Wetherspoons has introduced a Wetherspoons phone speaker ban covering all of its 792 pubs and bars across the UK, telling customers to switch devices to silent or use earphones after complaints that loud phone use was driving people ‘nuts’.
The pub chain, which does not play background music in the vast majority of its venues, said staff had been receiving increasing complaints about customers playing music, watching videos and taking calls on loudspeaker. According to The Independent, signs will be going up in Wetherspoons premises warning customers to use their phones in silent mode or to use headphones, giving the policy a visible presence in venues rather than relying solely on word of mouth from staff.
How the Wetherspoons phone speaker ban will be enforced
The company told the BBC that staff would be expected to use ‘common sense’ when dealing with offenders. Wetherspoons was clear that the intention is not to eject customers at the first sign of a ringing phone. ‘We are not looking to ask anyone to leave a pub if they go against the ruling, but it is an option for managers if they refuse to do so,’ the company said.
The Wetherspoons phone speaker ban will also cover its 44 Lloyds’ bars, where the chain does play music in the evenings. Those venues had operated under slightly different conditions from the main pub estate, but Wetherspoons confirmed the new rule applies equally there.
The move puts Wetherspoons broadly in line with the position of rival Sam Smiths, which has a longer-standing and stricter policy banning phone or tech use of any kind in its pubs, alongside a ban on swearing. Wetherspoons’ approach is softer, relying on warnings and manager discretion rather than an outright prohibition on phones themselves.
A generational divide over phone etiquette
The new policy reflects a well-documented frustration among pub-goers, though the evidence shows attitudes vary sharply by age. A Transport for London survey of 1,000 people found 70% of respondents considered loud music and phone calls without headphones a nuisance. That sense of irritation is widespread but far from universal.
An Ofcom survey of 1,010 people, conducted in August 2022, revealed a clear generational split. Among 13-to-17-year-olds questioned, 69% said it was acceptable to make video calls in public without headphones, 73% said the same about listening to music, and 83% considered watching videos without headphones perfectly reasonable. That is a markedly different set of attitudes from the majority of respondents across all age groups.
Wetherspoons chief executive Sir Tim Martin has long positioned the chain’s no-music policy as a point of principle. He has described his pubs as ‘an oasis of tranquillity and contemplation… in a world dominated by other people’s music and amplified sound’. On the new rule, he added: ‘In order to avoid customers being driven chicken jalfrezi by a cacophony of sound, we are kindly asking phone users to pipe down.’
The British Beer and Pub Association, which represents Wetherspoons alongside other pub companies, backed the move. ‘Having a clear policy helps staff enforce rules and customers know what they can and can’t do,’ the group said. It added: ‘We’re yet to hear of anyone who relishes having a pint against the backdrop of a speakerphone call or someone loudly playing a video, so we expect this move will be greatly welcomed.’
The announcement comes at a difficult period for the business. The number of Wetherspoons pubs has fallen steadily from a peak of 955 in late 2015 to the current 792. Last month, the company told investors that profit for the year would come in lower than expected, citing higher costs for food, labour, repairs, energy and business rates. The Wetherspoons phone speaker ban, at least, costs nothing to implement, with the new in-venue signage set to carry the message directly to customers.
