The number of restaurants falling into insolvency has increased by more than 60% in the past year.
New data from accountancy firm UHY Hacker Young showed that 1,406 restaurants in the UK closed their doors in the 12 months to May, up 64% on the previous year.
In proportional terms, that is an even larger increase in closures than for the wider hospitality industry, which saw a 56% rise in insolvencies over the same period.