Jurassic-themed restaurants close to extinction with 67 jobs at risk

A Kettering-headquartered chain of dinosaur-themed restaurants suddenly closed – just months after being put up for sale.

Blacks Business Brokers was instructed to market Jurassic Alive, the operator of the Jurassic Grill chain, last October – with a guide price of £1.3m to take over the business.

The business was founded in 2019 by Jozef Mordawska and Natalie Matts with a single site in Kettering

Now, the venues at Kettering and Rushden Lakes in Northamptonshire have told staff not to come into work and are not accepting bookings, says the BBC. Another outlet in Hampshire has also ceased trading.

The fate of a fourth venue, in Loch Lomond in Scotland, is unclear.

The company employed some 67 staff. Blacks was marketing the firm saying that in its most recent financial year Jurassic Alive posted turnover of £1.59m, achieving gross profit of £1.05m. Projected turnover for the financial year ending 30 November 2023 was £3.2m.

One anonymous employee told the BBC: “We received a notification on Monday that we would be contacted in due course by an insolvency practitioner with more information to claim our wages.

“We were told the Kettering, Rushden Lakes and Whiteley stores will be closed immediately along with a thank you for all our dedication and commitment to the company.”

The employee added: “We sort-of guessed the company was struggling as we’ve had issues with getting paid the past three months.”

In October, Callum Pollard, associate director at Blacks Business Brokers, said, “Over a period of just four years our clients have built a really significant business. It has a unique theme, great locations, and superb reviews online.

“The Jurassic Grill brand is just getting started and has already sparked interest that could lead to international expansion, so there is amazing potential here for a new owner, whether that be an existing hospitality group, an entrepreneur or an investor, to take these foundations and build the next big thing in casual dining. On a day-to-day basis the staff and managers are delivering an offering that is proving incredibly popular, so the opportunity here really is massive.”