Popular pub restaurant chain Beefeater is shutting all of its locations today. Every one of its 106 restaurants is closing, just days after another well-known chain suffered the same fate.
On Thursday, September 10, Beefeater is following in the footsteps of Brewers Fayre, which closed all 89 of its restaurants on Monday, September 7. Approximately 30,000 members of staff are employed across both restaurant chains. Earlier this year, it was confirmed that both would be shutting as part of a wider strategy by parent company Whitbread, which also runs the Premier Inn hotel chain.
Whitbread chief executive Dominic Paul said at the time: “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.”
A number of the Beefeater and Brewers Fayre sites will be transformed into approximately 600 additional Premier Inn hotel rooms, while the remaining locations are “expected to be sold as going concerns”.
Addressing the effect on its workforce, Whitbread stated: “We recognise the impact of this proposal on colleagues who work at the affected sites.
“As a business which recruits around 15,000 people every year, we expect to be able to retain a significant proportion of those affected and will be looking to redeploy as many of our impacted colleagues as possible.
“However, we do anticipate that the proposed changes, which are subject to consultation, would result in a reduction of around 3,800 roles of a total UK and Ireland workforce of around 30,000. We will do all we can to support those colleagues affected.”
Beefeater outlets are located throughout the UK, offering breakfast, lunch and dinner options. The chain also provided Sunday roasts priced from £15.49 per head.
Another person commented: “We’ve gone there for any family gathering in the last 30 years. It was like an automatic meeting spot if someone was coming back into town.”