Whitbread restaurant chain job cuts: What’s happening and who is affected?

Thousands of jobs are set to be affected after Whitbread, the owner of Premier Inn, announced a major overhaul of its UK restaurant business.

The company plans to cut up to 3,800 jobs as it closes its remaining branded restaurant chains, including Beefeater, Brewers Fayre and Bar + Block, as part of a new strategy focused on expanding its hotel operations.

Whitbread said rising operating costs, including higher business rates, National Insurance contributions and wage increases, had made many standalone restaurant sites financially unsustainable. Instead, the company plans to invest more heavily in Premier Inn hotels and integrated hotel restaurants.

The restructuring will see restaurants gradually close throughout 2026, with some locations being converted into additional Premier Inn rooms, while others could be sold to new operators. Whitbread says it hopes to redeploy as many affected employees as possible across its hotel network, which recruits around 15,000 people each year.

The move marks one of the biggest shake-ups in the UK hospitality industry in recent years and signals Whitbread's intention to become a more hotel-focused business. Industry analysts believe the company is aiming to improve long-term profitability by concentrating on its strongest-performing brand, Premier Inn.

The closures are expected to have a significant impact on communities across the UK where Beefeater and Brewers Fayre restaurants have operated for decades, with many long-serving staff facing uncertainty over their future employment.