Jamie’s Italian is planning its London relaunch next month
A restaurant chain is making its return to the UK seven years after going into administration. Jamie’s Italian is staging a comeback, with the first of its revived restaurants launching in central London.
Jamie Oliver revealed in December that his restaurant chain would be returning to Britain’s high streets through a partnership with Brava Hospitality Group, which owns Prezzo Italian. The inaugural restaurant will open in Leicester Square on March 11, with Brava planning to launch up to 40 additional locations nationwide over the next 10 years.
The Leicester Square venue spans three floors, featuring an open kitchen alongside dining areas on the first floor and basement level. Oliver will oversee the menu, which combines new dishes with classic favourites.
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 stated in December that returning to the UK high street was “incredibly important” to him. 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 first Jamie’s Italian opened its doors in 2008 in Oxford. At its height, the chain operated 42 restaurants globally, with locations spanning Australia, Canada, Cyprus, Hong Kong, Iceland, Ireland, Qatar, Russia, Taiwan, Turkey, the UAE, and Singapore, reports the Express.
Six outlets shut down in early 2017, resulting in 120 redundancies. An additional 12 closures followed in early 2018, when it emerged that the chain had accumulated debts totalling £71.5 million, encompassing outstanding staff wages, overdrafts and loans, plus money owed to landlords, HMRC, suppliers and various other creditors.
The business entered administration in May 2019, leading to the closure of 22 out of 25 restaurants and the loss of 1,000 positions. International branches operated under franchise agreements remained unaffected.
In early 2020, administrators KPMG revealed that the majority of the £80 million Oliver’s restaurant chain owed following its May 2019 collapse would not be recuperated. Hundreds of suppliers, alongside several town councils, would shoulder the bulk of these losses.
In 2020, an employment tribunal determined that Oliver’s restaurants violated labour laws by not consulting employees before making them redundant.
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