Jamie Oliver has said he is "deeply saddened" after his restaurant chain has had to close. The celebrity chef is appointing KPMG as administrators to handle the insolvency process of his Jamie's Italian and Barbecoa restaurants, leaving up to 1,300 jobs at risk.
The group had been looking for buyers in recent months, but a spokesperson confirmed on Tuesday that the restaurants were at the brink of collapse. "I am deeply saddened by this outcome and would like to thank all of the staff and our suppliers who have put their hearts and souls into this business for over a decade," Jamie said. "I appreciate how difficult this is for everyone affected. I would also like to thank all the customers who have enjoyed and supported us over the last decade, it’s been a real pleasure serving you."
Jamie Oliver's restaurant chain has called in administrators
The father-of-five continued: "We launched Jamie’s Italian in 2008 with the intention of positively disrupting mid-market dining in the UK high street, with great value and much higher quality ingredients, best in class animal welfare standards and an amazing team who shared my passion for great food and service. And we did exactly that."
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Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the restaurant group said: "The board of Jamie’s Italian Limited has appointed Will Wright and Mark Orton of KPMG to put its UK-based restaurant business into administration. Jamie Oliver Holdings, which operates Jamie Oliver Limited and Jamie Oliver Licensing Limited, as well as the international restaurant franchise business, Jamie’s Italian International Limited, will continue to trade as normal."
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The announcement follows a challenging year for Jamie, who was forced to close several of his restaurants in 2018 after Jamie’s Italian amassed debts of £71.5million, and Barbecoa Ltd went into administration, meaning he had to close one of the two central London restaurants.
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