JD Wetherspoon raises food and drink prices by 7.5%

JD Wetherspoon has raised its food and drink prices by 7.5% this month off the back of spiralling costs.

The pub chain said its prices were still "very competitive" in all its locations and the rise was below the rate of inflation.

Price increases will vary across the country, but the change has seen the cost of a pint of Carlsberg rise from £2.39 to £2.57 and fish and chips increase from £9.90 to £10.65 at the Oxted Inn in Surrey, the Sun reports.

The ultimate burger and a pint meal deal has risen from £9.85 to £10.65 and a chicken tikka masala with an alcoholic drink has increased from £9.70 to £10.43 at the Surrey pub.

Wetherspoon spokesman Eddie Gershon said: "Wetherspoon has increased prices on food and drink by 7.5%

"We believe that our prices are still very competitive in all the locations that we trade, even after the increase.

"Most businesses in the hospitality industry have had to deal with big price increases in the past year or two.

"We have tried to keep our prices competitive, bearing in mind that customers have suffered from inflation too."

Hospitality businesses across the country have had to increase prices in the face of spiralling costs. Chef Gary Usher recently took to Twitter to defend the price of a £19.50 burger at his new pub, the White Horse in Churton, ahead of its opening next month.

The price hike at Wetherspoon's comes after the chain ran a January sale across its 810 UK pubs offering a selection of beers, spirits, and soft drinks for as little as 99p.

The group put around 45 pubs up for sale at the end of last year. Wetherspoon chairman Tim Martin warned pubs faced a challenge to attract back customers who had become used to buying cheaper supermarket beer during lockdown.

A January trading update confirmed 35 pubs remained on the market but Martin said he was "cautiously optimistic" about the chain's prospects for the financial year.