Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen restaurant in Amsterdam goes bust

After failing to pay rent of some €225,000 to the new owner of its warehouse location on the IJ.

The owners of the Dutch Fifteen, who were paying €25,000 a month in rent, hope to relaunch at a cheaper location elsewhere, the Volkskrant reported.

‘The financial problems have been going on for some time,’ joint owner Coen Alwijnse told the paper. ‘I’ve been trying to turn the tide for 2.5 years but I’ve regrettably not managed it. Bankruptcy is the only way the restaurant has a future.’

The Fifteen concept was launched by the British cook Oliver to train youngsters from a disadvantaged background for careers in the restaurant business. Oliver does not have a financial interest in the Dutch operation, which opened in 2004.

Alewijnse said his top priority is finding new places for the eight trainees currently working at the Amsterdam restaurant to complete their programmes.