A MAJOR burger chain is closing another restaurant but diners aren’t surprised.
Byron Burger is closing its restaurant in Chantry Place, Norwich, according to shopping centre staff.
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Reacting to the news on Facebook one person said: “I’ve been once never again. I’m not surprised it’s closing down.”
Another said: “Went there tonight and not sure if the staff had been told but it was definitely service with a scowl…
“Burger was nice but the chips weren’t even warm… not the first time we’ve experienced this, but definitely overpriced now.”
“It’s very average, not surprised,” said a third visitor.
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It follows the abrupt closure of nine Byron Burger venues after the chain collapsed into administration on January 13.
The move left 218 people out of a job.
The company was sold to Tristar Foods in the same month and 12 restaurants were transferred to the new company in a move that safeguarded 365 jobs.
However, Byron’s new owners closed its Ipswitch branch on July 21, bringing the total number of restaurants down to 11.
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Now the chain plans to bring the shutters down in Norwich.
The move has been confirmed by the Chantry Place shopping centre.
Paul McCarthy, general manager at Chantry Place told Norwich Evening News: “We continue to receive lots of interest from brands to trade at Chantry Place.
“We can confirm that Byron is closing but we have exciting plans for the unit, which we will announce as soon as we can.”
We’ve reached out to Byron Burger to confirm the restaurant’s exact closure date.
At its peak in 2018, the burger chain operated across 67 restaurants.
The chain, which was founded in 2007, first collapsed back in 2020 in the midst of the pandemic.
It hired administrators in the summer of 2020.
It was sold to Calveton, a private investment firm – but only 21 of Byron’s 51 branches stayed open.
The move also saw over 600 jobs axed.
After it collapsed into administration earlier this year, the following nine venues shut for good:
- Bluewater
- Chelmsford
- Edinburgh Lothian Road
- Leeds
- London – Wembley
- Manchester
- Milton Keynes
- Salisbury
- Southampton
As of September 2023, the chain operates out of just 11 locations.
The hospitality sector as a whole has been struggling to bounce back after the pandemic, only to be hit with soaring energy bills and inflation.
Some well-known retailers have shut a handful of branches, while others have disappeared from the high street for good.
Italian dining chain Prezzo revealed plans to shut 46 restaurants back in April as a result of soaring energy and food costs, putting 810 jobs at risk.
TRG, which owned Frankie & Benny’s, Chiquito and Wagamama, revealed that it would shut down around 40 sites by April 2024.
Plans will see its entire leisure estate reduce from 116 sites to between 75 to 85.
First announcing the closures back in March TRG reported widening losses last year and said some of its restaurant chains had been directly impacted by the cost of living crisis.
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So far dozens of closures have taken place, including Frankie & Bennys, Chiquito and Firejacks sites.
At the beginning of the month, TRG completed a deal to sell both Frankie & Bennys and Chiquito to Cafe Rouge owner The Big Table group.
