Jamie Oliver’s Pizzeria: Celebrity chef’s first and last Australian restaurant falters with debts of more than $1 million
Jamie Oliver has seen his last restaurant in Australia close after it was placed into voluntary administration.
Jamie Oliver’s Pizzeria at Pacific Fair on the Gold Coast was the celebrity chef’s first eatery in Australia and closed on September 8, following the demise of his numerous other restaurants Down Under in recent years.
The venue was managed by the Hallmark Hospitality Group, which oversees several other restaurants and nightclubs in the Gold Coast Area.
A Hallmark executive, Matt Heanen, told administrators Anne Meagher and Matthew Bookless of SV Partners that the company had just $7,336 to its name.
Mr. Heanen also reported that the company owed $91,843 in rent and $915,681 in related party payments, for a total of just over $1 million.
Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver (pictured) has seen his last restaurant in Australia close after it was placed into voluntary administration and owed more than $1 million in debt
Speaking to the Gold Coast BulletinMr Bookless said it appeared all payments had been made to employees before the closure.
He indicated that the company’s failure was due to a strain on consumers’ pockets during the cost of living crisis, which has had a direct impact on business.
“We know the Jamie Oliver brand is loved by local and international customers, and we are currently looking for new location options for Jamie Oliver’s Pizzeria restaurants,” said a statement on behalf of the company.
“We would like to thank our customers, employees, suppliers and the Gold Coast community for their support of the Pacific Fair venue.”
The restaurant’s website states that “a new location will be opening soon.”
The business opened in October 2019, just five months after the chef’s British restaurant chain collapsed, leaving more than 1,000 people unemployed and debts of more than $160 million.
Gold Coast restaurant Jamie Oliver’s Pizzeria (pictured) closed on September 8 after blaming customers’ tighter wallets during a cost-of-living crisis for a decline in business
Oliver described the Gold Coast as “the perfect city to launch Jamie Oliver’s Pizzeria Down Under” when it opened.
“I have no doubt that locals, tourists and especially families will love it,” he said.
It comes after Jamie Oliver was named among other celebrity chefs being considered to replace the late Jock Zonfrillo as host on Masterchef Australia.
“International names like Jamie Oliver, Nigella Lawson and Shannon Bennett have all been thrown around,” an insider told Woman’s Day.
The network is also said to be considering bringing back “heritage” names to the series, such as original judges George Calombaris and Gary Mehigan, to attract older viewers.