Common Table Group names the first ten former Whitbread sites to reopen
All ten are due back before Christmas, with light refurbishments and some new names.
Common Table Group has named ten of the former Whitbread restaurants it is reopening, The Morning Advertiser reports. They come from the 57 sites it agreed to buy in October.
The ten: Redditch Forge (the old Beefeater), the Oakdene (Bar + Block Winnersh), the Two Forts (Brewers Fayre Bicester) and the Kings Dockyard (Bar + Block Portsmouth). The others are the Somerford, the Brache, Butterley Park, Honourable Pilot, Telford Lodge and Whitegate Inn.
The timing: the group says all ten will reopen before Christmas. Opening dates have not been announced. Earlier it said the first sites would return from mid-November, with every venue trading by the end of February 2027.
The plan: light refurbishments, to get sites trading quickly. They will run as all-day restaurants serving breakfast, lunch and dinner, with speciality coffee from sister business Rodeo Group. The deal is expected to create 700 jobs.
What it means for operators: a fast reopening programme means more competition for staff in these towns before the festive peak. If you recruit nearby, check your offer now.
Source: The Morning Advertiser (opens in a new tab)
- common-table-group
- whitbread
- reopenings
- expansion
- recruitment