Brewers Fayre and Beefeater restaurants across the country will close under parent company Whitbread's restructuring plans
Two iconic restaurant chains are closing down for good, with nearly 200 locations to shut down and 3,800 set to be cut, in a major blow to the UK economy.
Whitbread, the parent company of Premier Inn, has confirmed plans to close the remaining Beefeater and Brewers Fayre restaurants as part of its five-year business plan.
This comes following additional tax pressure placed on the hospitality industry, with around 12 per cent of Whitbread's 30,000-strong workforce in the UK and Ireland to be impacted.
Beefeater and Brewers Fayre restaurants are usually situated next to, or inside, Premier Inn hotels, with Whitbread confirming impacted employees are being consulted about their future.
Dominic Paul, Whitbread’s chief executive, said: "We plan to convert all our remaining branded restaurants to an integrated food and beverage offer that is preferred by our hotel guests and will unlock the addition of more highly profitable extension rooms.
"Our continued efforts to drive our commercial plan and efficiencies will extend our market-leading position and allow us to take share from our competitors, many of which are struggling to grow."
Whitbread is already in the process of converting underperforming restaurants into hotel rooms, with this plan set to be rolled out across the nearly 200 remaining sites.
Part of the company's plan is to sell and lease back £1.5billion of its freehold properties in an effort to bolster profit across Premier Inn locations.
Here is a full list of the Brewers Fayre restaurants set to close under the restructuring plan:
Here is a full list of the Beefeater restaurants set to close under the restructuring plan:
