Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver’s last Australian restaurant has closed down while still owing $1 million.
Jamie Oliver Pizzeria at Pacific Fair went into voluntary administration last month after four years in the Gold Coast location.
Hallmark Hospitality Group – the company who managed the restaurant – director Matt Heanen told administrators the restaurant had just $7336 in the bank, the Gold Coast Bulletin reports.
It had accumulated just over $1 million in debt including $91,000 in rent and $915,00 owed to other parties.
The restaurant owners – Pizzeria Pacific Fair – issued a statement thanking customers for their patronage of the venue over the past four years.
“After four years of operation, Jamie Oliver’s Pizzeria closed its doors at Pacific Fair on August 23,” a spokesperson said.
“We know the Jamie Oliver brand is loved by patrons locally and internationally, and we are currently seeking new location opportunities for Jamie Oliver’s Pizzeria restaurants.
“We want to thank our customers, employees, suppliers, and the Gold Coast community for their support of the Pacific Fair venue.”
It is the last of the celebrity chefs restaurants to shut their doors in Australia with Jamie’s Italian restaurants closing in four cities during the Covid lockdown in March 2020.
Hallmark Hospitality Group manages a number of Queensland nightclubs and restaurants, including Finn McCool’s and Retro’s in Brisbane and the Gold Coast.
Anne Meagher and Matt Bookless of SV Partners were appointed as administrators to oversee the process.
Oliver will return to Australia in November to appear in a talk at Sydney Opera House‘s Concert Hall in conversation with MasterChef host Melissa Leong.