A restaurant chain is relaunching in the UK seven years after collapsing into administration. Jamie’s Italian is making a comeback with the first of its new restaurants to open in London.
Jamie Oliver announced in December that his restaurant chain would be returning to the high street through a partnership with Prezzo Italian owner Brava Hospitality Group. The first restaurant will be in Leicester Square and is set to open on March 11. It will be followed by up to 40 other new restaurants across the UK over the next decade, according to Brava. The Leicester Square restaurant covers three floors, with an open kitchen and dining spaces on the first floor and in the basement. The menu will be curated by Oliver, with a mix of new dishes and classics. James Brown, chief executive at Brava Hospitality Group, told The Caterer: “Our ambition is to bring world-class Italian dining to the heart of the UK high street. A lot of time and energy has gone into evolving the Jamie’s Italian concept to make that vision a reality.
“Jamie’s Italian is now set to reimagine the high street through its exceptional, modern and generous hospitality, and we are looking forward to welcoming the first guests to experience it.”
Oliver said in December that it was “incredibly important” for him to return to the UK high street. He said: “As a chef, having the chance to return to the high street is incredibly important to me. In theory it’s not the easiest time to return but conversely, I think it’s the perfect time.
“I will drive the menus, make sure the sourcing is right, the staff training, and ensure the look and feel of the restaurant is brought to life in the right way.”
The original Jamie’s Italian launched in 2008 in Oxford. It had a total of 42 restaurants at its peak, including branches in Australia, Canada, Cyprus, Hong Kong, Iceland, Ireland, Qatar, Russia, Taiwan, Turkey, the UAE, and Singapore.
Six restaurants closed in early 2017, with 120 jobs lost. A further 12 were closed in early 2018, when it was revealed that the chain had debts of £71.5 million, including wages owed to staff, overdrafts and loans, and debts to landlords, HMRC, suppliers and other creditors.
The group went into administration in May 2019 with 22 of 25 restaurants closed and 1,000 jobs lost. Overseas locations were operated by franchisees so were unaffected.
In early 2020, administrators KPMG said that most of the £80 million Oliver’s restaurant chain owed after its collapse in May 2019 will not be recovered. Hundreds of suppliers, as well as some town councils, will bear the brunt of the losses.
In 2020, an employment tribunal ruled that Oliver’s restaurants broke labour laws by failing to consult employees prior to making them redundant.