A popular UK burger chain has announced it will shut the majority of its restaurants, leaving just two sites still trading, in a major blow to diners. Burger and beer brand MEATliquor has confirmed it will close five of its venues as part of a “major restructure”, leaving only its Oxford Circus and East Dulwich locations open.

The closures affect several well-known sites across the country, including branches in Islington, Clapham Junction and Queensway in London, as well as restaurants in Brighton and Leeds. The chain is also retaining its sister venue, the BLOODsports bar in Covent Garden, but its wider footprint has been dramatically reduced. This comes after bosses at the Leeds branch took to Instagram last year to announce its closure after 11 years, blaming the surging price of meat and soaring operational bills. The social media update read: “Cost of living up. Cost of beef up. Cost of EVERYTHING up.”

MEATliquor founder Scott Collins has brought in advisers from BPI Asset Advisory to conduct an urgent review of the business amid mounting financial pressures. The boss said he had been working to stay ahead of soaring operational costs in a bid to prevent the business from being pushed to the brink.

Rising beef prices, soaring energy costs and wider operational expenses have all been blamed for the decision.

He previously told Restaurant Online: “We’re in the same position as a lot of others in the industry and I’m just getting ahead of things before we’re forced to.

“On top of VAT, rates, beef and energy costs, we’ve now got a new war creating uncertainty and more tube strikes to deal with.”

MEATliquor has become a cult-favorite UK restaurant group, having evolved from a mobile burger van, the MEATwagon, into a leading pioneer of the “dirty burger” and street food.

Founded in 2009 by Yianni Papoutsis and Scott Collins, the brand combines high-quality comfort food with loud music, graffiti-covered interiors and a trendy late-night atmosphere. Its first restaurant opened on Welbeck Street, near Oxford Circus, on November 11, 2011.

The Express has contacted MEATliquor for comment.