The pub chain will operate Joe’s at the University of Birmingham as part of a new partnership – plus, six more Wetherspoon pubs will open by mid-January
Wetherspoon has announced plans to open another university pub.
The pub chain will operate Joe’s at the University of Birmingham as part of a new partnership. Joe’s, which is named after the University of Birmingham’s iconic clock tower, will continue to be run and managed by the Guild of Students.
The new site will open in Easter 2026 following an extensive refurbishment and will feature the full Wetherspoon food and drinks menu, including weekly club deals, such as the Thursday Curry Club.
Wetherspoon, which has nearly 800 pubs across the UK, opened its first university pub in the Hull University in 2022.
Wetherspoon’s chief executive, John Hutson, said: “We are delighted to have entered into the partnership with the Guild of Students and look forward to working with it to make Joe’s Bar a great success.”
The University of Birmingham Guild of Students President, Antonia Listrat added: “Through our partnership with Wetherspoon, students will benefit from not only its value-for-money food and drinks offering, but also the expansion of job opportunities within the bar.
“As a charity and the students’ union for over 36,000 students, any surplus we make gets invested back into supporting student activities.
”This partnership will strengthen our commercial endeavours to support a vibrant future for the Guild and enhance the overall student experience.”
Wetherspoon will open another six new pubs by mid-January, with the full list as follows:
- The Blue Bell, Holystone – Newcastle upon Tyne (November 26)
- The Emersons Green – Bristol (December 3)
- The Red Anchor – Stockton-on-Tees (December 10)
- Coombe Lodge – Croydon (December 17)
- The Angel Inn – Wetherby (December 23)
- The Chiltern – Beaconsfield (January 13)
It comes after Wetherspoon launched its Christmas menu last week and it includes the return of its cheap turkey dinner.
Its turkey feast includes four slices of turkey breast, pork, sage and onion stuffing, roasted carrots and parsnips, mash, two pigs-in-blankets, peas, cranberry sauce and gravy.
The average price is £13.99 with a soft drink, or £15.52 with an alcoholic drink, although prices do vary depending on your pub location. This is more expensive than last year, when Wetherspoon charged £11.99 with a soft drink, or £13.52 with an alcoholic drink.
The Christmas menu will be available until December 31.
Tim Martin, the boss of Wetherspoon, recently said the pub group will try to “keep price increases to a minimum” despite reporting higher sales and profits over the past year.
Tim Martin told PA news agency that “some prices are inevitable when taxes go up” in relation to the wider pub industry, but that Wetherspoon would “try very hard” not to hike its own prices.
