PIZZA Express has confirmed its five outlets in Belfast will not be among the 73 restaurants it will permanently close.
The chain has had restructuring plans, which will put 1,100 jobs at risk, approved by creditors.
Pizza Express said 89% of its creditors voted for its Company Voluntary Arrangement (CVA) restructuring deal, which will also see it secure rent reductions.
It needed a minimum of 75% of creditors to vote in favour of the deal to give it the green light.
Last month, Pizza Express said the slump in revenue caused by the enforced closure of all restaurants during the pandemic, the cost of reopening, and the UK's uncertain economic future meant its rental costs were no longer sustainable.
It is the latest in a raft of chains, including Zizzi-owner Azzurri Group, Byron Burger, and Frankie & Benny's owner The Restaurant Group, to shut sites after being hit by the lockdown.
Pizza Express said it currently has 355 restaurants open in the UK, with more than 30 due to reopen in the coming weeks.
The company has five restaurants in Northern Ireland, all in Belfast.
The restructuring will also see a significant de-leveraging on the group's external debt, reducing it from £735m to £319m.
Around £144m of new funds will be pumped into the business to drive future growth.
In a statement, Pizza Express said: "The successful vote unlocks the company's ability to actively address the challenges brought by Covid-19, securing over 9,000 jobs in the UK.
"The directors of Pizza Express thank its creditors for their support during this period and look forward to ongoing partnership as the hospitality industry recovers to growth."
The company, which is majority-owned by Chinese firm Hony Capital, also confirmed last month that it had hired advisers from Lazard to lead a sale process for the business.
The managing director of Pizza Express in Ireland and the UK is Fermanagh-born Zoe Bowley.
The following sites have been earmarked for permanent closure:
Aberdeen - Belmont St
Aylesbury
Barnstaple - Three Tuns
Biggleswade
Billericay
Birmingham - Corporation St
Birmingham - Mailbox
Bournemouth - Post Office Rd
Bramhall
Bristol - Berkeley Sq
Bristol - Regent St
Bromsgrove
Bruton Place
Charlotte St
Chippenham
Dalton Park
Darlington
Dudley - Merry Hill
Earls Court - Earls Ct Rd
Edinburgh - Holyrood
Formby
Fulham Palace Road
Glasgow - Princes Square
Glossop
Gosforth
Grantham
Halifax
Hampstead
Hatch End
Hereford
Heswall
Ipswich - Lloyds Ave
Leeds - Crown St
Leeds - Horsforth
Ludlow
Lymington
Melton Mowbray
Midhurst
Milton Keynes - Hub
Moseley
New Brighton
Newcastle
Newport - Isle of Wight
Newport - South Wales
Northallerton
Nottingham - Goosegate
O2 Finchley
Orpington
Oxford - Oxford Castle
Poole
Port Solent
Ramsgate
Reading - St Mary's Butts
Scarborough
Sheffield - Devonshire St
Sheffield The Moor
Shirley
Southport - Old Bank
Stafford
Staines
Stoke
Stourbridge
Sudbury
Torquay
Uxbridge
Wakefield
Walsall
Wapping
Wardour St
Weston-super-Mare
Whiteley Village
Whitstable
Wrexham
