Bar + Block: Closure date announced for restaurant chain as part of parent company Whitbread's reorganisation
The Bar + Block is another victim of parent company Whitbread’s decision to refocus its business
A councillor has expressed disappointment as a popular bar and restaurant is set to close for good next month.
The doors of Bar + Block in Whiteley Shopping Centre will be shuttered from the start of September, leaving a vacant space in the popular complex. The Portsmouth branch in Queen Street, Portsea will also close.
It comes as 66 other family-friendly pub and dinner chains will shut across the country as part of Whitbread’s slashing of sites.
Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Cllr Sudhakar Achwal, Liberal Democrat for Whiteley and Shedfield, said the closure was “news to me”.
Cllr Achwal added: “It is a shame that Bar + Block is closing; the restaurant has been in Whiteley Shopping Centre for a few years. It has been a popular place in Whiteley, and I am sorry to see it close.”
An email confirming the closure was sent to customers of the Whiteley restaurant this week. A spokesperson from Whitbread thanked customers for their support over the years.
The email said: “We have some important news to share about the future of our restaurants. As you may have seen, we have recently announced changes to our business, which is resulting in the closure of our Branded Restaurants.
“This means that on Thursday, September 3, 2026, all UK and Northern Ireland Bar + Block restaurants will be closed. From all of us at Bar + Block, thank you for being a valued customer.”
Despite the impending closure Bar + Block, the shopping centre has welcomed new arrivals this year.
This includes lifestyle brand Sostrene Grene, which opened in the spring, and Amparo Lounge. The latter is the seventh Lounge to open in Hampshire, and welcomed diners in June.
This includes Maritimo Lounge and Trago Lounge, which are in Ocean Village and Portswood in Southampton. It opened in the former Frankie and Benny’s restaurant site following its closure in February of this year.
Whitbread’s Table Table, Cookhouse + Pub, and Bar + Block brands are all set to shut up shop on September 3 as part of the major overhaul by the company. It comes a decade since the Bar + Block chains first launched in 2016.