Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent Notifications can be managed in browser preferences. All News Sport Culture Lifestyle Premier Inn will replace its 197 restaurants with an integrated food and drink model (PA) Whitbread, owner of Premier Inn, announced plans to cut about 3,800 jobs across the UK and Ireland. The job reductions are part of a new five-year strategy designed to achieve £250 million in cost savings. The hospitality group cited significant cost pressures from business rates and national insurance contributions as a key driver for the restructuring. Whitbread intends to sell £1.5 billion worth of its freehold properties and replace its 197 restaurants with an integrated food and drink model. The company reported a pre-tax profit of £298 million for the year to February 26, marking a 19 per cent decrease from the previous year.…