UK restaurant chain bids final farewell in emotional goodbye

The closures, including branches in Oxfordshire, 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.

READ MORE: More than 100 restaurants to shut across the UK

There are Beefeaters in Cowley and Kidlington.

Now the chain has reached out to its loyal customers.

Dishes are served at Beefeater (Image: Jamie Lau)

In an email being distributed to previous diners and members of its loyalty schemes, Beefeater shared a message of gratitude, with two prominent words: ‘thank you’.

It said: “A message from your local Beefeater: We want to say a huge thank you for your custom at our Beefeater restaurants.”

It added: “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, September 10, 2026, your local Beefeater and all other UK Beefeaters will close.”

Inside Beefeater (Image: Christie Owen & Davies)

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.

The chain first launched in 1974.

The former Ock Mill Beefeater restaurant in Abingdon (Image: Andy Ffrench)

Several customers 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.”

The Ock Mill Beefeater restaurant, linked to the former Premier Inn in Marcham Road, Abingdon, closed in 2023, and the site was bought by the Unicorn School, which is currently renovating the building for classrooms.

Dominic Paul, Whitbread’s chief executive, said earlier: “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.”