Edinburgh city centre restaurant to close its doors as part of major UK-wide restructure
Princes Street restaurant to close for good this week
An Edinburgh city centre steakhouse is set to close its doors for good as part of a major UK-wide restructure.
Bar + Block, which currently operates 20 sites across the UK, will close as part of Whitbread’s decision to shut all of its standalone branded restaurants.
This includes its branch at 121 Princes Street which, along with the other 19 restaurants that specialise in steaks and signature cocktails, will close tomorrow, Thursday, September 3. The chain’s only other Scottish branch in Glasgow will also close its doors.
The closures follow Whitbread’s April announcement of plans to cut around 3,800 jobs in the UK and Ireland as part of a five-year strategy to save £250 million.
Whitbread will replace the closed restaurants with restaurants inside Premier Inn hotels.
Whitbread chief executive Dominic Paul previously said: “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.
“This plan will transform Whitbread into a higher-margin, higher-returning pure-play hotel business."
The Edinburgh Bar + Block on Princes Street, in the unit formerly occupied by New Look, was highly rated, with customers leaving an average Google review of 4.3 out of five from 1,616 reviews, with the Sunday lunch and fillet steak receiving particular praise.
Thanking customers for their support over the years, and welcoming them to the last day of trading, Bar + Block posted on social media: “We are immensely grateful to every guest who came through our doors, and to our passionate team who made every experience unforgettable.
“Before we mix our final drink and serve our last steak on the 3rd September, we’d love to welcome you back one last time. Come raise a glass, savour your favourite dish, and toast to the memories we’ve made together.”