In my own case I wanted a pub an area I know well and where I knew my knowledge and experience would give me a strong chance of making it work (in some ways it did Time Out bar of the year nominee 1996, Evening Standard Pub of the Year runner up 1998 etc etc). BUT ALL the pubs in the area were tied. And there was a Wetherspoons. One was on the market - The Sun and Doves - which was the one I wanted, and I negotiated hard to get it. I also did a lot of research into the tied conditions with other tied pub lessees (mine was advertised as coming free of tie in 1998, but it didn't, which is a whole other story) and they all, without exception, said the tie was fine to work with. My business plan said so too -