"I feel so sorry for him": Ben O'Donoghue reveals why Jamie Oliver's Aussie restaurants really shut down
Jamie Oliver’s celebrity chef friend, Aussie Ben O’Donoghue, has spoken out about the collapse of Oliver’s Australian restaurant chain.
O’Donoghue believes the downfall of Jamie’s Italian restaurants is due to Australian families needing to tighten their budgets.
“I empathise so much with (Oliver). It's a really tough business. Rent is high, it's expensive to employ people and give good quality product,” O'Donoghue told the Courier Mail.
"People have to cut discretionary spending. Attendance is down. I feel sorry for Jamie. I've spoken to him and he's expressed the same things."
Last month, it was revealed that Jamie Oliver’s Australian restaurant group went into voluntary administration, forcing the immediate closure of the Canberra eatery.
Jamie Oliver had bought the Italian restaurant chain back from failed hospitality group the Keystone Group just two years ago.
Restaurants in Perth, Brisbane, Sydney and Adelaide will now partner with the Hallmark Group.
On Channel 9’s new series, Eat Well For Less, O’Donoghue will help families find out where they can cut more than $10,000 out of their annual grocery spend.
Since taking the new TV opportunity, O’Donoghue has been using his own advice to cut down on his family’s shopping bill.
"Our grocery spend will be over $300 and it's down to $220 to $250 now," he said.
"What stands out is unnecessary purchases that we make."
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