New Owners Reopen 57 UK Beefeater Restaurant Sites

Former Beefeater, Brewers Fayre and Cookhouse restaurant locations across the UK will reopen under new ownership after Common Table Group agreed to acquire 57 restaurant sites and one Premier Inn hotel from Whitbread.

The deal, announced in October 2026, will restore operations at dozens of venues and create 700 jobs, according to City A.M. The sites were closed after Whitbread retired several hospitality brands as part of a wider cost reduction plan.

Common Table Group, a British hospitality firm founded by coffee entrepreneur Thomas Anderson, will refurbish the locations and develop new menus. The company said the former Whitbread venues will reopen from next month.

"exciting" was the description used by Common Table Group for the new menus it plans to develop.

"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," said Thomas Anderson, founder of Common Table Group.

Anderson said the company wants each venue to have a local focus while allowing teams to make decisions about their operations. The former Whitbread restaurants will also serve barista coffee supplied by sister group Rodeo.

"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.

Common Table Group was supported by hospitality consultancy Rove360, whose team includes former Whitbread senior managers. Rove360 previously worked with Whitbread on a cost-cutting programme that delivered £150m in labour cost savings.

Whitbread closed its restaurant chains after announcing plans to reduce costs by £2bn and cut nearly 4,000 jobs. The company said the changes were linked to rising business costs and pressure on its operations.

"unexpected" was the word Whitbread used in describing the impact of Labour’s business rates hikes.

"In light of significant cost increases in the form of business rates and National Insurance, as well as the implied market discount to our inherent value, we’ve looked hard at the options open to us," said Dominic Paul, chief executive of Whitbread.

Whitbread has also faced criticism from investor Corvex Asset Management, which owns more than six per cent of the company, after calling for changes at the business.

"chronic misallocation of capital" was the phrase used by Corvex Asset Management when criticizing Whitbread’s decisions.

Corvex has pushed for a seat on Whitbread’s board and requested a detailed assessment of the company’s direction.

"rigorous, fact-based review" was the description Corvex Asset Management used for the assessment it sought from Whitbread.