A RESTAURANT owned by top TV chef Jamie Oliver is about to open its doors in the centre of York.

The Jamie’s Italian branch next to Guildhall will welcome its first diners on Monday, July 9 – and the man whose name it bears will be in the city next week to see the latest addition to his eating-out empire for himself.

Work has been taking place over the last few months on refurbishing a previously-unused part of the Grade II-listed building which also houses the Lendal Cellars pub and preparing the restaurant, which will create about 100 new jobs, for its unveiling.

It will have space for 225 customers inside and another 40 in an external dining area, with original features of the site, such as Tudor roof trusses and exposed brick walls, being retained through the scheme. The restaurant will also have an open kitchen, allowing diners to watch chefs at work.

Oliver, who shot to fame through his TV series The Naked Chef and spearheaded a highprofile campaign aimed at making school dinners healthier, will visit the site next week to meet staff and look round the restaurant.

When the news of its arrival was announced earlier this year, both Jamie’s Italian Ltd and The Press were inundated with requests for information about roles within the business after the company said it wanted to find chefs and front-of-house staff.

The chef has described the St Helen’s Square site as “a fantastic location” and said he had been looking to open a restaurant in the city “for some time”, having visited York on holiday as a child.

The building where the restaurant is to open dates back to the 17th Century and was once a wine cellar for the Lord Mayors of York, but the sections which have been taken over by Jamie’s Italian had been out of use for several years.

The York branch will be the 28th UK addition to the Jamie’s Italian chain, with its only other Yorkshire restaurant being in Leeds. It also has restaurants in Dublin, Sydney and Dubai.