Five family-friendly pub restaurants in Scotland that closed as part of a major restructuring plan are set to reopen. The venues were among more than 110 sites formerly owned by Whitbread PLC that have been bought by Queensway Inns and Common Table Group.
The saved Scottish locations include a Cookhouse+ pub in Kilmarnock, three Brewers Fayre sites in Falkirk, Portlethen and Musselburgh, and Aberdeen's Table Table site, known as the Mill of Mundurno.
Rebranding and reopening plans
All sites are expected to officially reopen from November, although an exact date has not been confirmed. The venues will be rebranded into a new chain of pubs and other hospitality locations.
The purchase follows an earlier agreement by Common Table Group, founded by coffee entrepreneur Thomas Anderson, to buy more than 57 Beefeater, Brewers Fayre and Cookhouse+ locations, including one Premier Inn hotel. That deal was reported to create around 700 jobs.
Queensway Inns saves further sites
Queensway Inns has saved a further 53 sites from permanent closure, mostly in England, including locations in Great Yarmouth, Dover, Ipswich, Glastonbury and Scotland. These will be transformed into a new line of "value pubs", with more than 900 team members potentially transferred to new roles.
All restaurants saved from closure are expected to remain as site-in diners, offering an all-day food and drink menu for hotel guests and diners.
Background to the closures
Whitbread PLC had announced it would retire these restaurants as part of a five-year "rephasing" strategy, closing more than 261 sites, with Brewers Fayre, Beefeater, Cookhouse+ and Table Table restaurants disappearing completely. The company said it would exit the restaurant industry following "significant cost increases" and focus on its hotel business.
In Scotland, 18 diners were closed: two Table Tables, one Cookhouse+, two Bar + Blocks, eight Brewers Fayres and five Beefeaters. Some closed eateries are set to be converted into additional Premier Inn rooms, while others will be sold off. Whitbread's hotel room count is expected to rise from 86,600 to 96,000 by the 2031 financial year.
The closures led to around 3,800 staff members being made redundant. The hospitality group said at the time it would seek to redeploy as many staff as possible. Both Common Table Group and Queensway Inns have been approached for comment.
Confirmed Scottish sites
- Cotton Mill — Cookhouse + Pub (Kilmarnock, East Ayrshire)
- Craig House — Brewers Fayre (Musselburgh, East Lothian)
- Kincardine Way — Brewers Fayre (Falkirk)
- Mains of Balquharn — Brewers Fayre (Portlethen)
- Mill of Mundurno — Table Table (Bridge of Don, Aberdeen)
