Kitchen Nightmares (US) - General Discussion

[seacliffsal]

The most energy she demonstrated was when talking with the football player.  She's not married to Camille so I wonder just how invested she truly is in the restaurant (and she happily kicked him out when Gordon told her to).

I couldn't figure out what she was doing with her mouth-it was always partially open in the shape of an 'o.'

I don't have much hope for this restaurant in the long run.

[Colorado David]

i apologize if i seemed insensitive earlier re kelly

Edited January 20 by Colorado David

[Tango64]

The Iberville couple's situation seems familiar. I've known couples in which one spouse is financially successful and busy with their business, but the other spouse wants to have their own endeavor. They want to be busy and productive and known for something rather than just being the spouse of the other. Nothing wrong with that.

I've seen these spouses open restaurants, cafes, and a variety of little boutiques that sell children's clothing, gourmet olive oil, and such. The common theme is that they have no experience or business sense and they open establishments that need a constant influx of cash from the family finances to keep going. Sometimes that not a problem; they're both happy in what they're doing and they can absorb the business not actually being profitable. It's like a hobby.

And other times, the financial loss is too much, employees get hurt, and the business owner has to find a way out. It looks to me like that's what happened with Iberville. By the time GR got there, the owner was over it all, done, not having fun anymore, not interested in trying, just wanting a way out.

[CrazyInAlabama]

S02.E03: Voleos   

New 1/21/2025

"Gordon tries to revamp Voleo's Seafood Restaurant, a second-generation family-run restaurant struggling to stay afloat following the devastation caused by Hurricane Ida in 2021."  In West Wego, LA. David and Lydia own the restaurant.  A daughter works there front of house, son David is a cook there. Original restaurant was in Lafayette, until Hurricane Ida wrecked the place, and the new location is failing, and always have.  

David Sr. blames the failing restaurant on the miserable local customers.   Lydie echos what her husband said, blaming the customers.  

Gordon points out the restaurant has 10 tables, but 110 items on the menu.  Gordon asks customers about the food, and it's not pretty.  David Sr doesn't buy fresh fish and shrimp, but frozen, and loves to microwave everything.   Poor Gordon tries the food, and looks like he's in pain, he can tell everything is from frozen, and nuked.    The giant crab cake looks disgusting.  

Gordon asks local residents, and they all say they would like Voleos to succeed.    

David Jr has taken over the cooking, everything is fresh ingredients.    The menu is one page, not 110 items.   Food looks so much better.  

As always the reopened restaurant is slammed with customers, but they power through.  

Edited January 22 by CrazyInAlabama

[Tango64]

It has become a standard part of the Kitchen Nightmares formula to change the menu from whatever was trying to appeal to the local clientele to a Ramsay Inspired menu. I always have doubts about this working after Ramsay leaves. 

Sure, this place needed to use fresh seafood, lose the microwave, and trim the menu down. But other than that, it had been a successful roadside seafood shack for years. People want fried fish and shrimp, hushpuppies, mounds of fries, and that brown New Orleans gravy on white bread. It's a thing.

Now its elevated, delicately plated Ramsay style seafood. There's a market for that, I'm sure, but now you're going for a different audience than you had before. It's not just a restaurant refresh; it's a different restaurant and there's no guarantee the owner or the community really want it.

So many examples of that in this show. At least he didn't make them switch to scallops, mushroom risotto, and beef wellington.

[NJRadioGuy]

On most of these kinds of shows I can tell within the first five minutes if the place has a real shot or is just treading water with very little long-term chance. This one was an obviously easy fix, so long as the ol' man stays the eff out of the kitchen. No cleanliness issues, no Bad Staff problems, and when the worst insult Gordon gives the food is "watery and bland," well, they're not completely gone.

I think even if the menu changes a bit, if the son can keep up and innovate, and they keep the prices affordable for the region and cater to local tastes they'll survive long-term.

[Colorado David]

omg this Kindred chef is making me livid, i am not sure i can finish the episode. i do feel bad for the owner, but she so needs to cut him loose and find a better responsible chef/cook.

[Madding crowd]

I have to wonder if some of this was faked. The smirking chef was just too over the top and I find it hard to believe the staff didn’t notice the huge amount of rat droppings. Were they serving shrimp at a vegan restaurant? I’m a vegetarian but have never seen vegan shrimp. Not surprised to hear the place closed, the owner didn’t seem interested in keeping it going.

[Tango64]

I also thought I heard shrimp.

Did Gordon’s new menu have only about five items? And just one entree — the highly processed, bought in burger? 
It felt like he didn’t want to waste time on more and just threw in an ice cream machine. 

Funny to see diners nibbling the corn ribs like chipmunks. 

[WescottF1]

16 hours ago, Madding crowd said:

I have to wonder if some of this was faked. The smirking chef was just too over the top and I find it hard to believe the staff didn’t notice the huge amount of rat droppings. Were they serving shrimp at a vegan restaurant? I’m a vegetarian but have never seen vegan shrimp. Not surprised to hear the place closed, the owner didn’t seem interested in keeping it going.

I live near a 100% vegan brewery/restaurant (the first in the US actually) and I haven't had their "shrimp" but on the menu they are described as "soy curls".

[Tango64]

Have we ever seen Ramsay put a bought in item on his new menu? He goes ape shit when he finds out someone served him ravioli or such they bought from Sysco, but in this episode he plops an obviously bought vegan "burger" on the menu as apparently the only entrée. 

For that matter, have we ever seen him phone it in this much? He was fed up with them and just said, "Put some tomatoes and tofu on a plate. Fry some corn and put Taijin on it. Heat up this frozen mush patty. What the hell, here's an ice cream machine. I'm done. Fuck it."

 

[PhoneCop]

TBF, Caroline seemed pretty checked out throughout, including when she was vowing to do better. I'm sure Gordon has some sense of the ones who might make it and those who almost certainly won't (but it's easier to use the footage they have in the can rather than vet a whole other restaurant in order to make the predetermined episode count). I just hope Kindred's staff landed on their feet, give or take Frank.

[Fostersmom]

21 hours ago, Tango64 said:

I also thought I heard shrimp.

Did Gordon’s new menu have only about five items? And just one entree — the highly processed, bought in burger? 
It felt like he didn’t want to waste time on more and just threw in an ice cream machine. 

Funny to see diners nibbling the corn ribs like chipmunks. 

The original menu seemed to have "shrimp" a "burger" and "chicken". Who knows what they were made of. The owner needed way more than a restaurant make over, but I don't see Gordon recommending her just close the place and get her life and self in order. 

[NJRadioGuy]

Kindred was another really predictable outcome, although I did think they'd last a few months beyond the big game. The owner was not just clueless but came off as a bit of a scatterbrain with no business accumen. I'm sure she's probably a lovely, kind human being, but I don't see her being a leader, and that's what every successful business needs at its core. I wish her and her former team well.

They seemed to be in a reasonably decent neighborhood too, but, leadership aside, I really have to wonder how much business potential business there is for a vegan only restaurant in such a food centric city as New Orleans. Some excellent vegan creations as part of a good mixed menu would likely have a greater chance of flourishing.

Looking at the space on Google Maps, there's now a Japanese "bistreaux" in the space.