
Major bar chain to shut ALL 250 venues across the UK for 24 hours next week in unusual business move
A CHAIN of popular cafe bars will close for 24-hours next week.
The closure will affect more than 250 branches countrywide on Monday June 9.
4
There are over 250 Lounge bars across England and Wales
Credit: instagram
4
The chain will close countrywide on Monday June 9
Credit: instagram
Loungers opened their first store in 2002 in Bristol and have since expanded across the country.
They are known for their wide range of food, cocktails and coffees, as well as each lounge having its own unique decor - with some customers not realising it's even a chain.
The closure is so that it's staff can enjoy a grand celebration, which they call LoungeFest.
Beginning in 2013, the event celebrates the company's 9,000 staff.
Read more News
In an
"All of our Lounges will be closed on Monday, 9th June, as we will be heading to our annual staff party - Loungefest!
"We do this every year to celebrate everybody's hard work.
"Regular Lounging will resume on Tuesday, 10th June."
Most read in The Sun
Photos of the
Guy Youll, Loungers' Chief People Officer told
Most popular treats for Brits on holiday
"Our teams work incredibly hard all year round so LoungeFest is our way of celebrating them and showing how much we appreciate the dedication and care they put in every day at all our sites to deliver great hospitality. It's going to be quite a party!"
Facebook commenters were pleased to see the company showing appreciation for their staff.
One wrote: "Well done for treating your staff I hope the staff and you have a brilliant time."
While another commented: "Oh that's a lovely thing to do for all the hard working staff."
This year's LoungeFest will take place at Ragley Hall in Warwickshire.
Its theme is 'at the movies' as the event will be equipped with funfair attractions, DJ sessions, music stages featuring live bands and performances by Loungers' employees - as well as games, activities and complimentary food and drink.
4
Each cafe-bar has a unique interior
Credit: instagram
4
They serve a wide range of food, cocktails and coffees
Credit: instagram
Loungers was founded in 2002 by a group of three friends on North Street in Bristol.
They also run the popular Cosy Club chain of restaurants, as well as the roadside eatery Brightside.
As of March 2025, the company operates 291 sites in England and Wales across the three brands.
Its 250th Lounge - Pionero Lounge - opened in Rochdale in January 2024.
With plans to expand with 10 more restaurants, loyal customers have been begging the company to come to their town.
The company won the employer of the year award at the Casual Dining Awards 2025.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The Irish Sun
12 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Major bar chain to shut ALL 250 venues across the UK for 24 hours next week in unusual business move
A CHAIN of popular cafe bars will close for 24-hours next week. The closure will affect more than 250 branches countrywide on Monday June 9. 4 There are over 250 Lounge bars across England and Wales Credit: instagram 4 The chain will close countrywide on Monday June 9 Credit: instagram Loungers opened their first store in 2002 in Bristol and have since expanded across the country. They are known for their wide range of food, cocktails and coffees, as well as each lounge having its own unique decor - with some customers not realising it's even a chain. The closure is so that it's staff can enjoy a grand celebration, which they call LoungeFest. Beginning in 2013, the event celebrates the company's 9,000 staff. Read more News In an "All of our Lounges will be closed on Monday, 9th June, as we will be heading to our annual staff party - Loungefest! "We do this every year to celebrate everybody's hard work. "Regular Lounging will resume on Tuesday, 10th June." Most read in The Sun Photos of the Guy Youll, Loungers' Chief People Officer told Most popular treats for Brits on holiday "Our teams work incredibly hard all year round so LoungeFest is our way of celebrating them and showing how much we appreciate the dedication and care they put in every day at all our sites to deliver great hospitality. It's going to be quite a party!" Facebook commenters were pleased to see the company showing appreciation for their staff. One wrote: "Well done for treating your staff I hope the staff and you have a brilliant time." While another commented: "Oh that's a lovely thing to do for all the hard working staff." This year's LoungeFest will take place at Ragley Hall in Warwickshire. Its theme is 'at the movies' as the event will be equipped with funfair attractions, DJ sessions, music stages featuring live bands and performances by Loungers' employees - as well as games, activities and complimentary food and drink. 4 Each cafe-bar has a unique interior Credit: instagram 4 They serve a wide range of food, cocktails and coffees Credit: instagram Loungers was founded in 2002 by a group of three friends on North Street in Bristol. They also run the popular Cosy Club chain of restaurants, as well as the roadside eatery Brightside. As of March 2025, the company operates 291 sites in England and Wales across the three brands. Its 250th Lounge - Pionero Lounge - opened in Rochdale in January 2024. With plans to expand with 10 more restaurants, loyal customers have been begging the company to come to their town. The company won the employer of the year award at the Casual Dining Awards 2025.


The Irish Sun
16 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Budget airline to launch more flights to one of the world's cheapest holiday destinations
A BUDGET airline is increasing flights to an affordable holiday destination - less than a year after they first launched. Norse Atlantic Airways started the new route from London Gatwick to Advertisement 3 Norse Atlantic Airways is adding even more flights to Cape Town Credit: Getty 3 Cape Town is often named a top affordable winter sun destination Credit: Alamy And the huge demand for the South African route has since seen them extend the flight season as well as add more flights. Previously offering three flights a week, And the airline has now increased it even further, with six flights a week being launched. And the seasonal route previously only operated until the end of April. Advertisement Read more on airlines However the new season will operate from October 2, 2025 until May 2026. Bård Nordhagen, Norse Chief Commercial Officer, said: "Following the success of our inaugural season we see great opportunity in the South African market. 'By expanding services, we wish to show to the trade and consumer markets we are committed to this route.' Andrew Fish, Head of UK & South African Sales at Norse Atlantic Airways added: 'We are seeing exceptional momentum on this route, and this frequency increase reflects both customer confidence and Norse Atlantic Airlines' long-term growth strategy." Advertisement Most read in News Travel Exclusive Post Office Travel Money's Long Haul Holiday Report last year. Not only is it affordable, but don't expect any jet lag either with no time difference. Best Value Winter Sun Long Haul Destinations And it is a great winter sun hotspot, with highs of 27C in November and January. The Sun's Head of Travel (Digital) Caroline McGuire recently visited Advertisement She said: "Everything in Cape Town is so accessible that we landed at 8.30am, got our hire car, checked into the hotel and were on the glorious Camps Bay beach in swimsuits by 11.30am. "Camps Bay suburb feels like a cross between Cannes and a fancy California town, with its white sandy beach, backdrop of Table Mountain and smart restaurants lining the beachfront. What is it like flying on Norse? The Sun's Head of Travel (Digital) Caroline McGuire recently tried the airline's Premium Economy out. Norse doesn't do online check-in - everyone checks in at the airport. And Premium passengers are given their own lane, so we waited about five minutes before dropping off our bags and getting our tickets. Most importantly, the chairs are very roomy. With a very decent recline that allowed my whole family to get a decent night's sleep. My son pretty much slept uninterrupted from 10pm to 7am, while I snatched a manageable 5ish hours, which is far more than I've ever done before in Economy on a long haul flight. Crew hand over ear plugs, eye masks, pillows and blankets at the start of the flight, as well as headphones for the TVs (you have to pay £5 for these in Economy). Two meals are also included - I had a decent tortellini, side salad and cheesecake-type evening meal with complimentary wine, and a hot cooked breakfast, plus a croissant, yogurt and mini fruit salad. To give you an idea of price, return fares for two adults and one child in premium economy cost £3,583 to "Better still, the one-hour time difference meant we had no jet lag, so we could get stuck in straight away without the need to sleep it off. "The famous mountain was the first adventure spot on our list. Advertisement "And it made for a great family day out thanks to the rotating gondolas that slowly spin to offer panoramic views on the ascent to the top. " Norse currently offers six long-haul destinations, including New York , Bangkok and Cape Town. Here are some of the other 3 Along with being affordable, there is no jet lag in Cape Town Credit: Alamy Advertisement


The Irish Sun
18 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Famous fast food chain to shut its LAST branch in UK after being ‘forced into liquidation' with £400k debt
THE LAST branch of a famous fast food chain is set to shut its doors after being "forced into liquidation" with £400k debt. The unique restaurant went viral back in 2022 with its performative staff being purposely rude to guests. Advertisement 4 The unique restaurant were viral in 2022 Credit: Karen's Diner 4 The chain will now close its last restaurant at the end of this month Credit: Times Newspapers Ltd Karen's diner on White Lion Street in London's Islington will close at the end of June after trading for two years. It's the restaurant's last remaining venue in the UK and is regularly described as one of the most memorable and bizarre dining experiences in the capital. With their deliberately rude waiters, Karen's has racked up millions of views on TikTok with clips of them insulting customers. Their website describes it as an "absurdly fun experience" where you are "greeted and waited upon by rude waiters and forced to play a variety of stupid games". Advertisement Read more News The unique eatery was inspired by the popular internet meme of " This meme references people who love to take their anger out on retail staff and people who typically work in customer service establishments. The closure of their last UK branch represents a wider shift for the company as it moves away from permanent venues altogether. They are now looking to establish pop-ups at venues throughout the South of England. Advertisement Most read in The Sun Exclusive But until then, Karen's will be serving up their trademark sass in Islington until the end of the month. A decision not to renew the site on White Lion Street was made earlier this year. The announcement from Karen's said they had "enjoyed being rude to thousands of its customers". But they cited an increase in fixed costs, including business rates, for the closure of its final London location. Advertisement It comes as Viral Ventures UK Ltd, the parent company of Karen's Diner, was 4 Staff deliberately insult customers at Karens Credit: Instagram A spokesman for the brand said: "We want to thank the restaurant manager and all of his team for all of their hard work delivering great entertainment night after night. "People don't understand how hard it is to run both a restaurant and a theatre simultaneously, especially in such fierce trading conditions.' Advertisement The eatery was launched in Sydney, Australia in 2021 and opened its first restaurants in the UK in 2022 with locations in Sheffield, Manchester and Birmingham. Launches in London's Islington, Barnet and Brighton followed in 2023 in a rapid expansion. The Sun reported that the chain was growing in popularity with Brits at the time. The Brighton site closed in March after police found traces of cocaine on a baby changing table. Advertisement He shared a snippet of the evening's events that left people divided with some thinking it was hilarious and others saying it was "appalling" and "disgusting" to take a young child there. 4 It's staff are regularly rude and insulting to customers Credit: Instagram