The Peter Cushing - JD Wetherspoon — Restaurant in Canterbury

We sat outside The Peter Cushing Weatherspoons in Whitstable yesterday where we enjoyed a lovely drink and a brief rest from the busy town. After sitting there for around 20 mins, i went in and brought out our second drink. Around 5 mins later we were approached by a member of staff who asked us to drink up and leave because of the "No dogs policy" he was polite and in no way rude, I pointed out that we were literally an arms length from the public footpath, but he was adamant we had to leave. I would like to point out that there is no physical barrier between the public footpath and the seating area. In fact if you look at the photo, if the seating are is the space with grey floor paint, then the seating area actually encroaches onto the public footpath There are no signs and nobody else was seated outside. People passing by with dogs on leads were also unaware that their pets were consistently breaking weatherpoons company policy by allowing their dogs to step on the grey area adjacent to the footpath. With hindsight I could have simply seated myself on my mobility scooter just outside the seating area with our dog and still enjoyed our drink and chat, but honestly I was just too stunned to even point out that there were no signs, no physical barriers or any kind of fence, I would also have caused an obstruction due to the seating area taking up part of the footpath. I read the company policy and part of it states that some customers are scared of dogs and want to drink without fear...how does that apply to this particular area? I witnessed so many dogs encroaching on to the seating area as their owners passed by on the path with them. Might I suggest that in order to protect their customers, Weatherspoons either erect a large fence separating the customer from the danger of passing pooches, or place signs up in the immediate area so that the owners of dogs cross to the opposite side of the road when passing to minimise any potentially frightening unsolicited and unwanted dog contact. Alternatively apply some common sense and sensible business practice in an area where so many people are dog owners and make that are a dog friendly area... Just for perspective, opposite this particular weatherspoons is a cafe, a small friendly cafe with a rear courtyard called the Whitstable coffee company.. they welcomed us in and not only insisted we bring our dog inside to eat, but they gave him treats and a drink... Do better weatherspoons.. be like the Whitstable...

Whitstable’s Wetherspoons. I vaguely recall there were objections when this place opened up but it really has brought life back into a lovely old building.

The pub itself is based in an old cinema, the interior of which has been nicely restored and there are many nods to it’s heritage – the bar sits in front of the old screen and the balcony and projection area has been used for the toilets.

The downside to putting a pub inside an old cinema is that it’s a big space to fill, with lots of height. That height, along with a lack of soft edges, can make this place a bit of a noisy barn at times, particularly when it’s filled with drinkers. A bit of background music might help to soften that, but that isn’t the Wetherspoons way….

In terms of drinks, the standards Wetherspoons selection is on offer – Corona etc. Full food menu also – haven’t eaten here in a few years, but you know the standard you’ll be getting, which is generally decent.

Disappointingly only the one gaming machine on this visit – there used to be two at least – and that situated poorly, very close to a table area that was full of families – no chance to play Rainbow Gold: Slot of Gold on this occasion.

One nice little gem here is that the pub has a garden – the former carpark out he back has been converted into an area with tables, bisected by a public footpath. The garden closes about 9 in the evening though, so local residents can have some quiet time.

This is one of Kent’s better Wetherspoons I would say – far better than the terrifying one...

Pros: The food was very affordable and was good. The beer prices were insanely low, I literally couldn't believe it. I've attached a photo showing that you can get a pint of Abbot Ale for £1.99. That is much cheaper than I paid for the same pint of beer when I visited England in 2008. Wetherspoons gets a bad rap locally as being kind of the McDonald's of pubs. But this particular location had a lot of character, being converted from an old theater. I had an English breakfast here, and I had an Indian curry dinner here on another visit. All the food I had was not just acceptable for the price, but exceeded all my expectations.

Con : this venue does not provide the same pub feel as any of the other pubs in town. At all the other pubs in Whitstable, I was able to easily strike up friendly conversation with the staff and with the local customers. I also understand that the other pubs in town are good places to seek work or to seek workers to get a job done. There seems to be no such sense of community at this particular venue. Everyone was drinking alone with the dead eyes of a shark, and refusing any attempt to engage in banter or conversation. It seems like a lot of people come here to be alone and to eat and drink at the cheapest price possible. I would describe the vibe as being similar to that of a school cafeteria.

Overall, despite the good food and the incredible prices, I would recommend patronizing the true local pubs...