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.
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Dec- 2019 -3 DecemberRestaurants
Gymkhana set to reopen in 2020 after fire forces temporary closure
Michelin Star Indian restaurant, Gymkhana is set to reopen its Mayfair site in February next year, after a fire forced it to temporarily close its doors earlier this year. A statement on the restaurant’s website said: “We are excited to announce Gymkhana will reopen its doors in February 2020 following…
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2 DecemberRestaurants
Mercato Metropolitano announces closure of El Pastor’s Pastorcito
The Harts Group has announced that El Pastor’s Pastorcito has closed its doors at the Mercato Metropolitano. The group, behind restaurants which include the Barradina branch in Covent Garden, Kings Cross and Soho and El Pastor group, opened its site in August this year. El Pastor was developed by Sam…
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Nov- 2019 -21 NovemberPubs and Bars
Mitchells and Butlers celebrates ‘strong year of trade’
Mitchells and Butlers has announced a “strong year” of trading and profit growth in its latest full-year report. The pub and restaurant group’s like-for-like sales increased by 3.5%, despite “challenging market conditions” facing the industry. Operating profits leapt to £317m, up £14m from last year’s results of £303m. Meanwhile, pre-tax…
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18 NovemberBusiness
Losses at top 100 UK restaurant groups increase to £93m in last year
The UK’s top 100 restaurants made a £93m loss in the last year, down from a profit of £37m 12 months ago, according to research from UHY Hacker Young. Peter Kubik, partner at the accountancy firm’s London office, said the restaurant sector in the UK is still suffering from the…
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8 NovemberRestaurants
Barbecue restaurant Pitt Cue Co. returns to London
Pitt Cue Co., the restaurant that specialises in “barbecue, bourbon, and beer,” is set to return to London after closing its doors in June this year. Jamie Berger, who co-founded the company alongside Tom Adams in 2011, has announced that he will relaunch the restaurant under original ownership, with plans…
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Oct- 2019 -30 OctoberRestaurants
Breddos restaurant closes its Soho branch
Breddos has closed its Soho branch less than two years after opening. Breddos posted an instagram picture confirming the closure with the caption: “Soho, it’s been sweet. We’ve had an incredible 1.5 years here at Kingly St, have loved every second of it, but tonight we close our doors. Thank…
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24 OctoberRestaurants
Duddell’s restaurant closes its London Bridge chain
Cantonise restaurant, Duddell’s, which first opened its London chain two years ago, closed its doors at its London Bridge premises yesterday (23 October). The restaurant which specialised in hand-crafted dim sum, released a statement which said it was looking for a “new site in Mayfair.” Duddell’s London, a chain of…
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1 OctoberAdvice
Understanding restaurant CVAs and closures
As recently reported by Catering Today, the number of restaurant insolvencies has risen by 25% in the past 12 months. This news came within weeks of 23-site restaurant chain Abokado announcing it was entering into a Company Voluntary Arrangement (CVA) and follows a general trend of high-profile closures throughout the…
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Sep- 2019 -16 SeptemberRestaurants
Restaurant closures up 25% over the past 12 months
The number of restaurant insolvencies has jumped 25% in the last year up to 1,410 in 2018/19, compared with 1,130 for the previous year. The study compiled by accounting firm UHY Hacker Young found that the rapid growth of the causal-dining sector since the last recession had resulted in an…
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Aug- 2019 -21 AugustAdvice
Five ways restaurateurs can use digital marketing to survive the high street turbulence
Looking at the high street restaurant scene at the moment, it is easy to feel pessimistic. Jamie’s Italian became the latest popular British restaurant chain forced to shut its doors for good when it announced the closure of 23 of its 25 restaurants. Since 2018, Carluccio’s has closed nearly a…
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