No matter where you live or work there's a good chance there's a pub owned by Greene King or Wetherspoon. But how do two of the UK's leading pub companies compare?
I put two of the most popular pubs in Nottingham city centre to the test, the Bell Inn, in Angel Row, owned by Greene King and The Roebuck Inn, a 'Spoons in St James's Street, to see how they rate on criteria such as price, cleanliness and food and drink.
Visiting on consecutive days at 1pm midweek, I ordered the same in each pub, to compare like for like: a regular diet Coke/Pepsi and a plate of fish and chips. Here's the results:
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Atmosphere
The Bell
With it being a sunny day there's a few people sitting outside but I go indoors where there's three bars to choose. I head into the long room, aka the Tudor bar. The only normal table (as opposed to the high tables) in the back bar is taken so I sit at the rear where the lighting is quite dark.
Some might call it atmospheric, but I feel like a vampire. At the risk of sounding like an old fogey, it's a struggle to read the menu.
It isn't packed but it isn't empty either. Most of the other customers are in their 60s. I can't help but notice they how smart they look - the men wearing trousers and shirts. There's no kids and no dogs, even though both are allowed in.
The volume of chatter is low but there's background music, so it's not awkward. There's a couple of TVs, which do show live sport, but the sound is off right now. It's all very civilised.
The Roebuck
Wetherspoon's pubs have a no music policy but if they were playing tunes you probably wouldn't hear them above the conversations going on around me. It's packed and there's not many spare tables.
The busiest section is down the far end, although the smoking garden at the top looked pretty full. There's all sorts of people - from a family with a tot in a highchair to pensioners. Dogs aren't allowed though.
It's well-lit so there's no problem reading the menu here. There's a lively buzz but it's not overbearing. Now I'm no angel and I might utter the occasional swear word if I stub my toe but I don't like the 'F word' being bandied around in general conversation by the people around me, which it is here.
Drinks
The Bell
There's a huge variety of drinks, whether you want alcohol or something softer. On draught are 14 beers, five cask and 11 guest ales. Ice Breaker Pale Ale, Beavertown Neck Oil, Otter Amber and Old Speckled Hen are amongst them. Wine drinkers have a choice of 11 varieties, plus prosecco and champagne. Low alcohol wine and beer are available too.
When it comes to spirits, there's 20+ gins to choose from alongside whisky, vodka and rum plus eight cocktails including Banana Old Fashioned and Tom Collins. All the big name brands of soft drinks are here, from Coke to J20 fruit juice, as well as posh pop Fentimans' ginger beer and rose lemonade, and trendy fermented tea called kombucha. It's a regular diet Coke for me - my go to soft drink.
The Roebuck
Twenty lagers, beer, craft ales and ciders are on draught and ten real ales, including locally brewed Dreadnought and Welbeck Abbey Atlas. And the Wetherspoon app tells you which beers will be coming soon.
There's not much choice when it comes to wine - just seven varieties by the glass. However, there's a wider choice of spirits and a range of hard seltzers, which combine alcohol and flavoured carboned water. If you're not up for shots, there's plenty of soft drinks. It's Diet Pepsi here, although personally I'd rather have Coke. This is too sweet for my taste buds.
Next time I'll try a fizzy rhubarb drink - I think the new Monster Ultra Rosa energy drink might send me over the edge. I'm a big fan of the free coffee and tea refills for just £1.45.
Food
The Bell
Unlike other Greene King pubs, the Bell doesn't serve breakfast as it doesn't open until 11am. The menu isn't as large as The Roebuck, but has a decent range of starters, sharers, classic mains such as pies, steak and burgers, and lighter options.
That said it's not really geared up for vegans - unless they don't want a choice. The selection is quite lean with only one starter, two mains and one dessert.
I opt for fish, chips and crushed peas, which turn out to be garden peas that have been slightly mashed. Don't judge the amount of chips from the photo as there's a good mound hiding underneath the fish. It's a big piece of cod, with crispy batter around the flaky white fish.
The triple cooked chips are big and fat and a notch above usual pub chips. The crushed peas are random and I'm wondering why I didn't just didn't ask for normal garden peas. Everything is piping hot and it's an impressive filling plate of food.
The Roebuck
It's a bigger menu all round. For a start there's breakfast - everything from a large fry-up to mushroom Benedict, fresh fruit (have you ever seen anyone order that?) and porridge. Pizzas, burgers, curries, classics, deli deals and small plates feature on the main menu - and adults who don't have big appetites can save money by choosing smaller versions of the classics.
It's fish and chips, round two (seriously next week I am going to be eating salad). Served on the iconic blue and white plates, my dining companion says I've got more chips than her - she's not wrong.
They appear to be the standard frozen chips that you might have at home. The fish isn't quite as big but it tastes ok, although it's a tad greasy. I swear I ordered garden peas but I'm served mushy peas but at least they're properly mushed, not crushed.
Service
The Bell
There's no one else at the bar when I approach so I'm served straight away. Food comes out swiftly taking around ten minutes. Staff are helpful, bringing ketchup and vinegar promptly and return half way through to ask if everything is ok. Our plates are cleared not long after finishing.
The Roebuck
I'm first in the queue, so I'm promptly served, although when I return to the bar there's more people waiting to be served ahead of me. Once again food doesn't take long to appear.
I have to go in search of sauces, wandering round trying to find them at the back. When it comes to staff, it's on a par with The Bell, friendly and efficient.
My plate is cleared as soon as I put down my knife and fork by a passing member of staff but cups and dirty plates remain on other tables.
Cleanliness and overall appearance
The Bell
Both pubs have a five hygiene rating. Nothing strikes me as untoward in the bar, however, I can't give the downstairs toilets 10/10. The one I use could have done with some bleach and a good scrubbing to get rid of the scummy marks. The sinks are sparklingly clean though. The carpet leading downstairs is frayed in places and the paintwork could do with a freshen up.
The Roebuck
The table I sit at hasn't been wiped down. The design of the carpet doesn't do the pub any favours as it looks worn even though it's just the pattern and some of the tables are tarnished. The toilet is spotless, so no complaints here, but the wooden doors are looking tatty. Both pubs are have plentiful toilet paper, soap and working hand driers.
Character and history
The Bell
From the outset, you can tell the Bell is an historic pub from the leprosy hands window by the entrance. Legend has it customers had to have their fingers counted before being allowed in to control the spread of the contagious disease hundreds of years ago.
One of the oldest pubs in the city, the building was constructed as a refectory for the monks of the monastery on Beastmarket Hill, around the 1400s. Rioters protesting against the Reform Act gathered at the Bell on Goose Fair night 1831 and smashed the windows before going on to burn down many of the city's prominent buildings.
A blackboard on the wood-panelled wall in the long bar reveals how there's cellars and caves beneath the pub dating back to the 12th century. The central passage, which still has the original flagstones, used to lead to stables. In 1982 it became a grade II listed building.
The Roebuck
There's something particularly remarkable about The Roebuck but it is a is Grade II listed building. Built in the 1700s, there is still an original wooden oval spiral staircase, leading to the upper seating area and toilets.
It was once houses, then warehouses and later shops before becoming a pub. It is named after an 18th century pub that once stood opposite (where the Malt Cross is now). It probably has the history on the wall somewhere in the pub - most do - but I don't spot it.
Price
The Bell
This is a major consideration for many, as householders battle with rising energy and food prices. It cost £3.05 for my drink and £13.95 for fish and chips. Although higher in price at £17, it was slightly better quality.
The Roebuck
Everyone knows 'Spoons is cheap but I didn't realise exactly how much cheaper until I compared like for like. The fish and chips, like many items on the menu, includes the price of a drink, so the total bill came to £9.25.
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