A popular restaurant chain has closed one of its sites in Weymouth.

Beefeater in Weymouth has officially shut to the public following a huge shake up within the company.

The chain restaurant has now become a Premier Inn restaurant and will only be available to hotel guests.

Whitbread which owns the restaurant and Premier Inn revealed earlier this year plans to axe around 1,500 jobs across the UK amid plans to slash its chain of branded restaurants by more than 200 in favour of building more hotel rooms.

It also said the move is part of a plan to ‘optimise’ its food and drink offering to add more than 3,500 hotel rooms across its estate and increase ‘operational efficiencies.’

Whitbread said it plans to sell 126 of its less profitable branded restaurants, with 21 sales already having gone through.

The restaurant, located just off Mercery Road, appears to have been impacted by these plans and at present is only open to Premier Inn guests.

Any phone calls made to the establishment are met with the following automated message: “Unfortunately, this restaurant is no longer open to customers who are not Premier Inn guests.”

A local resident who owns a Beefeater loyalty card said: “I received an email as we have a loyalty card they said they are closing a few Beefeater restaurants as they want to give there premier inn customers priority first from July 5.”

The email read: "We are writing to let you know that we’ve announced plans to make changes at some of our restaurants, and unfortunately Weymouth, Beefeater in Weymouth will be changing to a Premier Inn restaurant and will only service those staying in the hotel after 5th July. We apologise for any inconvenience this will cause.

"The really good news is that we have another restaurant from the Whitbread Restaurants family – The Lodmoor, Brewers Fayre located in Weymouth."

The popular restaurant opened back in 2013 and the next closest venue is in Somerford Road, Christchurch.

Beefeater has been contacted for further comment.