Beefeater restaurants across Gloucestershire at risk of closure

Beefeater restaurants across Gloucestershire are at risk of closure as part of a restructuring. Whitbread, the firm behind the restaurant chain, has revealed plans to shut sites around the UK, with around 126 "lower-performing" restaurants to shut.

Whitbread has not shared a full list of sites earmarked for closure, but Gloucestershire Live understands there are proposals which could impact their Gloucestershire sites, but they are subject to consultation. It’s also worth noting they are open and trading as usual.

These affected restaurants include the Cross Hands in Cheltenham, Twelve Bells in Witcombe, The Longford Inn in Longford, and Beefeater branches in Cirencester and Gloucester. A staff member at one of the affected restaurants claimed all of the Beefeater branches in Gloucestershire are closing on July 4.

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Whitbread was unable to confirm any closure date, but it is understood that affected sites are subject to a 45-day consultation. The spokesperson added that staff will be encouraged to stay within the company by moving to other sites or taking on different roles.

The closed restaurants could become extra hotel rooms as the Premier Inn owners aim to create 3,500 new hotel rooms across the UK. Whitbread, which owns Brewers Fayre and Beefeater, has already agreed to the sale of 21 restaurants while there will be another 112 restaurants closed to be converted into new hotel rooms.

Whitbread's chief executive officer Dominic Paul said: "Continuing to invest in our brand and teams for the benefit of our guests and customers has secured a market-leading position and is also delivering strong business performance.

"Our significant freehold estate and strong balance sheet mean we are in a unique position to be able to add 3,500 new hotel rooms and meet the strong demand we are seeing from guests around the country, continuing to offer a great breakfast and dinner at all of our hotels. This plan is a further positive step, delivering a better experience for our hotel guests in the UK.

"I recognise that these changes will be unsettling for affected team members and we are committed to working to enable as many as possible of those affected to stay by transferring into other vacancies across the business more broadly. Our teams are at the heart of our guest experience, and I want to thank each and every team member for their continued hard work and dedication to great quality, service and value."