Wetherspoons is not giving away free meals for two on Facebook

A Facebook post with more than 10,000 shares claims that everyone who shares and comments on it, and follows a link to submit an application, will receive a free meal for two at Wetherspoons. 

But this is not a real offer.

The post says: “Hello everyone! I’m Tim Martin, founder of Wetherspoons. I'm very pleased to introduce you to my son Ryan Martin. Next week I will be retiring and handing over all control to my eldest Son. 

“Before I depart I’d like to do one last good deed to say thanks because without all of you we wouldn’t be here today. So everyone who shares&comments, and then submitted their entry [...], within the next 14 days will receive a meal for two on us! This can be used for Breakfast, lunch or dinner at any Wetherspoons establishment [sic].” 

However, a spokesperson for Wetherspoons told Full Fact: “The information [in the post] is false.” 

There are already several other clues that the post is not genuine. 

Firstly, Wetherspoons says on its official website that it doesn’t run any social media pages, adding: “Any profiles promoted on sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat are not endorsed or maintained by the company.” 

The Facebook page that shared the post was set up in March 2022 and only has around 3,000 followers. 

Secondly, the post claims that “everyone” who shares and comments on it and then submits an entry via another website will be eligible to receive a free meal for two. The initial website reached by the link takes users to a site with Wetherspoons branding that asks them to fill in surveys. They are then taken to another webpage offering free suncream instead to people who fill out their details. Full Fact has not been able to confirm if this is a legitimate offer.

In the comments of the post, the Facebook page has said: “Follow our page, then leave your comment and share this post. the chances of winning will be greater. [sic]”  This contradicts the original claim, as it implies that the post is actually a competition rather than a giveaway to all who participate. 

Thirdly, the post is almost identical to other fake giveaways and competitions allegedly shared by Wetherspoons that we have checked in the past. 

Full Fact has written about fake offers and promotions many times before, including a fake Alton Towers giveaway, free holidays at Center Parcs and free meals at restaurant chains Toby Carvery and Harvester.

It is always worth checking posts sharing offers that seem too good to be true. One way to verify this is to see whether the offer has been shared by the company’s official page—this will often have more followers, a verified blue tick and a longer post history.