PUBS reopened on Saturday after three months in lockdown - and among them Wetherspoons were first on the scene with its England venues reopening at 6am sharp.
Having been quite some time, we decided to see what social distancing measures were in place, whether prices had gone up, and if the level of service had changed.
We visited at around lunchtime and surprisingly it wasn't that busy, although towards the end of our visit - it did begin to fill a little bit more with punters, for both food and drink.
Here's how it went...
The venue
The Cooper Rose, one of two Wetherspoon venues in Sunderland, ranks 33 out of 57 places for a 'quick bite' according to TripAdvisor. It is set over two floors and always appears to be a popular drinking spot on an evening, even on weekdays.
Social distancing
We already knew a little bit about what to expect when arriving, but was pleased to see NHS Test and Trace cards provided at the entrance - although it was debatable whether our information was legible after relying on crayons provided.
The tables all appeared 2m apart, with perspex screens added in areas where tables couldn't be spaced out. Staff and customers were able to keep socially distanced on the whole, apart from the odd customer having a momentary lapse.
What may alarm some is that none of the front-of-house staff were wearing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), although I understand staff are encouraged to wash their hands more frequently.
The menu
On social media, Wetherspoon have had some stick when it comes to its post-lockdown pricing. Although we couldn't remember the exact price of food and drink before, prices did appear a little higher but only by a few pence.
Luckily for those who enjoy the daily deals on food, those are still in place with Tuesday's Steak Club right through to Sunday's Sunday Brunch offer remaining. The 'Choose Any Drink' offer also remains.
The food
The food menu is pretty much how it was before lockdown began, unsuprisingly. All the more fancy types of foods including gourmet burgers and 'fresh from the grill' options were available.
Some fast food places including McDonald's and KFC have been working off a reduced menu due to reduced staff, so we were pleasantly surprised to see the vast majority of items still provided here.
As we were pushed for time, our order was pretty basic. A BBQ beef burger with chips, six onion rings and a drink for £7.30.
We decided to trial the desert menu, although at this Wetherspoon the chocolate fudge cake was firmly NOT on the list.
We proceeded with a mini-cookie sandwich with a serving of ice cream for £1.90. It rounded off lunch quite nicely.
The food was OK, for what we paid, we couldn't really complain.
The service
You are encouraged to pay for your food and drinks using the Wetherspoons mobile app. For those wanting to use cash, there should be one bar available. We heard staff members continuing to direct people, who didn't have the app, to the downstairs bar area.
Service was quick...at first. The burger and chips came out fairly fast, but the desert and then a second drink took quite some time. At this point the pub didn't seem that busy, so we were a little perplexed on why serving up one drink took so long.
Overall though, the staff appeared friendly and well-versed in keeping 2m apart but it did take longer than usual - we couldn't put this down to social distancing measures as the table nearby were sat down and had been served food and drink within that 15 minute gap.
Our verdict
- Social distancing measures 4/5
- Price 5/5
- Cleanliness 5/5
- Service 3/5
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