The choice you had of where you could grab lunch whilst out shopping on your local high street was at one point, astonishing.
The "casual dining" explosion in the early 2010s gave us a vast array of different cuisines to try from Italian, Mexican, and Japanese and a mass amount of dishes to tuck into.
Many chains were already in trouble pre-pandemic and shortly after the first nationwide lockdown in March 2020, a raft of restaurant chains collapsed into administration and many were never able to recover.
Mirror Money has taken a look at major restaurant brands that have collapsed and closed branches over the last few years.
Zizzi and ASK Italian
The Azzurri Group which owns ASK Italian and Zizzi was reported to have closed 75 restaurants after falling into administration in July 2020.
At the time, it was said the closures would affect around 1,200 jobs.
However, a rescue deal by the investment firm TowerBrook Capital Partners saved 225 sites and around 5,000 jobs.
The closures were made a result of the "more challenging environment" the Azzurri Group found itself in during the pandemic.
As of March 2022, there were around 132 Zizzi restaurants and around 65 ASK Italian.
Byron Burger
In 2020, Byron Burger announced it was to close 31 of its sites across the UK which left the group with around 21 sites still standing.
At the beginning of 2023, it was reported that the "gourmet" burger chain was to close a further 10 sites as part of a huge overhaul of its business.
At the peak of Byrons success, the chain boasted over 60 sites spread across the UK.
After the recent closure announcements, there will likely be around 11 Bryon Sites still operating.
Bella Italia, Las Iguanas, Belgo and Cafe Rouge
In July 2020, the Casual Dining Group, which owns Bella Italia, Cafe Rouge and Las Iguanas announced it had gone into administration and that 91 of its restaurants were to be closed.
The group later announced that 33 Bella Italia sites were to close, 31 Cafe Rouge restaurants would close, 11 Las Iguanas, and three Belgo.
The restaurants closed served multiple cuisines with Bella Italia, obviously, serving Italian and Cafe Rouge offering a menu of French and Parisian style food.
Las Iguanas had a latin American spin on its food and Belgo served a traditional Belgian menu to UK punters.
As of November 2022, there were 77 Bella Italia, 49 Las Iguanas, 25 Cafe Rouges sites still operating.
Chiquito and Frankie and Benny's
Chiquito was a popular Tex-Mex chain owned by the Restaurant Group, which also owned the popular restaurant chains Wagamama and Frankie & Benny’s.
In March 2020, the group announced that it had fallen into administration and that it was to close 61 of Chiquito's 80 branches in the UK.
As of November 2022, there are 22 sites still open and operating.
Frankie & Benny’s
Also owned by the Restaurant Group, Frankie and Benny's was another victim of the UK lockdowns.
In June 2020, the group announced branches of the Italian-American chain would close their doors permanently.
Overall the group said around 125 of its restaurants, including Chiquitos would officially close before 2021.
As of November 2022, there were a reported 90 Frankie and Benny sites still operating in the UK.
Pizza Express
Pizza Express said it would close 73 restaurants, putting 1,100 jobs at risk, in an update in September 2020.
This after first announcing the closure plans a month before in August 2020.
It then was forced to close a further 23 sites in 2021 and currently, the Italian-inspired pizza chain has around 370 sites in the UK and 80 sites internationally.
Gourmet Burger Kitchen
Gourmet Burger Kitchen (GBK) was another chain that had been struggling prior to the pandemic.
The group was rescued by Boparan Restaurant Group in October 2020 but it was still forced to close 26 restaurants, causing 362 job losses.
As of January 2023, there are 36 Gourmet Burger Kitchen restaurants operating in the UK.
Yo! Sushi
Yo! Sushi announced in September 2020 that it was to close 19 of its sushi restaurants after the group had a Company Voluntary Arrangement (CVA) approved by its creditors.
The move was set to affect around 250 jobs at the company.
However, even with the closures Yo! Sushi continues on as it currently has around 100 sites operating in the UK.
Wahaca
Wahaca is a Mexican-inspired restaurant and was another victim to the pandemic, as it August 2020 the group announced it was to close a third of it UK sites.
In an email to staff, the chain's founders said they would "try and save jobs" wherever possible and said 10 sites would close.
Currently, the chain has 13 restaurants left running with the majority of them situated in London.
