In 2002, British restaurateur and television celebrity-chef, James Trevor “Jamie” Oliver opened Fifteen, a nonprofit restaurant and bar in London. As a social enterprise, this restaurant would later operate as part of a charity called Foundation Fifteen (renamed Jamie Oliver Food Foundation subsequently). The restaurant offered jobs to unemployed teenagers and every year it allows a group to graduate as chefs from the kitchen. The restaurant was named after the first 15 unprivileged became chefs after receiving the required necessary training and development at the restaurant. All the profits earned from the business are ploughed back by the foundation into the training and development of the youth.

Oliver is the author of several best-selling cookery books and is the owner of various restaurant chains throughout the UK. In 2017, Richtopia listed him as the third most influential British entrepreneur with a net worth of around $310 million. As a father of five children, Oliver has expressed the importance of healthy eating. He has been involved in a number of controversial schemes to improve the diet of children, to reduce sugar in foods, and to encourage home cooking rather than a reliance on packaged foods.

Having few formal qualifications and being dyslexic, Oliver wanted the purpose of his social enterprise to be a source of inspiration for disadvantaged young people, including those who are unemployed, homeless, and with drug or alcohol dependencies. Jamie Oliver’s success is based not only on his talent as a chef, but also on his behavior. He can be abrupt, but consumers connect with his down-to-Earth approach.

He isn’t scared of taking risks and has invested millions of dollars into the Fifteen project under the foundation. He has spent a great deal of his time and money to help convince numerous British children to give up fast food. Where necessary, he has taken government assistance for investments of more than $400 million toward school meals—improvement of facilities, recipes, and training.

In January 2017, Oliver announced that he would be closing six of his for-profit restaurants by the end of the first quarter. Simon Blagden, the CEO of Jamie Oliver Restaurant Group, that operated several restaurant brands owned by Jamie Oliver, blamed the decision on the uncertainty arising out of Brexit and the UK’s decision to leave the European Union (EU). The closures affected around 5 percent of the chain’s total workforce. Most of those who were affected found alternative employment in other restaurants under the chain. However, financial problems continued, and in 2019 the Jamie Oliver restaurant chains collapsed, and the restaurant group went into administration. As a result of the financial pressures, the foundation was not able to receive the needed funds to continue and was also shut down in 2019. Nevertheless, Jaime Oliver is not deterred by the recent developments and has new plans to start new social enterprises in the future to promote healthy eating.

Although most of Jamie Oliver group of restaurants along with his foundation have shut down, the Fifteen restaurant in Cornwall, UK, which is operated as a franchise under Cornwall Charity is unaffected and continues its noble mission of helping young individuals to become the better chefs of tomorrow. It is now independently owned and run by a registered charity. Jamie Oliver’s social mission lives on.47 \

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

10-1. Entrepreneurs are important because of the impact they have on the world around them. List and explain the different ways that Jamie Oliver’s foundation benefitted its community.
10-2. What characteristics do you think Jamie Oliver has that have helped make his various enterprises a success?

10-3. The decision to close down the restaurants would have been a difficult one for Oliver to have made. How should an entrepreneur tackle such downturns?
10-4. Many entrepreneurs want to grow their businesses. How can an entrepreneur, like Oliver, develop their ventures in the future?