Beefeater, a major UK steakhouse chain, will close all 106 of its locations in weeks, a significant blow to the British high street. In July, the owner of Beefeater confirmed it would permanently shut its remaining UK pub-restaurants on September 10, 2026.
The decision follows parent company Whitbread's announcement that it would withdraw entirely from the branded standalone restaurant market and focus on its Premier Inn hotel business. This marks the end of a 52-year run for the chain, with sister brands including Brewers Fayre, Bar + Block, Cookhouse + Pub, and Table Table also closing in September.
Whitbread's shift to a pure-play hotel business
Whitbread revealed the plans in April, saying as "part of its proposed new Five-Year Plan, it intends to become a pure-play hotel business focused on Premier Inn, the UK's number one hotel brand, which is synonymous with quality and value".
The company added that the change would see them "exiting all of our remaining branded restaurants, which trade under brands including Beefeater and Brewers Fayre, a number of which will be converted into approximately 600 additional Premier Inn rooms, with the remainder expected to be sold as going concerns".
Impact on staff and sites
Whitbread said the changes build on the "success of our Accelerating Growth Plan, announced in 2024, which involved the conversion of over 200 branded restaurants to additional rooms, and the creation of an integrated restaurant in each hotel". "This format has proved highly popular with guests and under the proposal, it would be rolled out to all hotels where there is currently a branded restaurant."
Whitbread recognised the impact the proposal would have on workers at sites included in the announcement. It said it expected to be able to continue the employment of "a significant proportion of those affected and will be looking to redeploy as many of our impacted colleagues as possible". However, it did anticipate the move "would result in a reduction of around 3,800 roles" as it promised to do "all we can to support those colleagues affected".
Reader reactions and potential sale
One Daily Express reader responding to the news of the closures called it "very sad", with others taking to social media to share fond memories of visiting Beefeater branches in their youth. One wrote: "My favourite restaurant when I was little, the one in Bath specifically. But I haven't been to one in years."
Earlier this month Whitbread announced that it had reached a conditional agreement to sell 53 branded restaurant sites to Queensway Inns, in a move that could see almost a thousand staff transferred over. "Queensway Inns has extensive experience operating hospitality businesses across the UK and intends to operate the sites as going concerns." "Subject to completion of the sale and following the relevant TUPE information and consultation processes, around 900 team members could transfer and will be supported through the process."
The sites included in the potential deal include a combination of current Beefeater, Brewers Fayre, Table Table, Bar + Block and Cookhouse + Pub sites. Express.co.uk has reached out to Whitbread to find out about efforts to retain staff affected by the restructuring, and whether there are any other agreements that could see jobs transferred to new operators.
