The Real Greek enters administration, nine UK restaurants to close, 151 jobs lost

The Real Greek’s collapse has triggered nine permanent restaurant closures and 151 job losses, with Karali Group stepping in to save 19 of the chain’s 28 UK sites. For workers, the deal splits the business into survivors and shutdowns; 358 jobs are being safeguarded, while staff at the closing locations face redundancy and diners lose neighbourhood restaurants.

The move lands as another warning sign for casual dining in the United Kingdom, where high inflation, rising energy and food prices, and labour-cost increases from higher minimum wage bills have left operators fighting to protect margins. Toridoll Holdings Corporation, which bought Fulham Shore in 2023 for about £93m, said The Real Greek had been hit more heavily than Franco Manca by the tougher trading environment. That pressure has pushed another familiar name into administration instead of allowing it to keep trading on its own terms.

The chain’s roots stretch back to September 1999, when the first Real Greek opened in Hoxton. David Page’s Clapham House Group bought the business in 2004, and the brand later became part of Fulham Shore before ending up under Toridoll’s ownership. The latest restructuring shows how quickly expansion plans can give way to retrenchment when food, energy and payroll costs keep climbing faster than diners’ spending.

Earlier signs of strain had already emerged as the company reviewed its estate, with Norwich among the locations flagged as vulnerable. That kind of uncertainty ripples beyond a balance sheet. It affects rota planning, kitchen staffing, tip earnings and the stability that workers rely on in an industry already known for high turnover and burnout.

Karali Group’s rescue keeps a sizeable part of the brand alive, but the immediate reality is harsher: nine restaurants will close, 151 people will lose their jobs, and another round of hospitality restructuring will hit local high streets. For restaurant workers, the message is familiar and unwelcome. Even established brands with years of growth behind them can be forced to shrink when the costs of serving a table rise faster than the money coming in.