Jamie's Italian restaurant chain has called in the administrators, after failing to stay afloat on its own.
The move puts 1,300 jobs at risk across 25 restaurants - with KPMG set be announced later today to handle the administration process.
Jamie Oliver 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 over a decade.
"I appreciate how difficult this is for everyone affected."
The celebrity chef's chain opened its first site in Oxford in 2008.
Last year it emerged the TV chef's restaurant empire owed staff £2.2million and was in £71.5million of debt.
In February 2018, the company announced the closure of 12 of its 37 restaurants, seeing 450 job losses in places including Bristol, Reading and Harrogate.
Last year, Jamie Oliver blamed Brexit on the closure of six of his Jamie's Italian branches. He said poor trading conditions, rising food and staffing costs, and a weakening pound.
It's not the first time the TV chef has been forced to shut restaurants, with 60 staff losing their jobs after Oliver star closed his Barbecoa steak restaurant in London’s Piccadilly last year.
Simon Mydlowski, partner at law firm Gordons and hospitality industry expert, said: “The high street restaurant sector is changing at an incredible pace and it seems Jamie’s is the latest brand that was not able to keep up. To be successful in this sector you have to be constantly evolving – from the menus and the drinks choice, to the way you engage with customers.
“A number of suppliers will have been caught unawares here, perhaps showing a little too much trust in the Jamie Oliver name, but this is not the first big restaurant chain to have suffered and it won’t be the last.
"Faced with higher rent, rising food prices and increased competition, restaurants need a point of difference - it’s no coincidence that smaller brands with the freedom and flexibility to keep things fresh are currently the ones performing well.”
High street hell: Retailers that have shut in the past 18 months - and who's next
Jamie's Italian - current locations
- Angel - London
- Birmingham
- Brighton
- Cambridge
- Cambridge Pizzeria
- Cardiff
- Edinburgh
- Gatwick Airport
- Glasgow
- Guilford
- Covent Garden - London
- Liverpool
- Leeds
- London Bridge
- Manchester
- Nottingham
- Oxford
- Piccadilly Circus - London
- Victoria - London
- Victoria Pizzeria - London
- Westfield Shepherds' Bush
- Westfield Stratford
- York
