Four former Beefeater and Brewers Fayre restaurants across Essex are set to reopen after being acquired as part of a 57-site deal.
Here's all you need to know on the new owners and their plans.
Who are the new owners?
Common Table Group, based in Reading, was incorporated in August 2026.
The company was set up to buy and relaunch former Beefeater, Brewers Fayre and Cookhouse venues Whitbread closed in September.
Hospitality entrepreneur Thomas Anderson leads the company.
He is best known as the founder of Rodeo Group and has run restaurants and other food businesses.
Deal details
The deal covers 57 former Whitbread restaurants and one Premier Inn hotel.
The Essex sites are former Beefeater restaurants The Watermill in Basildon and Strawberry Field in Southend, plus former Brewers Fayre venues Mulberry Tree in Braintree and Potters Arms in Harlow.
Previous businesses
Anderson’s main linked business is Rodeo Group, which runs Rodeo Doughnuts and Rodeo Coffee Co.
The group has about 15 sites in London and Manchester, selling doughnuts, bakery products and barista-made coffee.
Plans for reopening
Common Table says it wants the closed restaurants trading again as soon as possible.
The first sites are expected to reopen from mid-November 2026.
Before reopening, venues will receive investment and undergo refurbishment work.
The new venues will have fresh menus, barista-made coffee and bakery products from Rodeo Coffee Co., rather than simply repeating the old Beefeater and Brewers Fayre offer.
Common Table says each site will have its own identity, with managers encouraged to tailor it to the local community.
The company does not plan to operate a rigid national chain, it says.
Jobs and timetable
The deal is expected to create about 700 jobs across the UK.
Some Whitbread staff will transfer to the new company under TUPE rules.
Common Table wants all 57 sites operating again by February 2027, according to the Morning Advertiser.
The programme covers venues beyond Essex and follows the first openings in mid-November.
The closures were part of Whitbread’s plan to cut costs, with rising business rates and national insurance cited as key reasons.
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