Eight Brewers Fayre restaurants across Scotland are serving their final meals today as owner Whitbread retires the chain and reshapes its business around Premier Inn hotels.
The Scottish venues are among 89 Brewers Fayre restaurants closing across the UK after dinner service on Monday 7 September. The move is part of a wider restructuring affecting several of Whitbread’s restaurant brands.
The Scottish restaurants listed for closure are Bankhead Gate in Fife, Craig House in the Edinburgh area, Inshes Gate in Highland, Kincardine Way in the Falkirk area, Mains of Balquharn in Aberdeenshire, Newhaven Quay in Edinburgh, Pirnhall Inn in Stirlingshire and Queens Crossing in South Queensferry.
Beefeater restaurants will follow on Thursday 10 September. Whitbread’s other restaurant brands, including Bar + Block, Table Table and Cookhouse + Pub, had a closure date of 3 September.
Whitbread says the changes are part of its five-year plan to focus on its hotel business, with more dining provided through Premier Inn restaurants.
The company has stressed that food and drink will remain available to hotel guests, although arrangements will vary between locations.
Some former branded restaurants will become Premier Inn dining spaces, while other hotels will have breakfast rooms or restaurants operated by separate businesses nearby.
The changes will also allow roughly 600 additional hotel rooms to be created across the estate.
Guests with existing bookings are being advised to check their individual hotel’s restaurant information for details of breakfast, evening meals and available offers.
The wider restructuring puts around 3,800 jobs at risk. Whitbread has said it expects to retain a significant proportion of affected employees and will seek to redeploy staff within the business.