Jamie Olivers flagship London Italian restaurant has been cleared out by bailiffs, after his restaurant empire went into administration.
Last week, 22 of Jamies 25 restaurants shut down as the celebrity chef enlisted KPMG to begin the insolvency process.
And today, his flagship Jamies Italian near Piccadilly Circus was gutted, just days after it was shut.
Bailiffs were pictured loading wooden chairs, tables and even an orange Aperol Spritz scooter into two large vans.
Kitchen equipment including meat slicers and chopping boards were also carried out by bailiffs in Central London.
Inside the restaurant, everything but the light fixtures were being removed, with cardboard boxes lining the walls.
A sign was affixed to the restaurant window reading: This restaurant is now closed. Will Wright and Mark Orton of KPMG LLP were appointed Joint Adminstrators to the following companies on Tuesday 21 May 2019: Jamie Oliver Restaurant Group Limited, Jamies Italian Holdings Limited, Jamies Italian Limited, Fifteen Restaurant Limited, One New Change Limited.
Following the collapse of the Jamie Oliver restaurant group, 1,000 jobs have been lost, while another 300 in Jamies Gatwick eateries – which currently remain open – are at risk.
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Jamie, 43, said: 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.
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, its been a real pleasure serving you.
We launched Jamies 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.
This came after dad-of-five Jamie shut down 12 of his Jamies Italian restaurants and made 600 staff redundant in an effort to save his restaurant chain.
In an interview last August with the Financial Times, Jamie explained he put £7.5 million of his own savings into the business to save it from ruin when it was hours from bankruptcy.
He said: We had simply run out of cash…and we hadnt expected it. That is just not normal, in any business. You have quarterly meetings. You do board meetings. People supposed to manage that stuff should manage that stuff.
METRO
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