Brewers Fayre Essex restaurants permanently close tomorrow

The family-friendly chain will shut its doors across the country tomorrow, September 7, following dinner service.

This forms part of Whitbread’s wider decision to close all its standalone restaurant brands, affecting around 200 sites nationwide.

In Essex, the Brewers Fayre closures will include the Mulberry Tree in Braintree, the Mayflower in Dovercourt, and the Chafford Hundred in Thurrock.

The closures were first announced in April as part of Whitbread’s plan to cut 3,800 jobs and achieve £250 million in cost savings over five years.

Dominic Paul, chief executive of Whitbread, said at the time: "We always challenge ourselves to improve and, 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 to maximise value creation over the medium and long-term."

The company said the nationwide closures support its strategy to focus on its core hotel business.

Whitbread is shifting to a model that favours restaurants located within Premier Inn hotels, which it described as more efficient and popular with guests.

The group plans to expand its hotel portfolio to 96,000 rooms by the 2031 financial year, up from around 86,600 currently.

Other Whitbread brands, including Bar + Block, Table Table, and Cookhouse + Pub, closed on September 3.

All 106 Beefeater restaurants are set to shut on Thursday, September 10, including The Haywain in Fobbing, Watermill in Basildon, Harlow Mill, and Strawberry Field in Southend.