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All 106 remaining Beefeater restaurants across the UK are scheduled to close on Thursday, 10 September 2026, bringing the nationwide restaurant chain to an end after more than 50 years.
Customers were informed of the closure date through a message sent to Beefeater Reward Club members. The closures form part of a wider restructuring by parent company Whitbread, which intends to exit its remaining branded restaurant operations and concentrate on growing Premier Inn.
Whitbread had previously announced that its remaining restaurant estate would be converted, integrated into hotels or sold. The wider programme could result in approximately 3,800 roles being removed across its UK and Ireland restaurant operations, although the company says it will try to redeploy as many affected employees as possible.
Beefeater Restaurant Closures at a Glance
| Key detail | Confirmed information |
| Number of Beefeater restaurants closing | 106 |
| Scheduled closure date | Thursday, 10 September 2026 |
| Parent company | Whitbread |
| Other affected brands | Brewers Fayre, Bar + Block and other Whitbread restaurant brands |
| Potential job reductions | Around 3,800 roles across the wider restaurant restructuring |
| Future business focus | Premier Inn hotels |
| Reward Club closing date | Monday, 31 August 2026 |
| Final deadline for collecting points | Monday, 24 August 2026 |
When Are Beefeater Restaurants Closing?
Every remaining Beefeater restaurant is scheduled to close on 10 September 2026.
The exact date was disclosed in a communication sent to members of the restaurant’s loyalty programme. It said that the changes to Whitbread’s business would result in the closure of its branded restaurants and that all UK Beefeater locations would close on the same date.
Whitbread had already confirmed on 30 April 2026 that it intended to exit all its remaining branded restaurants. However, an update published by the company on 18 June clarified that Beefeater and its other restaurant brands were still open and trading at that time.
Customers planning to visit before September should check their local restaurant’s booking page because opening hours, available booking dates and final service arrangements could differ by location.
Why Is Whitbread Closing Beefeater?
The Beefeater restaurant closures are part of Whitbread’s plan to become a business focused primarily on hotels.
Whitbread owns Premier Inn, the UK’s largest hotel chain, and believes that investing in additional hotel rooms will provide better long-term returns than continuing to operate separate branded restaurants.
Under its proposed five-year plan, Whitbread intends to replace branded restaurants next to Premier Inn hotels with more efficient food and drink facilities integrated into the hotels.
Some restaurant buildings could also be converted into approximately 600 additional Premier Inn rooms, while other properties may be sold as operating businesses or for alternative uses.
The company has also faced higher operating costs, including increased wages, business rates, food prices and employer National Insurance contributions. Whitbread’s chief executive, Dominic Paul, said the restructuring would support a more focused and profitable hotel business.
How Many Jobs Will Be Affected?
Whitbread has estimated that approximately 3,800 roles could be removed from a UK and Ireland workforce of around 30,000.
This figure relates to the wider closure and restructuring of Whitbread’s branded restaurant operations. It should not be interpreted as 3,800 job losses exclusively at Beefeater restaurants.
The company has said that it recruits approximately 15,000 people each year and expects to retain a significant proportion of affected employees by moving them into other suitable positions.
Potential opportunities may include roles within Premier Inn hotels, integrated hotel restaurants or other parts of Whitbread’s operations. Nevertheless, redeployment may not be available to every employee, and the proposed workforce changes have been subject to consultation.
Which Beefeater Restaurants Are Closing?
The following locations have been reported as the 106 remaining Beefeater restaurants scheduled to close on 10 September 2026.
| Restaurant | Area | Restaurant | Area | Restaurant | Area |
| The Anchor | Lincolnshire | Griff House | Warwickshire | Packet Steamer | Merseyside |
| The Applecart | Oxford | Halfway House | Bedfordshire | The Parkway | Surrey |
| Badgers Sett | Worcestershire | Halifax | West Yorkshire | The Pavilion | Somerset |
| Bagle Brook | Port Talbot | Hamilton | Glasgow | The Plough | Kent |
| Balmoral Inn | Hampshire | Harbour Lights | Hampshire | Preston Brook | Merseyside |
| The Barn | Buckinghamshire | Harlow Mill | Essex | Priory Marina | Bedfordshire |
| The Beacon | Kent | The Haywain | Essex | Quay House | Lancashire |
| The Belgrave | Devon | Heaton Park | Lancashire | Rackstraws Farm | Berkshire |
| Bentley Green | West Midlands | The Kingswood | East Yorkshire | Red Lion | Lancashire |
| Border Gate | Cumbria | Lady Nairne | Edinburgh | Redditch | West Midlands |
| The Brache | Bedfordshire | The Ladybridge | Staffordshire | Roman Way | Nottingham |
| The Brecks | South Yorkshire | The Lakeside | South Yorkshire | Sir Thomas Wyatt | Kent |
| Broomside Park | County Durham | Liberty Bell | Essex | Smugglers Haunt | Dorset |
| The Bull | Kent | London Woolwich | Greater London | The Somerford | Dorset |
| Carnon Inn | Cornwall | The Longbow | Rhondda Cynon Taff | The Southcote | Berkshire |
| Centre | Dundee | Longbridge | West Midlands | Springwood Park | Cheshire |
| The Coldra | Newport | Longford House | Staffordshire | Spruce Goose | Hampshire |
| Countess Wear | Devon | The Longwall | Oxford | Stag & Rainbow | Merseyside |
| The Cricketers | Surrey | The Lydiard | Wiltshire | Strawberry Field | Essex |
| Crossbush | Sussex | Malta Inn | Kent | The Talpore | County Durham |
| Crows Nest | Hertfordshire | Manor Farm | Kent | The Three Fish | Shropshire |
| Deer Park | West Lothian | Marsh Mills | Devon | Travellers Rest | Greater London |
| The Dukes Worksop | Nottingham | Medina Quay | Isle of Wight | The Turnpike | Northamptonshire |
| Eureka Park | Kent | Mill House | Surrey | Twelve Bells | Gloucestershire |
| Euston Way | Shropshire | Mill Lodge | Lincolnshire | Walston Castle | Cardiff |
| The Farmhouse | Cheshire | Millers Barn | Nottingham | Ware | Hertfordshire |
| Farnborough | Hampshire | The Millfield | York | The Waterfront | Swansea |
| The Fountain | Greater London | Moor Mill | Hertfordshire | The Watermill | Essex |
| The Foxburrow | Suffolk | Morris Dancers | Lancashire | White Hart | Sussex |
| Frome Flyer | Bristol | Morton Park | County Durham | White Lodge | Somerset |
| George In The Tree | West Midlands | Moseley Park | West Midlands | White Rock | Devon |
| The Gifford | Bristol | Oakley Hay | Northamptonshire | Whitegate Inn | Lancashire |
| Gourdie Croft | Dundee | Oast & Squire | Hampshire | Whitley Bay | Northumberland |
| The Granary | Cambridgeshire | The Orchard | Worcestershire | The Woolpack | Kent |
| Great Oak | Hampshire | Oxford Kidlington | Oxford | ||
| Great Yarmouth Seafront | Norfolk | Oyster Reach | Suffolk |
What Will Happen to the Closed Beefeater Sites?
There will not necessarily be one outcome for every Beefeater property.
Whitbread has identified several possible uses for affected sites:
- Some restaurant areas will be converted into additional Premier Inn bedrooms.
- Some hotels will receive smaller integrated food and drink facilities.
- Certain properties could be sold as going concerns.
- Other sites may be sold for redevelopment or taken over by different hospitality operators.
The company says its earlier programme of converting restaurant space into hotel rooms demonstrated that an integrated food and beverage model was popular with hotel guests.
This means a Premier Inn next to a closing Beefeater may continue to operate. The hotel’s breakfast, evening meal or bar arrangements may nevertheless change following the restaurant closure.
What Should Customers Do About Existing Bookings?
Customers with a Beefeater reservation before 10 September should retain their booking confirmation and check directly with the restaurant closer to the date.
A booking made for a date before the planned closure should not automatically be assumed to have been cancelled. However, individual restaurants may introduce revised opening hours, reduced booking availability or changes to their menus as the closure date approaches.
Anyone with a booking on or after 10 September should contact Beefeater or the relevant Premier Inn to confirm whether an alternative dining arrangement will be offered.
Customers should also avoid relying solely on older search results, directory listings or social media pages, as these may continue to display outdated opening information after a restaurant has closed.
What Happens to Beefeater Reward Club Points?
The Beefeater Reward Club is closing before the restaurants themselves.
According to the programme’s current information:
- Points must be collected, or missing receipt details added, by Monday, 24 August 2026.
- Points-based vouchers must be created and used by Monday, 31 August 2026.
- Remaining points balances will expire at 7am on Tuesday, 1 September 2026.
- The loyalty scheme will close on 31 August 2026.
Members should therefore not wait until the final restaurant closure date to use their points. Reward Club benefits will expire before the restaurants shut on 10 September.
Different conditions may apply to gift cards, promotional codes or vouchers issued by third parties. Holders should check the expiry date and the specific terms printed on the voucher or contact customer services.
Are Brewers Fayre Restaurants Also Closing?
Whitbread also intends to exit Brewers Fayre and its other remaining branded restaurant operations.
The broader plan affects 197 branded restaurants, including Beefeater and Brewers Fayre sites. Bar + Block and several smaller Whitbread restaurant brands are also included in the company’s move towards integrated hotel dining.
However, the closure schedule for each restaurant brand may not be identical. The confirmed 10 September date applies to the 106 remaining Beefeater restaurants. Customers of another Whitbread brand should check that brand’s current information rather than assuming it will close on the same day.
What Do the Closures Mean for Premier Inn Guests?
Premier Inn hotels are not being closed as part of the Beefeater announcement. In fact, Whitbread is restructuring the business to increase its focus on Premier Inn.
Guests may still notice significant changes at hotels where breakfast and evening meals were previously served inside an adjoining Beefeater.
Depending on the property, Whitbread may:
- Introduce an integrated Premier Inn restaurant.
- Reduce the size of the existing dining space.
- Convert part of the restaurant into hotel rooms.
- Sell the adjoining restaurant building.
- Provide guests with a revised breakfast or evening menu.
Anyone booking a Premier Inn stay after September should check the hotel’s facilities carefully, particularly where access to an adjoining Beefeater was an important part of the booking.
Why Is the Closure Significant for the UK Hospitality Industry?
Beefeater was established in 1974 and became one of the UK’s most recognisable family restaurant brands.
Its restaurants were commonly located next to major roads and Premier Inn hotels, serving steaks, burgers, breakfasts and traditional pub-style meals. The closure therefore represents more than a limited reduction in locations: it marks the planned disappearance of the entire restaurant chain.
It also demonstrates the financial pressures affecting established UK hospitality businesses. Higher staffing costs, property expenses, food inflation and changing customer habits have caused several restaurant and pub operators to reconsider large physical estates.
For Whitbread, the decision represents a strategic move away from operating nationally recognised restaurant chains and towards becoming a more concentrated hotel company.
Conclusion
The Beefeater restaurant closures will bring one of Britain’s longest-running family dining chains to an end. All 106 remaining restaurants are scheduled to shut on 10 September 2026 as Whitbread redirects its investment towards Premier Inn.
Customers should use Reward Club points before the August deadlines, confirm upcoming reservations and check how the changes could affect dining facilities at adjoining Premier Inn hotels. Employees and local communities will also be watching closely to see which sites are converted, sold or taken over by other hospitality businesses.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Every Beefeater Restaurant Closing?
Yes. All 106 remaining Beefeater restaurants in the UK are scheduled to close as part of Whitbread’s withdrawal from branded restaurant operations.
What is the Final Beefeater Closure Date?
The remaining restaurants are scheduled to close on Thursday, 10 September 2026. Customers should check individual restaurant opening hours for the final day.
Are Beefeater Restaurants Still Open Now?
Whitbread stated on 18 June 2026 that its branded restaurants were open and trading. Customers visiting closer to September should check the official restaurant locator because local hours and availability could change.
How Many Workers Will Lose Their Jobs?
Whitbread has estimated that around 3,800 roles may be removed across its wider UK and Ireland restaurant restructuring. The number does not relate solely to Beefeater employees, and the company plans to redeploy some affected workers.
Is Premier Inn Closing as Well?
No. Whitbread is concentrating more heavily on Premier Inn. Some restaurant areas will be converted into hotel rooms or replaced by integrated Premier Inn dining facilities.
Can Customers Still Use Beefeater Reward Club Points?
Yes, but points must be collected by 24 August 2026 and converted into vouchers and used by 31 August. Any remaining balance will expire on 1 September.
Will Another Company Buy the Beefeater Brand?
No confirmed buyer for the national Beefeater restaurant brand has been announced. Whitbread has said some individual properties may be sold as going concerns, but this does not necessarily mean the Beefeater name will continue.
Are Beefeater Gin Products Affected?
No. Beefeater Gin is a separate brand owned by Pernod Ricard and is unrelated to Whitbread’s Beefeater restaurant closures.
