A popular UK chain restaurant has announced the permanent closure of all 106 of its restaurants. Beefeater and Brewers Fayre restaurants will close their doors at 200 locations collectively, with all 106 Beefeater establishments set to be shuttered.
The confirmation came from Whitbread, the company which also owns Premier Inn, back in April. But now specific details of lot closures and affected staff outcomes have been shared by the company. Whitbread officials confirmed that around 30,000 employees were put at risk because of the closures while the customer loyalty programme will come to an end in August.
The loyalty programme will end on August 31 while the final day of trading for Beefeater restaurants is set to be September 10.
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.”
The closure is believed to be because the firm wishes to focus solely on its Premier Inn properties. A previous statement from Whitbread reads: “This change will involve exiting all of our remaining branded restaurants, which trade under brands including Beefeater and Brewers Fayre, a number of which will be converted into approximately 600 additional Premier Inn rooms, with the remainder expected to be sold as going concerns.