The Mechanical Elephant - JD Wetherspoon — Restaurant in Thanet

This used to be our favourite wetherspoons and we was here all the time, but sadly has gone down hill in 2024.

It has got very dirty, the place is just not tidied up and toilets contantly flooded with piss. It never used to be like this but most of the staff have changed and they just dont seem to care and stand around on their phones.

The WiFi stopped working in April and despite me contacting wetherspoons numerous times they have unfortunately ignored it. You can connect but no internet. Collectively we have tried 11 devices all with same issue. Every other spoons I have no problem.

They now only use plastic cups every day even when no events are on at dreamland. They do not wash them before use and they make your drink taste funny because you are ingesting microplastics. The street out front is littered with hundreds of these platic cups.

The manager told me the council put a restriction on them using glasses and nke they have to onpy use plastic, however after noticing no other pubs in Margate do it I contacted the council, who have said they are lying, there are no special restrictions related to mandating plastic cups at any venue in Margate. They also said they will investigate the use of single use plastics as these are restricted under local licensing in Thanet. I have written to the manager of the wetherspoons direct and he refused to comment. What has annoyed me is why does he feel thr need to lie? Just tell the truth.

They wont let you drink out a bottle any more or let you pour your own. They glug it into a glass and spill half of it on the side or throw throw the last drop away. How is it so hard to pour a beer?

Additionally it is hard to get a full pint now. They rush so much you have 2cm of head on every pint so you never get a full pint. I have reported the short measures to wetherspoons and trading standards with photos and videos.

We got lots of apologies from wetherspoons when we complained and a few free drinks but sadly they are still getting worse so we just dont come any more.

Most weeks they also kick everyone out before 10pm on a Friday or Saturday because they dont want...

The place is a dingy dump. Went there last Sunday with my fiance; we expected something half-decent. We are neither wealthy, nor posh, but that was below normal. The tables (we tried to find a clean one, as you would expect when you pay for it, parhaps shoud have bought some pizza, a bottle of avarage wine and beer and just stayed at home... would have been cleaner and cosier) were caked in spilt drinks & sticky;tables and menus caked in filth tothe point you couldn't read of them.. Plus, we had to get a menu from another table because ours had none. The menus were filthy, besmeared with grease and food. There was NO waitstaff, so you had to order and bring your own food and drinks to your table. When we got the food it was COLD and stale. The only decent thing were the chips, too bad that they were stone cold. Nobody comes in to collect the dirty plates, or ask whether you want something else. I finally brought our plates to the bar myself. The food is old and subpar, as if they assumed that everyone there was too drunk to notice how bad it is. The staff is lukewarm, treats you like an annoying moskito.Most of the crowd was pretty bad, too. I had been to that place quite a few times before an it wasn't half-bad, but after last experience I am not coming...

Cheap food and drink on the menu, busy during the summer. Not so much in Winter. Not a classy venue, but has a bustling atmosphere at peak times. Good selection of drinks and the food is not too bad either. Unlisted refills on tea or coffee for just 99p, makes this a real winner venue. Throw in a cooled breakfast too all for under a fiver. Spacious ground floor area, compiled of sets of tables and chairs, bar stools and tables or a few cozy booths with sofa style seating and USB sockets for charging devices towards the rear-side of the bar. Theain toilets for men and women are found in the basement, with a single disabled access toilet at the rear of the ground floor. The upstairs is nice, not as big but often a little quieter than the first floor. It also has a slim north-facing balcony overlooking Margate seafront, including the main sands and the harbour arm. Many other bars and venues locally but this is the cheapest by far. If you're looking for a more glamorous Weatherspoons consider the drive to the new one in Ramsgate, the largest pub in the country, nice balconies and a...