Twenty-two of the 25 restaurants in the UK Jamie Oliver Restaurant Group have now closed.
The group, which includes the Jamie’s Italian chain, Barbecoa and Fifteen, has appointed KPMG as administrators.
Two restaurants and a diner at Gatwick Airport will continue to operate while joint administrators explore options for the site.
Overseas branches of Jamie’s Italian, Jamie’s Pizzeria and Jamie’s Deli are not affected, nor is Fifteen Cornwall, which operates as a franchise.
The celebrity chef said that he was “devastated” by the insolvency, which comes following a rocky two-year period for the business.
Oliver personally invested £13 million pounds (AU$24 million) into the restaurant group after 12 of its 37 sites in Britain were closed last year, but the investment was unsuccessful.
The bankruptcy has reignited fears over the casual dining scene in the UK, which has been hard hit by rising rent prices, food costs, and competition in local commercial districts.
Oliver, 43, who began cooking as a child in his parent’s pub in Essex, rose to fame after being discovered by the BBC while working as a chef in London’s River Cafe.
His Naked Chef show was broadcast around the world and he gained popularity after using his reputation to combat growing child obesity problems by launching healthier school menus.
“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,” Oliver said in a statement on Tuesday.
“I appreciate how difficult this is for everyone affected.”
The Jamie’s Italian Australian eateries are currently unaffected by the collapse, but there are concerns about their future prospects.
The four restaurants in Perth, Brisbane, Sydney and Adelaide were bought by Brisbane-based hospitality company Hallmark Group from Oliver in a last-minute bankruptcy rescue a year ago, while his Canberra and Parramatta branches were immediately closed.
Hallmark said yesterday in a statement that it was “saddened“ to hear about the overnight appointment of administrators to his UK restaurant arm but “the problems are isolated to the UK business”.
“Jamie’s Italian Australia will remain trading as usual under the Australian owner and operator Hallmark Group Holdings,” it said.
“The Perth, Brisbane, Sydney and Adelaide Jamie’s Italian Australia venues are all unaffected.”
The four restaurants are said to be in good health, but Hallmark fears that the pervasive publicity around the UK collapse will fuel misconceptions about the Australian business, which has had three owners in the past three years.
