Jamie Oliver Has Lost Ownership of His Australian Restaurant Chain Jamie's Italian
The Jamie Oliver Restaurant Group will no longer manage the restaurants, but, aside from the closure of the Canberra outpost, they'll remain open.
Everyone loves Jamie's Italian. Or at least that's what we discovered when, back in November 2016, we reported that the Jamie Oliver had officially bought back his Australian restaurant chain after its parent company, the Keystone Group, went into receivership. People were excited — and the man himself even came to town to relaunch the venues. But now, a year on, things have taken a bit of a turn. The Jamie Oliver Restaurant Group will cease to manage its Australian restaurants, effective immediately.
Last night, The Australian Financial Review reported that the group had gone into administration, and this morning it released an official statement announcing "a new operating partner for its Australian business". This partner is the Brisbane-based Hallmark Group, and it will take over the management of Australia's Jamie's Italian restaurants.
What does that mean for your dinner plans? Well, the Sydney, Brisbane, Parramatta, Perth and Adelaide venues will continue to operate as usual, but, sadly, the Canberra outpost has already closed.
"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," said a Hallmark representative. "Hallmark are actively seeking new suitable locations for the next Jamie's Italian."
The news isn't that surprising considering the group has been in a spot of trouble in the UK — The Sun has reported that Oliver's group is in £71.5 million of debt, and will soon close 12 of his 27 restaurants.
It'll be interesting to see if this changes much for Jamie's Italian. Will it bring back its $10 pasta deals? Will it finally expand to Melbourne? We'll keep you posted.
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