Over 100 restaurants to shut across UK with nearly 4,000 jobs at risk

The mass closures are part of the parent company Whitbread’s major restructuring plan, and will see all 106 sites shut permanently.

It was announced in April that the company 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.

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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.”

Following the announcement, many people in the UK have been sharing memories online of family trips to Beefeater restaurants when they were growing up.

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Several said they were “sad” to see the chain shutting sites, although they also felt the brand had gone downhill in more recent years.

One person wrote: “Until I went to university the only restaurant I’d ever been to was a Beefeater. We’d go for various family birthdays. I absolutely loved it.

“A steak or a mixed grill, which I never got at home, followed by a Knickerbocker Glory. Fantastic times. I went back a couple of years ago.

“The place looked run down. I feel sad about this, but I guess the fact I hadn’t been to one for 30 years is part of the problem.”

Another recalled their early working life, saying: “When I was first working away from home, we did events work and the big treat was a Beefeater on the last night.

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“It was genuinely an event because we were used to Beefeater being the family occasion that we would get a few times per year.”

A third commenter focused on favourite dishes and a sense of nostalgia, adding: “The profiterole surprise… the crispy potato skins… the memories lol.

“We have one about 35 mins from where I live now, but I looked at the menu, and it looked completely st so have never taken the family despite the fond childhood memories of going regularly with my mum, dad and sisters.”

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.