Discussion
After injecting £13 Million of his own money, Jamie Oliver says he has no more money to prop up his struggling restaurants.
"Court documents reveal that Jamie’s Italian had debts of £71.5m, including £30.2m of overdrafts and loans. Landlords, HM Revenue and Customs, suppliers and other creditors were owed £41.3m and staff were out of pocket to the tune of £2.2m"
https://inews.co.uk/news/business/jamie-oliver-res...
"Court documents reveal that Jamie’s Italian had debts of £71.5m, including £30.2m of overdrafts and loans. Landlords, HM Revenue and Customs, suppliers and other creditors were owed £41.3m and staff were out of pocket to the tune of £2.2m"
https://inews.co.uk/news/business/jamie-oliver-res...
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.
he's not a good businessman, celebrity chef yes.
Restaurants with low hygiene standards, locally made food sourced hundreds of miles away. Oliver’s Union Jacks restaurants closed down.
i think the brand is out of touch with the customers, and he has stretched his brand too far in the pursuit of revenue and glory at any cost.
Restaurants with low hygiene standards, locally made food sourced hundreds of miles away. Oliver’s Union Jacks restaurants closed down.
i think the brand is out of touch with the customers, and he has stretched his brand too far in the pursuit of revenue and glory at any cost.
I'm amazed he's opened that many restaurants, do people really think that visiting one of 'his' eateries has any kind of link to the man himself?
I don't dislike him, his cook books are decent and I'll watch him on TV if there's nothing else on, but visiting one of his many restaurants wouldn't be on my list of places to eat, it's still a chain and only as good as the current people running it.
Location is everything, whether there's a big name chef attached or not.
For example, Rick Stein opened a restaurant in Sandbanks, the food and service are ok, nothing special and certainly nothing makes you think that Rick himself is in any way related to the premises. But it's stacked out most nights and weekends due to the location, people have money in that area and it's become a destination that people want to be seen at.
Jamie should have been a bit more selective about where he opened and exactly how many places he opened, his name alone isn't enough to guarantee success.
I don't dislike him, his cook books are decent and I'll watch him on TV if there's nothing else on, but visiting one of his many restaurants wouldn't be on my list of places to eat, it's still a chain and only as good as the current people running it.
Location is everything, whether there's a big name chef attached or not.
For example, Rick Stein opened a restaurant in Sandbanks, the food and service are ok, nothing special and certainly nothing makes you think that Rick himself is in any way related to the premises. But it's stacked out most nights and weekends due to the location, people have money in that area and it's become a destination that people want to be seen at.
Jamie should have been a bit more selective about where he opened and exactly how many places he opened, his name alone isn't enough to guarantee success.
powerstroke said:
hutchst said:
Surely his Porsche-powered VW T2 is worth a mention on here
Not really that's just the sort of POS you would expect him to drive ... I would put a vehicle like that in the category of 'just a bit of fun'.
I'm sure if you like early VW campers, as many people do, then it isn't a 'POS'.
It's probably very enjoyable to own something that has been the subject of such an incredible restoration.
They certainly fetch big money.
Quarterly said:
What ever you might think about Jamie's Italian, they are actually one of the very few 'chains' to make everything from fresh on a daily basis. Other chains use food made in a factory, warm it in the microwave, snip open the bag and pour on to the plate. Unfortunately most customers are not descerning enough to notice. Just saying.
And those that are go to a local restaurant.With This Staff said:
Meanwhile, give your local (family-owned & run) Italian restaurant a shot.
It may be very good indeed!
Absolutely.It may be very good indeed!
I have usually always found local Italian restaurants, run by actual Italians to be very good.
Same goes for local French restaurants or whatever else takes your fancy.
But we all go to chain restaurants from time to time, and it's just dissapointing when they aren't up to standard, especially if they aren't shy with their prices.
Lord Marylebone said:
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.
Barbecoa at St Paul's was really good a few years ago. It then went downhill, which may have been indicative of wider issues. Although it always seems rammed still. Can't imagine it's a cheap location. 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.
With This Staff said:
Meanwhile, give your local (family-owned & run) Italian restaurant a shot.
It may be very good indeed!
It isn’t. Been there a long time and now up for sale. So is the next nearest independent Italian.It may be very good indeed!
The majority of private restaurant ventures go bust (opinion, not necessarily fact, but it is a bloody tough business and the headwinds have only grown stronger in recent years).
With This Staff said:
Meanwhile, give your local (family-owned & run) Italian restaurant a shot.
It may be very good indeed!
Have tried many, and yet to find a good one let alone a very good one.It may be very good indeed!
I have come to the conclusion that Italian cuisine is not for me, very bland and overpriced imo.
catso said:
Don't base your opinion of Italian food on that served here.
I lived in Italy for some years, travel there regularly and I am a big fan of Italian cuisine, however I have yet to find a really good Italian restaurant in this country (at any price) especially when it comes to pizza and I've given up even trying pasta in any UK restaurant, I will only eat it at home or in Italy.
When I was living/working in Italy I would travel worldwide often with Italian colleagues, many of whom would want to go to Italian restaurants for a 'taste of home' they were invariably disappointed by the cuisine, especially the pizza (extra especially in the USA
). Real Italian food is the best but it doesn't seem to 'travel' well.
Never eaten at Jamie Olivers (since when was he Italian?) or Carluccios but the Italian chain restaurants that I have tried here are overwhelmingly bland (at best) as well as being overpriced.
You make an interesting point, I have only visited Italy 3 times so don't have much experience to compare. I lived in Italy for some years, travel there regularly and I am a big fan of Italian cuisine, however I have yet to find a really good Italian restaurant in this country (at any price) especially when it comes to pizza and I've given up even trying pasta in any UK restaurant, I will only eat it at home or in Italy.
When I was living/working in Italy I would travel worldwide often with Italian colleagues, many of whom would want to go to Italian restaurants for a 'taste of home' they were invariably disappointed by the cuisine, especially the pizza (extra especially in the USA
). Real Italian food is the best but it doesn't seem to 'travel' well.Never eaten at Jamie Olivers (since when was he Italian?) or Carluccios but the Italian chain restaurants that I have tried here are overwhelmingly bland (at best) as well as being overpriced.
The last visit was Sorrento for a wedding and the wedding meal consisted of numerous courses of bland food. With the next course managing to be blander than the last, I was impressed at the chefs ability to remove all traces of flavour from his dishes.
XJSJohn said:
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. Europa1 said:
I ate at a Jamie's Italian a handful of times a few years back, but was never that impressed. I stopped going when a group of us visited on a bank holiday Monday to be told that there were no chips, as they had not had a delivery of chips that day due to it being a bank holiday. I was staggered that (a) the restaurant apparently didn't prepare something as basic as chips on site; and (b) no-one among the staff had had the gumption to walk a couple of streets to the nearby Sainsbury's local and buy some spuds to make some chips. Plus they didn't even try and hide the fact that the carafe of wine was decanted from tetrapak style cartons.
That is one thing that amazes me.Over the years I've had restaurants tell me they have run out of chips, bread, pate, prawns, and all manner of other things.
Every single time I always wonder why the f
k they don't send someone to the nearby supermarket and just buy some!Four Litre said:
He's certainly not at the same level of capability as Gordon Ramsay or Marcus Wareing....but sadly I think he believes he is.
When I started this thread I did not say anything bad about Jamie Oliver himself, because I think he genuinely means well, and cares about what the population is eating.I found his chain restaurants incredibly dissapointing, and it doesn't surprise me that they are going down the pan, but I won't be celebrating his downfall.
But... seen as how Gordon Ramsey has now been mentioned above, I would like to formally go on the record and say I absolutely cannot stand him, and believe him to be a colossal
.I've always hated his ridiculous attention seeking shouting, bawling and swearing on 'reality TV' shows (let's be honest, the shows aren't really about chefs or cooking).
If you want a comprehensive list of all the despicable things Ramsay has done, have a look here:
http://www.grubstreet.com/2013/03/20-despicable-th...
He almost went bankrupt in 2008, and his company has only made a profit in one year since 2012.
But the reason I hate him the most, is that a friend suggested that a few of us meet for dinner in his 'Boxwood Cafe' at the Berkeley Hotel one evening. I protested and said Ramsey was a complete d
head and I didn't want to give him any of my money, but I ended up going anyway.It was one of the most awful restaurant experiences I have ever had. The first thing they said to us when we walked in was that "they wanted the table back in two hours".
They food, decor and service was awful.
Substandard food thrown at us by surly staff, and a huge bill at the end.
The starter was really bizarre, and tasted like it had gone off. It wasn't nice. We were told it was fine.
Throughout the night, 5 of our party who had the same starter, were all violently ill.
The next day, rang the restaurant to complain and was told in no uncertain terms to f
k right off.The Berkeley saw the good sense to kick him and his restaurant out of the hotel a year later.
w
ker.Edited by anonymous-user on Tuesday 30th October 18:30
C70R said:
Brooking10 said:
XJSJohn said:
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. 1. How angry some people can be about a person they have never met, and who probably has zero tangible influence on their lives
2. How most people have absolutely no idea about business, or the restaurant industry in general - not that this stops the strong opinions, of course
ETA - Those complaining about the quality of food at Jamie's Italian while saying they prefer Pizza Express, Zizzi etc. are hilarious. If you knew how little love and care these chains put into their food, you'd probably have a similar level of indignation about them too.
Edited by C70R on Tuesday 30th October 17:40
Vaud said:
MrBrianNorris said:
With regards to No. 1, Jamie Oliver is a public figure. If he chooses to make his words and deeds public, I don't think it's at all strange that members of the public should react to them, favourably or not.
If Jamie Oliver said to his wife, in a private conversation at the dinner table, that turkey twizzlers should be banned from schools, or told his china plates down the rub-a-dub that he thought a tax on sugary drinks would be widely beneficial, that would be fine. Instead, he's responsible for nannying legislation and another money-grabbing tax that punishes ordinary people for treating their health is if it was no one's business but their own. Oliver and his band of trendy middle-class do-gooders might not notice if the price of Coke goes up a few pence, and I admit that I, as someone who does not drink Coke frequently, might not feel the difference either, but it's a matter of principle.
If I want to risk my health by drinking a glass of Coke a week and occasionally taking advantage of a 2-for-1 pizza offer, what business is that of his? If Two-Ton Ted from Teddington wants to risk his health by consuming nothing but industrial quantities of Coke and pizza, what business is that of his? If Jamie Oliver doesn't want to risk his own health, he can just not buy the products, rather than making everyone else pay more.
Jamie Oliver's made it clear from his public role that he's a controlling, sanctimonious, mockney tt and he has had a tangible influence on many peoples' lives. Unless he manages to undo the damage he's done to our culinary liberties, I wouldn't feel the slightest regret if he was reduced to the gutter.
The turkey twizzlers campaign was not about well informed adults making decisions. It was about pressuring well informed adults to stop feeding children crappy food.If Jamie Oliver said to his wife, in a private conversation at the dinner table, that turkey twizzlers should be banned from schools, or told his china plates down the rub-a-dub that he thought a tax on sugary drinks would be widely beneficial, that would be fine. Instead, he's responsible for nannying legislation and another money-grabbing tax that punishes ordinary people for treating their health is if it was no one's business but their own. Oliver and his band of trendy middle-class do-gooders might not notice if the price of Coke goes up a few pence, and I admit that I, as someone who does not drink Coke frequently, might not feel the difference either, but it's a matter of principle.
If I want to risk my health by drinking a glass of Coke a week and occasionally taking advantage of a 2-for-1 pizza offer, what business is that of his? If Two-Ton Ted from Teddington wants to risk his health by consuming nothing but industrial quantities of Coke and pizza, what business is that of his? If Jamie Oliver doesn't want to risk his own health, he can just not buy the products, rather than making everyone else pay more.
Jamie Oliver's made it clear from his public role that he's a controlling, sanctimonious, mockney t
t and he has had a tangible influence on many peoples' lives. Unless he manages to undo the damage he's done to our culinary liberties, I wouldn't feel the slightest regret if he was reduced to the gutter.
snuffy said:
Newc said:
Sky reporting today that the whole thing is going into administration, complete shutdown. Inevitable result of serving second rate food in second rate premises at first rate prices.
Yep. I went to one years ago. I've never felt the need to venture back.I went to his Barbecoa restaurant and was totally underwhelmed is probably the best way of putting it.
A couple of years ago I ate in the Jamie’s Italian by Covent Garden and found it very poor for the asking price.
I just expected better, and I never went to any of his places again.
In short, none of this comes as any kind of a surprise.
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