Closure

In this section, we report on restaurant, pub, bar, café, and catering business closures across the UK, and the commercial, operational, and market factors behind them. From high-street exits and group-wide restructures to insolvencies, lease surrenders, and strategic site rationalisations, we cover the real-world impacts of rising costs, labour shortages, shifting demand, and margin pressures. We go beyond headlines to explain why closures are happening and what they mean for the wider sector. Whether you’re benchmarking performance or navigating tough decisions, we provide the context hospitality professionals need to stay informed.

Oct- 2020 -

7 October

Trade Associations

UKHospitality calls on government to end 10pm curfew

UKHospitality has called on the government to ‘‘rethink’’ the 10pm curfew on pubs and restaurants, which was brought into effect in September to curb the growing rate of Covid-19. A vote on the measure, which was expected to take place today (7 October), has been delayed and will possibly happen…
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2 October

Business

Dinerama owner announces closure

The owner of street food market place Dinerama has announced it will close permanently this weekend on the 4 October. The Shoreditch-based venue which houses a cluster of stalls, bars, and late-night entertainment has been running for five years. In a statement published on Twitter, owner Jonathan Downey said: “Dinerama…
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Sep- 2020 -

30 September

News

Burger King calls in advisers to review CVA options

Burger King is reportedly considering the closure of some of its small UK branches following a restructuring process brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic. According to Sky News, the restaurant’s UK operations team has called in advisers from AlixPartners to review options for one of its subsidiary companies, which owns…
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28 September

Restaurants

Partners Group acquires Côte Restaurants

Côte Restaurants has been acquired by global private markets investment manager Partners Group. It comes as the group said that coronavirus has had a “huge impact” on the business, despite “trading well” before lockdown, with “record” sales and strong EBITDA growth in the last financial year. Partners Group said it…
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25 September

Business

Star Pubs and Bars re-opens Dundee pub after four year closure

A local Dundee pub has re-opened its doors following a four-year closure and a £630,000 investment from Star Pubs and Bars. Previously called the Mercantile pub, the bar has been renamed The Barrelman and has undergone a £630,000 refurbishment by Heineken-owned company and its new licensees Tommy and Jacqueline Fox. …
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23 September

Business

Wahaca to see £25m debt written off in CVA proposal

Mexican themed restaurant Wahaca will have a total of £25m in debt written off in a bid to salvage the brand as part of a Company Voluntary Agreement (CVA). According to Sky news, Wahaca proposed a CVA that will also see its lenders and shareholders pump £5m of new money…
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23 September

Coronavirus

Almost 40% of hospitality business owners considering closure

Some 37% of business owners in the hospitality sector are considering closure or business exit, according to “worrying” survey results released by accountancy firm Armstrong Watson. It comes as over 350 bar, restaurant, café, hotel and accommodation owners and providers shared their views on the current issues facing the sector,…
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21 September

Coronavirus

Chef Sabbir Karim reopens two London restaurants

Chef Sabbir Karim has reopened two of his London venues after a period of closure due to the coronavirus pandemic. The restaurants, Namaaste Kitchen in Camden and Salaam Namaste in Fitzrovia, both offer a wide array of modern Indian cuisine. Karim said: “It’s been a tough time for the hospitality…
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15 September

Trade Associations

Government must act to stop landlord bloodbath, says UKHospitality

UKHospitality (UKH) has written to the government warning that failure to immediately act to solve the rent crisis will result in a ‘‘bloodbath’’ of job losses and business failures. Hospitality businesses have been shielded from eviction over the last six months through the lease forfeiture and debt enforcement moratoria, which…
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14 September

Comment

The green initiative overlooked by the hospitality industry

The hospitality industry has a significant role to play if the UK is to achieve its ambitious recycling targets, and to this end there are many carbon reduction measures catering businesses have adopted in recent years. With the media spotlight on the problem of waste packaging, and food waste becoming of…
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