Richard Caring buys Jamie Oliver’s Barbecoa site

Restaurant mogul Richard Caring, the man behind Sexy Fish and The Ivy, has bought Jamie Oliver’s former grill Barbecoa at One New Change in St. Paul’s, London.

Restauratuer Richard Caring has bought Jamie Oliver’s Barbecoa site in St. Paul’s

According to Eater London, Caring is currently in talks to buy three former Jamie’s Italian sites in London.

Eater reports that the Caprice Holdings boss may be looking to open a second Ivy Asia site, having debuted the brand concept in Manchester last year, which specialises in Asian-inspired cocktails and Southeast Asian sharing plates.

Oliver opened Barbecoa, which served meat cooked over fire, with his business partner Adam Perry Lang in 2010. Caring bought the site, which closed in May, from Oliver’s administrators, KPMG.

Having made his name as a fine dining maestro, Caring has more recently branched out into the casual dining sphere with his successful Ivy spin-offs that offer a more relaxed and affordable version of the Covent Garden original.

Jamie Oliver’s once successful restaurant empire collapsed in May when the celebrity chef filed for insolvency, putting 1,300 jobs at risk.

Oliver said at the time: “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.

“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 disrupting mid-market dining in the UK, 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. We did exactly that.”