1,900 jobs axed at Café Rouge and Bella Italia

The Casual Dining Group, owner of the popular Café Rogue and Bella Italia chains, is to close 91 restaurants and make 1,900 of its staff redundant.

Café Rouge is the latest casual dining venue to fall victim to the coronavirus curse

As reported by Eater, the Covid-19 pandemic has forced the Casual Dining Group to call time on 91 of its 250 restaurants in a bid to secure a sale.

A total of 43 Café Rouge sites and 34 Bella Italia venues have closed, alongside 11 sites of Latin American restaurant chain Las Iguanas and three venues of Belgian restaurant, Belgo, which is also owned by the group.

According to Eater London, the remaining 159 restaurants in the Casual Dining Group will stay open as the company seeks a buyer for the struggling business.

Restaurants, bars and pubs are due to reopen on 4 July in the UK, but social distancing restrictions make it hard for may venues to trade, particularly those reliant on a high volume of diners.

With the on-trade one of the sectors hardest hit by the lockdown measures, all areas of the industry, from casual dining chains to multi Michelin-starred venues have suffered.

Among the recent restaurant closures in London are Nathan Outlaw’s Siren at The Goring, Adam Handling’s The Frog Hoxton, Agnar Sverrisson’s Texture in Marylebone, Asma Khan’s Darjeeling Express in Soho, Richard Caring’s Le Caprice in St James’s and The Greenhouse in Mayfair.