I work at Wetherspoons and here’s the real reason there’s never any music on

WETHERSPOONS is a treasure loved by people nationwide and known for its bargain bites and cheap booze.

Now a Spoons worker has revealed the answer to one of the biggest mysteries about the chain: why does it never play any music?

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You’re almost guaranteed to live near a Wetherspoons, with over 800 of its pubs dotted across the country.

But aside from its bargain prices, there’s one thing that sets the chain apart from other bars and pubs: there is never any music on.

But finally the answer has been revealed in the Channel 5 programme, Wetherspoons: How Do They Do It – and it’s got nothing to do with licenses.

Legend has it that the chain’s founder, Tim Martin, read a famous essay by George Orwell called “Perfect Pub” which advised against music with meals.

A worker said: “It was a bold move. Whereas other pubs were taking the opportunity to embrace music and create an atmosphere, Tim went the opposite way.”

But George Orwell is not the only reason you won’t hear your favourite tunes at your local Spoons, there’s also some science behind it.

Clever science

Contrary to the route many other pubs have ventured down, Wetherspoons doesn’t rely on music to build an atmosphere.

Instead, the lack of music is designed to play on customers’ senses – it’s a tool used by the chain to help ensure its success, along with cheap prices and speedy service.

A sensory expert from the University of London studied how young drinkers enjoy their pub experience – and found that having music on could actually ruin your night out.

He said: “A benefit of having no music when eating and drinking is that you will probably have a more memorable, more lasting and maybe even a more intense sensation.”

To prove his point, the expert called on three students to conduct a taste test of typical pub grub both with and without rock music playing.

After the students grab a bite listening to the loud music, the noise is then stopped, and the pubgoers are asked to continue eating.

One student said “It was markedly different for me, it was like a sugar explosion in my mouth the second time around – definitely more pleasurable.”

While another said “The crisps felt slightly more crunchy, and also a little bit more salty.”

This is because of a link between our ears and tongue.

The expert said: “The contribution to the enjoyment of our food isn’t just taste, touch and smell, but sound – the crunch of a crisp apple, the crackle of a crisp.

“If we mute some of the background sounds, it draws our attention to the food, and as a result the flavour of the food is amplified.”

So it appears that once again Wetherspoons is one step ahead, using science to give punters the most enjoyable experience possible.

To find your local branch, visit the JD Wetherspoons website and simply enter your postcode.

And that’s not the only Wetherspoons’ secret revealed, another worker lifts the lid on why prices are so cheap.

Meanwhile, we reveal the top baking deals for cakes ahead of the Jubilee.

Here’s how to grab a free drink from 60 pubs thanks to The Beautiful South Star.

This post first appeared on thesun.co.uk