Following the collapse of Jamie Oliver’s Australian restaurant group in April, another of the celebrity chef’s restaurants has closed its doors.
Jamie’s Italian Parramatta abruptly closed on Monday this week, after its new management reportedly refused to provide financial details to the landlord and failed to reach a rental agreement for the site.
A sign on the door read: “This restaurant is now closed. Jamie’s Italian would like to thank all our loyal customers in Parramatta and we look forward to welcoming you to our closest restaurant – Jamie’s Italian at 107 Pitt Street, Sydney.”
The closure comes less than two months after Jamie’s Italian Canberra closed its doors as Jamie Oliver Restaurant Group (Australia) was placed into voluntary administration. As reported by Hospitality, Brisbane-based Hallmark Group purchased the remaining five Jamie’s Italian restaurants in Australia in a last minute deal to salvage the struggling venues.
According to Good Food, Hallmark Group requested a new lease incentive for the original 10-year rental agreement for the Parramatta site that equated to $255,000 over 18 months. The landlord reportedly provided the lease incentive and requested additional bond.
Hallmark Group refused to handover financial details to the landlord and, as a result, the two parties failed to reach an agreement and the restaurant shut its doors.
“I don’t know their establishment in Brisbane and they’ve provided us with no financials and no experience,” property manager Anthony Khoury told Good Food. “They’ve given us no security or confidence.”
The collapse of Oliver’s Australian restaurant group was the latest in a string of financial woes for the chef. It was revealed in February that his UK-based company Jamie’s Italian Limited owed debts totalling $125 million. The group later announced a restructuring plan to close 12 Jamie’s Italian restaurants in the UK in a bid to salvage the company.
Image credit: Australian Financial Review