{"id":144529,"date":"2023-10-26T11:35:55","date_gmt":"2023-10-26T11:35:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebritywshow.com\/?p=144529"},"modified":"2023-10-26T11:35:55","modified_gmt":"2023-10-26T11:35:55","slug":"family-favourite-restaurant-chain-abruptly-shuts-branch-as-stunned-customers-are-met-with-a-sign-on-the-door-the-sun","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebritywshow.com\/lifestyle\/family-favourite-restaurant-chain-abruptly-shuts-branch-as-stunned-customers-are-met-with-a-sign-on-the-door-the-sun\/","title":{"rendered":"Family favourite restaurant chain abruptly shuts branch as stunned customers are met with a sign on the door | The Sun"},"content":{"rendered":"
A BRANCH of a popular family restaurant has abruptly closed as customers were met with locked doors this week.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Swindon <\/em>location of Frankie and Benny's in Greenbridge Retail and Leisure Park shut its doors on Sunday. <\/p>\n Menu signs were seen being taken off the outside of the building on Monday.<\/p>\n It seems even staff were shocked at the news with one commenting they were only told a month before the restaurant was due to close.\u00a0<\/p>\n A spokesperson from Frankie and Benny\u2019s has said: \u201cWe announced a review of our Leisure estate in March and made the difficult decision to exit some of our sites.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe are working closely with our impacted teams and will look to redeploy colleagues to neighbouring sites across our wider estate wherever possible.\u201d<\/p>\n Fans of the restaurant chain were shocked upon hearing the news and took to Facebook to share their frustration.<\/p>\n One user said: \u201cRight I\u2019m moving out of Swindon.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI loved their pancakes!\u201d said another<\/p>\n A third user said: \u201cToo expensive people don\u2019t have the money these days, that's why things are closing. Blame the government.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n Local media reports that managers at the Swindon site were concerned they would see fewer customers after the next-door cinema Empire closed down in July.\u00a0<\/p>\n Cinema chain Vue is set to take over the location but it looks like the move is too little too late to save the Frankie and Benny\u2019s Swindon restaurant.<\/p>\n Forty other branches of\u00a0Frankie and Benny's have closed\u00a0over the past year.<\/p>\n Last month The Restaurant Group, which owns other big names like Las Iguanas and Bella Italia, completed a deal to sell both Frankie and Benny\u2019s and Chiquito's to Cafe Rouge owner The Big Table Group.<\/p>\n The \u00a37.5million deal will allow the group to focus on its other brands, including Wagamama.<\/p>\n The move included 75 restaurants an associated restaurant and management team employees.<\/p>\n The hospitality industry as a whole has been struggling to pick up after the pandemic.\u00a0<\/p>\n The cost of living has caused families to spend much less on eating out, and many chains are also struggling to cope with soaring energy bills and inflation.<\/p>\n Several chains have been affected, resulting in brands like\u00a0Wetherspoons\u00a0closing branches.<\/p>\n In January,\u00a0Byron Burger fell into administration\u00a0with owners saying it would result in the loss of over 200\u00a0jobs.<\/p>\n Italian dining chain\u00a0Prezzo revealed plans to shut 46 restaurants\u00a0back in April as a result of soaring energy and food costs, putting 810 jobs at risk.<\/p>\n Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing\u00a0money-sm@news.co.uk<\/strong>.<\/p>\n You can also join our new Sun Money\u00a0Facebook group\u00a0to share stories and tips and engage with the consumer team and other group\u00a0members.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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