Whitbread to close hundreds of UK restaurants in major restructuring

Whitbread is executing a major nationwide restructuring of its branded restaurant division, leading to the closure of hundreds of sites across the UK. The plan includes the shutdown of all Beefeater, Brewers Fayre, Table Table, Bar + Block, and Cookhouse + Pub locations.

This strategic overhaul aims to save £250 million over five years and transform the company into a higher-margin, pure-play hotel business focused on Premier Inn. As part of this transition, Whitbread intends to replace many closed restaurant sites with dining options located directly inside Premier Inn hotels and plans to sell approximately £1.5 billion in freehold properties to fund expansion.

The closures are expected to result in approximately 3,800 job losses across the UK and Ireland. While the company stated it aims to redeploy as many staff as possible within the business, significant redundancies are anticipated. Some closed sites, such as certain Table Table locations in Essex, have been acquired by Queensway Inns to be rebranded as affordable value pubs.