Whitbread has announced the closure of its entire portfolio of standalone restaurant brands, affecting hundreds of sites across the United Kingdom.
The move forms part of a strategic restructuring programme announced earlier this year.
The Table Table chain, a family-oriented pub restaurant business, will cease operations at all 32 of its UK establishments on September 3.
Brewers Fayre will shut its 89 venues on September 7, while Beefeater locations numbering 106 will close their doors on September 10.
Bar + Block’s 20 sites and Cookhouse + Pub’s 14 outlets are both scheduled to finish trading on September 3.
The hospitality company revealed plans in April to eliminate approximately 3,800 positions across the United Kingdom and Ireland as part of a five-year efficiency initiative aimed at delivering £250 million in savings.
The business intends to integrate restaurant facilities within its Premier Inn hotel properties as an alternative operational model.
Chief executive Dominic Paul explained that escalating operating costs, particularly business rates and national insurance contributions, had prompted a comprehensive review of the estate.
He indicated that the prevailing market valuation of the restaurant division fell below the group’s assessment of its intrinsic worth, leading to the decision to divest the standalone sites and concentrate on the hotel operation.
The transformation would establish Whitbread as a more profitable enterprise focused exclusively on accommodation, he stated.
The complete roster of Table Table establishments facing permanent closure includes venues across England, Wales, and Scotland.
Sites in Cwmbran, Essex, Yorkshire, Devon, Lancashire, Cornwall, Staffordshire, Merseyside, Kent, Hampshire, Gwynedd, Bedfordshire, Lanarkshire, Aberdeenshire, Denbighshire, Norfolk, Suffolk, Mid Glamorgan, Merthyr Tydfil, and the West Midlands will all cease trading on September 3.
Table Table communicated with customers through social media channels in advance of the closures, expressing gratitude for patronage spanning several decades.
The message acknowledged the role the establishments had played in family occasions and routine dining experiences, while inviting patrons to visit once more before operations concluded.
Of the 261 Whitbread locations designated for disposal, 53 have been acquired by Queensway Inns through a conditional sale agreement.
The purchasing group possesses experience in operating hospitality businesses throughout the United Kingdom and intends to maintain the sites as functioning establishments.
A spokesperson for Whitbread confirmed to Newsquest that completion of the transaction remained subject to certain conditions being satisfied.
Following the formal transfer and completion of required employee information and consultation procedures under TUPE regulations, approximately 900 staff members could transition to Queensway Inns’ employment and would receive support throughout the process, the spokesperson stated.
The 53 acquired sites reportedly comprise a mixture of the various Whitbread restaurant brands included in the closure programme.
Queensway Inns intends to rebrand the venues as budget-friendly public houses, though the proposed trading name, pricing structure, and anticipated reopening schedule have yet to be determined.