FRANKIE AND BENNY’S will close in the new year, due in part to the success of The Lexicon, it has been claimed.

The iconic restaurant, located next to the Hollywood Bowl, will close on January 7, apparently due to a lack of footfall.

The American-style chain has had a restaurant in Bracknell for more than 10 years, but an anonymous source has told the News that they cannot compete with the restaurant options in The Lexicon.

An anonymous source said: “They will be closing in five weeks unfortunately.

“They can’t compete with the restaurants in The Lexicon, and so they’re just going to close in five weeks time.”

The chain has spots in Camberley and Reading, so it remains to be seen whether or not the staff will be given the option to transfer to another restaurant in order to keep their jobs.

The manager at Frankie & Benny’s, Bracknell, told the News that at the moment he cannot make any comment on the matter without consulting the area manager, despite mentioning that he would like to.

This would mark the first restaurant or shop to close as a direct result of the new £250m development, which opened in September with a whole row of restaurants and streets of shops.

Frankie and Benny’s headquarters and The Lexicon have both been approached for comment but had not responded as the News went to press.