53 Whitbread Pub-Restaurant Sites Set For Rebrand as Beefeater and Brewers Fayre Are Wound Down

More than 50 sites in a popular UK pub and restaurant chain could be saved and rebranded under a new hospitality group, offering a lifeline to venues that would otherwise have shut permanently as part of the Premier Inn owner’s restaurant closure programme.

The sites are drawn from across Whitbread’s restaurant estate — including Beefeater and Brewers Fayre outlets — and are expected to be relaunched as value-focused pubs, though Queensway has yet to confirm a brand name, pricing structure or reopening timetable.

Wider closure programme

The sale forms part of a much larger restructuring at Whitbread, which is exiting the branded restaurant business entirely as it redirects investment towards its core Premier Inn hotel estate. In total, 261 restaurant sites have been earmarked for closure across five brands: Beefeater, Brewers Fayre, Bar + Block, Table Table and Cookhouse + Pub.
Under the plan, closures are due to begin in early September, with Bar + Block, Table Table and Cookhouse + Pub sites — 66 in total — the first to shut. Brewers Fayre, a brand with a 45-year history in UK pub dining, is set to close all 89 of its remaining sites shortly after, followed by the closure of Beefeater’s 106 locations.

Of the 261 sites affected, only the 53 now covered by the Queensway agreement look set to continue trading under new ownership. The remaining 208 sites’ futures have not been confirmed, and Whitbread has not ruled out further disposals.

Whitbread statement

A Whitbread spokesperson confirmed the agreement, saying: “Whitbread has reached an agreement for the conditional sale of 53 branded restaurant sites to Queensway Inns, subject to a number of final conditions being met.

“Queensway Inns has extensive experience operating hospitality businesses across the UK and intends to operate the sites as going concerns. Subject to completion of the sale and following the relevant TUPE information and consultation processes, around 900 team members could transfer and will be supported through the process.”

The transfer of staff would be handled under TUPE regulations, which protect employees’ terms and conditions when a business or part of a business changes ownership.

Part of a broader hotel-led strategy

The disposals sit within Whitbread’s Accelerating Growth Plan, under which the group is converting former restaurant space into additional Premier Inn bedrooms — a move it says reflects stronger returns from accommodation than from its legacy restaurant brands. The company has previously set out ambitions to add thousands of new hotel rooms through this conversion programme.

Queensway Inns has not yet issued its own statement on the acquisition or set out plans for the eventual look, pricing or branding of the relaunched sites. CLHNews has approached Queensway Inns for comment and will provide further details as they emerge.