CLOSING TIME
Major burger chain to shut site in days after collapsing into administration and closing string of locations
A MAJOR burger chain is set to shut another site in days after falling into administration.
Byron Burger is closing its restaurant in George Street, Oxford at the end of the month according to staff.
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The site will be pulling down the shutters for the final time on October 29.
Diners have reacted to the news on social media saying: "Another one bites the dust…
"Sad to see it going and sorry for all the people loosing their jobs."
A second local wrote: "Ahhhh my fave burger restaurant."
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Another wrote: ";Shame... Myself and my autistic son had several good meals there..."
And a fourth commented: "Oxford city centre is a disgrace it’s embarrassing to walk through to be honest."
Byron collapsed back in January and announced the immediate closure of nine sites.
The move left more than 200 employees out of a job.
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The business was sold to Tristar Foods and 12 restaurants were transferred to the new company, saving 365 jobs.
However, Byron's new owners closed its Ipswitch branch on July 21, bringing the total number of restaurants down to 11.
The chain also plans to bring the shutters down on another site in Norwich.
An exact date is yet to be given but the the Chantry Place shopping centre confirmed the closure.
The Sun has contacted Byron regarding the Oxford closure and will update this story when we hear back.
At its peak in 2018, the burger chain operated across 67 restaurants.
Byron, which was founded in 2007, first collapsed back in 2020 in the midst of the pandemic.
It hired administrators in the summer of 2020 before being sold to Calveton, a private investment firm.
But only 21 of Byron's 51 branches stayed open - leading to 600 jobs being axed.
After it collapsed into administration again earlier this year, the following nine sites shut for good:
- Bluewater
- Chelmsford
- Edinburgh Lothian Road
- Leeds
- London - Wembley
- Manchester
- Milton Keynes
- Salisbury
- Southampton
As of September 2023, the chain operates out of just 11 locations, but after the Norwich and Oxford branches close, it will bring this total to just nine.
The hospitality sector as a whole has been struggling to bounce back after the pandemic, only to be hit with soaring energy bills and inflation.
Some well-known retailers have shut a handful of branches, while others have disappeared from the high street for good.
Italian dining chain Prezzo revealed plans to shut 46 restaurants back in April as a result of soaring energy and food costs, putting 810 jobs at risk.
TRG, which owned Frankie & Benny's, Chiquito and Wagamama, revealed that it would shut down around 40 sites by April 2024.
Plans will see its entire leisure estate reduce from 116 sites to between 75 to 85.
First announcing the closures back in March TRG reported widening losses last year and said some of its restaurant chains had been directly impacted by the cost of living crisis.
In September, TRG completed a deal to sell both Frankie & Bennys and Chiquito to Cafe Rouge owner The Big Table group.
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Meanwhile, a major pizza chain is set to close one of its locations for good and apologised to customers.
Plus, a family favourite restaurant chain has delayed its plans to open new restaurants following two closures.
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