Jamie’s Italian upheaval

Jamie's Italian Canberra has closed.

After a busy weekend of trading, the group announced the eatery would not be opening on Monday.

The Jamie Oliver Restaurant Group’s statement confirmed the closure, "with immediate effect".

In addition to that, administrators have been appointed to Jamie Oliver's restaurant group in Australia.

While the Sydney, Brisbane, Perth, Parramatta and Adelaide will remain open, the Brisbane-based Hallmark Group will take over operating the Australian franchises of the chain.

No reason was given for the Canberra restaurant closure with Australia COO Ben Shaughnessy saying Australia was, "one of our best performing international markets" for the restaurant.

"After a short period of in-house management we are pleased to be partnering 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,” Mr Shaughnessy said in the statement.

A sign on the Canberra restaurant said it all.

“Dear Canberra, It is with great sadness that Jamie’s Italian Canberra has had to close its doors indefinitely. We thank you for all of your support over the last 4.5 years. From all the staff at Jamie’s Canberra we bid you a fond farewell [sic]."

Jamie's Italian first opened in Canberra in the Canberra Centre in 2013. When  it opened, there were long queues stretching out the door. 

Jamie’s Italian Canberra was the third Jamie's Italian restaurant in Australia.

The Australian restaurants were co-owned and operated by hospitality company Keystone Group.

In June 2016, the company was put into receivership when it failed to renegotiate an $80 million loan with its financiers, the private equity group KKR and Olympus Capital.

That saw celebrity chef Jamie Oliver stepping to salvage the operation in November 2016, taking over complete ownership.

Leon Gettler - 17 April 2018