Major UK restaurant chain to shut down with almost 4,000 jobs at risk

The mass closures are part of the parent company Whitbread’s major restructuring plan which would see almost 4,000 jobs at risk.

The company announced in April that it would shut its remaining Beefeater and Brewers Fayre sites as part of a strategy overhaul, placing around 3,800 jobs at risk.

There are Beefeaters in Cowley and Kidlington.

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Customers were informed of the closure in a letter sent to Beefeater reward club members.

The letter said: “As you may have seen, we have recently announced changes to our business, which is resulting in the closure of our Branded Restaurants.

“This means that on Thursday 10 September 2026 your local Beefeater and all other UK Beefeaters will close.”

In the letter, the company also said it would close the loyalty scheme on August 31.

The restructure is part of Whitbread’s new five-year strategy, which aims to reduce costs by £250m.

Dominic Paul, Whitbread’s chief executive, said previously: “We always challenge ourselves to improve and, in light of significant cost increases in the form of business rates and national insurance, as well as the implied market discount to our inherent value, we’ve looked hard at the options open to us to maximise value creation over the medium and long-term.

“This has been a rigorous process and we’ve approached all options with an open mind.

“Our new five-year plan builds on our strengths and drives a significant acceleration of our strategy.

“This plan will transform Whitbread into a higher-margin, higher-returning pure-play hotel business.

“We’re going to go further and faster to deliver a great experience for our guests and high-quality growth and returns for our shareholders.”

The group currently owns approximately 86,600 hotel rooms and intends to increase this to 96,000 by the 2031 financial year.

Brewers Fayre, which is also owned by Whitbread, will also be closing, but does not yet have confirmed closure dates.