More than 100 former UK pub and restaurant sites are set to get a new lease of life as they reopen under new ownership.
All Whitbread-owned Beefeater, Brewers Fayre and Cookhouse + Pub venues were closed last month after the company retired several of its hospitality brands.
A total of 261 venues across the UK closed down, including Bar + Block and Table Table sites.
However, many have now been acquired by Queensway Inns and Common Table Group, and are set to reopen.
Beefeater was a popular restaurant chain attached to Premier Inn sites (Image: Getty Images)
110 Whitbread sites, including Beefeater and Brewers Fayre, to reopen
Queensway Inns has taken over 53 sites, including locations in Great Yarmouth, Dover and Glastonbury, and plans to relaunch them as “value pubs.”
The group said more than 900 team members could be transferred into new roles as part of the reopening.
Meanwhile, Common Table Group, a newly established hospitality firm, announced earlier this week that it planned to acquire 57 sites, with the deal also including one Premier Inn hotel.
Common Table Group announced that all sites would be up and running again “as soon as possible”, with the first opening planned in mid-November, according to reports.
Thomas Anderson, founder of Common Table Group, said: “We’re building an entrepreneurial business with a local feel, where our teams are empowered to make decisions and shape each venue around the people and communities it serves.”
Mr Anderson added that the sites will “remain restaurants at heart” and will offer an all-day food and drink menu designed for both hotel guests and diners.
He also confirmed that the new venues will include a coffee offering from his London-based doughnut brand, Rodeo Doughnuts.
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The company’s website describes the concept as “an all-day restaurant and barista-style coffee bar.
“Whether it’s breakfast, lunch, dinner or something in between, there’s always a seat at our table.”
More than 700 jobs will be created from the Common Table sites, with a similar number expected at the Queensway Inn locations.
According to The Sun, here is a list of some of the sites confirmed to be saved and reopening under new ownership:
Why did Beefeater and Brewers Fayre sites close?
The closures of all the Whitbread sites last month came as part of its wider five-year growth strategy, which the company said is necessary to achieve £250 million in cost savings.
All of its 261 standalone branded restaurants across the UK were closed last month, including:
Whitbread plans to convert some former restaurant sites into additional Premier Inn rooms and expects to generate around £1.5 billion from the sale of freehold properties to support further expansion.
Beefeater and Brewers Fayre were significant losses for many UK restaurant-goers, with the former founded 52 years ago in 1974.
Dominic Paul, chief executive of Whitbread, said: “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.”
While Whitbread said it aimed to redeploy as many affected staff as possible, the closures resulted in approximately 3,800 job losses.
A spokesperson for the company said: “We will do all we can to support those colleagues affected.”
The group currently owns about 86,600 hotel rooms and aims to increase this to 96,000 by the 2031 financial year.
Did you go to any of the Whitbread restaurants like Beefeater and Brewers Fayre? Let us know in the comments.
