News / Park Street
Jamie’s Italian on Park Street to close
Bristol’s restaurant scene has been hit hard as we’ve entered the new year – and the closures continue, with Jamie’s Italian the latest confirmed casualty.
Although its doors remained open for lunch on Tuesday morning, the chain has now officially announced that the Park Street branch will be one of 12 across the UK to shut.
It joins Polpo and Meat Liquor among chains closing in recent months in Bristol, with Bordeaux Quay also recently shutting and Katie & Kim’s Kitchen the latest business to announce that it will close.
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Bristo24/7 understands that some 30 staff members at Jamie’s Italian were told on Monday morning that the restaurant would be closing for good, with staff given a 45-day minimum consultation period.
The decision to close comes as little surprise, with the chain reported to have lost £9.9m last year alone.
Jamie’s Italian opened on Park Street in 2011. For many years, the large corner building had been Blackwell’s bookshop.
A Jamie Oliver Restaurant Group spokesperson explained that the company was “exploring plans to restructure its Jamie’s Italian restaurant estate” earlier this month, but with no final decision, a glimmer of hope still remained for loyal employees depending on the restaurant for income.
Those hopes now dashed, group CEO Jon Knight says it wasn’t an easy decision to make: “We will look to redeploy as many staff as possible within the wider restaurant group.
“All staff impacted will be paid fully and all our obligations to them fulfilled. We’re incredibly grateful to the dedication and hard work of every single member of staff.”
Joining the Jamie’s Italian on Park Street to close will also be the branch in nearby Bath as well as other towns and cities including Harrogate, Milton Keynes and Reading.
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