Beefeater owner threatened with legal action over plan for

Union claims Whitbread, which also owns Premier Inn, has not consulted properly with restaurant staff

More than 1,500 workers from restaurants including Brewers Fayre, Table Table and Beefeater outlets are threatening their parent company Whitbread with legal action over alleged poor consultation on planned job cuts and closures.

The Unite union has written to Whitbread, which also owns Premier Inn hotels, saying it is considering launching employment tribunal claims for unfair dismissal. It says some of the 3,000 workers potentially affected by the company’s moves to exit more than 200 restaurants have yet to be told which sites will close despite evidence that plans have been in place since December last year.