Jamie Oliver to return to London restaurant scene with Theatre Royal Drury Lane opening

Chef Jamie Oliver has confirmed he will open a new restaurant in London's Theatre Royal Drury Lane towards the end of this year.

The new restaurant will have a seasonal menu that champions British produce. Food will be sourced from farmers, fisheries and artisan producers that Oliver has previously worked with, from Creedy Carver, which will supply free range chickens and ducks, to Cobble Lane Cured.

Theatre Royal Drury Lane in Covent Garden, owned and operated by Andrew Lloyd Webber's LW Theatres, is one of the world's oldest theatre sites. The venue reopened in 2021 following a two-year, £60m restoration, including the creation of four new F&B spaces. As the next stage of this restoration plan, the new restaurant will see the development of a new space adjacent to the main theatre at 6 Catherine Street.

Madeleine Lloyd Webber said: "We are delighted that, in opening this restaurant, the final part of our vision for Theatre Royal Drury Lane has come to fruition. We are thrilled that Jamie Oliver will be operating a restaurant as part of our five-star theatre experience.

"Our glorious theatre is open all day every day for everyone to enjoy the art and its glorious architecture, as well as luxury afternoon teas, cocktails and theatre tours. Jamie Oliver's restaurant brings the final touch to Andrew and my dream for an all-day destination at Theatre Royal Drury Lane."

Oliver said: "I was devastated when I lost my UK restaurants. Without doubt, it was one of the hardest times of my life. But being part of the restaurant industry is very important to me and I'm very excited to open this restaurant and once again, serve the public.

He added: "The menu will celebrate the amazing food I grew up cooking in my mum and dad's pub restaurant. It's about going back to my culinary roots and celebrating Britain's amazing food in what I hope will be an iconic restaurant in a very special place. This opportunity truly means the world to me."

Kevin Styles, chief executive of the Jamie Oliver Group, said: "Being a positive part of the hospitality sector is incredibly important to us. We've been quietly growing our international restaurant franchise business and now operate in 23 countries with over 70 restaurants. It has always been an ambition to return to our home market, when the time was right, and this feels like the perfect opportunity to open a very unique restaurant in a very unique venue that will celebrate beautiful, comforting dishes - old and new - from across the British Isles, reflecting the seasons, our rich and diverse food culture and supporting artisan producers. With the customer experience at the heart of everything we will do, we want to create great memories in a beautiful location."

The site will be Oliver's first restaurant opening since the collapse of his restaurant group in 2019. The closure of his 22 restaurants saw the loss of around 1,000 jobs across the Jamie's Italian, Barbecoa and Fifteen London brands.

The only restaurants from the Jamie Oliver Restaurant Group that survived the administration were three sites at Gatwick Airport, which were bought by SSP. Oliver signed a 10-year deal with contract caterer Aramark in 2018 and has since opened Jamie's Delis at Aberdeen Robert Gordon University and at JP Morgan's offices in Dublin.