Wetherspoon boss warns QR code ordering is ‘destroying’ pub banter as profits fall

Joe Sledge
Wed, 08 Apr 2026 06:55:54 +0000

Sir Tim Martin has criticised QR code ordering in pubs, warning the technology is undermining the traditional pub experience.

The Wetherspoon chairman said scanning codes to order food and drinks removes opportunities for customers to interact at the bar.

Sir Tim, 70, suggested the feature could be scrapped in future despite its popularity since being introduced in 2017.

The businessman oversees around 815 pubs across the UK and employs more than 42,000 staff.

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His comments come as the company reported mixed financial results, with pre-tax profits falling 31.9 per cent in the six months to January while like-for-like sales rose 4.8 per cent.

Sir Tim responded after a customer said app-based ordering was "taking away the atmosphere of chatting with the bar staff, or people in the queue.

"Don't tell anyone, I beg you, but I couldn't agree more.

"What's a pub visit without shooting the breeze with the bar team?"

Sir Tim said he had not expected the app to succeed when it was first introduced.

"I was sure the app would never work, for the reasons you outlined.

"My colleagues mistakenly think you and I are wrong, but it's only a matter of time before we are proven right."

The comments suggest a difference of opinion between Sir Tim and others within the business over the role of app-based ordering.

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Some customers have backed keeping the ordering app, arguing it remains a useful option during busy periods. John Salmon, from Slough in Berkshire, said: “They’d be mad to axe it.”

The app has built a strong following over the past nine years, allowing customers to order food and drinks from their tables without queueing at the bar.

The debate over its future comes as the pub chain navigates a challenging trading environment.

Spoons recently reported that pre‑tax profits fell by nearly a third in the first half of its financial year, although like‑for‑like sales rose 4.8 per cent over the same period.

Separately, the company has confirmed the closure of The William Jameson pub in Sunderland. The venue, which opened in 1997 as the city’s first Wetherspoons site, will shut on 19 April.

A spokesperson said most staff will transfer to nearby pubs within the group, while six employees have chosen to remain under the building’s new ownership.

The site will continue to operate as a pub, though Wetherspoon has not disclosed details of the incoming owners.

Local customers have expressed disappointment at the loss of a long‑standing venue in the city centre.

Following the closure, The Cooper Rose will be the only Spoons pub remaining in Sunderland’s city centre.