Undercover Boss (2010) s04e02 Episode Script
Tilted Kilt
This week, on Undercover Boss - Order up.
- Thank you.
the president of Tilted Kilt Pub & Eatery, a contemporary Celtic-themed sports pub, poses as a failed business owner hoping to get funding for a new business on a fake reality show.
- I'm Shayna.
- I'm Ryan.
- How are you? - I'm great.
He'll trade in his business attire for a bartender's kilt.
I feel a little bit like Mel Gibson in Braveheart.
Oops.
By working on the front lines That's what we're talking about.
this high-powered president will find out how much skill is required to keep this lively pub ordering up another round.
I lost a chicken finger.
Yeow.
Have I told you this joke already? I'm gonna tell an inappropriate one, okay? And what will happen when the boss witnesses some unsavory behavior from one of his employees? I'm gonna pour it in his mouth.
Please.
What? Cheers.
You have to.
Do it! At the Tilted Kilt there's a line that we do not cross.
That's a problem.
Find out next on Undercover Boss.
Undercover Boss 4x02 - Tilted Kilt Original air date November 9, 2012 Hi.
Welcome to the Tilted Kilt.
Headquartered in Tempe, Arizona, Tilted Kilt Pub & Eatery is a contemporary pub and sports bar that serves up to $250 million in annual revenue.
Cheers.
Overseeing the 4,000 employees that keep this business cooking is one man.
I'm Ron Lynch.
I'm the president and founder of Tilted Kilt Pub & Eatery.
Tilted Kilt is a contemporary pub.
I've been in the food business for many years, but I decided I wanted to do something different, and one of my friends said, "hey, have you seen" "the Tilted Kilt?" The Tilted Kilt started in the Rio Casino in Las Vegas.
We bought the name and got our first pub going.
And from there, everything has been history.
We're a family business.
Not just because I have so many family members working here, but it's a feel that we have.
How are you? Well, I'm good, now that I found out that you're still here.
The Tilted Kilt is one of the fastest growing sports pubs in the United States.
We have over 4,000 employees.
We have 70 pubs currently.
We're growing at a phenomenal rate.
We hope to be 93 pubs by the end of the year.
Here at the Tilted Kilt, the guiding principles are everything to us.
Number one on the guiding principles is portray class in everything you do.
Some people think our servers are X-rated.
I disagree.
We portray our servers as PG-13, the girl next-door.
I'm not sure what some of our competitors' guiding principles are, but I would like to think that we portray class far greater than they do.
We don't want the wife to say, "why did you go to the Tilted Kilt?" "What's going on there?" We want them to say, "well, why didn't you take me?" I would have my own daughters work there.
Okay.
The costume, you know, has been a challenge from the beginning.
My daughter, Torie, does our social media.
And I wouldn't be able to do it without my wife, Debra.
Here's what we're down to.
The original tartan out of the original fabric blend, or the blend that has a little more stretch.
- Have we tested it? - Yes, we have.
We didn't get "D"s or double-Ds, but we did the others.
You know, I think the under the light, it'll be pretty, though.
The color match will be great.
I do too.
Good.
Growing up, my dad was the first person in his family to graduate from college.
He was the real entrepreneur in our family.
He didn't think there was anything that he couldn't achieve in business out there, and that's what my dad did, and that's what I knew.
The year that we started this business and I saw my dad at lunch, and, uh, he was wanting to talk.
And I said, "I don't have time, dad.
" "I gotta go.
" And then he passed he passed away that night.
He was my inspiration.
He was my cheerleader.
And he didn't think that there was anything I couldn't do.
I'm a very tall person.
So I am concerned about being recognized.
I've been practicing my slouch a little bit, so hopefully I can go undercover and not be recognized.
Think you look like Charles Manson.
You know? While undercover, I will be posing as Ryan Good, the failed sporting goods store owner from San Diego.
Throughout my undercover journey, my employees will be tricked into thinking they're on a hosted reality show in which they will work alongside Ryan, then decide whether he deserves the money to start a new business.
We are here in Roselle, Illinois, at a Tilted Kilt pub.
The woman pretending to be the host of the fake show, will keep asking questions about whether or not Ryan deserves the money, so my employees will have no idea that this is secretly Undercover Boss.
What are you wearing? Did you recognize me? Not at first.
Kind of scared me a little bit.
I wouldn't let you in my restaurant.
No, I don't worry about Ron being with all the Tilted Kilt girls at all.
I mean, he's old enough to be their granddad.
Okay, I got a plane to catch - All right, let's do it.
- Okay.
- See you in a few days.
- Okay.
I'm going undercover to make sure that our guiding principles are being kept.
That's where this company is made at.
Our goal at Tilted Kilt is to be the most respected, most recognized sports pub in the United States.
And if we're not getting those principles all the way to the guests, then we got some work to do.
I am here at our pub in Atlanta, Georgia.
I'm going to be learning how to tend bar today.
How are you today, darlin'? A big percentage of our business is out of the bar.
The most important thing that our servers and bartenders can do is be entertaining.
They're our hook that brings people in the door.
Hey, I'm looking for Shayna.
She's right over here.
The one with the dark hair.
- I'm Shayna.
- I'm Ryan.
- How are you doing? - I'm great.
Are you? Are you? Okay, so there's a couple things first.
You have to get changed into your uniform.
- Follow me this way.
- Okay, okay, thanks.
So you been here long? - Three years.
- Three years? I'm an old lady, and they need to take me out to the pasture.
- There's your uniform.
- It's a kilt? - Yes.
- I'm gonna wear a kilt? You have to wear a kilt.
Really? Okay.
You'll be hot in it.
Don't worry.
Okay.
This is the first time I've had on a bartender's kilt.
Okay, I'm Ryan.
I've been in the sporting goods business.
Just keep that thought in mind.
I feel a little bit like Mel Gibson in Braveheart.
Yay! We love our little uniforms.
They're fun.
I love yours.
Hey, that's my secret.
Ryan walked out in his kilt, and he just looked adorable.
On a ladies' night, I bet he would get a lot of tips.
Our bottled beers are all right here.
But you automatically want to give them this.
So that's automatic.
Just say it.
I'll just be like, "oh, you wanna Bud Light? "Okay, I'm gonna get you a big one.
" Okay.
When Shayna was telling me about the up-sell We want to name an appetizer.
You always want to pick one out.
Be like, "hey, can I get you some Irish nachos?" That gal can sell.
You know, that's exactly like we design it in our office.
But to see it in practice, that's nice.
How's everything, love? Good? - More coke, honey? - Oh, no.
I'm okay.
- Thank you.
- All right.
These are what you call regulars.
But I don't call them that.
These are my friends.
- This is our watering hole.
- She's wonderful.
- Is she? - She's awesome.
It is.
They've been coming here for a really long time.
Shayna is right there with customers immediately.
She seemed to have a second sense for when somebody sat down at her bar.
Here, big daddy.
Here's your Bud Light.
Make no mistake, that's Shayna's bar.
So this is called a black and tan.
The Guinness, when it comes up to here, that's where you're gonna pour the tan at.
I don't know if I got enough black in there.
Whoops.
So do you think you're ready for me to disappear on you for a second? - Sure.
- I have faith in you.
Thank you.
I can do this.
- Hi.
How are you doing? - Good.
Bud Light.
I'll get you a Bud Light.
Is that a regular size? - Bottle.
- Bottle? - Okay.
- Yeah.
Just, uh, for your information, our seasonal is Sam Adams, so And if I can find a, uh, a bottle opener - There you go.
- Perfect.
- Did I? Okay.
- Yeah.
Now that's gonna be a challenge.
I have a newfound respect, after working behind the bar a little bit.
Hey, daddy.
How are you feeling? I'm just a mess today, worrying about you.
And trying to do this thing.
I just don't understand.
No, I just don't understand why they keep finding things on you.
Okay, well, I love you.
Are you okay? I just talked to my dad.
What's, uh He's got bladder cancer.
This morning, he went for his biopsy, and they found a whole bunch more.
So it's spreading.
He tries to be positive, and like, "no, if it's my time to go" And he just feels like he has to stick around for my children, 'cause I picked such a bad dad for them.
So But that's when you come to work and you just pull it together, right? When you come to work, you leave your stuff outside.
And unfortunately, today, my dad went in for a biopsy, and I've been a mess.
People are going through all kinds of stuff and I want them to have fun.
And I try to have fun at work, but I feel like I'm dying inside.
I have two small children.
My ex-husband signed his rights over, so I'm mommy and daddy.
It's hard.
No parent wants their child to suffer or struggle.
And he struggles with a lot of things, but he's my angel.
And that's why I work so hard, is for him.
You know, it's always something.
But when you walk in the door, everything goes out of the way, you know, because you have to put this great persona on.
I don't know if I could put that away.
Shayna's got a hard road.
She's got a child with autism and her dad's ill.
I don't know how long she can sustain that.
But it's life, right? We need people exactly like Shayna.
She sells, she's smart.
She shouldn't have to struggle like that.
Maybe I can help that burden just a little bit.
Look, two more black and tans, and you already know how to do that.
Do you think you can handle it? - I think so.
- I think you can.
Coming up, the boss hears the hard truth from an employee.
Seems like they cover the girls from getting sexually harassed in a strip club better than they do here.
That's a problem.
And later, Ron gets a rude awakening.
He's gonna pour it in your mouth, I'm gonna pour it in his mouth.
Please.
What? You have to.
Do it! Ron Lynch, the president of Tilted Kilt Pub & Eatery is a boss undercover in his own company.
His employees think he's a former business owner participating in a reality show.
So far, he's met a model employee.
His journey continues in Georgia.
I'm here at our Alpharetta Pub in Georgia.
And I'll be working security.
This is a pub that we've always thought has the potential to do better.
It should be in our top pubs.
But it doesn't have quite the business that some of our pubs have.
I hope I can find some real insight on how we can improve this business.
I'm here to see Spencer.
Spencer? Yeah.
You can follow me this way.
Okay, thanks.
Spencer? Ryan.
How are you doing? - You said Brian or Ryan? - Ryan.
- Ryan.
Nice to meet you.
- Right.
How are you? Good.
I'm doing security stuff, normally.
But when it's this early, there's really not much to worry about.
Gotcha.
So we kind of do a bunch of catchall stuff.
Gotcha.
When I first met Ryan, I assumed that I was supposed to recognize him from the W.
W.
E.
He pretty much looked like he'd be in some hot pink, you know, spandex, throwing men around a ring.
Yeah, just start dumping these.
When that goes up, it's full.
Hit the top button.
It's washing.
This is low on ice.
Well, these just go four-high, and you fill the thing up.
Whenever that's stocked, there's one on the other side.
Okay.
And, uh, all your silverware is right there.
Seems like you get your hand on everything.
Yeah.
Pretty much, you're really doing the security thing, like, while you're doing everything else.
Spencer is not only security, he's bussing tables, he's a dishwasher, he's running ice, he's rolling silverware.
He does a lot in that pub.
This is the beer cooler.
Pull this out.
Switch it out.
Put it to the new one.
Put it back in.
There.
Go ahead.
Give it a shot.
- Twist the handle? - Pull it out first.
Oops.
No, no, no.
Don't push down on it like that.
All right.
Doing too much at once.
Pull it back.
No, no.
Take it off the thing.
Now pull that off.
To do something as simple as changing a keg of beer, and you get a beer bath, that's embarrassing.
Not quite the same as the kegerator at home.
No.
No, no, no, no.
I always thought it was pretty simple.
I hope he's never stuck in the desert with his only beverage inside of a beer keg.
'Cause he's probably gonna die of thirst.
Can you help me break some of these down, real quick? Yeah.
- You been doing this for long? - No.
- This wasn't plan "A.
" - Oh.
I actually moved to Atlanta to go to film school.
- Really? - Yeah.
I was two years in, and then, uh my grandmother got real sick, and my mom had to have a whole bunch of back surgeries all at once.
I came home, and then I couldn't get loan stuff straightened out.
So I'm kind of in a holding pattern of just making sure I pay rent and eat.
You gonna go back to I'd like to.
I mean, that's the plan.
Yeah.
No, I definitely want a different job.
This end of it gets boring after a while.
Most of the nights, you just float through the restaurant looking for, "uh, everybody behaving?" The girls will usually come find you as soon as something goes wrong.
But, you know, if they grab a skirt, grab an arm, anything like that - Does it happen often? - Uh, yeah.
- It really does.
- Really? It's pretty aggravating.
I mean, we have one guy that put another customer's hand on his crotch.
In 70 pubs, I've never had anyone say that we had those kinds of instances from our customers.
It raises a red flag with me.
As I'm walking around in the pub, I don't I don't see any smiles.
I don't see any energy.
How are you doing tonight? You having a good time? What's causing that? Hi, hot stuff.
You have some more terrible people hitting on you? What's up? Yeah.
They started asking me for my number and all that.
And I'm like, "you can't have my number.
" To me.
You know, they saw that I was pissed off, and I'm like, "yeah, you don't need to talk to me like that.
" And I just look at them, and I'm like, uh No, they're gone.
They left their card and their cigarettes too.
Want some cigarettes? Did you hear what happened there? That's the example of what we're talking about.
All right, now you got the silverware.
Yeah, you sort that into this guy.
And, you know, keep the tops up.
One thing I did have a problem with in this job is that they never really outlined how I was supposed to handle that.
All they told me ever was that you can't hit somebody first.
And that's been, like, the training they gave me.
So everything else, I pretty much just figure out from being here.
That training exists in our manuals.
I don't know why it's not being presented to him by the management.
Obviously we don't want to hit anybody.
But there's more to it than that.
I know there's new management in that store, but if my company is failing in a particular situation, it feels like I failed.
It's still a restaurant.
Everybody's got clothes on.
But these people sometimes like to think it's a strip club.
And then, I've had managers that kind of don't take a hard enough line with them.
The girls aren't comfortable then because they don't think anybody's got their back at that point.
I don't know.
It seems like they cover the girls from getting sexually harassed in a strip club better than they do here.
Which is kind of ridiculous when you think about it.
Safety in our pubs is paramount to us.
Not only for our guests, but for our staff.
Even if it's just one girl that's not respected in her job, and she doesn't feel safe, that's just not acceptable.
At the end of the day, that reflects on me.
It's a black mark on our company.
- It goes out like this? - Yeah.
You just bring 'em out there.
I've seen some stuff tonight that has been very disappointing.
I hope my next job goes much better than this one.
I'm at our Mission Valley Pub in San Diego, California.
And I'll be working with our server today.
- Can I see Kaliane? - Kaliane? Sure.
What makes a good Tilted Kilt server is somebody that likes people, is entertaining, and has a great personality.
If our server's having fun, then our guests are having fun.
This is Kaliane, right here.
Kaliane? Hi, Kaliane.
- Hi.
- I'm Ryan.
- How are you doing? - Hi, Ryan.
Good.
I'm a server here at Tilted Kilt.
And I am going to change your life - like you never wanted to before.
- Super.
I'm gonna make you do all the hard work.
So I think I need your, like, strong muscles.
- Oh, well, thank you.
- Oh, my God, you're strong.
When I talked to Ryan, at first he was so shy and timid.
I was kind of, like, touching him, and I was like, "oh, he has a ring on his finger.
" Uh-oh.
So my name's Kali.
I'll be your TK girl.
Just to let you know, the margherita pizza is the best delicious thing on there.
Can I get you guys a Bentley Margarita? A stone IPA? Kali is young, she is having fun.
She is playful.
Chicken wings! So far, so good.
- Be happier.
- Okay.
One of my tricks that I do here is I put something on my head.
Do you want to put it on my head? - Are you sure? - Yeah.
- Are those Tokyo teas? - That's unbelievable.
Yeah, they're Tokyo teas.
Is that good? I mean, I could Yeah, okay, ready? Are you scared? I don't spill it.
She just walked away like it was nothing on her head.
She's got a low center of gravity, obviously, and good balance.
That's what we're talking about.
I'll be right back.
You're really tall.
Stand still.
No, I'll do it.
You can do it? Are you sure? Yeah, I'll do it.
I will always give anything a try.
But I'm not letting her mess with this wig.
Do you know any funny jokes? No, I don't.
Okay, well, I'm gonna I'm gonna tell an inappropriate one, okay? What's the difference between jelly and jam? You can't jelly your @#%$ in someone else's @#%$.
Whoo! I don't know.
I know what you mean.
Kali's telling inappropriate jokes.
What does a priest and acne have in common? It made my hair stand on end.
I mean, that was so bad.
We don't do that.
It's Tilted Kilt.
It's a little bit tilted.
There's a line that we do not cross.
That's a problem.
Do you know any funny jokes? What does a priest and acne have in common? At the Tilted Kilt we want to portray class in all things.
And we don't do that.
It's Tilted Kilt.
It's a little bit tilted.
Kaliane has heard us say many times that at the Tilted Kilt, we're a little different.
We're tilted.
But she was using it to justify doing some things that I think were not appropriate, were over the line.
We're wanting to get some fun shots.
- Got any recommendations? - Mm.
They're asking for shots.
My favorite shot is a pink @#$%.
Do you guys want to try it? That is the name of the drink.
You can open up the bar books and there it is.
But she suggested it.
I'm not sure that that's appropriate for our servers.
Okay, so he's gonna pour it in your mouth, I'm gonna pour it in his mouth.
- Please.
What? - Cheers.
You have to.
You do mine.
You do it.
You have to.
Do it! Do it.
I don't think he's wanting it.
He wants you to do it.
He wants you to do it.
At Tilted Kilt, we want to portray class in all things.
I like to have fun.
I like to try having people party.
- Chug it, chug it.
- Chug it, chug it.
No mature person should do that.
I like to whip-cream people in the face.
She needs some help.
I know the owners of this pub personally.
They're classy people.
I don't think they know that this is going on with Kali.
So tell me more about yourself.
What do you want to do from here? I want to go to school.
I've been really lazy and been blowing it off.
But I really want to try getting my G.
E.
D.
You never finished high school? I don't know what I want to do yet.
So to just get my general ed out of the way, and hopefully, I find myself, and figure out what I want to do.
Kaliane doesn't even have her high school diploma.
How can she progress in life? I've got daughters.
I just want to take Kali and say, "no, Kali.
" "That's not right.
" "You can't do that.
Don't do that.
" She needs some guidance.
Yes, so how did you like it today? It was kind of stressful, wasn't it? It was.
I felt like I was too big for the restaurant.
You know, I leave the Mission Valley Pub frustrated.
Kaliane was out of control tonight.
I was appalled.
I was embarrassed for her.
I was embarrassed for me.
I was embarrassed for our Tilted Kilt system.
I was just sure that our standards were being upheld in the pub, particularly, showing class in all things.
It just made me feel really sick.
There's a line that we do not cross in the Tilted Kilt.
That's what separates us from some of our competitors.
That may be okay for them, but it's not okay for us.
This is arguably one of the best pubs in the system.
But we clearly have some issues here.
We got a breakdown in our system somewhere, where we have so many people, that maybe they're not getting personal enough attention.
And we've got some work to do.
I I hope my next visit is much better.
We're in Joliet, Illinois, and I'm gonna be working in the kitchen today.
Hi, I'm here to see James.
- James? - Yes.
Our food is what separates us from a more traditional sports bar.
Servers are the hook that brings people in the first time.
But our food is what brings them in over and over and over again.
- Hi.
- Yes, James is in the back.
- Follow me.
- Okay, thank you.
The most important thing that I hope to find in the kitchen is teamwork.
After what I've seen in the last two jobs, I'm really concerned about what I'm going to find today.
But, at the same time, I've got to get back there and see what's going on.
What's up, Ryan? How you doing? - How are you doing? - How you doing, man? I'm James.
I'm the nighttime supervisor.
Let me introduce you to a couple of the guys.
Okay, you betcha.
When Ryan walked in, it really amazed me, how tall he was.
I'm 6'4", so, I mean, he towers over me.
He reminds me of, like, Grizzly Adams or something.
Like a mountain man.
What my job consists of is taking care of the whole aspects of the kitchen.
Make sure all the food goes out right.
So it's kind of a stressful position.
Because I got I'm going, like, ten different things.
I'll bet.
Plus I'm cooking at the same time.
Let me get you an apron to start off with.
- Okay, yeah.
- All right.
Let's get up on this line and do some cooking, man.
I'm gonna start with this first ticket, okay? Three burgers.
One, two, three.
You see right up here? All your burgers are right here.
All lined up.
Everything has a "lettuce, tomato," "lettuce, tomato," "lettuce, tomato.
" Oh, my gosh.
Why did I create so many items on our menu? I'll never learn all of 'em in the kitchen.
- Bam.
- Yep.
Let's go and put fries on these two burgers right here.
About how many? - 4 ounces is like - 4 ounces? This one right here, it's gonna be garlic fries.
So I'm gonna show you about the garlic fries.
Fries.
Garlic butter.
1 ounce.
Parmesan cheese.
You flip it.
Bam.
Garlic fries.
- They're done.
- Thank you.
Making wings.
Side kilt burner, side blue cheese.
Hey, Brendan, you got two pounds of wings ready? James is like a drill sergeant.
We do this, we do this, we do this.
I mean, he had it down.
Walking in, drunken clams.
- Heard! - See how I called it in? And you see how I get a call back? You got to hear a call back.
Got to have communication in the kitchen.
No communication in the kitchen, you gonna be lost, man.
It's gonna be a hard, hard, night, man.
Now ask Brendan how long on the Gaelic mash.
How long on the Gaelic mash? Yell it out, yell it out, yell it out.
How long on the Gaelic mash? Hey, Brendan, how long on the Gaelic mash? Uh, like, two minutes.
No, don't be scared.
Just let it out, man.
Because in a kitchen, you got to be vocal.
If Ryan wants to stay in this business, he's gonna have to drop that girly voice.
Ryan's a big guy, so I know he can yell it out.
That's why I looked at him like, "don't be timid.
" I got to go back and do a little prep, man.
So you're gonna be working fry station right here.
Okay.
You're gonna be working with Brendan.
- All right.
- I'll be back, Brendan.
Okay.
Brendan, is there a timer on the fries? Yeah.
All right, so you got a chicken nacho walking in.
All right, you got a shrimp basket walking in.
A fish and chips.
A fish taco and a potato skin.
I lost a chicken finger.
Yeow.
It's hard for me to keep up in this kitchen.
These guys are so good at their job.
They move fast.
They work hard.
They know everything about their job.
- What's up, Ryan? - They ran out of salad mix.
So I'm gonna show you how to do the salad mix in the back.
- All right? - Okay, great.
You got that right there.
You got to peel the outside ones.
You don't want that to look bad.
You want to peel them.
Get rid of them, okay? You make a slice.
You're gonna go right around it.
How long did you say you've been working in the food business? I started cooking when I was had to have been, like, fifth grade, sixth grade.
My mom could not cook.
- Could not cook a lick.
- Really? - Could not cook a lick.
- Where'd you learn from? - A recipe book.
- Yeah.
A recipe book.
I've been online and looking at the Tilted Kilt.
And seems like they're just growing like crazy.
Oh, yeah, you're looking, to, like, jump into, like, a franchise? Let me tell you something about Tilted Kilt, man.
I've been in a lot of restaurants, man.
Tilted Kilt's, like, one of the very first restaurants, man, that's actually, like, family-oriented.
And I'm not just saying it.
But it really is.
It's really, really nice to hear somebody like James say that this is a family, you need to be a part of it.
The restaurant business, man.
Your weekends are gonna be gone.
I haven't had a weekend off in I don't know how long.
I got a family.
I got triplets.
I got four kids, you know.
- So, I mean - Triplets? - How old are your triplets? - Seven and nine.
I put a lot of work in, brother.
I put a lot of work into this.
I work maybe, like, 16 hours a day, I work two jobs, you know.
I cook at another job, I cook here, man.
I put in probably about almost 75, 80 hours a week.
You ever get to see your kids? - Let me tell you.
- This makes it tough.
- Doesn't it? - Yeah, it's real tough.
But I want my kids to be comfortable, man.
And if that takes me working two jobs or three jobs A difficult situation.
James works a lot.
The reason he's working so hard is for his family.
And that's a two-edged sword.
You work for your family, but you also got to be there for your family.
- Is that good? - Right on target.
- Right on target.
- Is that good? That's what I'm talking about.
Right on target.
Bring this to the salad station.
In the salad station.
This has been a long journey.
I've had some lows.
But this is definitely a high, tonight.
We've got a lot of great people in our organization.
People that really care a lot about the company.
And that was eye-opening tonight.
Tell you, that's what I'm talking about.
That's what I'm talking about.
Okay, Ryan.
This is the end of my journey.
It's time to say bye to Ryan Good.
And it's time to become Ron Lynch again.
'Cause Ron Lynch can do something about these things that I've seen.
In spite of all of the discomfort, and all of the travel, how tired I am, it's been worth it.
I've gotten, like, a microscopic view of my business.
I've worked hard all of my life.
I have a blessed life in many ways.
I have a great family.
They're all healthy.
And some of these people that work for me have not been so blessed.
The Tilted Kilt is a family.
And how can we let them struggle the way they are? Family's about helping each other.
Coming up, how will these employees react when they find out Ryan is really the boss? We've never met? - No.
- I don't believe so.
I don't know.
Have I? You look familiar.
I'm Ron Lynch.
I'm the president of the Tilted Kilt.
Is that you? I'm so confused.
My employees think they're coming to our flagship restaurant in Arizona, to speak to an investor on a fake reality show.
Now it's time to reveal my true identity to each person I worked with this past week.
- Hi, Kali, how are you doing? - Hi.
- Good, how are you? - Good.
So tell me about Ryan.
I like Ryan as a person.
Kind of obvious he didn't have a whole lot of experience in the restaurant industry.
I think it would be a good decision.
I don't think he has what it takes.
I don't I think that you shouldn't do it.
Shouldn't do it.
Okay.
We've never met? - Have you and I met? - Uh-huh.
No.
Uh, I don't believe so.
I don't know.
Have I? You kind of look like Ryan.
You look familiar.
Are you his brother? Is that you? I'm so confused.
Well, I was Ryan, but I'm not really Ryan.
- Did you cut your hair? - I'm Ron Lynch.
I'm the president and the owner of the Tilted Kilt.
Wow.
Let me shake your hand again.
Nice nice to meet you, sir.
Nice to meet you, sir.
Honestly, when you walked in, I thought you had to be related to him.
Am I in trouble? - I'm so nervous now.
- Yeah.
It kind of makes me feel like this is Undercover Boss.
This is Undercover Boss.
I feel so ditzy and blonde now.
Kali, I want to thank you for helping me see firsthand what's going on in my pubs.
But you made me uncomfortable.
Did I? Did I really? It's 'cause you're married.
No.
No.
It's not that.
As the president of the company and the owner of the company, I wasn't liking what I was seeing.
Mm-hmm.
He's gonna pour it in your mouth, - I'm gonna pour it in his mouth.
- Please.
- Cheers.
You have to.
- What? You need to mature.
At the Tilted Kilt, we have some guiding principles.
Portray class in everything we do.
You crossed that line.
It's okay.
Now my makeup's gonna be so messed up.
Oh, you're still beautiful.
You know, at the Tilted Kilt, we we think of ourselves as one big family.
And family takes care of each other.
Kali, you're an important element to our business.
And I want to provide you a mentor.
She portrays class in everything she does.
And I think you'll really like her.
Thank you so much.
And for you to say this that makes me feel really good.
You never finished high school? Well, I'm gonna make you a deal.
If you'll get your GED, I'll give you $10,000 to go to any school you want.
That's a lot of money.
- Deal? Okay.
- Yes.
I can't I can't begin to be, like, thankful to you and happy.
And it makes me want to get things done as fast as I can.
And thank you so much for everything that you've given me.
And this opportunity is huge.
Him giving this to me made me feel really good about myself.
I want to go back to school.
I want to go to college as fast as I can.
Be a grown-up for once in my life.
Like, I just I need I need to do better for myself.
Spencer, I loved every minute when I was with you.
And I got my beer bath.
Did you get any foam on you - or did I take the whole thing? - No, you got most of it.
Then I started sliding over, you know, I was like, "I'm out of the spray zone," you know? But you opened my eyes to a pub that is not as good as it should be.
I know there's been some management change and so we're focusing on that.
You felt like you never got the security training that you needed.
Yes, sir.
And all they said, literally was, "don't hit anyone.
" Unless they hit you first.
That was all I've been told honestly in security.
Spencer, because you brought this problem to my attention, I'm gonna make sure all of the pubs have the proper training.
This will never be a problem again.
Thank you, sir.
Spencer, I know you're working so hard, and working so many hours.
I know you were in school, and you had to drop out to take of your mom when she had her back surgery.
That was the right thing to do, by the way.
So I want to give you $5,000 for any medical expenses or anything that may have occurred during that time to help you and your family.
That's incredible, sir.
That basically lifts a huge, black cloud that's been sitting over me since my grandmother and mom got so sick.
And you have some student debt.
I want to help you with that.
I want to give you $14,000 to pay off your student loans.
That's pretty amazing.
Like, I actually have some hope.
Otherwise, I've really felt like I don't know how long I got to keep kind of trudging along at this lower level.
I'm sorry, I'm a little floored right now.
That's that's pretty incredible.
You're a pretty incredible guy.
- Thank you, sir.
- Thanks.
Thanks so much.
When I tell my mom about this, she's probably gonna cry.
This is gonna be the first positive thing I've gotten to tell her in I don't how long.
I mean, I talk to her all the time, but I don't get to call home with good news.
So I'm looking forward to that.
James, I really, really enjoyed working with you.
And you're just like a drill sergeant.
"Temperature here, and this goes here," and everything had a place for you.
You you have thoroughly, thoroughly impressed me.
You know, I hate I hate that you're working so hard.
You're working 50 to 55 hours at the Tilted Kilt.
And I know you have another job that you're working 20 to 25 hours at.
I don't do this for myself.
I do this for my kids and my family because they're the most important, you know.
I want you to leave your part-time job - that you have.
- Mm-hmm.
I want to give you $20,000 so you don't have to do that anymore.
Say it again now? You want to do what? I want you just to focus on the Tilted Kilt.
You just want to give me $20,000 just to I want to do that.
Yup.
I really admire your dedication to your kids, your family values.
I want you to be able to take your family wherever you want to go in the world on the vacation of their dreams.
All expenses paid on our part.
I don't know what to say.
It's just mm, mm, mm.
Thank you.
You got seven-year-old triplets and - Ten-year-old boy.
- and a ten-year-old boy.
Mm-hmm.
What I'd like to do is establish a scholarship fund of $20,000 for your kids.
By the time they're college age, that should be a big fund.
Mm, mm, mm.
Mm.
Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you.
Never had someone be so nice and, you know, believe in me like that.
I think you found your home.
Hopefully you stay with us for a long, long time.
I think I will.
I put in a lot of hard work in over the years, man.
It finally paid off.
And you know, kind of breathe easy, man.
Especially with like my kids' college tuition, man.
That that's some This is it's unbelievable, man.
Angel sent down.
That's for sure.
That's for sure.
Shayna I loved your energy, I loved your look.
I you're the perfect person we want in our business.
I had fun with you.
You were a pleasure to work with.
You're a value to us.
We want to keep you with us for a long, long time, but I know you got a lot of things going on right now.
You've got kids.
I'd like to put $10,000 in a scholarship for both of your kids.
So when they're ready to go to school, that money will be enough to send them.
Thank you.
Oh, my God.
You have an autistic child.
Shayna, I'd like to give you $20,000 to take care of your son for therapy, for childcare, for whatever else he needs.
Thank you.
I'm not one to ask for help, but thank you.
And in addition I know that your dad has been ill.
All we can do is just hope and just keep praying 'cause he's my best friend.
My dad was my best friend.
I want to give you $20,000 for you to spend whatever way you want to take care of you and your family.
I can't believe this is happening to me.
Oh, my God.
My life is forever gonna be changed.
- Hello? - Daddy.
They're giving me money for the kids to be able to go to college.
And they're they're giving me $20,000 to take care of you and mom.
What? I know! I feel like a million bucks right now.
Not only because the president of the company I've worked for knows how hard I work, but my babies and my dad and my mom.
This is crazy.
I can't believe it.
It's it's the best feeling in the world.
Tilted Kilt! Tilted Kilt! Tilted Kilt! Tilted Kilt! Tilted Kilt! Tilted Kilt! Tilted Kilt! You all know me as Ron Lynch, but for the past week, I've been undercover as Ryan Good.
I went undercover to get a real honest look at our company from the inside out.
It was exhausting, it was grueling, it was draining.
But most of all, it was rewarding.
Family is important to me.
I have a lot of you out there that are a part of my family.
But I realized, at the Tilted Kilt, that my extended family is all of you out there.
So now I look at this company in an all-new perspective.
So thanks, and, uh, thank you a lot.
My dad was always big on family.
You know, I think a little bit of my dad rubbed off on me in that respect.
You know, I can't wait to get started, make changes to pursue some of these things that I have seen while I've been out there on my journey.
The communication needs to be better, and we really need to make sure that these security people are trained as well as the managers.
Hey, James, I want to introduce you to my family.
Okay.
What I've discovered on this journey is we've got great people in place.
They'll help us be the springboard to grow in this next phase of growth.
I think my dad would be very proud of what we're doing at the Tilted Kilt.
- Thank you.
the president of Tilted Kilt Pub & Eatery, a contemporary Celtic-themed sports pub, poses as a failed business owner hoping to get funding for a new business on a fake reality show.
- I'm Shayna.
- I'm Ryan.
- How are you? - I'm great.
He'll trade in his business attire for a bartender's kilt.
I feel a little bit like Mel Gibson in Braveheart.
Oops.
By working on the front lines That's what we're talking about.
this high-powered president will find out how much skill is required to keep this lively pub ordering up another round.
I lost a chicken finger.
Yeow.
Have I told you this joke already? I'm gonna tell an inappropriate one, okay? And what will happen when the boss witnesses some unsavory behavior from one of his employees? I'm gonna pour it in his mouth.
Please.
What? Cheers.
You have to.
Do it! At the Tilted Kilt there's a line that we do not cross.
That's a problem.
Find out next on Undercover Boss.
Undercover Boss 4x02 - Tilted Kilt Original air date November 9, 2012 Hi.
Welcome to the Tilted Kilt.
Headquartered in Tempe, Arizona, Tilted Kilt Pub & Eatery is a contemporary pub and sports bar that serves up to $250 million in annual revenue.
Cheers.
Overseeing the 4,000 employees that keep this business cooking is one man.
I'm Ron Lynch.
I'm the president and founder of Tilted Kilt Pub & Eatery.
Tilted Kilt is a contemporary pub.
I've been in the food business for many years, but I decided I wanted to do something different, and one of my friends said, "hey, have you seen" "the Tilted Kilt?" The Tilted Kilt started in the Rio Casino in Las Vegas.
We bought the name and got our first pub going.
And from there, everything has been history.
We're a family business.
Not just because I have so many family members working here, but it's a feel that we have.
How are you? Well, I'm good, now that I found out that you're still here.
The Tilted Kilt is one of the fastest growing sports pubs in the United States.
We have over 4,000 employees.
We have 70 pubs currently.
We're growing at a phenomenal rate.
We hope to be 93 pubs by the end of the year.
Here at the Tilted Kilt, the guiding principles are everything to us.
Number one on the guiding principles is portray class in everything you do.
Some people think our servers are X-rated.
I disagree.
We portray our servers as PG-13, the girl next-door.
I'm not sure what some of our competitors' guiding principles are, but I would like to think that we portray class far greater than they do.
We don't want the wife to say, "why did you go to the Tilted Kilt?" "What's going on there?" We want them to say, "well, why didn't you take me?" I would have my own daughters work there.
Okay.
The costume, you know, has been a challenge from the beginning.
My daughter, Torie, does our social media.
And I wouldn't be able to do it without my wife, Debra.
Here's what we're down to.
The original tartan out of the original fabric blend, or the blend that has a little more stretch.
- Have we tested it? - Yes, we have.
We didn't get "D"s or double-Ds, but we did the others.
You know, I think the under the light, it'll be pretty, though.
The color match will be great.
I do too.
Good.
Growing up, my dad was the first person in his family to graduate from college.
He was the real entrepreneur in our family.
He didn't think there was anything that he couldn't achieve in business out there, and that's what my dad did, and that's what I knew.
The year that we started this business and I saw my dad at lunch, and, uh, he was wanting to talk.
And I said, "I don't have time, dad.
" "I gotta go.
" And then he passed he passed away that night.
He was my inspiration.
He was my cheerleader.
And he didn't think that there was anything I couldn't do.
I'm a very tall person.
So I am concerned about being recognized.
I've been practicing my slouch a little bit, so hopefully I can go undercover and not be recognized.
Think you look like Charles Manson.
You know? While undercover, I will be posing as Ryan Good, the failed sporting goods store owner from San Diego.
Throughout my undercover journey, my employees will be tricked into thinking they're on a hosted reality show in which they will work alongside Ryan, then decide whether he deserves the money to start a new business.
We are here in Roselle, Illinois, at a Tilted Kilt pub.
The woman pretending to be the host of the fake show, will keep asking questions about whether or not Ryan deserves the money, so my employees will have no idea that this is secretly Undercover Boss.
What are you wearing? Did you recognize me? Not at first.
Kind of scared me a little bit.
I wouldn't let you in my restaurant.
No, I don't worry about Ron being with all the Tilted Kilt girls at all.
I mean, he's old enough to be their granddad.
Okay, I got a plane to catch - All right, let's do it.
- Okay.
- See you in a few days.
- Okay.
I'm going undercover to make sure that our guiding principles are being kept.
That's where this company is made at.
Our goal at Tilted Kilt is to be the most respected, most recognized sports pub in the United States.
And if we're not getting those principles all the way to the guests, then we got some work to do.
I am here at our pub in Atlanta, Georgia.
I'm going to be learning how to tend bar today.
How are you today, darlin'? A big percentage of our business is out of the bar.
The most important thing that our servers and bartenders can do is be entertaining.
They're our hook that brings people in the door.
Hey, I'm looking for Shayna.
She's right over here.
The one with the dark hair.
- I'm Shayna.
- I'm Ryan.
- How are you doing? - I'm great.
Are you? Are you? Okay, so there's a couple things first.
You have to get changed into your uniform.
- Follow me this way.
- Okay, okay, thanks.
So you been here long? - Three years.
- Three years? I'm an old lady, and they need to take me out to the pasture.
- There's your uniform.
- It's a kilt? - Yes.
- I'm gonna wear a kilt? You have to wear a kilt.
Really? Okay.
You'll be hot in it.
Don't worry.
Okay.
This is the first time I've had on a bartender's kilt.
Okay, I'm Ryan.
I've been in the sporting goods business.
Just keep that thought in mind.
I feel a little bit like Mel Gibson in Braveheart.
Yay! We love our little uniforms.
They're fun.
I love yours.
Hey, that's my secret.
Ryan walked out in his kilt, and he just looked adorable.
On a ladies' night, I bet he would get a lot of tips.
Our bottled beers are all right here.
But you automatically want to give them this.
So that's automatic.
Just say it.
I'll just be like, "oh, you wanna Bud Light? "Okay, I'm gonna get you a big one.
" Okay.
When Shayna was telling me about the up-sell We want to name an appetizer.
You always want to pick one out.
Be like, "hey, can I get you some Irish nachos?" That gal can sell.
You know, that's exactly like we design it in our office.
But to see it in practice, that's nice.
How's everything, love? Good? - More coke, honey? - Oh, no.
I'm okay.
- Thank you.
- All right.
These are what you call regulars.
But I don't call them that.
These are my friends.
- This is our watering hole.
- She's wonderful.
- Is she? - She's awesome.
It is.
They've been coming here for a really long time.
Shayna is right there with customers immediately.
She seemed to have a second sense for when somebody sat down at her bar.
Here, big daddy.
Here's your Bud Light.
Make no mistake, that's Shayna's bar.
So this is called a black and tan.
The Guinness, when it comes up to here, that's where you're gonna pour the tan at.
I don't know if I got enough black in there.
Whoops.
So do you think you're ready for me to disappear on you for a second? - Sure.
- I have faith in you.
Thank you.
I can do this.
- Hi.
How are you doing? - Good.
Bud Light.
I'll get you a Bud Light.
Is that a regular size? - Bottle.
- Bottle? - Okay.
- Yeah.
Just, uh, for your information, our seasonal is Sam Adams, so And if I can find a, uh, a bottle opener - There you go.
- Perfect.
- Did I? Okay.
- Yeah.
Now that's gonna be a challenge.
I have a newfound respect, after working behind the bar a little bit.
Hey, daddy.
How are you feeling? I'm just a mess today, worrying about you.
And trying to do this thing.
I just don't understand.
No, I just don't understand why they keep finding things on you.
Okay, well, I love you.
Are you okay? I just talked to my dad.
What's, uh He's got bladder cancer.
This morning, he went for his biopsy, and they found a whole bunch more.
So it's spreading.
He tries to be positive, and like, "no, if it's my time to go" And he just feels like he has to stick around for my children, 'cause I picked such a bad dad for them.
So But that's when you come to work and you just pull it together, right? When you come to work, you leave your stuff outside.
And unfortunately, today, my dad went in for a biopsy, and I've been a mess.
People are going through all kinds of stuff and I want them to have fun.
And I try to have fun at work, but I feel like I'm dying inside.
I have two small children.
My ex-husband signed his rights over, so I'm mommy and daddy.
It's hard.
No parent wants their child to suffer or struggle.
And he struggles with a lot of things, but he's my angel.
And that's why I work so hard, is for him.
You know, it's always something.
But when you walk in the door, everything goes out of the way, you know, because you have to put this great persona on.
I don't know if I could put that away.
Shayna's got a hard road.
She's got a child with autism and her dad's ill.
I don't know how long she can sustain that.
But it's life, right? We need people exactly like Shayna.
She sells, she's smart.
She shouldn't have to struggle like that.
Maybe I can help that burden just a little bit.
Look, two more black and tans, and you already know how to do that.
Do you think you can handle it? - I think so.
- I think you can.
Coming up, the boss hears the hard truth from an employee.
Seems like they cover the girls from getting sexually harassed in a strip club better than they do here.
That's a problem.
And later, Ron gets a rude awakening.
He's gonna pour it in your mouth, I'm gonna pour it in his mouth.
Please.
What? You have to.
Do it! Ron Lynch, the president of Tilted Kilt Pub & Eatery is a boss undercover in his own company.
His employees think he's a former business owner participating in a reality show.
So far, he's met a model employee.
His journey continues in Georgia.
I'm here at our Alpharetta Pub in Georgia.
And I'll be working security.
This is a pub that we've always thought has the potential to do better.
It should be in our top pubs.
But it doesn't have quite the business that some of our pubs have.
I hope I can find some real insight on how we can improve this business.
I'm here to see Spencer.
Spencer? Yeah.
You can follow me this way.
Okay, thanks.
Spencer? Ryan.
How are you doing? - You said Brian or Ryan? - Ryan.
- Ryan.
Nice to meet you.
- Right.
How are you? Good.
I'm doing security stuff, normally.
But when it's this early, there's really not much to worry about.
Gotcha.
So we kind of do a bunch of catchall stuff.
Gotcha.
When I first met Ryan, I assumed that I was supposed to recognize him from the W.
W.
E.
He pretty much looked like he'd be in some hot pink, you know, spandex, throwing men around a ring.
Yeah, just start dumping these.
When that goes up, it's full.
Hit the top button.
It's washing.
This is low on ice.
Well, these just go four-high, and you fill the thing up.
Whenever that's stocked, there's one on the other side.
Okay.
And, uh, all your silverware is right there.
Seems like you get your hand on everything.
Yeah.
Pretty much, you're really doing the security thing, like, while you're doing everything else.
Spencer is not only security, he's bussing tables, he's a dishwasher, he's running ice, he's rolling silverware.
He does a lot in that pub.
This is the beer cooler.
Pull this out.
Switch it out.
Put it to the new one.
Put it back in.
There.
Go ahead.
Give it a shot.
- Twist the handle? - Pull it out first.
Oops.
No, no, no.
Don't push down on it like that.
All right.
Doing too much at once.
Pull it back.
No, no.
Take it off the thing.
Now pull that off.
To do something as simple as changing a keg of beer, and you get a beer bath, that's embarrassing.
Not quite the same as the kegerator at home.
No.
No, no, no, no.
I always thought it was pretty simple.
I hope he's never stuck in the desert with his only beverage inside of a beer keg.
'Cause he's probably gonna die of thirst.
Can you help me break some of these down, real quick? Yeah.
- You been doing this for long? - No.
- This wasn't plan "A.
" - Oh.
I actually moved to Atlanta to go to film school.
- Really? - Yeah.
I was two years in, and then, uh my grandmother got real sick, and my mom had to have a whole bunch of back surgeries all at once.
I came home, and then I couldn't get loan stuff straightened out.
So I'm kind of in a holding pattern of just making sure I pay rent and eat.
You gonna go back to I'd like to.
I mean, that's the plan.
Yeah.
No, I definitely want a different job.
This end of it gets boring after a while.
Most of the nights, you just float through the restaurant looking for, "uh, everybody behaving?" The girls will usually come find you as soon as something goes wrong.
But, you know, if they grab a skirt, grab an arm, anything like that - Does it happen often? - Uh, yeah.
- It really does.
- Really? It's pretty aggravating.
I mean, we have one guy that put another customer's hand on his crotch.
In 70 pubs, I've never had anyone say that we had those kinds of instances from our customers.
It raises a red flag with me.
As I'm walking around in the pub, I don't I don't see any smiles.
I don't see any energy.
How are you doing tonight? You having a good time? What's causing that? Hi, hot stuff.
You have some more terrible people hitting on you? What's up? Yeah.
They started asking me for my number and all that.
And I'm like, "you can't have my number.
" To me.
You know, they saw that I was pissed off, and I'm like, "yeah, you don't need to talk to me like that.
" And I just look at them, and I'm like, uh No, they're gone.
They left their card and their cigarettes too.
Want some cigarettes? Did you hear what happened there? That's the example of what we're talking about.
All right, now you got the silverware.
Yeah, you sort that into this guy.
And, you know, keep the tops up.
One thing I did have a problem with in this job is that they never really outlined how I was supposed to handle that.
All they told me ever was that you can't hit somebody first.
And that's been, like, the training they gave me.
So everything else, I pretty much just figure out from being here.
That training exists in our manuals.
I don't know why it's not being presented to him by the management.
Obviously we don't want to hit anybody.
But there's more to it than that.
I know there's new management in that store, but if my company is failing in a particular situation, it feels like I failed.
It's still a restaurant.
Everybody's got clothes on.
But these people sometimes like to think it's a strip club.
And then, I've had managers that kind of don't take a hard enough line with them.
The girls aren't comfortable then because they don't think anybody's got their back at that point.
I don't know.
It seems like they cover the girls from getting sexually harassed in a strip club better than they do here.
Which is kind of ridiculous when you think about it.
Safety in our pubs is paramount to us.
Not only for our guests, but for our staff.
Even if it's just one girl that's not respected in her job, and she doesn't feel safe, that's just not acceptable.
At the end of the day, that reflects on me.
It's a black mark on our company.
- It goes out like this? - Yeah.
You just bring 'em out there.
I've seen some stuff tonight that has been very disappointing.
I hope my next job goes much better than this one.
I'm at our Mission Valley Pub in San Diego, California.
And I'll be working with our server today.
- Can I see Kaliane? - Kaliane? Sure.
What makes a good Tilted Kilt server is somebody that likes people, is entertaining, and has a great personality.
If our server's having fun, then our guests are having fun.
This is Kaliane, right here.
Kaliane? Hi, Kaliane.
- Hi.
- I'm Ryan.
- How are you doing? - Hi, Ryan.
Good.
I'm a server here at Tilted Kilt.
And I am going to change your life - like you never wanted to before.
- Super.
I'm gonna make you do all the hard work.
So I think I need your, like, strong muscles.
- Oh, well, thank you.
- Oh, my God, you're strong.
When I talked to Ryan, at first he was so shy and timid.
I was kind of, like, touching him, and I was like, "oh, he has a ring on his finger.
" Uh-oh.
So my name's Kali.
I'll be your TK girl.
Just to let you know, the margherita pizza is the best delicious thing on there.
Can I get you guys a Bentley Margarita? A stone IPA? Kali is young, she is having fun.
She is playful.
Chicken wings! So far, so good.
- Be happier.
- Okay.
One of my tricks that I do here is I put something on my head.
Do you want to put it on my head? - Are you sure? - Yeah.
- Are those Tokyo teas? - That's unbelievable.
Yeah, they're Tokyo teas.
Is that good? I mean, I could Yeah, okay, ready? Are you scared? I don't spill it.
She just walked away like it was nothing on her head.
She's got a low center of gravity, obviously, and good balance.
That's what we're talking about.
I'll be right back.
You're really tall.
Stand still.
No, I'll do it.
You can do it? Are you sure? Yeah, I'll do it.
I will always give anything a try.
But I'm not letting her mess with this wig.
Do you know any funny jokes? No, I don't.
Okay, well, I'm gonna I'm gonna tell an inappropriate one, okay? What's the difference between jelly and jam? You can't jelly your @#%$ in someone else's @#%$.
Whoo! I don't know.
I know what you mean.
Kali's telling inappropriate jokes.
What does a priest and acne have in common? It made my hair stand on end.
I mean, that was so bad.
We don't do that.
It's Tilted Kilt.
It's a little bit tilted.
There's a line that we do not cross.
That's a problem.
Do you know any funny jokes? What does a priest and acne have in common? At the Tilted Kilt we want to portray class in all things.
And we don't do that.
It's Tilted Kilt.
It's a little bit tilted.
Kaliane has heard us say many times that at the Tilted Kilt, we're a little different.
We're tilted.
But she was using it to justify doing some things that I think were not appropriate, were over the line.
We're wanting to get some fun shots.
- Got any recommendations? - Mm.
They're asking for shots.
My favorite shot is a pink @#$%.
Do you guys want to try it? That is the name of the drink.
You can open up the bar books and there it is.
But she suggested it.
I'm not sure that that's appropriate for our servers.
Okay, so he's gonna pour it in your mouth, I'm gonna pour it in his mouth.
- Please.
What? - Cheers.
You have to.
You do mine.
You do it.
You have to.
Do it! Do it.
I don't think he's wanting it.
He wants you to do it.
He wants you to do it.
At Tilted Kilt, we want to portray class in all things.
I like to have fun.
I like to try having people party.
- Chug it, chug it.
- Chug it, chug it.
No mature person should do that.
I like to whip-cream people in the face.
She needs some help.
I know the owners of this pub personally.
They're classy people.
I don't think they know that this is going on with Kali.
So tell me more about yourself.
What do you want to do from here? I want to go to school.
I've been really lazy and been blowing it off.
But I really want to try getting my G.
E.
D.
You never finished high school? I don't know what I want to do yet.
So to just get my general ed out of the way, and hopefully, I find myself, and figure out what I want to do.
Kaliane doesn't even have her high school diploma.
How can she progress in life? I've got daughters.
I just want to take Kali and say, "no, Kali.
" "That's not right.
" "You can't do that.
Don't do that.
" She needs some guidance.
Yes, so how did you like it today? It was kind of stressful, wasn't it? It was.
I felt like I was too big for the restaurant.
You know, I leave the Mission Valley Pub frustrated.
Kaliane was out of control tonight.
I was appalled.
I was embarrassed for her.
I was embarrassed for me.
I was embarrassed for our Tilted Kilt system.
I was just sure that our standards were being upheld in the pub, particularly, showing class in all things.
It just made me feel really sick.
There's a line that we do not cross in the Tilted Kilt.
That's what separates us from some of our competitors.
That may be okay for them, but it's not okay for us.
This is arguably one of the best pubs in the system.
But we clearly have some issues here.
We got a breakdown in our system somewhere, where we have so many people, that maybe they're not getting personal enough attention.
And we've got some work to do.
I I hope my next visit is much better.
We're in Joliet, Illinois, and I'm gonna be working in the kitchen today.
Hi, I'm here to see James.
- James? - Yes.
Our food is what separates us from a more traditional sports bar.
Servers are the hook that brings people in the first time.
But our food is what brings them in over and over and over again.
- Hi.
- Yes, James is in the back.
- Follow me.
- Okay, thank you.
The most important thing that I hope to find in the kitchen is teamwork.
After what I've seen in the last two jobs, I'm really concerned about what I'm going to find today.
But, at the same time, I've got to get back there and see what's going on.
What's up, Ryan? How you doing? - How are you doing? - How you doing, man? I'm James.
I'm the nighttime supervisor.
Let me introduce you to a couple of the guys.
Okay, you betcha.
When Ryan walked in, it really amazed me, how tall he was.
I'm 6'4", so, I mean, he towers over me.
He reminds me of, like, Grizzly Adams or something.
Like a mountain man.
What my job consists of is taking care of the whole aspects of the kitchen.
Make sure all the food goes out right.
So it's kind of a stressful position.
Because I got I'm going, like, ten different things.
I'll bet.
Plus I'm cooking at the same time.
Let me get you an apron to start off with.
- Okay, yeah.
- All right.
Let's get up on this line and do some cooking, man.
I'm gonna start with this first ticket, okay? Three burgers.
One, two, three.
You see right up here? All your burgers are right here.
All lined up.
Everything has a "lettuce, tomato," "lettuce, tomato," "lettuce, tomato.
" Oh, my gosh.
Why did I create so many items on our menu? I'll never learn all of 'em in the kitchen.
- Bam.
- Yep.
Let's go and put fries on these two burgers right here.
About how many? - 4 ounces is like - 4 ounces? This one right here, it's gonna be garlic fries.
So I'm gonna show you about the garlic fries.
Fries.
Garlic butter.
1 ounce.
Parmesan cheese.
You flip it.
Bam.
Garlic fries.
- They're done.
- Thank you.
Making wings.
Side kilt burner, side blue cheese.
Hey, Brendan, you got two pounds of wings ready? James is like a drill sergeant.
We do this, we do this, we do this.
I mean, he had it down.
Walking in, drunken clams.
- Heard! - See how I called it in? And you see how I get a call back? You got to hear a call back.
Got to have communication in the kitchen.
No communication in the kitchen, you gonna be lost, man.
It's gonna be a hard, hard, night, man.
Now ask Brendan how long on the Gaelic mash.
How long on the Gaelic mash? Yell it out, yell it out, yell it out.
How long on the Gaelic mash? Hey, Brendan, how long on the Gaelic mash? Uh, like, two minutes.
No, don't be scared.
Just let it out, man.
Because in a kitchen, you got to be vocal.
If Ryan wants to stay in this business, he's gonna have to drop that girly voice.
Ryan's a big guy, so I know he can yell it out.
That's why I looked at him like, "don't be timid.
" I got to go back and do a little prep, man.
So you're gonna be working fry station right here.
Okay.
You're gonna be working with Brendan.
- All right.
- I'll be back, Brendan.
Okay.
Brendan, is there a timer on the fries? Yeah.
All right, so you got a chicken nacho walking in.
All right, you got a shrimp basket walking in.
A fish and chips.
A fish taco and a potato skin.
I lost a chicken finger.
Yeow.
It's hard for me to keep up in this kitchen.
These guys are so good at their job.
They move fast.
They work hard.
They know everything about their job.
- What's up, Ryan? - They ran out of salad mix.
So I'm gonna show you how to do the salad mix in the back.
- All right? - Okay, great.
You got that right there.
You got to peel the outside ones.
You don't want that to look bad.
You want to peel them.
Get rid of them, okay? You make a slice.
You're gonna go right around it.
How long did you say you've been working in the food business? I started cooking when I was had to have been, like, fifth grade, sixth grade.
My mom could not cook.
- Could not cook a lick.
- Really? - Could not cook a lick.
- Where'd you learn from? - A recipe book.
- Yeah.
A recipe book.
I've been online and looking at the Tilted Kilt.
And seems like they're just growing like crazy.
Oh, yeah, you're looking, to, like, jump into, like, a franchise? Let me tell you something about Tilted Kilt, man.
I've been in a lot of restaurants, man.
Tilted Kilt's, like, one of the very first restaurants, man, that's actually, like, family-oriented.
And I'm not just saying it.
But it really is.
It's really, really nice to hear somebody like James say that this is a family, you need to be a part of it.
The restaurant business, man.
Your weekends are gonna be gone.
I haven't had a weekend off in I don't know how long.
I got a family.
I got triplets.
I got four kids, you know.
- So, I mean - Triplets? - How old are your triplets? - Seven and nine.
I put a lot of work in, brother.
I put a lot of work into this.
I work maybe, like, 16 hours a day, I work two jobs, you know.
I cook at another job, I cook here, man.
I put in probably about almost 75, 80 hours a week.
You ever get to see your kids? - Let me tell you.
- This makes it tough.
- Doesn't it? - Yeah, it's real tough.
But I want my kids to be comfortable, man.
And if that takes me working two jobs or three jobs A difficult situation.
James works a lot.
The reason he's working so hard is for his family.
And that's a two-edged sword.
You work for your family, but you also got to be there for your family.
- Is that good? - Right on target.
- Right on target.
- Is that good? That's what I'm talking about.
Right on target.
Bring this to the salad station.
In the salad station.
This has been a long journey.
I've had some lows.
But this is definitely a high, tonight.
We've got a lot of great people in our organization.
People that really care a lot about the company.
And that was eye-opening tonight.
Tell you, that's what I'm talking about.
That's what I'm talking about.
Okay, Ryan.
This is the end of my journey.
It's time to say bye to Ryan Good.
And it's time to become Ron Lynch again.
'Cause Ron Lynch can do something about these things that I've seen.
In spite of all of the discomfort, and all of the travel, how tired I am, it's been worth it.
I've gotten, like, a microscopic view of my business.
I've worked hard all of my life.
I have a blessed life in many ways.
I have a great family.
They're all healthy.
And some of these people that work for me have not been so blessed.
The Tilted Kilt is a family.
And how can we let them struggle the way they are? Family's about helping each other.
Coming up, how will these employees react when they find out Ryan is really the boss? We've never met? - No.
- I don't believe so.
I don't know.
Have I? You look familiar.
I'm Ron Lynch.
I'm the president of the Tilted Kilt.
Is that you? I'm so confused.
My employees think they're coming to our flagship restaurant in Arizona, to speak to an investor on a fake reality show.
Now it's time to reveal my true identity to each person I worked with this past week.
- Hi, Kali, how are you doing? - Hi.
- Good, how are you? - Good.
So tell me about Ryan.
I like Ryan as a person.
Kind of obvious he didn't have a whole lot of experience in the restaurant industry.
I think it would be a good decision.
I don't think he has what it takes.
I don't I think that you shouldn't do it.
Shouldn't do it.
Okay.
We've never met? - Have you and I met? - Uh-huh.
No.
Uh, I don't believe so.
I don't know.
Have I? You kind of look like Ryan.
You look familiar.
Are you his brother? Is that you? I'm so confused.
Well, I was Ryan, but I'm not really Ryan.
- Did you cut your hair? - I'm Ron Lynch.
I'm the president and the owner of the Tilted Kilt.
Wow.
Let me shake your hand again.
Nice nice to meet you, sir.
Nice to meet you, sir.
Honestly, when you walked in, I thought you had to be related to him.
Am I in trouble? - I'm so nervous now.
- Yeah.
It kind of makes me feel like this is Undercover Boss.
This is Undercover Boss.
I feel so ditzy and blonde now.
Kali, I want to thank you for helping me see firsthand what's going on in my pubs.
But you made me uncomfortable.
Did I? Did I really? It's 'cause you're married.
No.
No.
It's not that.
As the president of the company and the owner of the company, I wasn't liking what I was seeing.
Mm-hmm.
He's gonna pour it in your mouth, - I'm gonna pour it in his mouth.
- Please.
- Cheers.
You have to.
- What? You need to mature.
At the Tilted Kilt, we have some guiding principles.
Portray class in everything we do.
You crossed that line.
It's okay.
Now my makeup's gonna be so messed up.
Oh, you're still beautiful.
You know, at the Tilted Kilt, we we think of ourselves as one big family.
And family takes care of each other.
Kali, you're an important element to our business.
And I want to provide you a mentor.
She portrays class in everything she does.
And I think you'll really like her.
Thank you so much.
And for you to say this that makes me feel really good.
You never finished high school? Well, I'm gonna make you a deal.
If you'll get your GED, I'll give you $10,000 to go to any school you want.
That's a lot of money.
- Deal? Okay.
- Yes.
I can't I can't begin to be, like, thankful to you and happy.
And it makes me want to get things done as fast as I can.
And thank you so much for everything that you've given me.
And this opportunity is huge.
Him giving this to me made me feel really good about myself.
I want to go back to school.
I want to go to college as fast as I can.
Be a grown-up for once in my life.
Like, I just I need I need to do better for myself.
Spencer, I loved every minute when I was with you.
And I got my beer bath.
Did you get any foam on you - or did I take the whole thing? - No, you got most of it.
Then I started sliding over, you know, I was like, "I'm out of the spray zone," you know? But you opened my eyes to a pub that is not as good as it should be.
I know there's been some management change and so we're focusing on that.
You felt like you never got the security training that you needed.
Yes, sir.
And all they said, literally was, "don't hit anyone.
" Unless they hit you first.
That was all I've been told honestly in security.
Spencer, because you brought this problem to my attention, I'm gonna make sure all of the pubs have the proper training.
This will never be a problem again.
Thank you, sir.
Spencer, I know you're working so hard, and working so many hours.
I know you were in school, and you had to drop out to take of your mom when she had her back surgery.
That was the right thing to do, by the way.
So I want to give you $5,000 for any medical expenses or anything that may have occurred during that time to help you and your family.
That's incredible, sir.
That basically lifts a huge, black cloud that's been sitting over me since my grandmother and mom got so sick.
And you have some student debt.
I want to help you with that.
I want to give you $14,000 to pay off your student loans.
That's pretty amazing.
Like, I actually have some hope.
Otherwise, I've really felt like I don't know how long I got to keep kind of trudging along at this lower level.
I'm sorry, I'm a little floored right now.
That's that's pretty incredible.
You're a pretty incredible guy.
- Thank you, sir.
- Thanks.
Thanks so much.
When I tell my mom about this, she's probably gonna cry.
This is gonna be the first positive thing I've gotten to tell her in I don't how long.
I mean, I talk to her all the time, but I don't get to call home with good news.
So I'm looking forward to that.
James, I really, really enjoyed working with you.
And you're just like a drill sergeant.
"Temperature here, and this goes here," and everything had a place for you.
You you have thoroughly, thoroughly impressed me.
You know, I hate I hate that you're working so hard.
You're working 50 to 55 hours at the Tilted Kilt.
And I know you have another job that you're working 20 to 25 hours at.
I don't do this for myself.
I do this for my kids and my family because they're the most important, you know.
I want you to leave your part-time job - that you have.
- Mm-hmm.
I want to give you $20,000 so you don't have to do that anymore.
Say it again now? You want to do what? I want you just to focus on the Tilted Kilt.
You just want to give me $20,000 just to I want to do that.
Yup.
I really admire your dedication to your kids, your family values.
I want you to be able to take your family wherever you want to go in the world on the vacation of their dreams.
All expenses paid on our part.
I don't know what to say.
It's just mm, mm, mm.
Thank you.
You got seven-year-old triplets and - Ten-year-old boy.
- and a ten-year-old boy.
Mm-hmm.
What I'd like to do is establish a scholarship fund of $20,000 for your kids.
By the time they're college age, that should be a big fund.
Mm, mm, mm.
Mm.
Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you.
Never had someone be so nice and, you know, believe in me like that.
I think you found your home.
Hopefully you stay with us for a long, long time.
I think I will.
I put in a lot of hard work in over the years, man.
It finally paid off.
And you know, kind of breathe easy, man.
Especially with like my kids' college tuition, man.
That that's some This is it's unbelievable, man.
Angel sent down.
That's for sure.
That's for sure.
Shayna I loved your energy, I loved your look.
I you're the perfect person we want in our business.
I had fun with you.
You were a pleasure to work with.
You're a value to us.
We want to keep you with us for a long, long time, but I know you got a lot of things going on right now.
You've got kids.
I'd like to put $10,000 in a scholarship for both of your kids.
So when they're ready to go to school, that money will be enough to send them.
Thank you.
Oh, my God.
You have an autistic child.
Shayna, I'd like to give you $20,000 to take care of your son for therapy, for childcare, for whatever else he needs.
Thank you.
I'm not one to ask for help, but thank you.
And in addition I know that your dad has been ill.
All we can do is just hope and just keep praying 'cause he's my best friend.
My dad was my best friend.
I want to give you $20,000 for you to spend whatever way you want to take care of you and your family.
I can't believe this is happening to me.
Oh, my God.
My life is forever gonna be changed.
- Hello? - Daddy.
They're giving me money for the kids to be able to go to college.
And they're they're giving me $20,000 to take care of you and mom.
What? I know! I feel like a million bucks right now.
Not only because the president of the company I've worked for knows how hard I work, but my babies and my dad and my mom.
This is crazy.
I can't believe it.
It's it's the best feeling in the world.
Tilted Kilt! Tilted Kilt! Tilted Kilt! Tilted Kilt! Tilted Kilt! Tilted Kilt! Tilted Kilt! You all know me as Ron Lynch, but for the past week, I've been undercover as Ryan Good.
I went undercover to get a real honest look at our company from the inside out.
It was exhausting, it was grueling, it was draining.
But most of all, it was rewarding.
Family is important to me.
I have a lot of you out there that are a part of my family.
But I realized, at the Tilted Kilt, that my extended family is all of you out there.
So now I look at this company in an all-new perspective.
So thanks, and, uh, thank you a lot.
My dad was always big on family.
You know, I think a little bit of my dad rubbed off on me in that respect.
You know, I can't wait to get started, make changes to pursue some of these things that I have seen while I've been out there on my journey.
The communication needs to be better, and we really need to make sure that these security people are trained as well as the managers.
Hey, James, I want to introduce you to my family.
Okay.
What I've discovered on this journey is we've got great people in place.
They'll help us be the springboard to grow in this next phase of growth.
I think my dad would be very proud of what we're doing at the Tilted Kilt.