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Updated October 2026
Who Owns Toby Carvery?
Mitchells & Butlers, the Birmingham pub and restaurant group behind brands such as Harvester, All Bar One and Miller & Carter, owns and runs every Toby Carvery. The brand dates from 1985 and has 150 restaurants in its finder.
- Checked 17 Oct 2026
- Sources listed
- Independent guide
Who owns Toby Carvery?
Mitchells & Butlers plc. Its offers name the promoter as "Mitchells & Butlers Retail Ltd trading as Toby Carvery", and the group is based at 27 Fleet Street, Birmingham, B3 1JP.
Mitchells & Butlers calls itself "the leading restaurant and pub company in the UK with over 1,700 businesses". Toby Carvery is one of its brands; the others listed on its website are All Bar One, Browns, Castle, EGO Mediterranean, Ember Inns, Harvester, High Street, Innkeepers Collection, Miller & Carter, Nicholsons, O'Neill's, Pesto, Premium Country Pubs, Sizzling Pubs, Stonehouse and Vintage Inns.
That is why a Toby Carvery gift card also works at any other Mitchells & Butlers venue, according to Toby's FAQ. Toby says M&B can trace its history back to 1898.
When did Toby Carvery start?
Toby Carvery began as a brand in 1985, under Bass Charrington, and its restaurants still say "Home of the Roast since 1985".
| When | What happened |
|---|---|
| 1978 to 1979 | First carvery, at The Artichoke in Brentwood, Essex (Wikipedia) |
| 1985 | Toby Carvery brand starts, as part of Bass Charrington |
| 1991 | A carvery costs £7.99 (Wikipedia) |
| Late 1998 | The carvery is down to £5.95 (Wikipedia) |
| 2005 to 2009 | 80 sites grow to 133, many of them former Beefeater restaurants bought from Whitbread |
| February 2018 | A vegetarian and vegan menu is added |
| October 2026 | 150 restaurants in Toby's finder; weekday carvery £10.79 to £12.29 |
History from the Wikipedia article on Toby Carvery (retrieved 15 Oct 2026), which carries a needs-citations warning, so treat the early dates and prices as approximate. 2026 figures are from Toby's own finder and menus.
How many Toby Carvery restaurants are there?
150 in Toby's restaurant finder in October 2026: 148 open, Bromsgrove temporarily closed and Dover due to open in early December 2026. Toby's own about page still says 158, an older figure.
Toby says it serves 21 million meals a year (of the 135 million across Mitchells & Butlers) and over 39 million drinks, with 4,500 staff. It gets through "over half a million turkeys and half a million beef joints every year". There are none in Northern Ireland. Every restaurant is on Toby Carvery locations and opening times.
| Region (Toby's finder) | Restaurants |
|---|---|
| East & West Midlands | 26 |
| South East | 26 |
| North West | 19 |
| East of England | 19 |
| Yorkshire & the Humber | 15 |
| South West | 15 |
| North East | 9 |
| Wales | 8 |
| London | 7 |
| Scotland | 6 |
Who is Toby, and where does the name come from?
Nobody knows who Toby is, Toby says. The name comes from the Toby jug, a pottery jug shaped like a head, usually in a tricorn hat that forms the spout.
Toby jugs can be made to look like anyone; Toby's about page notes that a rare Fidel Castro jug, one of three ever made, sold for £8,280 in 2012.
Is Toby Carvery part of Beefeater?
No. Beefeater belongs to Whitbread, and Toby Carvery to Mitchells & Butlers.
The confusion is understandable: between 2005 and 2009 many former Beefeater restaurants were converted into Toby Carverys.
How do I contact Toby Carvery?
Through Toby's Guest Care team on 0121 498 7098 (weekdays, 9am to 5pm) or its online forms. See Toby Carvery customer service.
Sources
- Toby Carvery about page, read 17 Oct 2026: https://www.tobycarvery.co.uk/about
- Mitchells & Butlers, Toby Carvery brand page, read 17 Oct 2026: https://www.mbplc.com/our-brands/toby-carvery/
- Toby Carvery FAQ, read 17 Oct 2026: https://www.tobycarvery.co.uk/faq
- Wikipedia: Toby Carvery, retrieved 15 Oct 2026: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toby_Carvery
Toby Carvery company questions
Quick answers, using the facts on this page.
Is Toby Carvery owned by Mitchells & Butlers?
Yes. Toby Carvery is one of the Mitchells & Butlers brands, alongside Harvester, All Bar One, Browns, Miller & Carter and Vintage Inns.
When did Toby Carvery open?
The brand dates from 1985. Wikipedia traces the first carvery to The Artichoke in Brentwood around 1978 to 1979.
Where is Toby Carvery's head office?
Mitchells & Butlers, 27 Fleet Street, Birmingham, B3 1JP. Guest questions go to Guest Care rather than that address.
Is Toby Carvery the same as Harvester?
No, they are separate brands, but both belong to Mitchells & Butlers, so the same gift card works at both.
How many people work for Toby Carvery?
4,500, according to Toby and Mitchells & Butlers.
Explore the Toby Carvery menu
Breakfast times, Christmas, deals, calories, vegan options and halal facts, each with its own guide.