Discussion
I forgot to mention that his Barbecoa restaurant chain went bust earlier this year as well. He bought the St Paul's branch back from the administrators.
t.I think 'disappointed' is probably the best word to describe my experiences at a couple of Olivers chain restaurants.
I once went to 'Barbecoa' in Picadlilly, and was just totally underwhelmed by the whole experience. The food was barely average, as was the service and the decor.
On another occasion I thought I would try his Italian near Covent Garden, and it was just very disappointing, and I actually thought it was really expensive for what was essentially very average chain restaurant food.
Carluccios is infinitely better if you want a decent Italian chain restaurant in my opinion.
Camelot1971 said:
MellowshipSlinky said:
All his restaurants are the most over priced, over hyped piles of st I’ve ever been to.
Fixed that for you. They are universally st I’ve ever been to.t.I once went to 'Barbecoa' in Picadlilly, and was just totally underwhelmed by the whole experience. The food was barely average, as was the service and the decor.
On another occasion I thought I would try his Italian near Covent Garden, and it was just very disappointing, and I actually thought it was really expensive for what was essentially very average chain restaurant food.
Carluccios is infinitely better if you want a decent Italian chain restaurant in my opinion.
Cold said:
That's a shame the chain is failing. I wonder what the underlying problem(s) is/are? We used to have one nearby which seemed to be popular, but that still closed about twelve months ago. Mind you, given its location, the ground rent on the space it occupied would have been eye-watering. The area has now been divided up into three separate (non-foody) businesses.
You must be talking about Gunwharf.Yer rent on that size must of been astronomical!
I found the food ok... No better or worse than the Zizzi or other chains. I liked the small benefits /kick backs. Shame it went. I still think the Brighton and Edinburgh were the most quirky and enjoyable. It's chain food people get all worked up about it like cheesy films....
How the business got into that much debt without someone calling time is incredible!
Budflicker said:
however with Jamie being the social justice warrior that he is
See, when The Naked Chef first broadcast, it was interesting with irreverent takes on simple but tasty dishes. I also loved Whittingstall's A Cook on the Wild Side and the original River Cottage series.What is it with them both that they've got all preachy and sanctimonious in their increased exposure and wealth? The Hairy Bikers went through a phase of that as well, but at least they practiced what they preached and lost a fair bit of weight.
wc98 said:
how is anyone allowed to run up debt of that level selling food,ffs. there must be some seriously gullible people around the restaurant business.
It won't be just in the UK that all this has accumulated, his restaurants are fking everywhere, there is one here in Singapore, HK, Sydney and in Bali that i have seen, and it will have taken a chunk of change out of the company war chest to set these up as none of them are in cheap rent locations. i guess its a good few mil that would be sunk into each restaurant and if they aren't making profit then thats dead money. XJSJohn said:
It won't be just in the UK that all this has accumulated, his restaurants are fking everywhere, there is one here in Singapore, HK, Sydney and in Bali that i have seen, and it will have taken a chunk of change out of the company war chest to set these up as none of them are in cheap rent locations. i guess its a good few mil that would be sunk into each restaurant and if they aren't making profit then thats dead money.
Yep there are a few in Australia, but...king everywhere, there is one here in Singapore, HK, Sydney and in Bali that i have seen, and it will have taken a chunk of change out of the company war chest to set these up as none of them are in cheap rent locations. i guess its a good few mil that would be sunk into each restaurant and if they aren't making profit then thats dead money. https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/jamie-ol...
Last Visit said:
castex said:
He's tried to change things.
Not many can say the same.
I for one will not celebrate his troubles.
+1Not many can say the same.
I for one will not celebrate his troubles.
XJSJohn said:
It won't be just in the UK that all this has accumulated, his restaurants are fking everywhere, there is one here in Singapore, HK, Sydney and in Bali that i have seen, and it will have taken a chunk of change out of the company war chest to set these up as none of them are in cheap rent locations. i guess its a good few mil that would be sunk into each restaurant and if they aren't making profit then thats dead money.
Yes I saw he'd opened one in Bali.king everywhere, there is one here in Singapore, HK, Sydney and in Bali that i have seen, and it will have taken a chunk of change out of the company war chest to set these up as none of them are in cheap rent locations. i guess its a good few mil that would be sunk into each restaurant and if they aren't making profit then thats dead money. After the way we myself and colleagues were treated at the one in St Albans a few years back I wouldn't willingly step foot in one again anyway.
Seems like he really has over-extended himself.
As mentioned by others - Carluccios has always seemed a better bet to me in terms of food and service...and they sell those little triangular bottles of per-mixed Campari!
Edited by jdw100 on Monday 29th October 06:57
The sums are huge, I feel sorry for him really, imagine making all that money and he’s probably got worse debts than all of us combined! It must be stressful, whatever we say.
If I was a top chef I’d rather make the huge pile from the books and tv, and only run one or two restaurants that are profitable or you close them. All these mega-expansions always come undone.
If I was a top chef I’d rather make the huge pile from the books and tv, and only run one or two restaurants that are profitable or you close them. All these mega-expansions always come undone.
Cold said:
Much of a muchness between the two. Only, one of them seems to attract derision due to the owner for some reason.
The other figurehead being dead might have something to do with it 
Expensive locations, rapid expansion, average menu, downturn in people going out. Recipe for disaster.
Have been to a few of these. Had a good experience in the Cambridge one a few years ago but other than that have always found it a bit meh.
Those referencing his personal wealth against the debt evidently don't get company law here. Maybe that needs adjustment, possibly in terms of what owners can take out while a company is in significant debt... But the frameworks companies are run on are pretty mature already and the people complaining about this probably wouldn't like what it does to their pensions etc. Or perhaps the prices of goods and services.
Then again, maybe a dose of transparency like that would be good for all of us.
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