As reported by Sky News, Partners Group, which acquired Côte out of administration for £55m in September 2020, is working with Interpath Advisory on a search for new investors in the modern French-inspired brand.
Sources close to the sale process said that Interpath was marketing the company based on a turnover of over £150m taken from its most recent financial year, the results of which are yet to be published on Companies House.
The group currently trades from 70 restaurants.
According to Sky News, roughly 60 of the sites are said to be profitable, implying there could be scope for further closures as part of the sales process.
Partners Group declined to comment, while Interpath could not be reached for comment.
Earlier this year, Côte appointed Emma Dinnis as its new chief executive.
Dinnis joined the French restaurant chain from Sofology, where she had been managing director for the past three years.
In its most recent published accounts for the year ended 24 September 2023, Côte achieved like-for-like growth of 1.3%.
The group reported total revenue of £148.9m for the period, with an adjusted EBITDA loss of £8.3m.