UK Burger chain closes last 2 restaurants with 150 jobs lost

A UK burger chain has closed its last remaining . Neat Burger, a restaurant chain, opened in 2019 with the backing of seven-time F1 world champion Sir Lewis Hamilton and Oscar-winning A-lister Leonardo DiCaprio.

In 2023, it had eight restaurants and had expanded to Milan, New York, and Dubai. Neat Burger claimed to be "the first international, plant-based burger chain" and was praised for its menu offerings. Hamilton once said the company was set up to "make plant-based eating more accessible to everyone, whether you eat plant-based all the time or just want to add it to your diet every now and again".

It has now announced the closure of its last two restaurants, in Camden and Wembley, after a period of financial difficulty, with 150 jobs lost. The company put this down to decreasing footfall due to changing work patterns and rising operational costs.

Two years ago, Neat Burger reported losses of £7.9 million, which marked a £3.2 million increase on the year prior (2022). Only two sites remain open, located in Milan.

In a letter to shareholders, co-founder Tommaso Chiabra noted that the firm had taken measures over the past 18 months to become "financially viable in challenging market conditions".

These included shutting down dark kitchens due to enormous delivery app competition and the high expenditure involved in attracting new customers who "tended to be flighty and cost-conscious."

A spokesperson for Neat said: "We can confirm that Neat Soho and Camden restaurants will be closing by the end of this month. At this stage, we have no further comment."

This news comes after the chain received several brutal reviews. A one-star review on TripAdvisor from a customer who claimed to have visited the Soho branch said: "Worst experience ever. The front-of-house staff were very unprofessional, and I waited 45 minutes for a burger.

"After waiting, I asked how long it would be, and he proceeded to ask me if I had paid and didn't use gloves and placed my chicken burger on a dirty surface. It doesn't seem like he wants to work there."

Another person added: "Sadly, we've had significantly better vegan burgers at non-vegan restaurants. The Neat Burger was incredibly average and boring. The chicken sandwich was good at first bite, but then had a very weird aftertaste."

But one five-star review said: "'Amazing fantastic vegan dirty grub. No scrabbling around for the one option here, it is all veagz and amazing. Varied menu, dirty and so nice. If you sit in, you get your food on a plate and there's toilets downstairs so feels like you can relax a bit and not just dash in and out. Brilliant place."