There are fears two popular Kent restaurants could be among those earmarked for closure by Premier Inn owner Whitbread.

Some bookings at the Long Reach Beefeater in Whitstable are already said to have been cancelled - while the future of Table Table in Broomfield, Herne Bay, is also uncertain.

Whitbread announced this week it is to axe about 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.

The group, which also owns Brewers Fayre sites, said the job cuts are still subject to consultation and come from its total UK workforce of 37,000 employees.

It 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 branded restaurants, with 21 sales already having gone through. It will also convert 112 less profitable eateries into new hotel rooms.

When asked by KentOnline this morning if the Whitstable and Herne Bay restaurants are set to close, a Whitbread spokesperson confirmed both could be impacted by the proposals the company has announced.

But they said the plans are subject to consultation and the venues are open and trading as usual.

One customer says she had a table booked at the Long Reach Beefeater for Tuesday night.

She told KentOnline she was called by staff yesterday who said her reservation had to be cancelled.

Another post on social media says the Table Table in Broomfield is to be turned into more rooms by Premier Inn.

When pushed on whether the two sites could close or be sold, the Whitbread spokesperson said they were unable to provide more specific detail at this time as the proposals are still being worked through.

They added: “We recognise that this will be unsettling for our team members and we are providing them with dedicated support.

“We are committed to working hard to enable as many as possible of our affected team members to stay with us by either transferring into new roles, or by taking up other vacancies across the business more broadly through our existing recruitment activity.”

KentOnline has attempted to contact the Whitstable and Herne Bay restaurants this morning but has been unable to speak to anyone.

In a statement this week, Whitbread said: “The majority of our sites, including our existing 387 integrated restaurants and our remaining portfolio of 196 better performing branded restaurants, will continue to operate as normal and are not affected in any way.”