Restaurant firm Yo! Sushi, which has an outlet in Norwich, plans to shut 19 of its sites and cut up to 250 jobs.
The chain, which has 59 restaurants and 10 concessions across the UK, announced the cuts as part of a Company Voluntary Arrangement (CVA) restructuring process.
It recently reopened 20-30 of its sites but the Norwich restaurant, in Chapelfield Plain, remains closed.
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The firm has said sites earmarked for closure are “no longer financially viable” and have unsustainable rental costs in the current trading environment.
Meals at restaurants just reopened are now sent directly to customers on belts with a traffic light system after its previous conveyor belt model was thwarted by new safety guidelines.
Richard Hodgson, chief executive officer, said: “Like the rest of the sector, we need to take decisive action to adapt to the lasting changes that the Covid pandemic has brought about. While we have already taken measures to reduce costs, rents remain an issue. In the current climate, it’s just not viable for us to keep any sites that no longer perform.
“While it’s been a very difficult decision to make and I am very sorry that it will mean losing many of our team members, a CVA has become an essential measure to secure our business for the future, and enable us to protect as many jobs as possible.”
The company also runs 52 kiosks in Tesco stores but said these will be unaffected by the CVA proposal.
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