Thursday, 16 October 2014

Costa Del Nightmares - Quelcuttis Tapas - CLOSED

Chef Gordon Ramsay visits Setla, Spain to help turn around Quelcuttis Tapas, a tapas restaurant and bar. Del and Sue Quelcutti opened the place with the view to passing it on to their children. Del's dad was Spanish so him and wife Sue decided to invest their retirement fund with their children all working in the restaurant. Joe runs the bar with Ruby helps out and self taught Terry cooks in the kitchen. We are introduced to the unpopular breakfast burger. Del and Sue wanted the place to be a restaurant but Joe and Terry are more interested in running it as a bar, as a result the food has been neglected. The business is losing £10,000 a month, they have one season left and the family haven't paid themselves in a year. Gordon arrives in the town and is directed to the restaurant. He meets Del and Sue and has a talk outside the restaurant. They tell Gordon that the children are giving away free drinks, have no business sense, lack responsibility and don't listen to them. Gordon arrives and meets Joe, Ruby and Terry and notices that it looks more like a pub.

 Gordon is impressed with the area but not impressed with the boozers. No one is in charge, they all like to think they are all in charge and even worse, they get hammered after service. Gordon decides to try the food and tries to order food but salmon is unavailable. He orders swordfish, salad and chips and a chicken kiev. He is given a pork on toast amuse bouche and finds the pork is dry, bland and greasy. Terry can't find any kievs and goes back to tell Gordon so he orders a gourmet burger instead. Terry disappears into the corner to get a frozen burger bun out of the freezer in the corner. Terry stands there staring before being told to go away and Joe offers him some wine with his meal which is from "this bottle". Gordon asks for a sick bag for his burger and the wine tastes like diesel gone wrong. Gordon looks through the fridge and finds some really old Serrano ham. Gordon confronts them about their drinking, opening up about his father's death through alcoholism and they throw away all the old food.

 The next day Gordon is questioning their commitment and they begin to realise they need to change. Gordon visits the market and brings fresh food to challenge them to cook with fresh food for 15 locals.  Joe fails to impress at front of house, back chatting to the customers and Terry struggles to get the food out of the kitchen. The customers aren't impressed with the food, one does enjoy the salmon but not the side dishes. Del and Sue arrive for lunch to witness Joe's customer service first hand, they aren't impressed as Joe argues with regular customers. A customer Neve finds a cockroach and tells Gordon about it, Joe kind of accuses it of being planted but fails to say who he thinks planted it. A rather merry customer Keith starts helping out behind the bar with taking drinks out to other customers. Gordon comes to the conclusion that Joe is the biggest problem and takes Ruby aside. Gordon calls a family meeting, Joe thinks the service was a success but in reality it was a disaster. The family write heartfelt letters to each other, cue the tears, even Gordon is welling up. Gordon gives Terry a crash course in cooking tapas using fresh ingredients including fish stew, the family sample the food and they enjoy it. Gordon asks Joe to match a drink to the dish and he struggles as he isn't familiar with wine. He spits wine into a glass and re drinks it.  Gordon takes the staff to another restaurant to work with their staff to learn how a successful restaurant runs, they cook, serve and taste wine. 

Gordon revamps the restaurant, removing the pool table and adding pictures of the family to add a personal touch. They are relaunching as a tapas restaurant with a mix of fresh tapas dishes and great wines. For relaunch night, the restaurant is fully booked and Sue is helping out for the evening. Joe pushes the wine but hasn't put any food orders through. He over compensates by putting all of the orders in at once, putting the pressure on the kitchen. Terry begins to struggle but holds it together. Gordon reveals that he has invited a special guest, the Mayor who Joe neglects. The customers love the new food and the wine, the regulars aren't happy with the new prices but Joe manages to get them on side with the price changes. Overall, the relaunch was a success.

What Happened Next?
Gordon returns a month later for a surprise visit, the restaurant is busy, they are making money, paying themselves a wage and no longer drinking in the restaurant. Terry is enjoying cooking in the kitchen and they have added their own dishes to the menu. Reviews since Gordon's visit appear to be very positive, with compliments on the friendly service, food and entertainment also offered.

Mark Haggan's comments on his visit are that "The food was excellent, and remarkably well priced. The staff were great, and could not have been more friendly or helpful. If you find yourself in the area, it’s certainly worth a visit."

The restaurant closed in August 2015, owner Joe blames the changes that Gordon made for the closure and reveals that his relationship with his brother Mark is at the worst it had been.

Extra Reading

Gordon Ramsay’s magic touch fails as British pub he helped turn into trendy tapas bar closes down

Quelcuttis Tapas Trip Advisor

Quelcuttis tapas FB Page

The Musings of Mark Haggan - Quelcutti’s Tapas, Els Poblets: Gordon Ramsey visits the Costas

Gordon Ramsay helps Sue and Del at Quelcutti restaurant on Ramsay’s Costa del Nightmares

Wednesday, 8 October 2014

Costa Del Nightmares - La Granada Divino - OPEN

Chef Gordon Ramsay visits Gaucin, Spain to visit La Granada Divino, he arrives to the town on his bicycle in some tight lycra to a restaurant that has only been open 8 weeks, this is Gordon's youngest kitchen nightmare and is owned by Milan and wife Gina. They invested their entire retirement fund in creating their dream restaurant. They recruited head chef Neil based on some pate on a stick at a Christmas fayre and expect him to manage the restaurant as well as cook in the kitchen. The restaurant has no customers, is losing £4,000 a week and they are blaming Neil. Gordon arrives and find that the restaurant is empty, he finally finds the owners on a rooftop terrace where Gina tells him they serve pizza as people get fed up of Spanish food. The restaurant is on multiple levels but their lift is broken. Gordon sits down to order food, the waitress suggests a fish cake and kebab, he also orders a terrine, risotto, lentil salad and steak. The pate looks like something out of the 80's and tastes of nothing, the risotto arrives 40 minutes later, looks like a Barbies doll house and is undercooked, the salad is terrible and the steak is tough. Gordon meets Chef Neil who likes fiddling with knives and seems to take Gordon's criticism quite well, which is a nice change. 

Gordon arrives for a dinner service, he has invited 50 guest to dine for the evening. Neil has two cooks to help in the kitchen but they seem to be only preparing salads. As Neil is doing everything he begins to cut corners to be able to send food out whilst the two chefs stand there watching. Gina is drinking wine on the terrace and admits she has never seen him in the kitchen for a service. Two hours in to the service and only half of the customers have had their food. Neil has lost control of the kitchen and fish has been left to over cook, Neil decides to throw it away and recook it. The customers aren't impressed, they can cook better at home and say they won't return. Gordon meets with the owners who admit that they never even did a background check on Neil. Gordon calls some contacts to check Neil's credentials who reveals he was a seafood chef and seemed to be distracted. He was never Head Chef as Scott's or Harvey Nicks and his old co-workers don't believe he is Head Chef material. Neil tells Gordon that he has never said he was running restaurants or put it on his CV, the owners have come up with that themselves. Gordon tells Neil that he needs to delegate and communicate with the rest of the staff, Neil reflects that things need to change. They all meet and come to the conclusion that it is all of their fault for the restaurants failure. Gordon challenges Milan to run front of house and Gina to cook in the kitchen with Neil. Neil struggles to communicate and Milan struggles in the front of house, failing to find ice and sweating. Gordon is forced to apologise to customers on behalf of the owners and the food takes two hours to reach the customers. Gina and Milan finally see Neil's struggles, Gordon tells them they have expected too much of him and asks them to promise to fix the lift. Instead they chat outside the front of the restaurant and discuss replacing Neil. 

Gordon suggests a roast chicken special to be served at the table to take some pressure off of the kitchen using fresh, local ingredients. Gordon tries to lighten Neil up and make him more approachable to customers. For the evening service, Gordon asks Neil to delegate tasks to the chefs to help take pressure off and the waitresses are pushing the chicken special creating less work for all. Neil leaves the kitchen to speak to diners in the restaurant and the customers enjoy the food. Milan, Gina and Gordon take to the streets with samples to promote the restaurant and gain new customers. A new menu is devised featuring Spanish inspired food and sharing plates, the kebab is gone and Gordon has fixed the lift to improve the service and take some pressure off of the wait staff. Gordon suggests that Emily is made the manager of the restaurant which is supported by the owners. 

For relaunch night, Gordon tells the staff to try and sell 3 courses to the customers, starters, sharing plates and desert. Gordon reveals that he has invited the top, local food critic to dine with them this evening and the restaurant is fully booked with 60 customers in the restaurant. Communication is good and the sharing plates are taking the pressure off of Neil in the kitchen and are going down well with the customers. Neil starts to slip, Gordon tries to pull  him back but disaster strikes when they sell out of sharing platters and Neil has to serve individual dishes. Neil slips into bad habits, the communication slips into nothing and the cook tries to send out food before it is ready. Gordon gives them a pep talk and the communication recovers with great food leaving the kitchen. The food critic brands it the best restaurant in Gaucin with great prices and he is particularly impressed with the lamb chops. 

What Happened Next? Since Gordon left they are taking £5,000 a week and Gina and Milan have taken a step back from the restaurant allowing the staff to run the restaurant. Reviews since Gordon's visit appear to be very positive, with compliments on the service, food and presentation of the food and they appear to have kept the concept of sharing platters that Gordon introduced.

Extra Reading

La Granada Divino Trip Advisor Reviews

Review: La Granada Divino, Gaucin

Gordon Ramsay visits Gaucin and Restaurant La Granada Divino

Wednesday, 1 October 2014

Costa Del Nightmares - Le Deck - OPEN

Chef Gordon Ramsay visits Capbreton in the South West of France, arriving in a beautiful convertible Morgan. Tim and Debbie Wall who emigrated to France 28 years ago,  met as holiday reps and married 6 years later. They opened 3 ski restaurants in the Alps before settling in Biarritz when they had children. Le Deck was opened 3 years ago to replicate their previously successful restaurants, using the 1 million euros profit he had made. The restaurant however has not been so successful and is losing £50,000 a year. Gordon surprises them by arriving early as he hadn't told them he was arriving on that day. He arrives mid afternoon and the place is empty, he meets the General Manager and is surprised to see the Head Chef Steve lingering in the mezzanine in the restaurant, which Gordon discovers is makeshift housing for Steve and 7 other workers! A swarm of staff appear from outside and various rooms inside the restaurant. The staff eat a leisurely delux lunch of steak and chocolate mousse whilst Gordon remarks about the 25 Euros set menu. Owner Tim arrives close to service starting and is not impressed that the staff is eating steak and tells them they are taking the p***. Gordon is straight in the restaurant and catches Steve sneaking past a bag of frozen red mullet. Steve defends the steak by saying they were in a rush, Steve walks off when Gordon talks to him about this. Tim rants about the steak some more and is clearly on edge.

Gordon sits down to order some food, he orders fruits de mer en croute, the Le Deck Burger and their specialty dish the Le Deck Fish Salad. The fruits de mer en Croute is greasy with no pastry, the Le Deck Burger is raw and ice cold and the Le Deck Salad is just as bad. Gordon comments that the mussels aren't cleaned with beards and the prawns smell. Gordon asks Tim about the prawns, he tells Gordon they frozen on board the ship after being caught in Argentina. Gordon fills the restaurant for the evening with 60 guests, half the capacity of the restaurant,  to test the kitchen. Steve tells Gordon that it isn't his menu, it is Tim's and he isn't able to change it. The orders flood in and the kitchen struggles to get the food out on time and some diners are left waiting for 45 minutes. Tim tries to take over and tells them to get the food out. More customers arrive and the kitchen runs out of food, the kitchen asks him to stop taking orders so they can check what is left but Tim keeps asking for items they have run out of. With more guests arriving and Tim allowing this to happen Manager Chris is sent out to buy/borrow more meat from another restaurant. Gordon tells Tim after service that he is speechless at how he was running around and couldn't believe that he allowed more walk in customers when they were struggling with the 60 booked in. Tim tells him that he hates refusing people as he needs the money. Steve tells Tim he has to answer all questions on the food as it is his menu.

The next day,  Tim tells Debbie he wants to spend more time with the children. Gordon arrives at their house to talk about finances, Tim doesn't think about the money when he has an idea. Gordon doesn't want them to lose their house (which is stunningly beautiful by the way) and insists they need to look deeper at the finances. Debbie tells him they can walk away if it continues to get worse, Tim says he is willing to change. Gordon takes Tim to a local oyster place to eat oysters and talk business. Tim talks some randomness about shirts and t shirts and confuses Gordon. Gordon talks to Steve who admits he has lost some passion and takes him to the local fish market. Gordon wants Steve to create a locally sourced fish special, Gordon discovers that Steve can't speak a word of French and struggles to order the fish with the French names. Gordon tells Steve that he needs to hear his voice. Steve and Stuey have created their own fish specials, Steve's is sole with green beans and lentils and Stuey's is curried monk fish with a salad of mango, rocket and beansprout salad. Tim loves the specials and Gordon bans Tim from the kitchen. The specials are popular and the customers love them but Tim struggles with the changes and being excluded from the kitchen. Gordon supplies the team with some local oysters to devise 4 new oyster dishes and 4 new cocktails to accompany them. Tim is told to take Debbie out for dinner for the evening away from the restaurant. Debbie tells him they need to have more time together as a family and they will only get this if he stops being a control freak at the restaurant. Gordon is impressed by what the staff have come up with and so is Tim and Debbie. Tim is agitated because the staff have such excellent ideas(?). He gets angry and screams at the staff for being brilliant but scruffy (?). Everyone is shocked by Tim's outburst. Tim and Debbie argue outside, Debbie tells him he doesn't deserve respect. 

The next day, Tim and Debbie arrive at the restaurant, they go into the dining room and Tim tells the staff that he has been like a tornado and not communicating. Tim decides to paint the walls white and has delegated the staff to paint the walls. The front of house staff have given the restaurant a makeover and now it is to the kitchen staff to take care of the new smaller menu with locally sourced fish being the focus. Gordon brings Tim and Debbie to the restaurant, showing them the new sign and the lack of the huge gazebo and the new oyster bar outsourced with a local supplier giving them a percentage from sales. The new menu pleases Tim and he hugs Gordon, Tim is in tears and is pleased with his staff, congratulating them on the transformation. 

For relaunch, Tim is placed as Front of House with Gordon overseeing the kitchen. The oysters are popular but Tim lets customers in without checking the bookings or crossing them off their reservation list. The kitchen begins to push out the dishes but struggles as more guests arrive and misreads a ticket so leaves out a starter for one customer. Steve takes control of the kitchen whereas Tim stresses over portion size. Gordon reminds him that for 6 Euros the portion is more than adequate. Gordon promises to throw him in the port if he continues to interfere. The customers especially the locals love the food and fresh fish dishes. Tim consults with the kitchen before offering out more tables to walk in and with fish taking less time to cook, they are quickly turning tables. They have also sold over 160 oysters within the first hour of the relaunch. The relaunch is a success, the kitchen have stepped up to the plate and they have made over 2000 Euros on one service.

What Happened Next? Over the past month, Le Deck is averaging 15,000-20,000 per week and Stuey is now the Head Chef as Steve has returned to the mountains. Tim is taking a step back and allowing the staff to do their jobs. Reviews on Trip Advisor are mixed since Gordon visited the restaurant with complaints mainly focusing on poor service. There are also negatives about food prices and quality. 

Extra Reading

Le Deck FB Page

Le Deck Twitter Page

Wednesday, 24 September 2014

Costa Del Nightmares - Mayfair / Jacks Chicken Shack - OPEN

Chef Gordon Ramsay visits Fuengirola, Spain to help turn around Mayfair Restaurante, run by South Londoner Pat and her Spanish husband Jack. They met whilst Pat was on holiday in the 60s,  settled in England but moved back to Spain 28 years ago. Jack is an eccentric hoarder with a fridge full of tools. They ran a successful restaurant in London and when they moved back they opened the restaurant in Spain. The restaurant is outdated and Jacks children especially son John criticise the restaurant but their father doesn't listen. The restaurant is no longer making money and is losing money every day. Gordon arrives at Mayfair and comments that every other restaurant is full but theirs is empty. He sits down with the owners to discuss the restaurant and finds a Native American mask, shoes and other random stuff in a broken freezer. Gordon finds another broken freezer and another room full of hoarded clutter, that has been there 6 years. The restaurant has been restricted in size to make room for his hoarding. Pat reveals she has sold her house and is using money from the sale to support the business. Son John is willing and ready to take over the business but Jack won't step aside. The tapas counter reveals more horrors as raw and cooked meat is stored next to each other. The kitchen is no better with filth coating the surfaces, pre-cooked spaghetti and mouldy oranges. Fresh produce is dumped on top of old produce and Jack is buying fresh food everyday. Gordon discovers a rotting chicken at the back of the fridge and he says it was cooked 4 days ago but in reality it was much longer ago. Gordon orders the kitchen and restaurant to be closed based on his findings. John is clearly frustrated by the state of the kitchen, in his father and Chef Juan.

Gordon comes back the next day and Jack has cleaned the kitchen and everything is better organised. Gordon sits down to order some food, he orders a tortilla and is offered ketchup or brown sauce. He asks whether it was made fresh as the potatoes taste rotten, he asks if it went in the microwave and is told no. Next he is served a fried fish dish, with calamari and squid, which he says is rubbery and sloppy. Gordon tells Juan to taste it and he says it is fine. Jack takes over in the kitchen and serves Gordon a 2 day old chicken, it is dry and cold. Gordon orders John to taste the sauce and he finds it revolving, Jack tastes it and calls it salty. Jack walks out whilst Gordon tells Pat it's a joke. Jack is stubborn and in denial and doesn't listen to John. Daughter Marie agrees Jack is hard headed and says Pat also blocks it out, John and Jack often disagree and argue. Gordon puts down a line and tells Jack he isn't to enter and if he crosses the link he'll put him in the sea, John is to run the restaurant and Juan is not to use a microwave.

The restaurant is full and Juan is under pressure to cook from fresh, Jack is out front charming the customers but the kitchen is falling apart. Juan is reacting to the loss of the microwave by overcooking meat.  Jack refuses to sack Juan as he feels sorry for him but at 1500 euros a month, he is the biggest drain on the owners finances. The customers aren't happy with being left to wait and the substandard food that has been received. Customers have walked away without paying and son John is furious. John also runs a car rental firm and Gordon visits him at the business, John is losing money on this business too. The cars are falling apart and 40,000 euros came from his parents. Gordon tells him to sell this failing business to try and be able to save the failing restaurant. Gordon orders them to declutter the restaurant whilst he visits the other restaurants and sees that the restaurants are all serving the same menus. Gordon returns and finds Jack struggling to let go of much from the restaurant, Pat tells him everything is going and nothing is going back to their home. With the clutter gone the restaurant size has doubled and this means more earning potential for the restaurant. Gordon asks John to sell the cars and business and try and pay back his father. 

Gordon reveals a new sign funded by £300 from selling Jacks junk, Gordon reveals idea of the restaurant being a fried chicken shack but with a twist. The restaurant has been repainted with a fresh coat of paint and more tables have been added. Gordon shows them how to make the fried chicken from freshly bought and prepared chicken, the menu is very simple and cost effective and the family love the new fried chicken. There are sauces and salads to up sell to customers to help boost income.  Jack, John and Pat are in the town promoting the restaurant in chicken suits. A new chef has been hired and Juan is demoted to pot washer. 

For opening night, there are all hands on deck with the whole family in the restaurant. The kitchen is prepared but front of house have messed up and given 5 big orders to the kitchen all at once. Gordon orders them to stop taking orders for 5 minutes to give them space. Food is taken out by Jack after struggling to find the correct table but there is confusion as the server hasn't told them what the food is. Front of house is suffering. Gordon despairs as Jack returns to the kitchen with raw chicken which has been rushed out. More and more raw chicken returns to the kitchen and Gordon orders them to slow down and work as a team. John steps in and supports the kitchen and the kitchen is running smoothly. The customers are happy with the food despite the wait and they have made over 700 Euros. 

What Happened Next?
Gordon returns to the restaurant 4 weeks later and they have kept the chicken theme for the restaurant. Gordon arrives at lunch time and the restaurant is busy. Another Juan has been hired to replace Juan and the kitchen has kept up the cleaning regime. They are averaging 500 Euros a day and John has sold the cars but hasn't repaid his parents a penny from the sale. John has control but he hasn't managed to persuade Jack to retire. John writes an IOU to his parents and it is put inside the till. In the 3 months prior to airing, they are averaging £1500 a week, John has sold 2 cars but still hasn't paid his parents back. Recent reviews however tell of overpriced, disappointing food. The owners have reported that both customer satisfaction and sales are up.

Twitter user Chris, visited the restaurant in June 2014, below is his experience....

Extra Reading

Jacks Chicken Shack Review - Spanish Food Blog

TV chef Gordon Ramsay transforms Fuengirola restaurant while filming in Spain

Gordon Ramsay brings his 'pesadilla' to Costa- Google Chrome Will Translate This

Sunday, 18 May 2014

US Season 7 - Bella Luna - CLOSED

Chef Gordon Ramsay visits Bella Luna in Easton, PA, an Italian restaurant owner by Rosario Scollo. She bought the restaurant for her son Gianfranco to celebrate him completing culinary school. The restaurant is a family run business with Rosario's son Maurizio also working in the restaurant as Manager. The customers aren't thrilled with the poorly cooked food or the hairs that have been found in dishes. The décor is terrible, manager Traci thinks it looks like a morgue, she also criticises Rosario's leadership skills and believes her to be very disorganised. Gordon arrives at the restaurant and is pounced on by Traci, who throws herself upon Gordon, and is clearly pleased to see him! Gordon enters the restaurant and sits down with Rosario who assures him that they only serve fresh food and never use frozen food. She believes that the customers are the problem, that they are used to poor quality frozen food that they are unable to appreciate freshly cooked, authentic Italian dishes. 

Gordon sits down to sample the food and orders the Mussells Marinara, Veal Saltimbooca and a Penne pasta dish. Gordon tastes the strange looking veal dish and is not impressed, it is over cooked, under seasoned and there is too much flour in the sauce. The penne pasta dish is just as unimpressive. Gordon hands some yellowing herbs to Traci and declares that it tastes like baby vomit. Finally the Mussels Marinara is brought out to Gordon, which has very few mussels and plenty of marinara sauce. Gordon finds the mussels chewy and asks whether they are frozen, it is confirmed they are frozen, despite Rosario's assurance that everything is fresh... Gordon goes to speak to Gianfranco about the frozen mussels and his defense is that the menu is so large they can't keep fresh mussels as they would not sell them, he wants to take them off the menu.

Gordon returns to observe a dinner service and with Gordon in town the place is fuller than usual. He discovers that they don't have tickets for orders, just scraps of paper with orders written on. The cooks defrost shrimps in the microwave, Gordon finds that frozen chicken has been defrosting in a sink and begins to question Rosario's claims of everything being fresh. Gordon decides it is time to inspect the walk-in and freezer and finds container after container of frozen chicken. Rosario tells him that they buy the chicken in fresh and then freeze it, which somehow doesn't mean that they are serving frozen food, she continues to insist that the food is fresh. The walk-in is no better, there is mouldy food and food well on it's way to being mouldy. Rosario has the usual excuse of the produce being her own or being stored for someone or something else. Gordon tells Traci to shut down the service and ask the guests to leave. Gordon tries to talk to Rosario who continues to be in denial about the restaurant.  

The next Gordon sets up a fake trial in a public building and puts all the staff on trial. The crimes are the usual, Rosario is too laid back and lets people walk all over her and Gianfranco has lost his passion in the kitchen. Everyone goes on the defence of their crimes and the trial is over. Gordon isn't finished yet though and brings in locals who have previously dined at Bella Luna. The main complaints are about the poor food and one woman believes she had sour, off cannelloni. After the court room, Gordon brings everyone back to Bella Luna, which has had a makeover over night with new furniture and new tableware. There is a new menu, which has been significantly cut down and is made only with fresh food.

For relaunch evening, Gordon invites the disgruntled customers from the earlier town hall trial. They are impressed with the décor and after some hiccups with the service they are impressed with the food. The relaunch services starts smoothly but Gianfranco struggles with the new ordering system on proper tickets. He tries to send out the most ridiculous lasagne and Gordon catches him doing so. He takes him outside and shouts at him to get it together before chucking the lasagne on the floor. The relaunch was a success overall, despite some hiccups.

What Happened Next? Bella Luna Ristorante closed 3 and a half months after filming. Rosaria says they did not fail but had a dispute with the landlord and business was up threefold after filming. The landlord however, claims they had not paid the lease in months. After the closure, it emerged that they had been selling alcohol with an expired license. The owners are currently looking for a new premises so watch this space... DeLorenzo's restaurant opened at the address in April/May 2014, reviews so far are good.

Extra Reading

Bella Luna Yelp Reviews

Bella Luna Trip Advisor Reviews 
Bella Luna, site of 'Kitchen Nightmares' taping, illegally sold alcohol, state police say

Bella Luna could've succeeded after "Kitchen Nightmares" former owner says

'We didn't fail,' says Bella Luna Ristorante owner ahead of 'Kitchen Nightmares' show

DeLorenzo's restaurant will move to former Bella Luna building in mid-April

Delorenzo’s Italian Restaurants Yelp Reviews

Saturday, 10 May 2014

US Season 7 - Zayna Flaming Grill - OPEN

Chef Gordon Ramsay visits Zayna Grill, a Mediterranean restaurant on Redondo Beach, CA, a family restaurant owned by Fay and her niece Brenda, Fays son Mark also works there alongside Amel and Vanessa. The food is poor and no one gets along with anyone. Ramsay arrives and decides to meet Fay and Brenda separately to discuss what the real issues are. They both think the other should be fired and no longer be a part of the restaurant. Fay says she has to do everything as Brenda doesn't pull her weight, Brenda thinks that Fay won't give up control so that she can run the restaurant.

Gordon arrives for a lunch service to try the food, Gordon is entertained by the huge cushions in his booth. Gordon notices the huge typo on the front of the menu as Zayna is described as an "Exquisite Dinning Adventure". Gordon calls over Mark, the waiter for a spelling test and he spells Dining correctly. Gordon orders a dip sampler, fava beans and Kibbi rolls. The sampler features hummus and other Mediterranean dips. These are oily and Mark stands across the restaurant staring at him. Amel brings out Gordon's second dish, fava beans with a huge Z on the top in cream. Gordon describes the dish as looking like someone has puked on his plate. The kibbi rolls taste frozen, certainly not the fresh good the restaurant advertises. Gordon tests Mark to a reading test of the sign outside, where he realises frozen isn't fresh. Gordon continues to be stared at by Mark and has to ask Amel to go tell him to stop staring at him. The Zayna combo platter looks the worst out of the dishes, Gordon says it is dry with no flavour. Gordon watches Amel take away his plates and bus them pretty much in the middle of the restaurant. Gordon sits down with the staff to discuss problems in the restaurant. It appears that Fay is alone in the kitchen without any help, although the others say they try to help but that she refuses to take it. She can't let Amel anywhere near the kitchen claiming she is clumsy and prone to injuring herself, a claim that no one else appears to back up.

Gordon returns in the evening to witness a dinner service, as Gordon is in town the restaurant is fuller than usual. Most seem excited to try the food with hummus being a favourite/safe choice for most. Sadly, the hummus disappoints and many are sent back to the kitchen. Gordon takes drastic measures and goes to a nearby grocery store and buys some hummus, which he spoons into the restaurants serving bowls and takes it out to the customers who sent theirs back, they love it. Gordon decides it is time to check out the walk-in and freezer. In the freezer Gordon finds months worth of prepared frozen food and old food. Gordon finds frozen meat stored underneath dripping warm water essentially speeding up the rotting process. Gordon returns the next day to try and help the restaurant. Fay once again claims she has to do everything as no one will help her and the others claim they do try but she refuses help. After another argument breaks out Gordon says that the restaurant will be opening for lunch and Fay is going to go home for the day. They will run the restaurant without her and Gordon will supervise. Ramsay then reveals to Fay that she isn't really going home but instead she will be watching from a surveillance van.

Before lunch even begins Marks struggles to work the rice cooker. Brenda holds the fort well even though Fay refuses to see this. The lunch goes smoothly except for a few dishes being sent back and an argument between Amel and Mark but Brenda steps up and keeps control. Fay is brought back in after the service and it is revealed that she was watching. She tells Brenda she was amazing. Gordon's next task is to cook a fresh meal in the kitchen with both Fay and Brenda, they show how unfamiliar they are with fresh fish. Gordon goes into town and discovers that no one seems to heard of the restaurant. To rectify this he sets up a prime advertising spot on the pier with free samples to reach out to the locals. The following day Gordon reveals the new bright interior and gone are Gordon's favourite cushions that attack you whilst you eat.

On relaunch night, things get off to a great start with the staff being positive and communicating effectively. When the orders start coming into the kitchen hard and fast Fay goes back to the old ways and ignores both Brenda and Amel, continuing to say nothing whilst manning the grill. Somehow Brenda manages to get through to Fay and she starts communicating again. Overall, despite some hiccups the relaunch was a success.

What Happened Next? After Gordon's visit. Fay went back to her old ways and as a result Vanessa and Amel left the restaurant, Brenda however is still asserting some level of leadership in the restaurant. Reviews are mostly good after Gordon's left and the filming of the episode and from the comments on Yelp, it appears that many locals are now frequenting the restaurant.

Extra Reading

Zayna Flaming Grill FB Page

Zayna Flaming Grill Yelp Reviews

Zayna Flaming Grill Trip Advisor Reviews

Zayna Flaming Grill: Kitchen Nightmares spotlights Redondo Beach eatery

US Season 7 - Mangia Mangia - CLOSED

Chef Gordon Ramsay visits Mangia Mangia in Woodland Park, CO, bought by owner Julie Watson, who just wanted to own a restaurant. There was previously a fast food restaurant in the building, she chose to make the restaurant an Italian restaurant because her daughter told her there was only Mexican and Chinese restaurants in the town. Cook Kevin admits that everyone hates the head chef Trevor. Arriving at the restaurant Gordon notices that there is a drive thru and decides to pull in, he is handed a laminated menu and is confused that a restaurant offers a drive through service, usually reserved for fast food joints. Gordon orders the soup of the day which turns out to be a chicken soup, Janelle forgets to give him a spoon but as the soup is a solid sludge the fork works well. Gordon compares the soup to gruel and is not impressed. Gordon decides to enter the restaurant and sits down with Julie, telling her that the restaurant still looks like a fast food restaurant. She thinks that the decorations she has added makes the restaurant look like a restaurant. Ramsay questions her on her knowledge of Italy and she claims she has never been. Julie takes Gordon into the kitchen so that he can meet the staff and meets the young Head Chef Trevor, who used to date Janelle.

Ramsays sits down to taste the menu and orders mushroom ravioli, veal piccata, salmon, lasagna and spaghetti and meatballs. The ravioli is clearly bought in with terrible glowing white sauce so Gordon sends the waitress into the kitchen to see if Trevor knows how to make fresh ravioli, he replies that he has no idea how to make it. Gordon writes down a simple recipe and sends it into the kitchen, Julie reacts by questioning what 550grams is, it appears no one is familiar with the metric system or conversions. The lasagna is next, Gordon sends it straight back as there is a thumb print on the plate. The plate is cleaned and sent back out and Gordon discovers that the lasagna is still frozen in the middle. Julie's reaction is that Trevor must have used the wrong microwave as they have a good and bad microwave in the kitchen. The meatballs are cooked through but taste like "warm foam". The veal is not any better, as it is still raw in the middle and finally the balsamic drenched salmon tastes frozen. Gordon confronts the staff in the kitchen and discovers that none of the staff have any formal training, including the head chef. Julie is defensive about the food, telling Gordon the food is good repeatedly but admits that the veal is old. Gordon can see he is not getting anywhere and walks out, Julie bursts into tears.

Gordon returns for a dinner service and it is a disaster, every dish bar a few is returned to the kitchen and Gordon asks Trevor if he tasted any that were returned and his answer is merely "F*** it". With his attitude, Gordon decides it is time to inspect the walk in and finds a never ending supply of pre-cooked pasta, around 400 servings. Julie's response is that she has the pre-cooked pasta so that people don't have to wait, one dish takes a mere 90 seconds to cook. She blames Trevor for trying to make her look for every dish on the menu being frozen. The staff reveal that Julie shouts at them for any reason and the cooks change the breadcrumbs every other day to save money, coating both egg plant and chicken and causing cross contamination. Ramsay goes on the attack of everything being frozen and Julie's defence is that the food isn't frozen as it is defrosted. Frustrated, Gordon walks into the dining room and asks the customers how much of the menu they expect to be fresh and they expect 90%+ so Gordon explains that only 5% of the food they were served is fresh. Julie walks out, the service stops and the staff go out the back to smoke and moan. The dirty laundry begins to air, Janelle tells Gordon that Trevor tried to punch her at work, the staff don't always turn up for shifts and Kevin has come to work high on several occasions, whereas Trevor comes in high quite a lot of the time. Janelle leaves in tears and they shut the restaurant and everyone is told to go home.

Gordon gathers the staff to talk though some issues and the problems the staff have with each other. When it comes out that Trevor has a meth problem, Julie has little option but to fire Trevor. Gordon steps in to help the staff to learn some basic but classic Italian dishes without using microwaves. He recruits Chef Don from Denver to run the kitchen and hosts a family fun day to advertise the restaurant. The restaurant décor is given a makeover and no longer looks like a fast food branch. The menu is also given a makeover with real fresh food on the menu.

For relaunch night, things get off to a bad start when Julie fires orders at the kitchen with great speed, like in the old reheating days and is told to slow down as the fresh food takes longer to cook. The customers are impressed with the new décor and are impressed with the food, the staff are also much happier in the restaurant. As a final prank, Gordon pulls into the drive through to pick up the microwave from the kitchen.

What Happened Next? Reviews are mostly excellent after Gordon's makeover and the filming of the episode with compliments on the food and service. It appears they have kept most if not all of Gordon's changes and are following his advice. The restaurant closed in November 2014.

Extra Reading

Mangia Mangia Yelp Reviews

Mangia Mangia Trip Advisor Reviews

On Walkabout Review - Mangia Mangia

Did Gordon Ramsay drive Colorado restaurant owners to make drastic changes after 'Kitchen Nightmares?'

Gordon Ramsay and "Kitchen Nightmares" are talk of Woodland Park - The Denver Post

US Season 7 - Kati Allo - CLOSED

Chef Gordon Ramsay visits Kati Allo, a Greek restaurant in Flushing, New York owned by husband and wife Manny and Christine. It isn't long into the episode that we come to learn that their marriage lays in tatters. Gordon arrives and talks to the couple about how they got into the business and Manny explains that he went for a haircut to the barbers next door and decided to buy the restaurant. They explain that their children have all worked in the restaurant at one time or another and now it is just daughter Evelyn who works there, one day a week as a waitress. They are in huge amounts of debt and have sold their house to finance the restaurant, they also reveal that they are divorcing.

Gordon sits down to try the food during lunch service, he orders the pastitisio, gyro platter and a pork dish. He is not impressed with any of the food, the gyro tastes frozen, the sausage is garlicky and greasy, the pastitisio is a bland pile of worms and is boiling in the middle as if it's been microwaved. Disappointed in the meal he has eaten, Gordon sits down with the staff to tell them about his dining experience. Manny doesn't answer Gordon when he asks if the sausage was fried and instead insists that it's an old recipe, he tells them the food was tasteless and greasy. Gordon decides to talk to Evelyn about the problems, she bursts into tears and claims that the restaurant has ruined her family and her parents have been on the brink of divorce for a long time.

Gordon returns in the evening to observe a dinner service and is not impressed when Manny cuts into chicken on the grill to check it is thoroughly cooked, something an amateur cook might do. A dish arrives in the kitchen via a dumbwaiter and Gordon is surprised to find that it is cooked, which means it was cooked elsewhere. He finds out that there is a kitchen downstairs and there is a member of staff down there microwaving dishes! He goes downstairs to find the woman and the microwave. He also finds the walk-in and more food storage. Inside he finds tray after tray of mouldy food and even worse, jars of food that are over 10 years old! He brings the family into the walk-in and digs out a bucket of a white liquid and insists that they all smell it. Manny is shown the disgusting state of the kitchen and tells Gordon that it's not his fault, it is his staff's fault. Evelyn insists that it is his job to check all this but Manny just says that they need to hire better staff. Gordon heads to their home to see if anything can be done to save their marriage and after a brief conversation they decide to commit to both saving the restaurant and saving their marriage. Gordon returns to the restaurant and teaches Manny and Christine a sea bass dish and then asks them to make the dish together. Overnight the restaurant is given a huge makeover with a more Greek feel. The restaurant is given a lick of paint and all of the furniture, tablecloths and crockery are replaced. When the restaurant is revealed, Christine screams like a banshee repeatedly!

For relaunch night, Manny and Evelyn are running the restaurant together. The kitchen falls apart as many loses track of the orders and storms out yelling in Greek. He soon remembers his new commitment to both the restaurant and his marriage and comes back to the restaurant, turning the service around into a success.

What Happened Next? Reviews were mixed after Gordon's makeover and the filming of the episode and they closed in April 2014. Kalamaki NYC, a Greek restaurant opened in its place in July 2014. Reviews looks good and it appears regulars from Kati Allo have become customers here too.

Extra Reading

Kati Allo Yelp Reviews

Bayside eatery gets a grilling

Bayside restaurant to appear on Fox’s ‘Kitchen Nightmares’ Friday

Kalamaki NYC Yelp Reviews

Kalamaki NYC Menu

Tuesday, 22 April 2014

US Season 7 - Old Neighborhood Restaurant - OPEN

Chef Gordon Ramsay visits the Old Neighbourhood Restaurant in Arvada, CO, as he approaches he spots a strange sight, a mannequin wearing a baseball cap, leopard print dress and leather gloves! Gordon meets with owner Randy who tells him that her name is Fiona and the gloves are because someone stole her hands, his wife Alexa changes her outfits regularly. Gordon looks around the restaurant and finds the décor to not only be dated but the place is cluttered. He sits down with the owners to discuss the problems in the restaurant, they conflict each other when asked how often they change the menu and settle with once a year, another lie. The menu they give to customers looks much older than a year.

Gordon sits down to order lunch but decides to take a closer look around the restaurant. The chairs appear to all be on wheels, presumably to help with cleaning the carpet. The menu is huge and in no logical order. Gordon orders the New Orleans shrimp, salmon special and scallops. The shrimp arrives and Gordon is confused by the light colour of the dish, the waitress explains that there is cream in the dish. Gordon samples the shrimp but quickly spits it out. The salmon is no better with the same creamy sauce, Gordon is once again unimpressed. Mid meal Gordon takes a walk around the restaurant to inspect the restaurant and finds that the wallpaper is coming off the walls. Gordon's scallops arrive and he questions why they are called Yucatan scallops and Randy explains that the sauce has chipotle in it. After his disappointing meal Gordon goes into the kitchen to speak to the staff and Alexa admits she doesn't taste the food because she has made the dishes so many times she knows what they taste like.

Gordon returns for the evening service and sits on the dirty couch in the front of the restaurant and discovers just how filthy it is when he finds food waste and more under the cushions. He then decides to inspect under other cushions and finds an old pair of shoes! The kitchen is no better and for some unknown reason there are meat thermometers in a hole in the wall. The walk-in is probably one of the worst ever, everything seems to be cross contaminated. The chocolate dessert is on top of raw meat, the meat juices have got everywhere. There is the usual mould and old food but also a dead mouse. Gordon has seen enough and orders the restaurant to be closed and the service to end. Once the customers have left, Gordon talks to the owners and confesses he doesn't know what to do. Alexa begs him to stay, he agrees that he will stay but only if they clean the kitchen. They spend the entire night cleaning the kitchen and throw away all the bad food, they appear to realise that they aren't that good at running the restaurant. Gordon returns the next morning and is pleased with the clean up of the restaurant, however he thinks it could go further. He orders the staff to throw away all the garbage from the restaurant and also to throw away Fiona.

Gordon reveals a new interior, the furniture and table settings have been replaced with a new fresh look. The menu has also had a revamp with nearly 100 items being cut down to around 20. The relaunch evening is a success despite a few hiccups. The customers love the new food and decor and Alexa and Randy are happy too.

What Happened Next? Reviews are mostly good after Gordon's makeover and the filming of the episode. The building was put up for sale and appears to either have been sold or taken off the market.

Extra Reading

Old Neighborhood Restaurant Trip Advisor Reviews

Old Neighborhood Restaurant Yelp Reviews

Old Neighborhood Restaurant Urban Spoon Reviews

Old Neighbourhood FB Page

‘Kitchen Nightmares’ visits Old Neighborhood restaurant in Arvada

Monday, 21 April 2014

US Season 7 - Pantaleone's - OPEN

Chef Gordon Ramsay visits Pantaleone's pizza in Denver, CO, owned by Pete Fafalios and wife Paulette, they have owned the restaurant since 1985 and when it first open it had rave reviews and many local awards. Pete is still living in these early glory days and the staff say the food is terrible. Gordon arrives at the restaurant and meets Pete, Gordon asks him where in Italy he is from and discovers that he is actually Greek. They explain to Gordon that they don't open on Sundays as Pete likes to watch the football games. He also takes a nap mid afternoon as he gets tired.

Gordon sits down to order lunch and see if they really serve the best pizza in Denver. Gordon orders a sausage pizza, meatball hero, a calzone and linguine with clams. He is not impressed with the dining room, comparing it to a hospital. Whilst he is waiting for his food Gordon speaks to another diner and asks them how their food is, the diner replies that it tastes like cat food. Gordon's calzone arrives and it is huge, Gordon cuts through it and it is still cold in the middle. The pizza comes out and is huge, the crust is very thick, despite being the thin crust, it is also too greasy. Gordon sends it back and Pete says that it is still the best pizza in the city. The meatball hero is no better, Gordon describes this as a diaper full of meatballs. The final dish of linguine and clams, Gordon can clearly tell that the clams are canned as he empties on the juice at the bottom of the dish into a glass.

Gordon goes into the kitchen to tell them about how bad his meal was and Pete is in denial about how bad his food is. To prove how bad the pizza is, Gordon sets up a taste test to see what people think. He has 3 pizzas on offer, one from the best rated restaurant in Denver, one made by Pete and a frozen pizza. Pete's pizza came last with 10%, the frozen had 15% and 75% preferred the best rated restaurants pizza. Gordon then asks Pete if he would change his pizza and he says no. Pete hires both his son and grandson at the restaurant but their relationship is suffering so Gordon takes them to a family restaurant in Las Vegas to try and heal the relationship. They have a talk and a lovely meal and agree to work on their relationship. Gordon gives the restaurant a makeover, he has got rid of the wood panelling and the cheap plastic table cloths. The weird artwork on the walls has been replaced with traditional pictures of Italy. Gordon also reveals that he is giving them a van so that they can deliver pizza and the menu has also had a huge makeover.

For relaunch night, Gordon gives both Josh and Pete a pre-service morale booster out the back which includes smashing a plate. The pep talk appeared to work as despite a few small hiccups the evening was a success and the diners were very pleased with the food they received.

What Happened Next? Reviews since Gordon has given the restaurant a makeover is good and locals are pleased with the new menu.

Extra Reading

Pantaleone's New York Pizza Trip Advisor Reviews

Pantaleone’s New York Pizza Yelp Reviews

Pantaleone's Urban Spoon Reviews

Review: After a Kitchen Nightmares wake-up call, change is good at Pantaleone's

FOX's "Kitchen Nightmares" gives a makeover to Pantaleone's in Denver

Local restaurant Pantaleone's gets Chef Ramsay makeover on Kitchen Nightmares TV show

Sunday, 19 May 2013

US Season 6 - Amy's Baking Company - OPEN

Chef Gordon Ramsay visits Scottsdale, Arizona, to help turn around Amy's Baking Company. Opened in 2006 by Samy and wife Amy, Samy runs front of house and Amy runs the kitchen. Samy spent over $1 million opening the restaurant for wife Amy with her passion for cooking. Things have not gone smoothly with scathing blog reviews to which Amy says they lied by saying her food was disgusting and as a result of these reviews she has lost business. Samy is defensive of criticism of his wife's cooking and if a customer makes a complaint Samy asks them to leave and tells them not to come back. Amy's attitude to the customers is that are not always right. The server describes Amy as nuts, she makes pizzas over spicy so it hurts them, she says she will hurt someone if they send back her cake and has regular tantrums. She also says Gordon is wasting his time, they will never change.

Before Gordon arrives Amy and Samy prepare for his visit by doing a big clean up. We discover that Miranda, the only server in the restaurant isn't allowed to input the orders, serve wine or handle the cash, Samy does these. Amy only cooks one ticket at a time so the diners are waiting a very long time to get their food. A pizza is sent back as undercooked and Amy says she will send it back burnt. One customer has enough of waiting for his pizza, goes to counter to ask about pizza, is given a tirade of abuse from Samy and Amy with so many bleeps and tries to leave. Amy threatens to call the cops and Samy tries to stand in their way to stop them leaving! The customers start leaving and Amy has some kind of teary rant as she storms back into the kitchen.

Gordon arrives the next day unaware of the previous evenings disasters. He praises the décor and how great Amy's pastries on display look. He is taken on a tour of the kitchen and sees a clean kitchen and a walk-in so clean it is like a sterile doctors surgery. Gordon sits down with the couple and samples a slice of Amy's cake while they talk about the restaurant, they tell Gordon that they have gone though hundreds of employees, as they can't find staff that aren't dirty and lazy and want to work hard. They say their problems are from scathing reviews from internet bullies. Amy tells Gordon that she replies to them and are the only restaurant owners to stand up to them calling them morons and more. Gordon asks if they have children and they say no they have cats, Amy reveals she speaks cat and Gordon tells them both that they are nuts.

Gordon sits down to sample Amy's dishes and is told by the server that she is on a regular hourly wage and doesn't receive tips, Gordon is astounded. Gordon orders the pear and fig prosciutto pizza, blue ribbon burger, salmon burger and red pepper ravioli. There is a doorbell for the potwasher to come collect dirty plates. The pizza is very sweet with raw dough, it's send back and Samy tells Amy that there was nothing wrong with it and after an hour wait he is still waiting for the rest of the food. The blue ribbon burger has a soggy greasy bun and is not cooked medium rare, it is overcomplicated and is dripping in liquid. The ravioli smells weird and is the most confusing dish he has ever tried as it is both sweet and spicy. It is also not homemade as he was told, it is store bought. The salmon burger is overcooked and is like eating dried cat food. Gordon talks to Amy about the food and tells her that it was longer than expected and that after an evening service he will sit down with her and raise all his issues.

Gordon arrives to witness a dinner service, he is in the kitchen and Amy tells him Christine does the salads and she does the pizzas. Amy is in denial that her pizza was undercooked, the combination of flavours on the burger doesn't work and that the burger is not good dry as she claims the customers love it dry. Real customers love the taste of the frozen ravioli so Gordon takes them into the restaurant and the customers say they are okay for them to be removed from the menu. Amy can't take the criticism and says to 86 the burgers too and people can only order cake. The chaos continues, Samy has left a pasta dish off when he input the order from the written ticket and Amy wants to send Katy home for simply asking a question. Amy tells the staff to ignore everything Gordon is criticizing. A full plate of food untouched goes back to the pot washer and is not taken back to Amy. Amy ignores it and continues on working. A customer leaves a $10 tip and Gordon asks if it is going to go to the server and he says no. Gordon asks the customer if they would leave tips knowing it's not going to the server and only going to the owner. Samy starts arguing with Gordon and Amy closes the kitchen. Amy sacks Katy for no reason at all other than asking a question and Samy tries to stop Amy from firing her, she says she is quitting as she has had enough, Amy calls her a poisonous viper and is totally unfair to her! Gordon sits down with the owners and is astounded by their responses to him and they remain to be in denial about the quality of their food. Amy tells Gordon that she is going to do things her way when he tells her to keep an open mind for change.

Gordon arrives the next morning to start to help them change but when he arrives Samy and Amy aren't at the restaurant. Instead, he goes off to meet former staff members Jessica and Henry. Jessica worked there for a year and a half and was hired as a runner, despite going to culinary school as those who had been to culinary school didn't know anything. She was only allowed to pour glasses of water and begged to go into the kitchen. Henry was a busser and said Samy was always in a bad mood, isn't professional and made him wash his car for him! Despite Henry's obvious poor experience at the restaurant he hopes that Gordon can help them. Gordon returns to the restaurant where Amy wants to clarify a few things. Amy is defensive of her ravioli after Gordon was told it was home made. She is manically defensive over the burger denying that Gordon had told her anything was wrong with the burger, he told her many times it was soggy. She says he told her the salmon burger was dry but wet, it is unbelievable and he tells her that he is never confused about food. He also tells her the way he screamed at Katy, or the "kid" as Amy refers to her, did was out of order for firing her for asking if she was sure about something. Amy tells Gordon to prove that over 50 people have been fired, Samy says actually it is over 100. Amy has an explosion about drinking a glass over water and threatens to go home. Amy is insulted and tells Gordon that he disrupted her service and blames everyone else for the problems. Amy tells her she is delusional and that in "Amy's world" everything she sends out and touches is perfect. Amy doesn't want to hear anymore but Samy tells her to listen to Gordon and let him finish.

Gordon tells her she is too far gone and says lets end the show. Gordon tells her that he can't help people that can't help themselves and cannot ever take one ounce of criticism and if they aren't willing to change he isn't going to argue, scream and butt heads. The restaurant is not normal to go through that amount of staff, run such a huge menu from such a small kitchen, the level of animosity in the restaurant and outside. They have the right to run their restaurant how they want but he is going to do what is right and what is right is to walk away. He wishes them good luck and leaves. Amy says she doesn't need his help and things will continue without him. He says for the first time in over 100 Nightmares it is his first to walk away as he cannot help and any changes he would have made they would have undone so there is no point continuing.

What Happened Next? They temporarily closed the restaurant to reopen on 21st May 2013. Miranda was fired for taking a tip that a customer had hidden for her and is now working for Cracker Barrell. The owners have become a social media sensation with internet memes and comedy reviews of the restaurant appearing and then disappearing on Yelp. Negative comments were responded to on the Amy's facebook page, after a tirade of abusive and insulting posts the owners claimed that their Facebook, Yelp and other accounts were hacked. Petitions have also been set up in light of the apparent law breaking involved in withholding tips from the servers. Details of Amy's past including a criminal conviction for using someone elses social security to obtain credit have surfaced. The owners claim they have received death threats and have hired a PR guru Jason Rose to help them with the media backlash. They then cancelled a press conference and were dropped by the PR company after legal threats from Fox. They reopened and customers had good and bad to say. As of August 2013 they are selling merchandise with phrases from the tv show. They appeared on Dr Phil.

The episode goes through the social media outbursts and interviews with Buzzfeed and Huffington Post writers talking through the media surrounding the show. Gordon introduces new footage including more meow footage and Amy explaining that she only has female kitchen staff as the kitchen is too small so the staff bump into each other and men are rubbish at cleaning. An argument is shown with Gordon criticising the dinner service and the frozen ravioli. There is also footage of an argument over pre packed gnocchi and the tips, Amy tells Gordon that the servers don't deserve the tips as the staff don't work as hard as her husband. Gordon shows their submission video which features Amy criticising Sammys customer service skills, the walk in being "a mess", Amy explaining there has been a few incidents with customers and that she has been retaliating to Yelp reviews.

The staff talk about what happened since the episode, they fired everyone and then begged the staff to return. One waitress was caught taking a $5 tip from a customer and this started an argument. The waitress left as she was not happy. The restaurant has since become a tourist site with people coming to see if the restaurant is really as bad as it was on the show. A couple is interviewed and their dining companion had 3 fruit flies in their drink, they were accused of putting them in themselves and then asked to leave the restaurant. They have tried to cash in on the notoriety of the restaurant by selling t shirts with slogans from the episode.

The couple is interviewed by Ana Garcia, Amy initially says that she has no time for an interview and Sam wants money. They believe they were set up and the episode was not fair. Amy says they were look psychotic and look crazy. She believes the restaurant was filled with Yelpers, she claims to have proof of this. She says they were just defending themselves and have tried to improve on the negative. She claims that since she has been plagued by rogue customers just browsing or placing fake rubber cockroaches in the restaurant and that she has to stand up to these people. She says that the initial Facebook comments were not them but because of the trolls they are now reacting with insulting comments. Samy says that they are now giving the waitresses tips and as they are taking this approach that the waitresses are being paid less as the restaurant is empty. The ravioli is still frozen, there is more abuse at Gordon and Samy still believes Amys food is excellent. Amy ends with saying that if you come to attack them they will throw them out.

Screenshots of Social Media Outbursts

TV Interviews

Parodies / Funny Stuff


Amazing Amy Remix!!

Extra Reading

Yelp Reviews

Urban Spoon Reviews

Trip Advisor Reviews

Amy's Baking (Jan 2008)

Amy's Baking Company Is Selling Catch-Phrase T-Shirts

EXCLUSIVE: Amy's Bakery owners recount their 'Kitchen Nightmare'; say they weren't behind Facebook attacks

Ouch! Today's Hard Lesson on Yelp (Review and response removed from Yelp)

Customer: Amy’s Baking Company 'more intense' than shown

Amy's Baking Company kicks us out after we find flies in the vodka (three times)

Amy's Baking Company co-owner faces deportation

Amys Baking Company FB Page

Miranda From "Amy's Baking Company" Interview

Fired waitress (Katy) 'dishes' on Amy's Baking Company

Katy Answers Questions

Jason Rose explains split with Amy's Baking Company

Amy's Baking Company Cancels Press Conference After Legal Threats From Fox

Kitchen Nightmares: Amy's Baking Company plans grand re-opening to address social media meltdown

Amy's Baking Company Freaks Out Online After Epic Meltdown On Gordon Ramsay's 'Kitchen Nightmares'

'Kitchen Nightmare' Contestants Amy's Baking Company Insult Everyone In Complete Online Meltdown

Scottsdale's Amy's Baking Company lashes out on social media

Kitchen Nightmares Restaurant Freaks Out on Facebook

Arizona restaurateurs who were DITCHED by Gordon Ramsay in disastrous show face ridicule for their 'social media meltdown'

Amy’s Baking Company hiring up to 30 workers
