The future of two restaurants in Great Yarmouth is in the air as an international chain announces plans to close more than 200 of its restaurants nationwide.

Premier Inn owners Whitbread has said it plans to slash its chain of branded restaurants by more than 200 in favour of building more hotel rooms.

The firm said it expects to also axe 1,500 jobs.

Great Yarmouth Mercury: Brewers Fayre in Great Yarmouth could be turned into more hotel rooms.Brewers Fayre in Great Yarmouth could be turned into more hotel rooms. (Image: Google)Consultations are currently taking place regarding the future of the Beefeater restaurant on South Beach Parade and Brewers Fayre inside the North River Road hotel in Runham Vauxhall.

A Whitbread spokesperson said: "We recognise that this will be unsettling for our team members and we are providing them with dedicated support."

Great Yarmouth Mercury: Beefeater inside the South Beach Parade Premier Inn.Beefeater inside the South Beach Parade Premier Inn. (Image: Google)The spokesperson added the firm is "committed to working hard to enable as many as possible of our affected team members to stay with us" by transferring staff into new roles.

Both restaurants are currently open and trading as usual.

This comes as the multinational hospitality firm announced record profits, mainly driven by people using hotel rooms. However, there has been a decline in footfall in their restaurants by non-hotel guests.