The Real Greek Faces Closure as Owner Moves to Appoint Administrators for All 28 UK Sites

The Real Greek, the Mediterranean restaurant chain with 28 outlets across the UK, is on the brink of collapse after its Japanese parent company Toridoll announced plans to appoint administrators, citing mounting cost pressures that have made the business unsustainable.

The Details

Toridoll, which acquired Fulham Shore — the parent company of both The Real Greek and pizza chain Franco Manca — in 2023, said it had filed a notice of intention to appoint administrators for The Real Greek brand.

In a statement, the company attributed the move to an increasingly punishing operating environment for UK hospitality. "In recent years, high levels of inflation in the UK, driven by rising energy and food prices together with increase in labour costs resulting from rises in the minimum wage, have created a more challenging operating environment for the hospitality industry than initially anticipated," Toridoll said.

The company added that the economic deterioration had hit The Real Greek harder than its sister brand. "The deterioration in the economic environment has had a more significant impact on the Greek restaurant brand The Real Greek than on the Franco Manca business," the statement read.

The statement distinguished between the fortunes of the two brands within Toridoll's UK portfolio. While Franco Manca is undergoing its own restructuring, The Real Greek has reached the point where administration is seen as the only remaining path.

All 28 of The Real Greek's UK restaurants now face an uncertain future, with the possibility that a significant number could close permanently if a full rescue does not materialise.

According to reports from Business Sale and The Independent, the Karali Group — owner of the Cote Brasserie chain — is reportedly close to a deal to acquire between 10 and 15 of the affected sites. The Karali Group owns and operates the Cote Brasserie brand, making it one of the few established UK restaurant operators with the scale and infrastructure to absorb a partial estate transfer at short notice. Neither Toridoll nor Karali Group has publicly confirmed a transaction. If a partial rescue of that scale were completed, around half of The Real Greek's estate could still close, based on the reported figures.

The number of jobs at risk across The Real Greek's 28 UK locations has not been publicly stated by Toridoll.

Context

The Real Greek was founded in London in 1999 and has operated a Greek taverna-style concept across the UK for over two decades. The brand built its identity around accessible Mediterranean dining, with sites concentrated in high-footfall urban locations.

The administration move comes as The Real Greek's parent structure was already under significant financial strain. Last month, Fulham Shore said it was reviewing future options for The Real Greek while simultaneously pursuing a Company Voluntary Arrangement restructuring at Franco Manca — a process that would result in the closure of 16 Franco Manca sites and the loss of 225 jobs.

Toridoll bought Fulham Shore in 2023, inheriting both brands at a time when rising energy, food and wage costs were beginning to squeeze UK hospitality margins. The cost pressures Toridoll cited — energy prices, food inflation, and minimum wage increases — have been widely reported as weighing on the UK hospitality sector broadly, but the company said The Real Greek had been affected more severely than Franco Manca within its own portfolio.

What's Next

The formal appointment of administrators for The Real Greek is expected to follow the notice of intention that has been filed. Any deal involving Karali Group acquiring between 10 and 15 sites has not been confirmed by either party. The outcome for workers across The Real Greek's 28 locations remains unclear, as the number of jobs at risk has not been publicly detailed by Toridoll.