M&B rolls out Miller & Carter

Mitchells & Butlers is quietly expanding its Miller & Carter steakhouse format, with three new sites to open in the coming weeks.

Britain's biggest managed house operator will open sites in Harrow, Leeds and Southend. The latest additions follow a trio of autumn openings — in Lancing (West Sussex), Leigh-on-Sea and Poole.

All six of these Miller & Carter sites stem from the 44 pub-restaurants acquired from Whitbread last year as part of a £78m asset-swap deal. All traded as Beefeaters under Whitbread.

The Miller & Carter concept now stands at about 16 or 17 sites.

Tim Clarke, chief executive, said: "We are very pleased with Miller & Carter, which was a parting gift from Tony Hughes.

"Where we have acquired sites with a strong Beefeater identity, it makes sense to put M&C in there."

Hughes led the development of the steakhouse concept just before he stepped down from the group at the end of 2007.

Clarke said the Whitbread sites were being converted to a wide variety of M&B formats, including Crown Carveries, Harvester, Sizzling Pub Company, Toby and Premium Country Dining.