Future of Wisbech's Frankie & Benny's uncertain

The future of Wisbech's Frankie & Benny's restaurant is uncertain after its owner announced it would be closing up to 120 of its 236 sites.

The Restaurant Group cannot yet confirm which sites are to be closed but said an announcement will be made in due course.

The restaurant, in Camel Gate, near Springfields shopping centre, has been closed since March because of the COVID-19 pandemic, along with all others in the chain.

A spokesman for the company confirmed today that up to 3,000 jobs would be lost. He said the company, which also owns the successful Wagamama chain, had decided in February to close half of its restaurants over the next five years, but the coronavirus pandemic had accelerated that decision.

He said: "The company has been struggling for a while as a lot of the sites are based at retail parks where the footfall is not what it once was, making those restaurants not viable."