Jamie Oliver’s Aussie venture looking shaky

CELEBRITY chef Jamie Oliver’s Australian restaurant group has been placed into voluntary administration, forcing the sudden closure of at least one of its Jamie’s Italian chain.

CELEBRITY chef Jamie Oliver’s Australian restaurant group has been placed into voluntary administration, forcing the sudden closure of at least one of its Jamie’s Italian chain.

Only two years after the Jamie Oliver Restaurant Group bought back the Jamie’s Italian line-up from failed hospitality group the Keystone Group, it has been placed into voluntary administration and its Canberra-based eatery closed immediately.

Its other Australian restaurants, including those in Brisbane, Sydney and Adelaide, will be taken over by Brisbane-based Hallmark Group.

In a statement, a spokesperson for Jamie Oliver Group said after a period of “in-house management” the group would now partner with Hallmark.

“The team brings a huge amount of experience and passion for our brand, from collaborating with the key suppliers to our food philosophy, and we look forward to working with them as they develop the Jamie’s Italian restaurant offering across Australia,” the spokesperson said.

Jamie Oliver at Jamie's Italian in Parramatta.

A Hallmark representative said the group would be seeking new Australian locations for more Jamie’s Italian restaurants.

“We’ll be working closely with Jamie and the UK team, staff and local suppliers to keep driving the business forward and delivering exceptional experiences across the country,” the spokesperson said.

Jamie’s Italian Limited, the UK-based subsidiary, went into Company Voluntary Arrangement in February, after the company clocked up debts of more than $125 million.

The arrangement led to the closure of 12 of the 25 UK sites and the loss of 450 jobs.