Hundreds of restaurants across the UK are set to close within weeks after a major hospitality group unveiled sweeping restructuring plans that could put thousands of jobs at risk.
Hospitality giant Whitbread, the parent company of Premier Inn, has confirmed it plans to shut all 197 of its remaining standalone restaurant sites as part of a major shift in strategy. The move will see well-known brands including Beefeater, Brewers Fayre and Bar + Block disappear from high streets and retail parks across the country.
The closures form part of a proposed five-year plan, which is currently under consultation, as Whitbread looks to transform itself into what it describes as a “pure-play hotel business” focused on expanding its Premier Inn offering.
If the plans go ahead, nearly 3,800 jobs across the UK and Ireland could be affected, representing a significant portion of Whitbread’s workforce of around 30,000 employees. The company said it will attempt to redeploy as many staff as possible, highlighting that it recruits around 15,000 people each year.
The decision follows a period of rising costs in the hospitality sector. Whitbread chief executive Dominic Paul said “significant cost increases” linked to higher National Insurance contributions and business rates had played a key role in the overhaul.
The company has already begun reshaping its estate, with more than 200 branded restaurants converted into additional hotel rooms during 2024. Whitbread said the move had proved “highly popular with guests”, prompting plans to roll out similar conversions across all remaining sites where restaurants are attached to its hotels.
The scale of the closures highlights the continued pressure facing the UK hospitality industry, where rising operating costs and changing consumer habits are forcing major operators to rethink their business models.
Despite the uncertainty, Whitbread said it is committed to supporting affected employees. A spokesperson added: “We will do all we can to support those colleagues affected and expect to retain a significant proportion of them through redeployment opportunities within our business.”
The consultation process is ongoing, with final decisions expected in the coming months.
Brewers Fayre restaurants set to close
Abergavenny (Abergavenny)
Afon Conwy (Conwy)
Aire & Calder (Yorkshire)
Bankhead Gate (Fife)
Barrow-in-Furness (Cumbria)
Barry Island (Vale of Glamorgan)
Bedford South (Bedfordshire)
Bicester (Oxfordshire)
Bideford (Devon)
Bobbing Apple (Kent)
Brampton Hut (Cambridgeshire)
Brookers Oast (Kent)
Burton House (Lincolnshire)
The Carousel (Yorkshire)
Castlewood (Derbyshire)
Central Park (Warwickshire)
Cepen Park (Wiltshire)
Chafford Hundred (Essex)
Chequers Corner (Essex)
Cheswold Lodge (Yorkshire)
The Clarence Pier (Hampshire)
Cockermouth (Cumbria)
Cottams Field (Lancashire)
Craig House (Edinburgh)
Crossways (Caerphilly)
Dalesway (Yorkshire)
Derry City (Northern Ireland)
The Drove (Sussex)
Duke of York (Kent)
Exeter (Devon)
The Farrier (Lincolnshire)
Flagstaff Island (Leicestershire)
Freebridge Farm (Norfolk)
Glastonbury (Somerset)
Gordano Gate (Bristol)
The Hampton (Peterborough)
Hanley (Staffordshire)
The Harbour (Northern Ireland)
The Howgate (Cumbria)
Inn On The Quay (Devon)
Inshes Gate (Highland)
Kembrey Inn (Wiltshire)
Kincardine Way (Falkirk)
King William IV (Nottinghamshire)
Lakeland Gate (Cumbria)
Lewins Mead (Bristol)
Lock Keeper (Derbyshire)
Lodmoor (Dorset)
Loggans Moor (Cornwall)
Mains of Balquharn (Aberdeenshire)
The Marina (Leicestershire)
The Mayflower (Essex)
Minehead (Somerset)
Monkey Puzzle (Hampshire)
Mulberry Tree (Essex)
Newhaven Quay (Edinburgh)
Oakenhurst Farm (Lancashire)
Oaks (Norfolk)
Ocean Park (Cardiff)
Ocean Plaza (Merseyside)
Old Nelson (Gloucestershire)
Old West Quay (County Durham)
Orbital (Staffordshire)
Papermill (Buckinghamshire)
Pirnhall Inn (Stirlingshire)
Queens Crossing (Edinburgh)
The Redwood (Staffordshire)
Rhubarb Triangle (Yorkshire)
Rising Sun (Hertfordshire)
Royal Quays (Newcastle)
The Sandpiper (Carmarthenshire)
Stable Gate (Lancashire)
The Swallow (Suffolk)
Swansea Vale (Swansea)
Telford Lodge (Northamptonshire)
Tindale Crossing (County Durham)
Tirfounder Fields (Rhondda Cynon Taff)
Turnpike (Yorkshire)
Victoria Park (Gwent)
Walsall (West Midlands)
Water Mill (Yorkshire)
The Wessex Flyer (Bristol)
The Wessington (Sunderland)
Wheatlea Park (Lancashire)
Whittle Inn (Gloucestershire)
Widnes (Cheshire)
Willen Dragon (Buckinghamshire)
The Windmill (Sussex)
Winsor House (Greater London)
Beefeater restaurants set to close
The Anchor (Lincolnshire)
The Applecart (Oxford)
Badgers Sett (Worcestershire)
Bagle Brook (Port Talbot)
Balmoral Inn (Hampshire)
The Barn (Buckinghamshire)
The Beacon (Kent)
The Belgrave (Devon)
Bentley Green (West Midlands)
Border Gate (Cumbria)
The Brache (Bedfordshire)
The Brecks (South Yorkshire)
Broomside Park (County Durham)
The Bull (Kent)
Carnon Inn (Cornwall)
Centre (Dundee)
The Coldra (Newport)
Countess Wear (Devon)
The Cricketers (Surrey)
Crossbush (Sussex)
Crows Nest (Hertfordshire)
Deer Park (West Lothian)
The Dukes Worksop (Nottingham)
Eureka Park (Kent)
Euston Way (Shropshire)
The Farmhouse (Cheshire)
Farnborough (Hampshire)
The Fountain (Greater London)
The Foxburrow (Suffolk)
Frome Flyer (Bristol)
George In The Tree (West Midlands)
The Gifford (Bristol)
Gourdie Croft (Dundee)
The Granary (Cambridgeshire)
Great Oak (Hampshire)
Great Yarmouth Seafront (Norfolk)
Griff House (Warwickshire)
Halfway House (Bedfordshire)
Halifax (West Yorkshire)
Hamilton (Glasgow)
Harbour Lights (Hampshire)
Harlow Mill (Essex)
The Haywain (Essex)
Heaton Park (Lancashire)
The Kingswood (East Yorkshire)
Lady Nairne (Edinburgh)
The Ladybridge (Staffordshire)
The Lakeside (South Yorkshire)
Liberty Bell (Essex)
London Woolwich (Greater London)
The Longbow (Rhondda Cynon Taff)
Longbridge (West Midlands)
Longford House (Staffordshire)
The Longwall (Oxford)
The Lydiard (Wiltshire)
Malta Inn (Kent)
Manor Farm (Kent)
Marsh Mills (Devon)
Medina Quay (Isle of Wight)
Mill House (Surrey)
Mill Lodge (Lincolnshire)
Millers Barn (Nottingham)
The Millfield (York)
Moor Mill (Hertfordshire)
Morris Dancers (Lancashire)
Morton Park (County Durham)
Moseley Park (West Midlands)
Oakley Hay (Northamptonshire)
Oast & Squire (Hampshire)
The Orchard (Worcestershire)
Oxford Kidlington (Oxford)
Oyster Reach (Suffolk)
Packet Steamer (Merseyside)
The Parkway (Surrey)
The Pavilion (Somerset)
The Plough (Kent)
Preston Brook (Merseyside)
Priory Marina (Bedfordshire)
Quay House (Lancashire)
Rackstraws Farm (Berkshire)
Red Lion (Lancashire)
Redditch (West Midlands)
Roman Way (Nottingham)
Sir Thomas Wyatt (Kent)
Smugglers Haunt (Dorset)
The Somerford (Dorset)
The Southcote (Berkshire)
Springwood Park (Cheshire)
Spruce Goose (Hampshire)
Stag & Rainbow (Merseyside)
Strawberry Field (Essex)
The Talpore (County Durham)
The Three Fish (Shropshire)
Travellers Rest (Greater London)
The Turnpike (Northamptonshire)
Twelve Bells (Gloucestershire)
Walston Castle (Cardiff)
Ware (Hertfordshire)
The Waterfront (Swansea)
The Watermill (Essex)
White Hart (Sussex)
White Lodge (Somerset)
White Rock (Devon)
Whitegate Inn (Lancashire)
Whitley Bay (Northumberland)
The Woolpack (Kent)
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