IT’S an institution, whether you like them or loathe them, Wetherspoon has become one of the most known names in the country.

The pub chain, which has dozens of pubs across the North East and North Yorkshire, is known for its cheap booze, meal deals and garish venues.

It often divides opinion but continues to attract hundreds and thousands of punters with millions of pints served per week.

Read more: The most hilarious reviews left at these Wetherspoons pubs in the North-East

But the subject of a Channel 5 documentary, some of the secrets to its success have been laid bare on national TV.

Following the journey to its success, ‘Wetherspoons: How Do They Do It?!’ delves into its past, while revealing how it's able to maximise its profits with some suprises...

How it serves its food so quick

The Northern Echo: Picture: CHANNEL 5Picture: CHANNEL 5

One thing you can be certain of at any Wetherspoons is that the food will be served quick, and sometimes quicker than a trip to the bar.

The documentary reveals that each pub is targeted on its food times with breakfast, a usually busy time, requiring food to be served in under ten minutes.

Former staff also reveal that the pubs all have individual monetary targets, like most businesses, and the more that goes through the till, the more bonuses are generated.

Some of the food is microwaved

The Northern Echo: Picture: CHANNEL 5Picture: CHANNEL 5

This may not be one of the biggest secrets, owing to the fact that an ex employee posted a host of videos on TikTok showing how some of the food is prepared.

But the documentary officially certifies that some of the menu does come in frozen and is microwaved when required.

The documentary shows how the curries, which is the chain’s most popular ‘club, are actually microwaved and then prepared on a dish.

In one scene, a Wetherspoon chef can be seen unpacking a chicken curry, complete with rice, before placing it in the microwave.

A lot of food is frozen

The Northern Echo: Picture: CHANNEL 5Picture: CHANNEL 5

Meanwhile, a chef reveals that the ever-popular breakfast club, which can see prices start at just over £3, generally sees ingredients come in frozen.

The documentary reveals that the breakfast has become one of the chain’s best-selling products, with more than 1,000 sold in each branch each week.

One Wetherspoon expert tells the documentary team that “a lot” of the food comes in frozen, with sausages, hash browns and bacon among that list.

The secret to selling more booze

The Northern Echo: Picture: CHANNEL 5Picture: CHANNEL 5

A practice that the chain no longer takes part in, the documentary reveals that pub workers were originally trained to upsell its alcoholic drinks.

One former bar member explains that staff would be trained to ask for a “double” first, instead of a single, as the first term “works most times.”

They then explain this contributed to the chain’s expectations for pubs across the group to hit minimum targets in order to achieve bonuses.

The chain said it has discouraged the upselling of spirits in the last decade.

Every bit of wastage is recorded and sent to head office

When it comes to food outlets and restaurants, many wonder what happens to all of the food at the end of the night.

But Wetherspoon has revealed the answer, saying that all waste is logged from the duty manager’s office at the end of the day.

This waste is then reported to head office so that the team there know what has been thrown away to the “last penny.”

The show next airs on Channel 5 on Thursday, July 8 and is available to watch on the channel's My5 

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