Future of Brewers Fayre restaurants in Grimsby and Cleethorpes uncertain after proposals to axe jobs announced

The future of two Brewers' Fayre restaurants in North East Lincolnshire is uncertain after the sites were placed into consultation.

As part of Premier Inn UK's plans over the next two years to replace more than 100 of its branded restaurants - which have been impacted by a reduction in footfall from non-hotel guests - around 1,500 members of staff across the country are set to lose their jobs.

A spokesperson for parent company Whitbread told Grimsby Live that both The Haven Brewers Fayre, in Grimsby, and Cleethorpes Brewers Fayre could be impacted by these proposals, but that they are subject to consultation.

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They added: "We recognise that this will be unsettling for our team members and we are providing them with dedicated support. We are committed to working hard to enable as many as possible of our affected team members to stay with us by either transferring into new roles, or by taking up other vacancies across the business more broadly through our existing recruitment activity."

Over a period of two years, 112 of Premier Inn's "lower-returning" branded restaurants - which generated an adjusted loss before tax of £19-million in the 2024 tax year - will be replaced with integrated restaurants built inside the hotels, with the vacated spaces used to add new hotel rooms.

According to an official media release by Whitbread, the new plans will result in the reduction of 1,500 roles out of a total workforce of 37,000. The company claims it will seek to find alternative opportunities "wherever possible" through the new roles created by the programme.

Dominic Paul, chief executive officer of Whitbread, said: “When I joined Whitbread as CEO in January 2023, it was clear to me that we had a high-performing hotels business, with a strong platform for growth in both the UK and Germany.

"Our strategy of continuing to invest in our brand, teams, and estate for the benefit of our guests and customers has secured a market-leading position for Premier Inn in the UK 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, whilst 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 and helping to extend our market leadership in the UK.

“I recognise that these changes will be unsettling for affected team members and we are committed to working hard to enable as many as possible of those affected to stay with Whitbread by either transferring into roles this plan will create, or by taking up other vacancies across the business more broadly through our existing recruitment activity that makes c.15,000 hires each year.

"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 deliver the great quality, service and value that our guests expect from us.”

The two Brewers Fayre restaurants in Grimsby and Cleethorpes are still open and trading as normal.