Jamie’s Italian will return to the UK dining scene next year, six years after the chain went into administration.
Its founder, celebrity chef Jamie Oliver, will reopen the first new site in central London backed by the investors behind another Italian restaurant chain, Prezzo.
They plan to expand the brand further, a return that Oliver said was “incredibly important” to him personally.
At its peak, there were over 40 Jamie’s Italian sites across the UK, but after rapid expansion and a changing market, the company ran into problems.
Jamie’s Italian closed across the UK in 2019 with the loss of more than 1,000 jobs, but more than 30 international restaurants survived.
Oliver, who oversaw the new menu for the new site in Leicester Square, said he recognized it would be a challenge to reboot the brand.
“In theory it is not the easiest time to return but, on the contrary, I think it is the perfect time.
“I think the mid-market needs excitement, surprise and delight and that’s exactly what I plan to deliver,” he said.
Jamie’s Italian’s return to the UK is part of a franchise agreement between Oliver and Brava Hospitality Group, which runs Prezzo. Unlike last time, Oliver won’t be investing his own money in the company.
After the chain collapsed, it was left with debts of £80m.
However, Oliver’s other business interests have remained in good shape: it is estimated that there is one Jamie Oliver cookbook for every two UK households and his television series, which began with The Naked Chef in 1999, has been shown in 189 territories.
The resurrection of the brand comes at a time when UK hospitality bosses have complained about a difficult trading environment and cost pressures such as higher staff costs and changes to business rates.
At the time of Jamie’s collapse in Italy in 2019, Oliver blamed “the well-publicised struggles of the casual dining sector and the decline of the UK High Street, along with rising business rates”, for the company’s demise.
