Anyone here think that Wetherspoons gets a bad reputation? The beers good (and cheap), there is usually a fine selection of decent (and often unusual) pints, the food is usually tasty and filling... OK, not the most atmospheric of places but what the heck, it's all about the company, eh? 
I personally have no problems with Wetherspoons other the fact they're a chain and if possible I'd rather give my money to small independent pubs - as you said, good beer selection, cheap prices and decent enough food (for what you pay anyway, you can't expect gourmet stuff at those prices), if you're a CAMRA member you even get discount vouchers for the ales. Sure, some of them have the ambience of a 1960s shopping centre and seem to be the refuge of all sorts of types of dodgy characters, but others are ok enough for a few pre-gigs, post-football or whatever drinks - and I certainly made much use of them in my younger and poorer days, when the offer of 2 meals for a fiver and cheap beer was often too good to pass on
