Two well-loved restaurant chains will be affected by the shake-up
Premier Inn’s parent company will close five Greater Manchester restaurants (Image: Manchester Evening News)
Five popular restaurants are set to close across Greater Manchester, as part of a huge shake-up for two major chains.
Premier Inn’s parent company, Whitbread, has announced it will be closing the remainder of its Beefeater and Brewers Fayre restaurants across the UK. This will impact 200 sites across the country, including five well-loved Greater Manchester restaurants.
The nationwide closures are part of a new five-year strategy in which Whitbread aims to make a quarter of a billion pounds in cost savings. While the firm said it will retain the vast majority of its workforce, 3,800 jobs are expected to be hit by the closures, the Mirror reports.
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Across Greater Manchester three Beefeater restaurants will be affected by the closures. These include Beefeater Heaton Park, in Crumpsall, Beefeater Quay House, at Salford Quays, and Beefeater Whitegate Inn, in Chadderton.
The closures will also impact two Greater Manchester Brewers Fayre sites – Brewers Fayre Stable Gate, at Denton, and Brewers Fayre Wheatlea Park, in Wigan.
The Salford Quays Beefeater is set to close (Image: Manchester Family/MEN)
The chain’s restaurants are typically located close to or inside Premier Inn hotels, with all the affected Greater Manchester Brewers Fayre and Beefeater sites having been located beside one of the brand’s hotels.
Whitbread has blamed Rachel Reeves’ budget for the closures and its chief executive Dominic Paul said the move was necessary “in light of significant cost increases in the form of business rates and National Insurance”. Speaking about the plan, Mr Paul 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.”
Full list of closures across Greater ManchesterBeefeater restaurantsBeefeater Heaton Park, Crumpsall, ManchesterBeefeater Quay House, Salford Quays, SalfordBeefeater Whitegate Inn, Chadderton, OldhamBrewers Fayre restaurantsBrewers Fayre Stable Gate, Denton, ManchesterBrewers Fayre Wheatlea Park, Wigan