Beefeater has confirmed that all 106 of its remaining restaurants will close in September, bringing more than 50 years on Britain’s dining scene to an end.
The steakhouse and pub restaurant chain, which was established in 1974, will permanently shut its UK venues on Thursday, September 10, 2026.
The closure date was confirmed in a letter sent to members of Beefeater’s reward club.
The letter said: “As you may have seen, we have recently announced changes to our business, which is resulting in the closure of our Branded Restaurants.
“This means that on Thursday 10 September 2026 your local Beefeater and all other UK Beefeaters will close.”
Five Scottish Beefeater restaurants are included in the nationwide closure programme: Centre and Gourdie Croft in Dundee, Deer Park in West Lothian, Hamilton near Glasgow and Lady Nairne in Edinburgh.
The move forms part of a major restructuring by Beefeater’s parent company, Whitbread, which is refocusing its business on the Premier Inn hotel chain.
Whitbread also plans to close its remaining Brewers Fayre and Bar + Block restaurants, although final closure dates for those brands have yet to be announced.
Around 3,800 roles across the UK and Ireland are expected to be affected by the overhaul. However, the company has said it hopes to retain and redeploy a significant number of employees.
A Whitbread spokesperson previously said: “As a business which recruits around 15,000 people every year, we expect to be able to retain a significant proportion of those affected and will be looking to redeploy as many of our impacted colleagues as possible.”
Whitbread chief executive Dominic Paul said the proposals would see the company’s remaining branded restaurants converted into an integrated food and drink service designed primarily for Premier Inn guests.
He said: “We plan to convert all our remaining branded restaurants to an integrated food and beverage offer that is preferred by our hotel guests and will unlock the addition of more highly profitable extension rooms.
“Our continued efforts to drive our commercial plan and efficiencies will extend our market-leading position and allow us to take share from our competitors, many of which are struggling to grow.”
Some restaurant space will be converted into approximately 600 additional Premier Inn rooms, while other sites are expected to be sold.
You Might Also Like:
Whitbread has cited rising operating costs, including increases in National Insurance contributions, wages and business rates, among the pressures behind its revised strategy.
The closures will mark the end of the Beefeater brand, which became known for its steaks, burgers and traditional pub-style dishes after opening its first restaurant in Enfield more than five decades ago.
