Family favourite restaurant chain reveals another site is at risk of closing as 200 face the chop

A FAMILY favourite restaurant chain has announced another site is at risk of closure after it was revealed 200 face the chop.

Locals have described the possible closure as "sad" saying the restaurant was "always full and served great food".

The Brocklebank Brewers Fayre on Weston Road, Crewe could serve guests for the last time on July 4, if it decided to close the site.

However, the location is not guaranteed to shut down as the closure is subject to consultation.

It is understood the owner of the site is looking to convert it into hotel rooms to expand the neighbouring Premier Inn.

Both brands are owned by Whitbread, which earlier this year revealed it would close 126 restaurant sites and convert 112 into hotel extensions.

Crewe residents took to social media after the possible closure was announced.

One said: "That is a shame, no matter how you feel about chain pubs/restaurants it’s a very pleasant venue with good food at affordable prices."

Another added: "Sad news! "There’ll be nowhere in Crewe where families can go to eat and the kids can play indoors."

A third said: "Sad, it’s always busy and the food is great! Feel sorry for those that work there, excellent staff!"

Whitbread recently revealed plans to slash its chain of branded restaurants across the UK in favour of building more hotel rooms.

The chain runs roughly 840 sites across the UK and owns restaurant brands Beefeater and Brewers Fayre.

It plans to convert 112 restaurants into hotel extensions while closing 126 "loss-making" venues, with 21 sales already having gone through.

It is expected the 126 sites will close within the next two years.

If a site is losing a branded restaurant, a new integrated restaurant will be made within the hotel.

In a statement, Whitbread previously said: "We recognise that this will be unsettling for our team members and we are providing them with dedicated support.

"We are committed to working hard to enable as many as possible of our affected team members to stay with us by either transferring into new roles or by taking up other vacancies across the business more broadly through our existing recruitment activity."

The move will leave Whitbread with 387 restaurants that are part of its hotels and 196 branded restaurants.

It's unclear exactly which other pubs and restaurants are earmarked for closure and where they are located.

However, the chain has so far confirmed these five could close:

• The Manor Farm Beefeater in Rainham, Kent
• The Bridge Barn Beefeater in Woking, Surrey
• The Acorn Beefeater in Burgess Hill, Sussex
• The Grandstand Beefeater in Newton Abbot, Devon
• The Brocklebank Brewers Fayre in Crewe, Cheshire

Whitbread said these closures are subject to consultation, and a decision has not yet been made.

It is not yet clear if all the sites will be converted into hotel rooms, or if they will be closed for good.

The group said the job cuts are still subject to consultation and come from its total UK workforce of 37,000 employees.

It said the move was part of a plan to “optimise” its food and drink offering to add more than 3,500 hotel rooms across its estate and increase “operational efficiencies”.

The chain was said to have marked at least 250 of its 440 pubs and restaurants for sale, most of which are located close to Premier Inn hotels.

Earlier this year, The Sun revealed that over 7,000 pubs are expected to go bust in the next year.

Rising costs and fewer punters through the door has meant that four out of five pubs have seen their profits take a nosedive.

What is happening to the hospitality industry?

Many food and drink chains have been struggling recently as the cost of living has led to fewer people eating and drink out.

Businesses had been struggling to bounce back after the pandemic, only to be hit with soaring energy bills and inflation.

Multiple chains have been affected, resulting in big-name brands like Wetherspoons and Frankie & Benny's closing branches.

Some chains have not survived, with Byron Burger falling into administration last year.

Tasty, the owner of Wildwood, said it will shut sites as part of major restructuring plans.

The brand plans to close 20 loss-making restaurants after a “challenging” start to the year.

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