Joe Jonas has got fans of Wetherspoons up in arms after revealing he has been to the budget pub chain and didn’t like it one bit.
Speaking on Heart Breakfast on Wednesday, the American singer-songwriter surprised radio hosts Zoe Hardman and Jamie Theakston at first by revealing that he’d even stepped foot inside one of the pub giant’s boozers.
Asked to explain the US chain Waffle Housen to listeners, he then compared it to Wetherspoons or ‘another all-day breakfast restaurant’.
Clearly shocked, Jamie couldn’t believe what he was hearing and said: “I’m going to pull you up there. You’ve never been to a Wetherspoons!” before Zoe asked Joe: “What did you think of it?”
The Jonas Brothers star then pointedly replied: “I have been to Wetherspoons!
“Um. I liked other places. Let’s just say it wouldn’t be my first go-to.”
The hitmaker had been explaining how, when he and his brothers were first touring, they were too young to go and have a pint after the show so would instead go to a late-night waffle house to talk.
He said: “For us growing up when we were touring in the States, we were too young to go and have a pint after the show and kick it with our friends.
“So we would go to the only place open late, which was a waffle house, where they serve breakfast items all day and we would sit there and talk.
“It became more of this safe place for us, so there’s other places like that for anyone in the world.”
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It appears that Joe Jonas isn’t the only person who’s off Wetherspoons lately, either, with the boozer recently announcing it was selling up a host of pubs across the UK to cover its losses.
In September last year, the company began listing sites for sale with 32 boozers going up as part of what it described as a “commercial decision”.
This January, it listed even more – with arch-Brexiteer Wetherspoons boss Tim Martin apparently blaming people ‘drinking at home’ for the closures.
After the chain suffered a £30 million pound loss, CEO Tim Martin told PA news agency that people ‘have got into the habit of staying in’ ever since Covid and that that was why sales were down on 2019.
He also blamed lockdown restrictions brought in to stop the spread of Covid during the height of the pandemic for the pub’s losses.
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He said: “The aftermath of the pandemic and lockdown restrictions have been far more difficult than anyone thought.
“That is the picture for the whole pub and restaurant industry. People thought that after lockdown there would be a boom in people suffering from cabin fever but, instead, it has almost become the opposite situation as people have got into the habit of staying in.”
Featured image – Joe Jonas
Food & Drink
Bundobust and Madre announce bold new Indo-Mexican collaboration
Clementine Hall
Two of Manchester’s best-loved casual dining spots are joining forces for a limited-edition collaboration.
Bundobust and Madre will be teaming up this summer to create a menu inspired by two world-famous street food cultures – India, and Mexico.
The Indo-Mexican menu will feature dishes like ‘Naanchos’, and plenty of other Desi-flavoured Mexican dishes.
It’ll be mashing up iconic ingredients, techniques, and flavours, with a menu of brand new spice-packed dishes and cocktails combining Desi and Mexican influence.
So, what can we expect?
Mexican street food classics chimichanga and quesadillas get the Desi treatment, while Bundobust’s Indian street food favourites like chaat get a little Latino heat.
All paired with spicy summer-time cocktails, as a homage to Mexican drinking culture, plus the return of Bundobust Brewery’s new golden Cerveza, SANJA Mexican Lager.
We can’t think of a better place to spend our summer evenings to be quite honest.
On the menu there are crunchy Indo-Mexican ‘naanchos’, topped with salsa verde, crema, tamarind, onion, coriander, and a punchy pickle masala.
Madre and Bundobust are teaming upNaanchos, from the Bundobust x Madre menu
There’ll also be a ‘Tikkadilla’ – a corn tortilla packed with oyster mushrooms, red tikka sauce and Oaxaca cheese, with a side of desi birria sauce for dipping.
That’s alongside masala chimichanga, birria-ani, and corn chaat.
Then you can wash that down with a cashew colada, an avocado lassi, spicy mango margs and loads more.
The Indo-Mexican menu will be available at all Bundobust and Madre locations from Monday 14 July until Sunday 17 August 2025.
Northern Quarter cafe to give out 100 FREE slices of cake to celebrate its birthday
Emily Sergeant
A little Northern Quarter cafe is celebrating a big milestone this week, and is giving out 100 free slices of cake for the occasion.
Nibble is turning eight this week, and nothing makes a birthday better than cake.
The female-run independent cafe on Oldham Street in the heart of the Northern Quarter first opened its doors to hungry Mancs back in July 2017, after owner and manager Lauren had dreams to take her business of selling brownies at local artisan markets and turn them into a cosy cafe of her own that catered to people with all sorts of dietary requirements.
The cafe has since been acknowledged by tastemakers as one of the most accessible places in Manchester.
Not only is Nibble known and loved for serving up some of the best homemade bakes in the city, with something for everyone to tuck choose from, but they also provide a tasty selection of all-day brunch dishes, salads, and sandwiches, as well as corporate catering too.
So of course, to celebrate eight years of the lovely Nibble team feeding the good people of Manchester, the business is giving away free slices of birthday cake on Friday.
Nibble NQ is giving away 100 free slices of birthday cake / Credit: The Manc Group
After doing something similar to celebrate their birthday last year, this time around they’re taking things once step further, as it’s not just 100 free slices of scrumptious cake you can get your hands on, there’s plenty other prizes too.
Nibble will be ‘levelling up’ and throwing in some ‘hidden surprises’ in the form of vouchers, giving people an opportunity to win a free brunch, brownie box, or coffee and cake.
To be in with a chance of taking away one of the 100 free slices of birthday cake, all you’ll need to do is head to Nibble on Oldham Street this Friday (11 July) and line up outside the cafe from 9:30am, then you may just be lucky enough to start of your day in the sweetest way possible.
Georgina Pellant -
13th April 2023 
