If you’re not from the UK, it’s hard to understand the significance of Wetherspoons. There’s a subset of the population who would argue that the budget pub chain is one of the greatest things to grace the nation, and an equally large group of people who refuse to set foot in the place. What they would agree on, however, is that the brand is an inescapable part of British life.
For those not in the know, Wetherspoons (or, simply, Spoons) is the largest pub chain in Britain, and now it’s expanding across the channel with the opening of the first ever location outside of the UK and Ireland.
The company announced earlier this month that it had plans to enter the European market, and now it has revealed the exact location for the new opening: Alicante-Elche Miguel Hernandez Airport. That’s where British tourists tend to fly into if they’re on their way to Benidorm, so it’s pretty certain to do a roaring trade.
The pub will be next to the non-Schengen Zone departure gates, so will primarily serve Brits returning home from their holidays. It is set to cover more than 1000 square feet of space, and will be called ‘Castell de Santa Bàrbera’ after the nearby Alicante Castle.
After it opens its doors for the first time on January 29, the Castell de Santa Bàrbera will serve thirsty travellers seven days a week from 6am until 9pm. That’s plenty of opportunity to try out a bit of British culture next time you’re flying through – foods on offer will include English breakfasts, pizzas, and burgers, as well as some Spanish dishes like prawns and omelettes.
CEO Tim Martin said that he was ‘very much looking forward to opening our first overseas pub, adding ‘we believe it will be popular with people travelling home from Alicante Airport’.
He revealed that the company had plans to open up more locations across Europe ‘in the coming months and years’, including inside more airports, but did not give more details about exactly where or when.
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