Jamie Oliver group boss rules out launch of another casual dining chain

Jamie Oliver will not look to roll out another UK casual dining chain due to the “huge pressure” on mid-market restaurants, the chief executive of his wider business has said.

Kevin Styles, who joined Oliver’s group from cinema chain Vue last year, told the Financial Times the chef was not looking to replicate the growth of his Jamie’s Italian chain with his upcoming London opening.

Oliver is returning to the London hospitality scene with the launch of his first new UK restaurant in four years in November.

Jamie Oliver Catherine Street is billed as a more upmarket “independent, produce focused” restaurant that will seat 130 internal covers and 30 on the terrace.

Styles said the casual dining sector had faced “significant issues” around competition, rent, business rates, energy, and other costs, that had created a “perfect storm”.

“We’re going to be very strategic and targeted about what we do in the UK restaurant space,” Styles told the paper. “We’re not trying to execute a 30-40 site restaurant chain.”

He added: “There’s going to be huge pressures in the mid-market, there always is when an economy is flagging.”

Jamie’s Italian launched in Oxford in 2008 and grew to 25 sites before it collapsed into administration in 2019 alongside Oliver’s Barbecoa and Fifteen brands.

Styles was speaking after Oliver’s wider business saw revenue rise 8.1% to £29.7m in 2022 while gross profit rose 7.6% to £23.9m.

The group grew its international restaurant franchise business by 13 new restaurants, taking it to 70 restaurants in 22 countries across seven restaurant formats, including Jamie's Deli and Jamie Oliver Kitchen.

Speaking about his Covent Garden opening, Oliver said: “It definitely feels like a pivotal moment in my career, and some of the very best of my restaurant teams over the years have come back to join me on this next part of the journey. To say I’m excited is an understatement.”