Common Table Group Reopens Former Whitbread Restaurant Sites Across UK

Common Table Group has acquired dozens of former Whitbread restaurant locations across the UK, taking over Beefeater, Brewers Fayre and Cookhouse sites after their closure under Whitbread’s restructuring plan. The deal aims to reopen venues, restore operations and create hundreds of hospitality jobs.

According to business-live.co.uk, Common Table Group secured 57 restaurant locations and one Premier Inn hotel, while walesonline.co.uk reported the wider rescue involving Queensway Inns and Common Table Group covered 110 former Whitbread sites.

Common Table Group said it will invest in refurbishing the venues, developing staff and creating new menus. The company was established by coffee entrepreneur Thomas Anderson, who will lead the business expansion.

Common Table Group said the sites would receive investment to create "exciting" new menus.

"Our priority is to get the sites back open and trading as soon as possible. We're building an entrepreneurial business with a local feel, where our teams are empowered to make decisions and shape each venue around the people and communities it serves. We're excited about what we can create together and look forward to bringing new energy and ideas to our guests," said Thomas Anderson, founder of Common Table Group.

The group plans to reopen the acquired venues as soon as possible, with the first locations expected in mid-November, according to walesonline.co.uk. The transaction is expected to create more than 700 jobs across the sites.

Whitbread closed its non-hotel restaurant operations after announcing a restructuring plan that affected more than 261 sites and around 3,800 roles, according to walesonline.co.uk. The company said the changes followed rising costs linked to business rates and National Insurance.

Whitbread chief executive Dominic Paul said the company had reviewed its options after financial pressures affected the business.

"Unexpected" impact from Labour's business rates increases was cited by Whitbread as part of the reason for its restructuring.

Whitbread also faced criticism from investor Corvex Asset Management, which holds more than six percent of the company. The investor described concerns over Whitbread’s strategy as "chronic misallocation of capital".

Corvex Asset Management later called for a "rigorous, fact-based review" of Whitbread’s business and sought representation on the company’s board.

Queensway Inns acquired 53 restaurants, pubs and inns from the former Whitbread portfolio and plans to convert them into new value-focused pub concepts, with more than 900 staff potentially moving into new roles, according to walesonline.co.uk.