Miranda Pell tried the new Wetherspoons pub at Manchester Airport Terminal 2 before flying to Cyprus. The pub, named The Belle Vue, opened last month and has been criticised for large queues, but Pell found the queue moved quickly.
The Belle Vue pub at Terminal 2
The Belle Vue is the first Wetherspoons pub at Manchester Airport. It takes inspiration from Manchester's iconic Belle Vue sports ground, with walls decorated with old posters from the Circus, speedway and greyhound tracks. At the far end, there is a wall of locker tributes to sporting icons including darts champion Luke Littler, boxing icon Ricky Hatton and Manchester United's Marcus Rashford.
Pell and two friends decided to eat there before their five-hour flight. Despite an "ominous-looking queue", they stuck it out. The queue went down quickly as a helpful waiter seated people efficiently.
Limited vegan menu
Shortly after opening, the pub was slammed for being "like sardine city", with passengers complaining of queues. Pell noted it was tightly packed, but this seemed more of an obstacle for staff than customers, as staff had to squeeze past chairs, tables and luggage to deliver food.
Pell was disappointed that the menu was smaller than at most Wetherspoons pubs. As a vegan, she had just two mains to choose from: a burger or a ramen bowl. She ordered the ramen, which included noodles, bean sprouts, shiitake mushroom, spring onion, carrot, pak choi, bamboo shoots, red onion, sliced chilli, and coriander in a light umami broth. She added garlic chilli sauce for flavour. Her friends both ordered burgers with fries.
Cost and response to queues
For three mains and three drinks, the bill came to just over £60, which is more than £20 each. Pell called it "steep for a Spoons, but reasonable for an airport meal". She said it is a great choice if you have time before your gate opens to battle a potential queue.
Wetherspoon's spokesman Eddie Gershon said: "The problems are due to exceptional demand. We will redouble our efforts. Food times are already remarkably quick - just over seven minutes from ordering - and we have an experienced and talented team in charge. Unfortunately, there are legal capacity limits for all pubs for safety reasons. We apologise for the inconvenience and anticipate an improvement after the opening rush."
A Manchester Airport spokesperson said: "We're really pleased that Wetherspoons is proving popular with passengers, as we knew it would. If the pub is full, though, we have plenty of other bars, restaurants and cafes available nearby where passengers can enjoy a pint and a bite to eat before their flight, including the Great Northern Market food hall, which is right next door."
