Over 750 Restaurants Closed in Britain in the Last 12 Months

New report finds that 15 restaurants are closing every week in the U.K.; London continues to grow at a significantly slower pace

A new report compiled by data analysts CGA and Alix Partners has found that Britain had 768 fewer restaurants at March 2019 than it did 12 months earlier. The report however stresses that “the long-term story here is one of significant growth—Britain’s number of restaurants has risen by more than 1,300 since March 2014—but things are firmly in reverse now.” This is the fifth successive three-month period of decline for the sector; what’s more, the pace of closures has significantly increased: from two a week at March 2018 to 15 a week now. It amounts to a 2.8 percent decline in restaurants across the country overall.

In London, growth of “licensed premises” — that is cafes, bars, and pubs, as well as restaurants — in the five year period to March 2019 stands at 10.1 percent; growth in the last 12 months however has been much slower, but still at a rate of 0.6 percent.

The report reflects the number of closures across restaurant groups and chains which have dominated the casual dining sector, after the likes of Byron Burger ,Strada, Prezzo, Carluccio’s, Gourmet Burger Kitchen, and Gaucho were all forced to close restaurants. Just today Jamie Oliver’s restaurant group announced that it has gone bust. Rising costs, reduced footfall, rapid over expansion, and uncertainty surrounding Brexit have all contributed to a 2.4 percent overall decline of group restaurants on Britain’s high streets according to the report. [CGA Alix Partners]

And in other news...

• Where to find the best vegan food — including Indian, Japanese, French, Jamaican, and Chinese restaurants — in London.
• Jamie Oliver’s U.K. restaurant group — including all Jamie’s Italian restaurants, Barbecoa, and Fifteen — has collapsed. As many as 1,300 jobs are reportedly at risk.
• A dedicated Portuguese custard tart bakery, selling the nation’s famous pastel de nata, is now open in Covent Garden. Santa Nata has also announced it will open a second branch on New Row, just off St Martin’s Lane in June. [Santa Nata]
• Good tweet: