Jamie Oliver's new London restaurant part of 'five-year plan'

Jamie Oliver's new UK restaurant is set to be positioned as more ‘premium' than the collapsed Jamie's Italian chain, bosses have said.

The chef is set to return to the London restaurant scene this year with the opening of a site at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane in Covent Garden, which is operated by Andrew Lloyd Webber's theatre company.

Kevin Styles, who was hired as chief executive of the Jamie Oliver Group last year, told the Sunday Times the opening would be "polished" but "accessible" and serve pre-theatre and children's menus across its approximately 150 covers.

He did not confirm whether the concept would be spun out into a chain but said the launch was part of a five-year plan for the business.

Styles told the paper: "We are not going into the mid-market. It is a more premium positioning. We are doing one and seeing how it goes. We know when you get this right . . . that there are very healthy returns to be made."

The restaurant is currently unnamed, but Styles told the Sunday Times two possible titles both included Oliver's name.

The site's menu will champion British produce which Oliver said would go back to his culinary roots.

Jamie's Italian reached 36 sites at its peak and over 1,000 jobs were lost when the chef's wider restaurant business collapsed in May 2019 with the closure of its Jamie's Italian, Barbecoa and Fifteen London brands.

The chef's international business continues to expand and has 70 sites across 23 different countries.

The promoter for its arm in India has predicted it could reach over 200 locations in the country under the Jamie's Italian, Jamie's Pizzeria and Jamie's Diner brands.