To think Jamie's Italian failed due to being shit rather than brexit

[Ll81]

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5377965/Jamie-Olivers-Italian-restaurant-empire-racks-debts.html#article-5377965

Brexit is going to cause lots of problems for many years to come, but it's just a cheap shot blaming brexit. I've eaten in his Italian places twice and it was pretty shit food and bad value. Brexit or not I'm sure it wouldn't make much difference to his buisness this quickly.

Had a nasty experience at the one in Richmond - didn't even get to the ordering stage - and vowed to never set foot in a Jaime Oliver resturant again.

Just as well as the one which was most local to us, Gunwharf Quays, apparently had a bad rat problem....

Then again, I'm perfectly happy in Wetherspoons

I get the impression they think his name would be enough somehow,
It probably got people to go in the first instance. I've heard nothing good from anyone whose eaten there.

Most Italian food in this country is crap anyway

Better off getting a ready meal from m&s Italian range. It was expensive and shit! Jamie’s mediocre culinary skills should not be masked by Brexit.

More gullibles reading the gospel of the Daily Mail?

Couldn't agree more. Those places are utterly abysmal given the prices.

*There are pictures of JO everywhere and videos of him on all the screens.... then to top it off - a timeline of his life, starting from conception at Southend pier

Please tell me that is a joke?!* 🤢🤢🤢

I kid you not! Plus the staff were really rude. When I asked for a kids menu for dd who was 7 at the time, I got "well you do know the portions will be a lot smaller" - 🤔

Brexit is one of those events that people will blame everything on no matter how ridiculous

oatly Did they know the size of a child's stomach?

I was very unimpressed the one time I ate there. They make a big deal about accommodating dietary requirements but I had great trouble ordering anything that was dairy free. It took 20 minutes of the waitress running back and forth to the kitchen for them to work out which meals could be adapted. We had to complain about two of the meals so they swapped them for something else, then they tried to charge us for all the meals.

I'm really not surprised they're in trouble.

Off topic - what happened with the one where he employed and trained up people who were struggling to get jobs?

Lucky Wasn't that Gordon Ramsey?

Brexit has absolutely nothing to do with the downfall of Jamie's Italian. My brother lived in Slingsby Place for many years right next to Covent Garden Jamie's Italian and ate out at least 5 nights a week. He ate there once and swore never again and would always steer visitors away. He said the food was bland and badly cooked but worse of all the staff were abrupt and rude. That is why they have gone down oh so convenient to blame brexit.

Here we go - the shrine it's self.... 🤢😂

Never went to our local Jamie's Italian, after friends ate there and saud they ate a small cold bruschetta for the same price you'd get a pizza at Ask/Zizzi

Would love to eat in a Jamie restaurant if it served the sort of food he normally cooks on tv!

Went to his Sydney one three times - the first was great, just because we were having such a great time in Sydney anything would have been great; second time I had the best ever ravioli in my life and thought yeah, we're on to a winner here; third time was totally rat-shite across the board so we spend our money elsewhere now.

Off topic - what happened with the one where he employed and trained up people who were struggling to get jobs?

‘Fifteen’. They’re still going and pretty good in my experience.

I've determinedly never been. I don't really understand why anyone would choose a mass chain franchise over a cosy little authentic Italian, of which there are plenty in my neck of the woods. But if there were none, I'd still never darken it's door.

My first thought was 'because its rubbish'. I've eaten at 3 different ones and all the meals have been bland but tbf I think Bills and Wagamama are bland too. If I'm going to a chain I prefer Cote (early evening menu is a steal), Cafe Rouge (never had a bad meal there, gutted the Gatwick one closed!) and Nandos! .

Gosh I thought this was just me. We've only been once. My meal was awful and it was the only place we've eaten in 11 years of being parents that refused to swap the children's salad for veg. They are not fussy children and I just asked for ANY cooked veg for them but no, it was pretentious dressed salad in a jar or nothing.

I've met Jamie and he was lovely. Also ate at both Fifteen and his restaurant at Watergate Bay a number of times and it was always fantastic.

However the Jamie's Italian sadly seemed to not have a strength - overpriced for chain restaurant food, bland, not particularly memorable food, boring food basically & no reason to return and certainly wasn't competing against Pizza Express or similar so I wasn't surprised by the news.

If he could find a way to get his 'proper' restaurant food to the masses then great, but this wasn't it - at all. Meanwhile, he'll survive I'm sure. Shame about all the job losses though.

Went once and that was more than enough. Food was average and service was shockingly slow and half hearted

As for Jamie’s Italian, I’ve never been in one. There was/is one right next door to one of my client’s offices and the telling thing is that whenever I visit and we pop out to lunch they never, ever book that.

Add me to the list....overpriced tiny portions, average service and too salty (I suspect to get people to buy more drinks)? I remember it used to be better in its earlier days but my last visit shocked me.

Overpriced & he clearly overextended himself & expanded too quickly.