Brits ‘gutted’ as nostalgic UK restaurant closing all of its 106 sites | UK | News

Nostalgic pub chain Beefeater has announced that it will permanently close all of its remaining 106 restaurants in the UK on 10 September 2026. Parent company Whitbread is withdrawing entirely from the branded independent restaurant market, closing the curtain on the historic 52-year-old steakhouse chain along with sister brands Brewers Fayre and Bar + Block.

Whitbread chief executive Dominic Paul blamed crippling cost pressures resulting directly from Government policy. Recent increases in employer National Insurance contributions and business rates in particular have made the traditional pub-restaurant business model ‘unsustainable’.

Whitbread will now turn its attention to its highly profitable Premier Inn hotel business.

The closures form part of a comprehensive £250 million restructuring plan that will see around 600 new Premier Inn rooms built in converted restaurant sites.

Many former Beefeater properties will be converted into smaller, integrated kitchens serving hotel guests only and will no longer operate as taprooms or outdoor dining venues.

Sites that fall short of the company’s hotel return targets will be disposed of as a going concern or leased back.

Major redevelopment at Beefeater and Brewers Fayre puts 3,800 jobs in the UK and Ireland at risk. Whitbread has initiated consultation processes and maintains it will seek to retain positions wherever possible by redistributing affected staff to alternative roles within the wider hotel operations.

Following the announcement, many Brits took to social media to reminisce about childhood visits to Beefeater with their families.

While many people admitted to being ‘saddened’ by the chain’s decline, others observed that the chain had deteriorated in recent years.

One person wrote: “Beefeater was the only restaurant I went to until I went to college. We would go for various family birthdays. I absolutely loved it.”

“A steak or a mixed grill, which I’ve never had at home, and then the Knickerbocker Glory. Great times. I went back a few years ago. The place looked run-down. I feel bad about it, but I guess the fact that I haven’t been to one in 30 years is part of the problem.”

Another shared: “When I first worked away from home, events came in handy and our biggest treat was last night’s Beefeater. It really was an event because we were used to Neefeater being a family event we did a few times a year.”

A third contributed: “Profiterole surprise…crispy potato skins…memories lol. We’re about 35 minutes from where I live now but I looked at the menu and it looked completely awful so I never took the family despite fond childhood memories of going regularly with my mum, dad and sisters.”

Meanwhile a fourth commented: “I think Esher had one, my mum used to pop in as a treat on the way home from Portsmouth. Absolute favourite. How times have changed.”

Another customer wrote: “We’ve gone there for every kind of family reunion over the last 30 years. It was like an automatic meeting spot whenever someone came back to town.”

Meanwhile, another reviewer concluded: “Beefeater has always been a local community hub, whether it’s people going for a drink in the sun or just going for a bite to eat. As you said, the ones near me are all sold out. The staff were always great though.”