The Big Picture
- After a nine-year hiatus, Kitchen Nightmares is back, with Chef Gordon Ramsay rescuing struggling restaurants in the US.
- Ramsay's busy schedule and dealing with resistant owners may have contributed to the delay in the show's return.
- Despite the show's return and Ramsay's help, only a small percentage of the restaurants featured on the show are still open, but this is not necessarily due to Ramsay's involvement.
After a hiatus of nine years since its last episode in 2014, Kitchen Nightmares has made a comeback, airing on Fox and available for streaming on Hulu. The series originally debuted in the UK and later transitioned to the US, where it enjoyed a successful run spanning seven seasons, all under the guidance of renowned Chef Gordon Ramsay.
So, what caused this lengthy hiatus? It's plausible that Ramsay's packed schedule, driven by his involvement in numerous other successful shows such as Hell’s Kitchen, MasterChef, MasterChef Junior, and Next Level Chef,' may have contributed to the delay. Additionally, it's possible that Ramsay grew weary of dealing with resistant restaurant owners and chefs who believed they knew better than him when it came to running their establishments.
Despite the long break, the return of the show has been met with enthusiasm from its loyal fan base. The show continues to follow Ramsay as he steps in to rescue restaurants teetering on the brink of collapse. The formula remains unchanged. Ramsay begins by inspecting the kitchen and refrigerators, often reacting with visible disgust at the dirty, smelly, and spoiled food and meat. He then delivers his iconic line, "Shut it down," forcing diners to vacate the premises (it's always astounding how packed these places are despite the deplorable food).
The following day, it's nothing short of a miracle as the establishment is miraculously transformed, with a spotlessly clean interior and a complete makeover. Ramsay proceeds to trim down the menu, presenting a new and improved version that the chefs and staff can more effectively manage. While the restaurant's reopening is not without its share of hiccups and tension, both customers and owners ultimately find satisfaction and happiness once again.
The question is of course, how long after the good fairy Ramsay had left that things go bad again. So we went out to check and this is the breakdown of those who are still in business and those who closed for good.
According to Per Reality TV, just a dozen of the show’s 77 restaurants are still in business, a success rate of 16%, while according to Reality TV Revisited the success rate is a little higher and stands on 19%. This doesn’t mean necessarily that Ramsay magical touch doesn’t last long. According to research on the longevity of privately owned restaurants, the majority of them close within their first year. Most of the restaurants that appear on the show have been around for much longer before appearing on the show, but are in deep financial hardship and their menu and food….sucks!
Related
'Kitchen Nightmares' Executive Producer Explains the Series' Timely Return [Interview]
Executive Producer David De Angelis sat down to chat with Collider about the return of Gordon Ramsay’s series, ‘Kitchen Nightmares’.
How Many Restaurants Have Closed Since Their Appearance On The Show
Season 8 which started airing on September 25th featured three restaurants who are still open: Bel Aire Diner, Bask 46 and In The Drink. All of them are receiving mostly positive reviews since the show aired. A breakdown of which have closed are below:
Costa del Nightmares: aired 2014: All 4 restaurants had closed.
Season 7: 4 out of 6 restaurants had closed
Season 6: 10 out of 13 restaurants closed
Season 5: 10 out of 15 restaurants had closed
Season 4: 10 out of 12 restaurants had closed
Season 3: 9 out of 12 restaurants had closed
Season 2: All 11 restaurants had closed
Season 1: 9 out of 10 restaurants had closed
Despite the fact that participation on the show had given the business owners a free consultation service by Ramsay and thousands of dollars in renovations and new furniture and equipment, some owners decided to sue the show and Ramsay, claiming that their reputation suffered by participating in the show. Joe from Mill Street Bistro for example, sued Gordon claiming there were items missing from the restaurant after filming and that there was damage to the restaurant. He won $1,233 in compensation.
In an interview with The National Enquirer, John Chapman who owned Chappy’s on Church, featured in season 6, said, “It was truly a kitchen nightmare for me. Gordon Ramsay destroyed my business!”
In 2008, Ramsay was sued by Martin Hyde, a restaurant manager at Dillon in New York City, for calling him “a lazy t***”. In an interview with The Daily Mail he said: Being ridiculed by Gordon Ramsay on TV has wrecked my life.”
Despite the bad blood between Ramsay and some of the restaurant owners who appeared on the show, the majority of them don’t blame Ramsay for their failure to stay afloat.
Does Chef Gordon Ramsay Really Have a Bad Temper?
Also, his notorious bad temper on the show is mostly kept there – in front of the camera.
“You never see him get mad off camera” said one crew member who went on Reddit in 2013 to answer questions by fans of the show. “That’s because he doesn’t have a reason to. The only time I saw him explode was during the dinner service when the kitchen staff was serving food that was a legitimate health risk. He only gets mad when he has a reason to, otherwise he’s a very funny and nice dude.”
The crew member added that you don’t see Ramsay explodes on the U.K shows because the U.S. version is edited to show more drama because they figured that this is what the viewers like to watch.
Beside the numerous shows that he has, Ramsay has quite a few restaurants; in Las Vegas, Atlantic City, N.J and eateries in Stateline, Nevada, Baltimore, Maryland and Kansa City, Missouri.
