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.

Jan- 2020 -

2 January

Pubs and Bars

First-time pub owners acquire The Darlington Arms

The Darlington Arms, located in the village of Redhill, near Wrington, has been acquired by first-time pub owners Thayanesan Karnan and Sivaji Rajmohan. The pub recently became a contemporary roadside inn and was once an old coaching inn known as The Bell, which provided facilities for stabling, watering and changing…
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Dec- 2019 -

13 December

Restaurants

Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen Cornwall closes

Jamie Oliver restaurant, Fifteen Cornwall, has announced it is to close its doors with immediate effect. The site was owned and operated by the Cornwall Food Foundation, despite its use of the Jamie Oliver group name. The outpost was one of the last remaining Jamie Oliver sites in the UK. …
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6 December

Pubs and Bars

Licensed premises, pubs and restaurant numbers dip in 2019

The number of licensed premises has declined by 2% in the past year, according to CGA and AlixPartner’s latest market growth monitor. This equates to a steady rate of 46 closures of licensed premises a week in the 12 months to September 2019. The result also marked the ninth quarter…
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3 December

Restaurants

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 December

Restaurants

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 November

Pubs 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 November

Business

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 November

Restaurants

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 October

Restaurants

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 October

Restaurants

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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