The Wetherspoon’s game: why thousands of people are buying food and drink for strangers

Wetherspoons Through the Facebook group The Game!!, patrons at pubs they have never met can pay for their food and beverages.

Thanks to a change in Facebook’s algorithm that suggests groups to non-members, the group, which was founded in 2018 by Chris Illman, has grown from 1,000 to 400,000 members. Illman kept his word to get a spoon and a cloud tattooed on his arm once the group’s membership topped 10,000. Upon reaching 500,000 members, he will formally change his middle name to Spoons.

Because the Wetherspoon app requires users to manually confirm their location and table number, there is a bug that allows the game to function. Customers who participate in the game can ask for free food and beverages from other players. Ninety percent of people, according to Illman, buy things back, and he could never really police it. After overcoming cancer, divorcing, and spending the night in his car, he founded the group.

Every day, hundreds of people play this game, and as long as players follow the rules, discussion about it is allowed. The group’s rules include uploading a clear photo of every member, not being younger than eighteen, acting appropriately, refraining from giving out dumb commands, playing infrequently, and drinking in moderation.

The charitable work that Illman is most proud of includes donating £6,000 worth of food and soft drinks to Liverpool in 2020 and organising a similar event in Portsmouth or Brighton the following month. In this game of ultimate karma, you owe someone else in the future if someone gets yours in first.