Thousands of jobs are at risk as the owner of Bella Italia, Cafe Rouge and Las Iguanas is hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic.
Casual Dining Group (CDG) has confirmed a notice of intent to appoint administrators had been filed at the High Court today.
The group, which has furloughed the majority of its staff, traded from around 250 sites across the UK prior to the lockdown and employed around 6,000 workers.
A Casual Dining Group spokesman said: "As is widely acknowledged, this is an unprecedented situation for our industry and, like many other companies across the UK, the directors of Casual Dining Group are working closely with our advisers as we consider our next steps. "These notifications are a prudent measure in light of the