By Chloe quietly shutters UK estate

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US vegan fast food chain By Chloe has quietly closed its four-strong London estate.

The group's restaurants in Covent Garden, Oxford Circus, Tower Bridge and The 02, which were operated under license by Middle Eastern F&B group Qoot International, are all now listed as 'permanently closed' on Google.

It comes as the fast casual vegan chain has rebranded in the US after it was acquired out of bankruptcy earlier this year, heralding the end of the By Chloe brand name. 

In December 2020 By Chloe filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy is the US, amid a downturn caused by the Covid-19 pandemic that saw revenue slump by 67%. 

At the time it was reported that the group's London restaurants would be unaffected by the move, which was designed to position it for future growth and long-term success.

In March this year, a group of investors that included Qoot International UK, Bain Capital Double Impact Fund, Kitchen Fund, Lion Capital LLC and Simple Capital Management LLC agreed to acquire the By Chloe chain out of bankruptcy, with the branding overhauled and the remaining 10 US restaurants all subsequently renamed as Beatnic.

By Chloe was founded in Manhattan in 2015 by chef Chloe Coscarelli and Samantha Wasser on Bleecker Street and proved to be an instant smash, with regular queues outside the tiny 10-cover restaurant.

The brand made the move to London in 2018, its first international restaurant.

BigHospitality has contacted Qoot International UK for comment regarding the closures and any future plans to bring the By Chloe brand back to the UK under the Beatnic moniker.