: Wetherspoons pubs adds 14 new items to menu including chicken korma and mini pancakes
“We started to get complaints saying ‘we want the favourites back,’ he continued. “So [we’ve done it] I think it is everyone’s quite excited actually. It’s been surprising out how much it matters to people.”
Regulars will be delighted by the return of the chain’s Steak Club on Tuesday and Curry Club on Thursday, with three new curries added to the selection; chicken korma, sweet potato curry, chicken vindaloo.
In total, 14 new items have been added to the menu. These include four boneless chicken dishes served in a basket. The Wetherspoons boss revealed that the chain still gets complaints about changes it made to the menus seven to eight years ago.
He said: “We stopped selling Sunday lunches [because] we were doing breakfast, full menu and Sunday lunches as well [and] we couldn’t guarantee the quality. [But] still to this day we get people saying we should bring them back.”
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