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Regular customers of a major restaurant chain have been issued a crucial deadline warning as the business prepares to shut dozens of venues.
Beefeater loyalty card holders missed their final chance to accumulate points yesterday, with Monday August 24 marking the cut-off for collecting or adding receipt details to accounts.
Diners now face a tight window to convert those points into vouchers and spend them, with the redemption deadline falling on Monday August 31
The urgency stems from the permanent shuttering of every one of the chain's 195 restaurants across the UK, scheduled for Thursday September 10, 2026..
A Beefeater spokesperson said: "All points must be collected (or receipt details added) by Monday August 24, 2026 and then converted into your points-based vouchers and used by Monday August 31, 2026."
The mass closure follows owner Whitbread's decision earlier this year to abandon its branded dining operations entirely.
Under the rewards scheme, members earned five points for each pound spent at the restaurant chain. Upon reaching 500 points, they could redeem their balance for a £5 voucher, a complimentary bottle of wine, or two free starters or desserts.
In a statement, the business said: "As you may have seen, we have recently announced changes to our business, which is resulting in the closure of our Branded Restaurants.
"This means that on Thursday, September 10, 2026 your local Beefeater and all other UK Beefeaters will close."
Whitbread revealed in April that it would shut all remaining Beefeater and Brewers Fayre locations as part of a sweeping strategic overhaul.
The move will result in 3,800 redundancies, though the company indicated it would endeavour to keep as many employees as possible within the business.
Earlier this summer, the Brewers Fayre on Oxford Road in Bicester appeared on the market at £950,000, while The Applecart Beefeater at the Oxford South Milton Interchange was listed at £600,000.
The broader reorganisation forms part of a new five-year growth strategy designed to refocus the business and strip out £250million in costs.
Whitbread's chief executive Dominic Paul said: "We always challenge ourselves to improve and, in light of significant cost increases in the form of business rates and national insurance, as well as the implied market discount to our inherent value, we've looked hard at the options open to us to maximise value creation over the medium and long-term.
"This plan will transform Whitbread into a higher-margin, higher-returning pure-play hotel business."
Furthermore, the chief executive pledged to accelerate delivery of the strategy, promising "a great experience for our guests and high-quality growth and returns for our shareholders". The integrated food and drink model replacing branded restaurants is intended to serve Premier Inn guests more efficiently.
