Whitbread to close 197 restaurants in major business restructuring

Whitbread is undergoing a major restructuring to transition into a “higher-margin, higher-returning pure-play hotel business,” focusing investment on its Premier Inn operations. As part of this strategy, the company is closing 197 branded restaurants across Britain, including 106 Beefeater and 89 Brewers Fayre sites. The restructuring is expected to reduce the company’s UK and Ireland workforce by approximately 3,800 roles, though some employees may be transferred to other positions.

In Scotland, 18 venues are scheduled to close, impacting communities in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dundee, Stirling, and Aberdeen. In Cornwall, ten Premier Inn-connected restaurants are slated for closure, with some operations beginning as early as September 3.

However, 53 of the branded restaurant sites have been sold to Queensway Hospitality Group. Queensway intends to operate these sites as going concerns, potentially converting them into a new line of “value pubs.” This sale includes five sites in Cornwall, such as The May Tree and Carnon Inn. Approximately 900 team members from the sold sites could transfer to the new owners following the completion of the sale and consultation processes.