Jamie Oliver might be one of the world’s most instantly recognisable chefs, with his TV shows beamed right around the world, but that still doesn’t guarantee success in the cutthroat world of restaurant ownership.

To be fair, the writing has been on the wall for a while, and in February of last year, Oliver’s restaurant business announced that it would be closing 12 of its 37 ‘Jamie’s Italian’ restaurants.

Clearly, that didn’t quite do the trick, with Sky News now reporting that “Jamie’s Italian chain and his other venues have lined up KPMG to handle an insolvency process”.

The move will put as many as 1 300 jobs at risk and deal a blow to the television chef whose inimitable style and entrepreneurial zeal has earned him a vast fortune during the last 20 years.

Sources said that the administration process would encompass Mr Oliver’s remaining Barbecoa sites as well as Fifteen London, the site he launched after he was catapulted to fame through his Naked Chef TV programme.

The insolvency process is likely to leave HSBC, the company’s principal bank lender, nursing a multimillion pound loss.

I guess it’s a bit of a Melissa’s vibe here at home – sometimes fewer outlets is actually the way forward.

At least Jamie has his TV shows and cookbooks to fall back on, although the same cannot be said for the 1 300 or so people out of work due to this insolvency news.

[source:skynews]