JOBS have been lost after Jamie Oliver’s chain of restaurants appointed administrators and closed, including the Brighton branch.


Jamie’s Italian Limited, which owns 23 Jamie’s Italian restaurants and a further 15 Barbecoa steak restaurants, has gone into administration.


The business said it had appointed KPMG as its administrators and further plans are expected to be announced soon.


Jamie’s Italian has locations in Brighton’s Black Lion Street and at Gatwick Airport.


In a statement Mr Oliver, who made his name as a TV chef, said: “I am deeply saddened by this outcome and would like to thank all of the staff and our suppliers who have put their hearts and souls into this business for more than a decade.


“I appreciate how difficult this is for everyone affected.


“I would also like to thank all the customers who have enjoyed and supported us over the last decade, it’s been a real pleasure serving you.


“We launched Jamie’s Italian in 2008 with the intention of positively disrupting mid-market dining in the UK high street, with great value and much higher quality ingredients, best-in-class animal welfare standards and an amazing team who shared my passion for great food and service.


“And we did exactly that.”


Many said that it was disappointing that the restaurant had closed but that it had not come as a surprise. 


Jonathan Currie, who works in office blocks opposite the Brighton restaurant, said: “We used to get tourists taking pictures of the building all the time, but I don’t know if they knew Jamie Oliver didn’t actually work there. 


“It was never packed but there were normally people out front and it looked good. I thought it might had been popular, but there’s thousands of restaurants around here. It’s still a shame though.”


Steve Gee and Rosemary Marshall added that it was only a matter of time before the restaurant closed. 
Mr Gee said: “It was having trouble last year. 


“I’m not surprised that any restaurant chain goes down these days.”


Ms Marshall added: “It’s not just Brighton, it’s the whole chain. It’s just a sign of the times.”


In 2018 Jamie’s Italian closed 12 of the 37 restaurants that existed at the time.


Now it appears the rest have followed suit. 


Jamie’s Italian opened in Brighton in 2009 as part of a £15 million redevelopment in Black Lion Street.


The revamp included the addition of office blocks and a karaoke bar.