Restaurant chain relaunches with new UK store – 7 years after crashing into administration | UK | News
A UK restaurant chain is returning to business seven years after it collapsed into administration. Jamie’s Italian is making a comeback with the first of its new restaurants opening in London.
Jamie Oliver announced in December that the restaurant chain would be returning to the high street through a partnership with Italian Prezzo owner Brava Hospitality Group. The first restaurant will be in Leicester Square and will open on March 11. Up to 40 new restaurants will follow across the UK over the next decade, according to Brava. The Leicester Square restaurant is over three floors, with an open kitchen and dining areas on the first floor and basement. The menu will be curated by Oliver, featuring a mix of new dishes and classics. James Brown, CEO of Brava Hospitality Group, said: caterer: “Our aim is to bring world-class Italian food to the heart of Britain’s high street. We’ve invested a lot of time and energy into developing the Jamie’s Italian concept to make this vision a reality.
“Jamie’s Italian is now set to reimagine the high street with its exceptional, modern and generous hospitality and we look forward to welcoming the first guests to experience it.”
Oliver said in December that returning to Britain’s high street was “incredibly important” to him. He said: “As a chef, it’s incredibly important for me to have the chance to return to the high street. In theory it’s not the easiest time to return but on the contrary, I think it’s the perfect time.”
“I will manage menus, ensure accurate sourcing, ensure staff training and ensure the look and feel of the restaurant is properly implemented.”
The original Jamie’s Italian was launched in Oxford in 2008. It had a total of 42 restaurants at its peak, including branches in Australia, Canada, Cyprus, Hong Kong, Iceland, Ireland, Qatar, Russia, Taiwan, Turkey, UAE and Singapore.
Six restaurants closed in early 2017, leaving 120 people unemployed. A further 12 were closed in early 2018 after it was revealed the chain owed £71.5 million, including debts to staff, overdrafts and loans, as well as debts to landlords, HMRC, suppliers and other creditors.
The group went into administration in May 2019, with 22 of 25 restaurants closing and the loss of 1,000 jobs. Overseas locations were not affected because they are operated by franchisees.
In early 2020, KPMG administrators said most of the £80m debt owed by Oliver after the restaurant chain’s collapse in May 2019 would not be recovered. Hundreds of suppliers and some city councils will bear the brunt of the losses.
In 2020, an employment tribunal ruled that Oliver’s restaurants violated labor laws by failing to consult employees before firing them.
