Kitchen Nightmares (2007) s04e07 Episode Script
Downcity
Tonight on Kitchen Nightmares Chef Ramsay heads to Rhode Island and finds an owner in complete denial.
I absolutely think you're full of .
Her restaurant may be failing Dreamer! But from the minute Chef Ramsay sets foot in the door, owner Abby battles him That was embarrassing.
That's impossible.
Every step of the way.
Bring it on.
This hot-headed owner seems incapable of listening Listen to me! I'm not gonna listen to your .
Not just to Chef Ramsay, but also her staff As long as you work for me, you do it my way.
Enough said.
If you cannot follow my rules, then get the out.
And even comments from her customers.
They're not raw! He's full of ! Abby is a complete psycho bitch.
Can Chef Ramsay get through to this stubborn owner? Abby, you've got to understand how frustrating this is.
Fix it.
You fix it.
You stuck up, precious little bitch! Or will this defiant, proud woman be so delusional You are insane! You are insane! All you want! You are insane! I'm insane? You're insane! That she chases her one last hope out the door? Just get the out of my restaurant! You want me to go? Get the out of my restaurant please! I will go.
If you're looking for a peaceful evening Are you still here? Not now, guys, please.
This is the one Kitchen Nightmares you might want to avoid.
I would rather this restaurant close than have him in here.
Providence, Rhode Island, home to seven colleges and a thriving art scene.
This renaissance city is a constant beehive of activity.
In 2005, Abby and her best friend Rico bought a restaurant called Down City, smack in the center of town.
Rico and I were on the beach one day, and I told him that I was interested in buying Down City.
And he said, "I want to own a restaurant too.
" I was spending a lot of money in restaurants eating and drinking, and I figured why not give myself the money instead? Make it a double.
He has a full-time day job, an my job is to take care of everything in this restaurant.
You start with all the specials, I'm gonna get the wine.
Okay.
I've been in the restaurant business for 33 years, so the decisions I make, I really don't consult Rico about them, I just do them.
And this would go perfectly with the pork special.
And I was putting But at this point, it's not going well.
I need more asses in the seats.
I think it's a beautiful restaurant.
I think our menu is creative, and the food is good.
I don't know what's wrong.
It's all up.
Abby has a blindfold on because she doesn't want to admit that she's part of the problem.
Just give him-- no, let me do it.
Abby acts like Whatever! Don't argue! Cruella de Vil.
I just want an answer when I call something out! Abby is a complete psycho bitch I just want an answer! Which is a recipe for utter disaster.
I am fixing it.
I checked it before I left.
Is this really happening? I'm not yelling.
I'm talking.
They think that this is a democracy, and it's not.
If you cannot follow my rules, then get the out.
As long as you work for me, you do it my way.
Enough said.
It's basically Abby's way or the highway.
And it's definitely why her restaurant's failing.
Welcome to my nightmare.
If people are complaining about the food, maybe there's something wrong with the food.
It is impossible for the fries to be ice cold! Maybe just Abby saying it's great does not make it great.
That's how the plate is prepared.
Do you not like it? No? She built this 50-item menu that is just horrible.
They hate the chicken paillard.
What? Nobody can say anything about the menu because it's her menu.
She takes it personally.
Maybe they're not the right decisions, but they're my decisions.
I have to get Abby on board to move forward because my life is at stake here.
All I think about is why people are not coming to my restaurant.
If something happened here where I had to declare bankruptcy, it could very strongly affect my day job.
That's stress.
We've got all these bills to pay this week, and that's the stack.
This week? I've called upon Chef Ramsay because of his honesty and bluntness.
But he's gonna have his work cut out for him.
I guarantee.
Hello.
Oh, Chef Ramsay.
Welcome to Down City.
How are you? Nice to meet you.
Likewise.
My pleasure.
And your first name is? Abby.
Abby, good to see you.
And you're the owner? I'm the owner, general manager, everything.
My business partner isn't here.
He'll come in tonight.
Okay, great.
Yeah, his name's Rico.
Right.
So you're trained classically in terms of-- Absolutely not.
You would not want me to cook you anything.
Oh, really? And on a scale of one to ten, mark the food.
What would you say? Where are we? It's a ten.
Wow.
Wow, wow, wow.
Yeah.
Perfect.
I'm starving.
Because the room service next door was shocking.
Wait a minute, wait-- the room service next door was shocking? What do you mean it was shocking? There's a little hotel next door--a little boutique hotel.
We do the room service for that hotel.
What was the problem? Honestly? Yeah.
That was embarrassing.
Why? What did you have? This pissy, grainy soup that was stone-cold.
Hold on, it gets worse.
Crab cakes that were stone-cold in the center.
It was just, like, this bowl of mush.
Disgusting.
Disgusting.
Disgusting? Well, I was, like, "oh, damn, he went there.
He just really went there.
" That's impossible.
That's impossible that the crab cakes are stone-cold.
Are you telling me I'm exaggerating? I think you're one of those customers that I would fire immediately.
Yeah.
You fire customers? I have.
Okay.
Well, let me sit down and eat.
Can I suggest something? I don't want you to suggest anything, because if you're now telling me that that room service was you at your best, I'm myself before I start eating, let me tell you that.
Wow.
Wow.
Wow.
I don't know what he's talking about.
Blah blah blah blah blah.
Where would you like me to sit? We're gonna go right over here.
Thank you.
Excellent.
Describe the food for me.
Um, comfort food.
Middle of the road.
Middle of the road? When was the last time somebody sent food back? Today.
Oh, you did.
Wow.
Wow, wow, wow.
I'm sorry.
Okay, I'll look through the menu.
Could I suggest something, or no, you don't want a suggestion? If you're gonna talk to me honestly, fine.
If you're gonna start, you know, going defensive-- I'm not gonna get defensive.
I'm just defending what we do here.
Now, Abby, I'm not here to argue with you.
You asked me to come here and look at this place to help you out.
Let's get one thing clear straight away.
Cut the .
Okay.
If you're gonna sit there and start with me-- I'm not sitting, I'm standing.
I'm gonna go for your balls.
Big time.
Wow.
You just told me five minutes ago that the food's ten out of ten, the room service is perfect.
Basically, I'm going to eat, and then I'm going to leave, unless you start telling me the truth.
I don't know where you're coming from.
Let me eat the food.
I absolutely think you're full of .
I've been here five minutes, and already you're in denial.
I'm not in denial.
I will back up anything my kitchen does.
Fine.
I'm open-minded.
Can I order the food? Absolutely.
Thank you so much.
Go for it.
Appreciate it.
Wow, what a welcoming.
Welcome to Providence.
I didn't know they did female cage fighters.
Holy crap.
Boy, I can't wait till Rico gets here.
Hi, how are you? I'm grumpy.
How are you? Good, good, good.
My name is Josh.
Josh.
I'll be taking care of you.
Welcome to Down City.
So nice to see that friendly face.
Thank you.
Is the owner, Abby, always that defensive? Yeah.
It's scaring me.
Okay, appetizers.
Calamari.
"Crispy rings with hot, sweet pepper sauce.
" Yeah, I'll go for some of that.
Okay.
You don't spell "peppers" like that either.
No, I guess you don't.
I didn't even notice that.
How long have you been here? Three years.
Three years.
Okay.
It says "it's a party in my mouth.
" Yeah.
Well, if it's good enough to be put on the menu, I'm gonna try it.
So I'll go for "party in your mouth.
" Okay.
And the award-winning meatloaf.
That's our claim to fame.
Brilliant.
Thanks, Josh.
You're welcome.
Please, may God-- we don't die in Rhode Island.
Okay, this is Gordon Ramsay's order.
Let's make Gordon's food.
I'm a good cook, but it's not my menu.
Of course I want to do well, but I'm not sure what Chef Ramsay's gonna think.
He's, like, "is this how you spell 'peppers' in America?" Three ps.
'Cause it's p-e-p-p Yeah.
There's three ps in that.
There is.
Hi.
How are you? How are you? Nice to meet you.
Jason.
Likewise.
Gordon.
Good to see you.
So you'reThe waiter.
Head waiter.
Yes.
Dining room manager.
Yes.
Brilliant.
And being the head waiter, how would you describe the food here? Below par.
Abby said it was a ten.
So I'm in for a treat.
Yeah.
Calamari.
Okay.
This is the crispy calamari.
Calamari.
Yes.
Ew.
And why is it looking so wet? It's a sauce that they toss it in.
Say that again.
You fry it They fry it.
And then you Then they toss it in sauce.
It's soaking wet.
All the crispy batter's just coming off.
You know, it's not everybody's cup of tea--it's not mine.
It's certainly not mine either.
However, I'm optimistic.
What do you think? No.
I'm sorry.
I mean, look at that there.
Oh, my God.
I'm done on that one.
Yeah? I'll get rid of it for you? I don't understand it.
Thank you.
You're welcome.
Wow.
Soggy, chewy, disgusting calamari.
Shocking.
What'd he say about it? He spit the calamari back out.
That's hysterical.
What was he bitching about? He spit it out.
I'm gonna go at his throat today.
And this is the party in your mouth.
This is the party in my mouth.
It should be.
The top plate's very hot.
It looks dreadful.
I think I've just thrown up in my mouth.
What a mess.
Oh, boy.
I take it that was one party you didn't want to attend.
It wasn't a party in my mouth.
It was like a funeral in my mouth.
A funeral? Yeah.
Well, it kind of does look like something died.
What's the matter with that? It's gross.
What? We're not doing too good here.
I was ready to, like Choke him.
Maybe this is the one thing he'll like.
He doesn't like anything.
Maybe this'll be the one.
What, the meatloaf? Maybe this'll be it.
Here you are.
That's the meatloaf.
Okay.
And this is the award-winning-- the award-winning meatloaf.
I'm excited.
Thank you.
You're welcome.
Doesn't move on there, does it? Whew.
Wow.
That's disgusting.
What do we think? Wow.
It's not even hot.
I'm sorry.
It's sort of lukewarm, solidified chunks of crap.
That's pretty much the norm.
It must be frikkin' embarrassing for you to serve this.
It is embarrassing.
I don't like the meatloaf here at all.
We set ourself up for disappointment when we put "award winning" in front of it.
What was the problem with the meatloaf? It's disgusting.
Can you be more specific? I didn't hear what he said.
You're gonna have to ask him.
Abby and Chef Ramsay are gonna go to blows.
Can I have a word with the team? It's inevitable.
It's going to happen.
So the food was shocking.
Low-par, disgusting, dated ! So who is the Head Chef here? We don't really have one, but I guess-- what do you mean you don't have a Head Chef? But I guess I'm the closest thing.
Closest? What does that mean? Talk to me, Abby.
That means that I fired my other Chef, and he took over, and I didn't want to give him a title until he proved to himself that he could handle a kitchen.
Abby, what you're employing is a ship with no Captain at the helm, and a team desperate for guidance.
No guidance is no standards.
No standards is not consistency.
So who came up with the menu? This is American comfort food.
Somebody's dreaming here.
I did.
I did.
I take full responsibility for the menu.
You have no cooking background, but you put the menu together? Abby, you've for to understand how frustrating this is.
It's ridiculous! I don't know what to say.
Fix it.
You fix it.
That's why you're here.
Oh, come on, Abby.
How can I fix it when you stand there in front of your team rating you and your restaurant and your food ten out of ten? Dreamer! I don't think it's as bad as you say it is.
Okay, stop being in denial! Can you be more specific about the meatloaf? What did you not like about the meatloaf? Oh, ! Can you say something besides-- you're loopy! I've been called worse than that.
Wake up and admit it's ! Bring it on.
Oh, come on.
Bring it on.
What do you mean, "bring it on"? To have Chef Ramsay say everything you've done, everything that you've dreamed of doing is I was blown away.
I need some fresh air.
Coming up on Kitchen Nightmares Here we go.
The battle intensifies.
You're in , and you can't accept it! You! Abby reaches her breaking point I'm not gonna listen to you.
But so does Chef Ramsay.
You stuck up, precious little bitch! It's a blow-up so explosive Get the out of my restaurant! You want me to go? That it rivals anything Chef Ramsay has ever faced before.
She's deluded, that woman.
That's coming up on Kitchen Nightmares.
After Chef Ramsay's harsh critique The food was shocking.
Dated and tasteless! Abby has a conversation with the one person she believes is always rightherself.
So what do I do? Like, just get out of the restaurant business? Then, obviously, my 33 years in the business is, like, worthless, and I have no idea what the I'm doing.
Okay I think I'm going to open up that hotdog stand on the beach.
Want some tea or something? No.
I believe, from the bottom of my heart, that's he's wrong.
I really don't care what he does.
He's completely full of .
Like, seriously, our meatloaf is, like, what put us on the map.
I mean, it's great.
I don't like the meatloaf.
You really don't? I honestly don't.
We had it the other night together.
What? What didn't you like about it? I think our food is mediocre.
Like, it's not-- mini me, seriously! You're telling me now you don't like it? I eat it 'cause we're here.
This is not my restaurant of choice.
I will not dine here in my off time.
You're saying, for what we serve-- comfort food, meatloaf, pasta, steak, whatever-- you're saying-- no.
So now you're all telling me that you don't like the menu? I feel stabbed in the back, I guess.
You're just hitting me with this now? You know what we're up against if we even opened our mouth about the menu once? Every time we opened our mouth, " You don't know anything.
" We're all at a point now where we're just, like, if this is what she wants, let's just serve it out.
We'll take it out of the window and bring it to the table.
What are we gonna have an opinion about now? This is .
No, no, no, no.
This is .
No! Talk to us.
Without a doubt, she's in denial.
It's an hour before dinner service, and Down City's other owner, Rico, shows up Hello.
Unaware of what happened earlier.
But that's quickly about to change.
How are you? I don't even know how to answer that.
I think it's time for Abby to find out that the outbursts and the treating employees badly-- it is definitely time she had someone other than myself telling her, "you can't be doing this.
" Really? Wow.
Make it a double.
Oh How are you? I'll get up, and I'll go say hi.
Gordon? Good to see you.
Nice to meet you.
I'm Rico.
Rico.
Now, have you got two minutes? Sure.
We're gonna catch you up.
Where should we go? Yeah, let's go in there.
He may rip me apart too, but I just want this restaurant to work.
So let's get turning it around.
What a day.
Obviously, you weren't here for lunch.
Just explain what you do during the day.
I work for a credit union during the day.
I do their mortgages for 'em.
Okay.
Wow.
Financing? Yes, financing.
And then you bought a restaurant.
Then I bought a restaurant.
How's that worked out for you so far? Oh, horribly.
If we had to close this tomorrow, what are you in for? .
Really? Mm-hmm.
This is quite serious , now.
Oh, yeah.
What happens if it fails? I could possibly lose my day job.
Really? Because I'm in the financial field.
I'm advising people on what to do with their mortgaging and financing their properties and things like that.
So you're up to there.
You've got a big stake in this restaurant, and a huge amount of jeopardy if it fails.
Mm-hmm.
You're right.
There's a line that I walk in here--a very fine line.
I have a lot at stake.
But I totally let Abby run the restaurant, and maybe that's a mistake on my part.
With dinner service already underway What about something to drink to get you started? Chef Ramsay is eager to spend some time in the kitchen to see how it functions.
Wow, tight behind the line.
So who's doing what? Explain the line to me.
, why is the place so messy? Is the kitchen normally this filthy? The last couple days, it's been, uh, a lot going on.
That is foul.
With the kitchen in disarray, Chef Ramsay goes on the hunt to find out what is lurking below.
Oh, my God.
Ah, this is gross down here.
Holy crap.
Look at that.
Lamb bones.
Just dumped in there like that.
What is that? Chicken carcasses.
Ohh, my God.
And while Chef Ramsay has his hands full in the walk-in God knows what that is.
Abby has her hands full in the dining room.
Abby I need a new calamari with the sauce on the side, 'cause he says it's too mushy.
Can I have another calamari with sauce on the side, please? Is it? Yeah, let me take it out the way for you.
I need a spin dip.
This is cold.
I'm going out of my mind right now.
It's a nightmare.
Can we just 86 this special? Every single one of them has been sent back.
Uh, Rico, Abby.
I need one minute.
Just both of you together, one minute.
Why right now? Like, are you kidding me? Have a look in there.
Look at the state of what they're cooking out of.
Have you any idea what's in what box? Uh, what goes where? Over here, there you got a little bag of chicken carcasses.
On this one here, you've got some raw chicken, cooked pork there.
This is you with 30 years in the business.
Yeah, hold on.
It gets worse.
I don't know what that is.
Well Looks like cheese or something.
But what is that there? What is that? What, are you lost for words? The place is a filthy mess.
Look, what is that? Lamb bones? Who's organizing this? You haven't got a head Chef? Jimmy is my Head Chef.
So we have a Head Chef.
Before, you weren't ready to confirm he was the Head Chef.
All of a sudden, we discover a mess down here, now He's appointed.
What happened? What? I was talking to Rico.
It has nothing to do with you.
Has nothing to do with me? No.
Excuse me, what do you think I'm doing? I mean, I--I'm trying-- you're being a .
This wasn't like this before.
It wasn't like this.
Hold it, hold on a minute! You're calling me a ? I am! You stuck up, precious little bitch! Let me tell you something! Oh, boy.
Here we go.
Listen to me.
I'm not gonna listen to you.
You're in denial! I'm not in denial! You are.
Yes, you are.
I am not in denial! And you can't even Accept it.
You.
Go walk out then! I am! You! There you go.
Flip the bird.
That's your attitude.
And that's your partner.
I'm really sorry, but this wasn't like this before I got here? She's deluded, that woman.
You are insane! You are, like-- yeah, brain me all you want! These excuses that you're insane! I'm insane? You're insane! You've got to admit the Truth! You're insane.
That refrigerator was not like that before you got here.
You're in denial.
Flip out again! I would never allow that refrigerator to look like that.
The moldy lamb bones? I don't even talk to my staff like this! Why don't you get the Out of my restaurant? Want me to go? I would love you to go.
Get the out of my restaurant, please! You are so in denial! You need therapy! You're a disgrace to this industry.
You, and get out of my restaurant.
Are you still here? Not now, guys, please? Him.
Right from the beginning, Chef Ramsay and Abby have clashed.
Stop being in denial! I don't think it's as bad as you say it-- dreamer.
But after a confrontation over the state of the walk-in You're being a .
This wasn't like this.
You're calling me a ? ! Abby has completely lost it.
You are insane! You are, like-- yeah, brain me all you want! These excuses that you're insane! I'm insane? You're insane! And while she has had enough of Chef Ramsay Get the out of my restaurant, please.
You are so in denial! You need therapy! He has had enough of her.
You're a disgrace to this industry.
You, and get out of my restaurant.
Are you still here? Not now, guys, please? jim.
Chef Ramsay.
Hey, guys, I need some privacy, please.
This is, uh, too serious.
And I'm not gonna jeopardize 25 years busting my ass off in this industry to take that from someone so in denial.
Mm-hmm.
I really don't need this.
I would rather this restaurant close than have him in here.
That refrigeration unit was a mess.
Mm-hmm.
Behind the line was a mess.
I know.
I'm really sorry.
Honestly, she's got to start listening.
I-I know, and I don't know how to make her do it.
I reallyI don't know.
Is he--he's coming back tonight, isn't he? I don't give a where he goes.
He can go to hell for all I care.
If you want me to leave, I'm out of here.
Absolutely not.
Absolutely not.
Okay, I need your help.
You have my 100% support.
Okay, I'm gonna go for a walk.
I'll come back.
Okay? Okay.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Abby needs to be on board with us and stop her denial of everything.
We have to break through it.
I feel pretty .
How would you feel if someone is telling you that your life's work and everything you've dreamed of doing for your whole life, um, is ? So now I'm completely questioning myself.
And I hope we can have a conversation about what needs to be done in this restaurant.
After a volatile evening that included a massive blowup with Chef Ramsay and a weak dinner service, Abby has been clearly humbled and seems ready to finally listen to what Chef Ramsay has to say.
Okay, let's agree on something.
Today's been a day? Mm-hmm.
Absolutely.
Yeah? I'm not here to rub your face in it, let's get that right.
Okay.
But Abby, you know, I've had failure in my life.
But one thing I'm not in is denial.
And when I do make a mistake, I admit it.
I understand.
So tomorrow we need to start being honest and open so I can start rebuilding.
I can't rebuild on B.
S.
I agree.
I want you to be here.
I want you to help me get this restaurant to where I need it to be.
Where we know it can be.
Yep.
Tomorrow we start again.
Get some rest.
It's a new day, and Abby and Rico are on board for change.
Morning, morning, morning.
But before that can happen, Chef Ramsay wants to give the staff something they have been rarely given: A chance to talk freely without getting fired.
So this is what we're gonna do.
I want each of you to write down some questions.
And direct them to the person you want them to answer.
This is going to be another hell day for me.
Don't sign your name.
It's anonymous.
I knew that if we were gonna do an exercise.
Um, in talking about the restaurant, I knew that it was all gonna be directed at me.
Thank you very much.
Okay, good.
Here's the, uh, the first one.
Wow.
Abby.
"Why is the menu so huge?" We, uh, just, um, to give the customer more choices.
But the amount of dishes is absurd.
And the more dishes, the lower the standard.
Uh, Abby and Jimmy.
"The quality of the food needs to improve.
How can we fix it?" Good question.
And it all comes down to menu size.
With as many items as there are, if you prep for dinner alone, and then the dessert menu, you can't prep enough stuff Yeah.
It's like you-- you just can't do it.
Who's putting all those dishes on there? Abigail.
Abby.
When I put this menu together, I just expected my staff to just do this menu.
Abby.
"Why do you not allow "anyone to express their opinions without it being seen as a personal attack to you?" Since I bought this restaurant, I became a defensive Bitch.
I question and I get upset at the fact that you're questioning what I'm doing.
That's paranoia.
We do care about this restaurant.
You are our friend.
So we want to see you succeed, and the answer I've gotten from you in the past is, "you.
That's not true.
" We're just here for money.
Or we're just here because-- what? We're just here 'cause we can't get other jobs and stuff.
And it's--it's hurtful, because when you invest so much time, and we would do anything for you.
And I completely realize that we've just got to talk more instead of me yelling and screaming.
It can't just be my show.
It's not the Abby show.
It's the Down City show.
Are you ready to embrace change? Yeah, absolutely.
Major change? Absolutely.
I think this experience is making Abby realize that she has to relinquish control.
And I think she's going to do it, because I think Abby turning around is definitely paramount for this restaurant to survive.
Coming up on Kitchen Nightmares Can I have some food up in the window, please? Abby may be focused on moving ahead Come on, guys.
But can her kitchen staff step up their game? I'm confused on where we are for apps.
Oh, my God.
Chef Ramsay tries desperately to save Down City from going down.
Quit falling behind.
You've got to work together.
But this Providence restaurant could be too hopeless to turn around.
None of us know what the we're doing.
Right, Jimmy, let's go, bud.
As Abby's menu was clearly bogging down the kitchen, Chef Ramsay has gone through it and scaled it back.
Tonight, we're just gonna keep it really simple.
For tonight's dinner service, half the items are off the menu.
And he's introducing a roasted chicken special.
Just cut the breast, fat side down.
Just cut through.
Everyone's excited, and we can't have another night like the previous few.
It's time to get it right.
Happy? Happy.
Makes it a lot more simple.
Big time.
Folks, good evening.
Welcome to Down City.
Follow me.
Did you guys decide on appetizers? We're gonna have an order of the calamari.
So we're doing two calamaris? Uh, let's get the grilled chicken breast.
Chicken breast? Yes.
I've got to get everyone involved if we are gonna take Down City to the next step, to the next level.
All right, here we go.
Order fire, calamari, frisee salad, nicoise salad.
Make sure everything comes up at the same time.
Tonight's smaller menu is having an immediate impact.
Wipe the plates, please.
Better-prepared appetizers are quickly leaving the kitchen.
That's 37.
That's up.
These, um, appetizers going to 39? Can you help a run? And when you combine that with a calm and under control Abby at the helm Can you run this to the next table, please? Down City's dinner service is off to a good start.
Oh, yeah.
Order fire.
Calamari, another frisee salad, no egg.
Jimmy, we've got to bang all these entrees out.
I know, I know.
Here, you're on apps.
You're on table 28.
Now I'm confused on where we are for apps.
You need table 28.
I don't even have a 36 up here.
I didn't say 36.
Oh, wait.
One, two, three.
Come on, guys.
There's nothing coming out.
Jimmy is supposed to be the leader in the kitchen, calling out tickets.
Do me a favor.
Get two of the-- oh, you're doing something? And they just started crossing paths.
No one seemed to know what the hell they were doing back there.
Yes or no? No, I'm still waiting on 28.
It's an hour and a half into a dinner service that started out as promising.
Can I have some food up in the window please? No, dude, dude.
This couscous is runny and gross.
But unfortunately has declined rapidly.
They're not even here.
That's all the way down there.
They have none of this.
And, not surprisingly, diners are losing their patience.
Can I get something up on the line, please? Yeah, right now.
Right now.
Jimmy's doing all three sections.
He's covering the grill.
He's covering the salmon, he's covering the chicken.
He's trying to run the kitchen as well at the same time.
He's got nothing behind him.
Oh, my God, what a show.
Well, we've been here since and we still don't have our entrees.
I know, I'm gonna go check on your entrees.
So this is not good.
I've got people that had put their orders in an hour and 15, hour and a half, some of them.
Where the Was that food? Let's, uh, find our server and--and let's just go.
Did that refired chicken go? It's right here.
Give it to him.
I need it right now.
Please.
Come on, is it your first time at the rodeo? Plate 'em! Guys, they got food dying in the window! Chris, please! Yeah, I can't take this.
It was a disgrace.
It was horrifying.
It was embarrassing.
Don't make this.
They just walked.
Oh, my God.
Jimmy doesn't have any excuses anymore.
His excuse for months has been our menu is too big.
So we give him a smaller menu to do, and they still can't turn it out.
So, I mean, where do we go from here? I need one chicken up in the line right now.
With Abby pushing her kitchen staff I'm not taking this out until it's all up on the line.
Can I have a chicken on the line, please? In my hands! Okay! They still struggle.
Food! Thank you.
But manage to get the last entrees out.
Ohh! There we go! And that's the-- that's everything? Start cleaning up.
Good night.
Thank you.
Good night.
Thank you.
Now an unusually calm Abby Jimmy.
Come out here.
Listen to me.
Is about to let loose.
What I saw tonight was the worst Show I've ever seen-- ever, ever, ever seen! No, I know, I know, I know.
It did not go smoothly, but they--they--they-- "smoothly"? Jimmy, we were an hour in before more than two dinners went out.
An hour into service.
I'm almost accepting that none of us know what the we're doing.
And we can't get to the next step.
I'm actually considering that.
After tonight, I don't know if I have the staff to get it back.
I don't know if we can do it.
Tonight's dinner service was plagued by confusion and incompetence in the kitchen.
Can I get something up on the line, please? I'm confused on where we are.
Come on, is it your first time at the rodeo? Plate 'em! The problems are obvious to Chef Ramsay, but it's time to find out if Abby is still in denial.
Abby, what did you see tonight? What happened is it happens all the time.
As soon as the line gets hit with a number of slips at one time, the kitchen folds, it goes down in flames.
And, um I've lost confidence in my kitchen, um, honestly.
Jimmy I'm not blaming you entirely.
I'm looking at the tools you've got to work with.
And it's a disaster.
Behind that line, there's no way on earth This group of cooks call pull off a new menu.
So seeing how frustrating it's been here, I made a call to a very experienced Chef in my team to be here first thing tomorrow morning getting your crew at a respectable level.
It's cool having his Chef to help us all out.
And it's gonna be a good experience for all of us.
Tomorrow's comeback day.
We're relaunching with a new menu.
Let's roll up our sleeves and push it.
I mean, really push it.
Definitely.
Can't wait.
I'll see you first thing in the morning.
Absolutely.
Thank you.
Good night.
I'm glad that the kitchen's gonna be shown what to do and how to do it properly.
Because this is it.
It's not only my kitchen's last chance.
It's my restaurant's last chance.
Good morning! Good morning.
Wow, come in.
How are we? Good.
The Chef that I brought in, James, has been here since 00 this morning, supervising, working his ass off with your team, getting ready for this menu.
Today, your menu will be in keeping with your beautiful restaurant and your great service.
First up, the appetizers.
Come down.
Now, these are appetizers.
Pleasing on the eye and fun.
Goat cheese truffle dip.
Honey-spice chicken wings.
Meatball sliders.
Delicious.
Wow.
Now we can have a real party in our mouth, Abby.
Can't wait! Okay! On to the entrees.
The main event, seared lamb chop.
Classic.
Lobster Mac and cheese.
Bacon-wrapped Angus meatloaf.
Thank you.
I want you to get familiar with the new menu.
Yes? Get up to speed with those dishes, have a little taste! This is awesome.
That's money.
The new menu is beyond belief.
Kind of surprised that it came out of my kitchen.
Oh, my God, that is good.
Bacon-wrapped meatloaf.
Isn't that awesome? Oh, my God.
It's unbelievable.
I had no idea that it could get this good.
Oh, my God.
That's azing.
Wow.
I've been for years describing this restaurant as creative comfort food.
I had no clue.
This is creative comfort food.
I've never seen Abby this emotional.
Like, she does have a heart in there.
She does have a soul.
It's amazing.
There is a God.
Yep.
It's relaunch night at Down City.
And while Abby and Rico get the front of the house ready for the most important night in the restaurant's history We are gonna rock this town tonight.
Let's go, let's go.
Whoo! Back in the kitchen Then we're gonna go here, table by table until we have to do pits, yes? Chef James is doing the same with the kitchen staff.
Every dish perfect, every time.
Folks, how we doing tonight? Welcome, welcome.
Have you had a chance to look at all the new and fun, exciting menu items that we have? Let's go, guys, yeah? I wanna hear you tonight, and I wanna hear you too, yes? Let's go.
Only minutes into the service, a locally-renowned food blogger has arrived.
Stacey place ripped apart her last meal in the restaurant.
Abbyyou recognize her? Yeah.
You know how important she is.
But Chef Ramsay convinced her to give it another try.
She has 10,000 followers.
She blogs tomorrow, we're 10,000 potential customers back up.
I tried everything on this menu today.
So if you have any questions, you feel free to ask.
Oh, yeah, definitely.
The goat cheese truffle dip really stood out for me.
Well, that sounds really good.
Jimmy, you and I, we're gonna be communicating all night.
I need the app for 37, All right.
Right now, in the window, I need that fish and chip.
I need that slider.
Sliders up, Chef.
A reinvigorated Jimmy has the kitchen moving in the right direction.
Calamari.
Sliders.
Jimmy, keep it going, yeah? Frisee salad on the fly! And the new menu is being embraced by the customers.
Wow.
But just when it appears as though it's gonna be smooth sailing I need a chowder, a calamari, a slider! Jimmy, did you call the calamari for table 30? I just did! Abby and Jimmy Listen to me.
Are having a communication breakdown.
I need four soups and one chowder up in the line, please.
That's incorrect.
Uh-oh, here we go again.
The repeat of last night.
The kitchen's going down.
We're .
Jimmy, focus on 37, yeah? This is the golden ticket.
This is it! All right, lead ticket, I need a truffle dip.
Truffle dip takes six minutes, yes? Yes, sir.
All right, get it in the oven.
Jimmy, look at me.
We're falling behind! You've got to work together! Come on, guys, there's nothing coming out.
Please! Let's get this food out.
Give me a time on the truffle dip, please.
.
She's not blogging now, is she? What's she doing? She's definitely blogging.
She's blogging live from the table? We've got bloggers live from their table, guys.
I need a truffle dip up on the line, right now! Urgently, please! I washorrified.
We are slipping like the night before.
They're blogging as we speak.
I wanted to, like, just scream.
Come on, guys, I need some food on the line.
There's nothing in the window.
Come on, guys! I need to see some food up on this line! It's taking too long.
Literally, my kitchen going down in flames.
Listen, Jimmy One minute, Abigail! And there was literally nothing I could do about it.
Abby, come on.
Jimmy, I need a truffle dip.
Come on, guys! It's 45 minutes into dinner service.
Let's get this food out! We've got bloggers live from their table, guys! And an influential food blogger who can greatly affect the future of Down City I need a truffle dip up on the line, right now! Still has not received her appetizers.
Abby, two seconds, quickly.
Take over.
Take over.
Let's go, Abby.
She just tweeted, "waiting for appetizers.
Getting hungry.
" Okay, this is not now.
Menu's there, Chefs are there.
I need you there.
Control it.
Yeah? I know what you're capable of.
Yeah.
Yes? And it's been tough for the last couple of days, granted.
However, gotta find your voice.
Okay.
All right.
Come on! Please? Okay, let's go.
Please.
It's definitely time to step it up.
We want everything to go right with that table.
And we're gonna get the job done.
Listen, Jimmy, they're already blogging that they're waiting too long for food.
Let's get this food out.
All right, how long on a solo truffle there? Urgently, please! Truffle dip behind you! Thank you.
Truffle dip and the salads.
Caesars, they are? With that caesar I need sliders and a truffle dip.
Come on, guys.
Abby? Abby, read that discreetly.
"Truffle dip amazing.
" Yes? Yeah.
Come on.
Keep it going, yes? Entrees, make sure they come together, okay? Fire that table, please, yeah? Jimmy! Table 37.
Did you fire? I did fire.
Good.
So we got everything.
With Abby focused on the task at hand Come on! Let's get loud back there.
And Jimmy in full control of his kitchen You guys can fire that fish and chip.
Quality entrees are quickly heading out to the dining room.
Med-rare lamb chops.
Salmon, ribs, filet.
Med-rare lamb.
Heard.
The food looks amazing.
The food looks outstanding.
Absolutely amazing.
It appears as though blogger Stacey place has reached her verdict.
Yeah? And she's not the only one.
Do you like that? And those chips, aren't they delicious? A lot better than last night, right? Yeah, definitely.
How was everything? Delicious.
The flavor was right there.
Everything was great.
Great.
Thank you so much for coming in.
And we're gonna see you again.
I was living an absolute kitchen nightmare.
And my dream just came true, and I'm in absolute shock.
Like, this is the restaurant I've always wanted.
Those are your last two desserts.
Jimmy It was awesome.
Thank you.
It's a new Down City.
I'm just absolutely loving it.
Right.
Last night, I said Down City needed to make a comeback tonight.
We did just that.
Well done.
Each and every one of you pulled off a great service.
Customers loved the food.
Abby, how do you feel, babe? I feel beyond belief, fantastic.
Looking back at it now, I was so unprofessional.
Why don't you get the Out of my restaurant? Want me to go? Get the out of my restaurant, please! The new Abby is professional.
I just want to continue learning.
It's just made me such a better leader.
Come on then.
Give me a hug.
You're not gonna ask me, I'm gonna ask you.
That's right.
I, Gordon Ramsay, are asking you for a hug.
Come here.
Huh? I absolutely love Chef Ramsay, and, uh, I'm gonna miss him when he goes.
Thank you very much, Gordon.
Not at all.
This restaurant is getting back on the map that it hasn't been on in a while.
And I know it's only going to get better.
Good night.
Thanks, Chef.
Thank you.
Whew, without question the biggest transformation this week is Abby, which I never expected.
As Abby goes, so goes Down City.
If she can keep her cool, this restaurant's gonna be a huge success.
Wowparty in my mouth? Please.
Whoo! ! After Chef Ramsay left, Chef James stayed on and continued to train the cooks.
It gets prepped and put away.
Allowing Jimmy the chance to thrive.
All right, the meatloaf's being plated.
That settles the lead.
And Abby rewarded him with a promotion.
I wanted to introduce to all of you our head Chef, James Bjurman.
Let's give it up.
Thank you.
Eager to spread the word about their upgraded restaurant Nice to meet you.
Abby and Rico hit the town.
This is a crispy pork belly in a lettuce cup.
Doing some grassroots marketing by giving out samples of their new menu.
It's right down the street.
It's walking distance.
Chef Ramsay saved my restaurant.
He really did.
But I've got to continue it.
I promise him that the next time he comes back, the food will be a ten.
i>- I'm shuttin' the place down.
Chef Ramsay returns to the scene of some of his most unforgettable confrontations.
Don't you Go there! Don't point that Finger at me .
It will be a night of drama.
You're gonna get your Ass kicked.
And surprises.
What happened? As Chef Ramsay returns to the restaurants he tried to save.
Did you really hate me that much? Who's living the dream? Did you pay him the money back? And who turned the restaurant back into a nightmare? What's going on? That's next time on Kitchen Nightmares.
I absolutely think you're full of .
Her restaurant may be failing Dreamer! But from the minute Chef Ramsay sets foot in the door, owner Abby battles him That was embarrassing.
That's impossible.
Every step of the way.
Bring it on.
This hot-headed owner seems incapable of listening Listen to me! I'm not gonna listen to your .
Not just to Chef Ramsay, but also her staff As long as you work for me, you do it my way.
Enough said.
If you cannot follow my rules, then get the out.
And even comments from her customers.
They're not raw! He's full of ! Abby is a complete psycho bitch.
Can Chef Ramsay get through to this stubborn owner? Abby, you've got to understand how frustrating this is.
Fix it.
You fix it.
You stuck up, precious little bitch! Or will this defiant, proud woman be so delusional You are insane! You are insane! All you want! You are insane! I'm insane? You're insane! That she chases her one last hope out the door? Just get the out of my restaurant! You want me to go? Get the out of my restaurant please! I will go.
If you're looking for a peaceful evening Are you still here? Not now, guys, please.
This is the one Kitchen Nightmares you might want to avoid.
I would rather this restaurant close than have him in here.
Providence, Rhode Island, home to seven colleges and a thriving art scene.
This renaissance city is a constant beehive of activity.
In 2005, Abby and her best friend Rico bought a restaurant called Down City, smack in the center of town.
Rico and I were on the beach one day, and I told him that I was interested in buying Down City.
And he said, "I want to own a restaurant too.
" I was spending a lot of money in restaurants eating and drinking, and I figured why not give myself the money instead? Make it a double.
He has a full-time day job, an my job is to take care of everything in this restaurant.
You start with all the specials, I'm gonna get the wine.
Okay.
I've been in the restaurant business for 33 years, so the decisions I make, I really don't consult Rico about them, I just do them.
And this would go perfectly with the pork special.
And I was putting But at this point, it's not going well.
I need more asses in the seats.
I think it's a beautiful restaurant.
I think our menu is creative, and the food is good.
I don't know what's wrong.
It's all up.
Abby has a blindfold on because she doesn't want to admit that she's part of the problem.
Just give him-- no, let me do it.
Abby acts like Whatever! Don't argue! Cruella de Vil.
I just want an answer when I call something out! Abby is a complete psycho bitch I just want an answer! Which is a recipe for utter disaster.
I am fixing it.
I checked it before I left.
Is this really happening? I'm not yelling.
I'm talking.
They think that this is a democracy, and it's not.
If you cannot follow my rules, then get the out.
As long as you work for me, you do it my way.
Enough said.
It's basically Abby's way or the highway.
And it's definitely why her restaurant's failing.
Welcome to my nightmare.
If people are complaining about the food, maybe there's something wrong with the food.
It is impossible for the fries to be ice cold! Maybe just Abby saying it's great does not make it great.
That's how the plate is prepared.
Do you not like it? No? She built this 50-item menu that is just horrible.
They hate the chicken paillard.
What? Nobody can say anything about the menu because it's her menu.
She takes it personally.
Maybe they're not the right decisions, but they're my decisions.
I have to get Abby on board to move forward because my life is at stake here.
All I think about is why people are not coming to my restaurant.
If something happened here where I had to declare bankruptcy, it could very strongly affect my day job.
That's stress.
We've got all these bills to pay this week, and that's the stack.
This week? I've called upon Chef Ramsay because of his honesty and bluntness.
But he's gonna have his work cut out for him.
I guarantee.
Hello.
Oh, Chef Ramsay.
Welcome to Down City.
How are you? Nice to meet you.
Likewise.
My pleasure.
And your first name is? Abby.
Abby, good to see you.
And you're the owner? I'm the owner, general manager, everything.
My business partner isn't here.
He'll come in tonight.
Okay, great.
Yeah, his name's Rico.
Right.
So you're trained classically in terms of-- Absolutely not.
You would not want me to cook you anything.
Oh, really? And on a scale of one to ten, mark the food.
What would you say? Where are we? It's a ten.
Wow.
Wow, wow, wow.
Yeah.
Perfect.
I'm starving.
Because the room service next door was shocking.
Wait a minute, wait-- the room service next door was shocking? What do you mean it was shocking? There's a little hotel next door--a little boutique hotel.
We do the room service for that hotel.
What was the problem? Honestly? Yeah.
That was embarrassing.
Why? What did you have? This pissy, grainy soup that was stone-cold.
Hold on, it gets worse.
Crab cakes that were stone-cold in the center.
It was just, like, this bowl of mush.
Disgusting.
Disgusting.
Disgusting? Well, I was, like, "oh, damn, he went there.
He just really went there.
" That's impossible.
That's impossible that the crab cakes are stone-cold.
Are you telling me I'm exaggerating? I think you're one of those customers that I would fire immediately.
Yeah.
You fire customers? I have.
Okay.
Well, let me sit down and eat.
Can I suggest something? I don't want you to suggest anything, because if you're now telling me that that room service was you at your best, I'm myself before I start eating, let me tell you that.
Wow.
Wow.
Wow.
I don't know what he's talking about.
Blah blah blah blah blah.
Where would you like me to sit? We're gonna go right over here.
Thank you.
Excellent.
Describe the food for me.
Um, comfort food.
Middle of the road.
Middle of the road? When was the last time somebody sent food back? Today.
Oh, you did.
Wow.
Wow, wow, wow.
I'm sorry.
Okay, I'll look through the menu.
Could I suggest something, or no, you don't want a suggestion? If you're gonna talk to me honestly, fine.
If you're gonna start, you know, going defensive-- I'm not gonna get defensive.
I'm just defending what we do here.
Now, Abby, I'm not here to argue with you.
You asked me to come here and look at this place to help you out.
Let's get one thing clear straight away.
Cut the .
Okay.
If you're gonna sit there and start with me-- I'm not sitting, I'm standing.
I'm gonna go for your balls.
Big time.
Wow.
You just told me five minutes ago that the food's ten out of ten, the room service is perfect.
Basically, I'm going to eat, and then I'm going to leave, unless you start telling me the truth.
I don't know where you're coming from.
Let me eat the food.
I absolutely think you're full of .
I've been here five minutes, and already you're in denial.
I'm not in denial.
I will back up anything my kitchen does.
Fine.
I'm open-minded.
Can I order the food? Absolutely.
Thank you so much.
Go for it.
Appreciate it.
Wow, what a welcoming.
Welcome to Providence.
I didn't know they did female cage fighters.
Holy crap.
Boy, I can't wait till Rico gets here.
Hi, how are you? I'm grumpy.
How are you? Good, good, good.
My name is Josh.
Josh.
I'll be taking care of you.
Welcome to Down City.
So nice to see that friendly face.
Thank you.
Is the owner, Abby, always that defensive? Yeah.
It's scaring me.
Okay, appetizers.
Calamari.
"Crispy rings with hot, sweet pepper sauce.
" Yeah, I'll go for some of that.
Okay.
You don't spell "peppers" like that either.
No, I guess you don't.
I didn't even notice that.
How long have you been here? Three years.
Three years.
Okay.
It says "it's a party in my mouth.
" Yeah.
Well, if it's good enough to be put on the menu, I'm gonna try it.
So I'll go for "party in your mouth.
" Okay.
And the award-winning meatloaf.
That's our claim to fame.
Brilliant.
Thanks, Josh.
You're welcome.
Please, may God-- we don't die in Rhode Island.
Okay, this is Gordon Ramsay's order.
Let's make Gordon's food.
I'm a good cook, but it's not my menu.
Of course I want to do well, but I'm not sure what Chef Ramsay's gonna think.
He's, like, "is this how you spell 'peppers' in America?" Three ps.
'Cause it's p-e-p-p Yeah.
There's three ps in that.
There is.
Hi.
How are you? How are you? Nice to meet you.
Jason.
Likewise.
Gordon.
Good to see you.
So you'reThe waiter.
Head waiter.
Yes.
Dining room manager.
Yes.
Brilliant.
And being the head waiter, how would you describe the food here? Below par.
Abby said it was a ten.
So I'm in for a treat.
Yeah.
Calamari.
Okay.
This is the crispy calamari.
Calamari.
Yes.
Ew.
And why is it looking so wet? It's a sauce that they toss it in.
Say that again.
You fry it They fry it.
And then you Then they toss it in sauce.
It's soaking wet.
All the crispy batter's just coming off.
You know, it's not everybody's cup of tea--it's not mine.
It's certainly not mine either.
However, I'm optimistic.
What do you think? No.
I'm sorry.
I mean, look at that there.
Oh, my God.
I'm done on that one.
Yeah? I'll get rid of it for you? I don't understand it.
Thank you.
You're welcome.
Wow.
Soggy, chewy, disgusting calamari.
Shocking.
What'd he say about it? He spit the calamari back out.
That's hysterical.
What was he bitching about? He spit it out.
I'm gonna go at his throat today.
And this is the party in your mouth.
This is the party in my mouth.
It should be.
The top plate's very hot.
It looks dreadful.
I think I've just thrown up in my mouth.
What a mess.
Oh, boy.
I take it that was one party you didn't want to attend.
It wasn't a party in my mouth.
It was like a funeral in my mouth.
A funeral? Yeah.
Well, it kind of does look like something died.
What's the matter with that? It's gross.
What? We're not doing too good here.
I was ready to, like Choke him.
Maybe this is the one thing he'll like.
He doesn't like anything.
Maybe this'll be the one.
What, the meatloaf? Maybe this'll be it.
Here you are.
That's the meatloaf.
Okay.
And this is the award-winning-- the award-winning meatloaf.
I'm excited.
Thank you.
You're welcome.
Doesn't move on there, does it? Whew.
Wow.
That's disgusting.
What do we think? Wow.
It's not even hot.
I'm sorry.
It's sort of lukewarm, solidified chunks of crap.
That's pretty much the norm.
It must be frikkin' embarrassing for you to serve this.
It is embarrassing.
I don't like the meatloaf here at all.
We set ourself up for disappointment when we put "award winning" in front of it.
What was the problem with the meatloaf? It's disgusting.
Can you be more specific? I didn't hear what he said.
You're gonna have to ask him.
Abby and Chef Ramsay are gonna go to blows.
Can I have a word with the team? It's inevitable.
It's going to happen.
So the food was shocking.
Low-par, disgusting, dated ! So who is the Head Chef here? We don't really have one, but I guess-- what do you mean you don't have a Head Chef? But I guess I'm the closest thing.
Closest? What does that mean? Talk to me, Abby.
That means that I fired my other Chef, and he took over, and I didn't want to give him a title until he proved to himself that he could handle a kitchen.
Abby, what you're employing is a ship with no Captain at the helm, and a team desperate for guidance.
No guidance is no standards.
No standards is not consistency.
So who came up with the menu? This is American comfort food.
Somebody's dreaming here.
I did.
I did.
I take full responsibility for the menu.
You have no cooking background, but you put the menu together? Abby, you've for to understand how frustrating this is.
It's ridiculous! I don't know what to say.
Fix it.
You fix it.
That's why you're here.
Oh, come on, Abby.
How can I fix it when you stand there in front of your team rating you and your restaurant and your food ten out of ten? Dreamer! I don't think it's as bad as you say it is.
Okay, stop being in denial! Can you be more specific about the meatloaf? What did you not like about the meatloaf? Oh, ! Can you say something besides-- you're loopy! I've been called worse than that.
Wake up and admit it's ! Bring it on.
Oh, come on.
Bring it on.
What do you mean, "bring it on"? To have Chef Ramsay say everything you've done, everything that you've dreamed of doing is I was blown away.
I need some fresh air.
Coming up on Kitchen Nightmares Here we go.
The battle intensifies.
You're in , and you can't accept it! You! Abby reaches her breaking point I'm not gonna listen to you.
But so does Chef Ramsay.
You stuck up, precious little bitch! It's a blow-up so explosive Get the out of my restaurant! You want me to go? That it rivals anything Chef Ramsay has ever faced before.
She's deluded, that woman.
That's coming up on Kitchen Nightmares.
After Chef Ramsay's harsh critique The food was shocking.
Dated and tasteless! Abby has a conversation with the one person she believes is always rightherself.
So what do I do? Like, just get out of the restaurant business? Then, obviously, my 33 years in the business is, like, worthless, and I have no idea what the I'm doing.
Okay I think I'm going to open up that hotdog stand on the beach.
Want some tea or something? No.
I believe, from the bottom of my heart, that's he's wrong.
I really don't care what he does.
He's completely full of .
Like, seriously, our meatloaf is, like, what put us on the map.
I mean, it's great.
I don't like the meatloaf.
You really don't? I honestly don't.
We had it the other night together.
What? What didn't you like about it? I think our food is mediocre.
Like, it's not-- mini me, seriously! You're telling me now you don't like it? I eat it 'cause we're here.
This is not my restaurant of choice.
I will not dine here in my off time.
You're saying, for what we serve-- comfort food, meatloaf, pasta, steak, whatever-- you're saying-- no.
So now you're all telling me that you don't like the menu? I feel stabbed in the back, I guess.
You're just hitting me with this now? You know what we're up against if we even opened our mouth about the menu once? Every time we opened our mouth, " You don't know anything.
" We're all at a point now where we're just, like, if this is what she wants, let's just serve it out.
We'll take it out of the window and bring it to the table.
What are we gonna have an opinion about now? This is .
No, no, no, no.
This is .
No! Talk to us.
Without a doubt, she's in denial.
It's an hour before dinner service, and Down City's other owner, Rico, shows up Hello.
Unaware of what happened earlier.
But that's quickly about to change.
How are you? I don't even know how to answer that.
I think it's time for Abby to find out that the outbursts and the treating employees badly-- it is definitely time she had someone other than myself telling her, "you can't be doing this.
" Really? Wow.
Make it a double.
Oh How are you? I'll get up, and I'll go say hi.
Gordon? Good to see you.
Nice to meet you.
I'm Rico.
Rico.
Now, have you got two minutes? Sure.
We're gonna catch you up.
Where should we go? Yeah, let's go in there.
He may rip me apart too, but I just want this restaurant to work.
So let's get turning it around.
What a day.
Obviously, you weren't here for lunch.
Just explain what you do during the day.
I work for a credit union during the day.
I do their mortgages for 'em.
Okay.
Wow.
Financing? Yes, financing.
And then you bought a restaurant.
Then I bought a restaurant.
How's that worked out for you so far? Oh, horribly.
If we had to close this tomorrow, what are you in for? .
Really? Mm-hmm.
This is quite serious , now.
Oh, yeah.
What happens if it fails? I could possibly lose my day job.
Really? Because I'm in the financial field.
I'm advising people on what to do with their mortgaging and financing their properties and things like that.
So you're up to there.
You've got a big stake in this restaurant, and a huge amount of jeopardy if it fails.
Mm-hmm.
You're right.
There's a line that I walk in here--a very fine line.
I have a lot at stake.
But I totally let Abby run the restaurant, and maybe that's a mistake on my part.
With dinner service already underway What about something to drink to get you started? Chef Ramsay is eager to spend some time in the kitchen to see how it functions.
Wow, tight behind the line.
So who's doing what? Explain the line to me.
, why is the place so messy? Is the kitchen normally this filthy? The last couple days, it's been, uh, a lot going on.
That is foul.
With the kitchen in disarray, Chef Ramsay goes on the hunt to find out what is lurking below.
Oh, my God.
Ah, this is gross down here.
Holy crap.
Look at that.
Lamb bones.
Just dumped in there like that.
What is that? Chicken carcasses.
Ohh, my God.
And while Chef Ramsay has his hands full in the walk-in God knows what that is.
Abby has her hands full in the dining room.
Abby I need a new calamari with the sauce on the side, 'cause he says it's too mushy.
Can I have another calamari with sauce on the side, please? Is it? Yeah, let me take it out the way for you.
I need a spin dip.
This is cold.
I'm going out of my mind right now.
It's a nightmare.
Can we just 86 this special? Every single one of them has been sent back.
Uh, Rico, Abby.
I need one minute.
Just both of you together, one minute.
Why right now? Like, are you kidding me? Have a look in there.
Look at the state of what they're cooking out of.
Have you any idea what's in what box? Uh, what goes where? Over here, there you got a little bag of chicken carcasses.
On this one here, you've got some raw chicken, cooked pork there.
This is you with 30 years in the business.
Yeah, hold on.
It gets worse.
I don't know what that is.
Well Looks like cheese or something.
But what is that there? What is that? What, are you lost for words? The place is a filthy mess.
Look, what is that? Lamb bones? Who's organizing this? You haven't got a head Chef? Jimmy is my Head Chef.
So we have a Head Chef.
Before, you weren't ready to confirm he was the Head Chef.
All of a sudden, we discover a mess down here, now He's appointed.
What happened? What? I was talking to Rico.
It has nothing to do with you.
Has nothing to do with me? No.
Excuse me, what do you think I'm doing? I mean, I--I'm trying-- you're being a .
This wasn't like this before.
It wasn't like this.
Hold it, hold on a minute! You're calling me a ? I am! You stuck up, precious little bitch! Let me tell you something! Oh, boy.
Here we go.
Listen to me.
I'm not gonna listen to you.
You're in denial! I'm not in denial! You are.
Yes, you are.
I am not in denial! And you can't even Accept it.
You.
Go walk out then! I am! You! There you go.
Flip the bird.
That's your attitude.
And that's your partner.
I'm really sorry, but this wasn't like this before I got here? She's deluded, that woman.
You are insane! You are, like-- yeah, brain me all you want! These excuses that you're insane! I'm insane? You're insane! You've got to admit the Truth! You're insane.
That refrigerator was not like that before you got here.
You're in denial.
Flip out again! I would never allow that refrigerator to look like that.
The moldy lamb bones? I don't even talk to my staff like this! Why don't you get the Out of my restaurant? Want me to go? I would love you to go.
Get the out of my restaurant, please! You are so in denial! You need therapy! You're a disgrace to this industry.
You, and get out of my restaurant.
Are you still here? Not now, guys, please? Him.
Right from the beginning, Chef Ramsay and Abby have clashed.
Stop being in denial! I don't think it's as bad as you say it-- dreamer.
But after a confrontation over the state of the walk-in You're being a .
This wasn't like this.
You're calling me a ? ! Abby has completely lost it.
You are insane! You are, like-- yeah, brain me all you want! These excuses that you're insane! I'm insane? You're insane! And while she has had enough of Chef Ramsay Get the out of my restaurant, please.
You are so in denial! You need therapy! He has had enough of her.
You're a disgrace to this industry.
You, and get out of my restaurant.
Are you still here? Not now, guys, please? jim.
Chef Ramsay.
Hey, guys, I need some privacy, please.
This is, uh, too serious.
And I'm not gonna jeopardize 25 years busting my ass off in this industry to take that from someone so in denial.
Mm-hmm.
I really don't need this.
I would rather this restaurant close than have him in here.
That refrigeration unit was a mess.
Mm-hmm.
Behind the line was a mess.
I know.
I'm really sorry.
Honestly, she's got to start listening.
I-I know, and I don't know how to make her do it.
I reallyI don't know.
Is he--he's coming back tonight, isn't he? I don't give a where he goes.
He can go to hell for all I care.
If you want me to leave, I'm out of here.
Absolutely not.
Absolutely not.
Okay, I need your help.
You have my 100% support.
Okay, I'm gonna go for a walk.
I'll come back.
Okay? Okay.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Abby needs to be on board with us and stop her denial of everything.
We have to break through it.
I feel pretty .
How would you feel if someone is telling you that your life's work and everything you've dreamed of doing for your whole life, um, is ? So now I'm completely questioning myself.
And I hope we can have a conversation about what needs to be done in this restaurant.
After a volatile evening that included a massive blowup with Chef Ramsay and a weak dinner service, Abby has been clearly humbled and seems ready to finally listen to what Chef Ramsay has to say.
Okay, let's agree on something.
Today's been a day? Mm-hmm.
Absolutely.
Yeah? I'm not here to rub your face in it, let's get that right.
Okay.
But Abby, you know, I've had failure in my life.
But one thing I'm not in is denial.
And when I do make a mistake, I admit it.
I understand.
So tomorrow we need to start being honest and open so I can start rebuilding.
I can't rebuild on B.
S.
I agree.
I want you to be here.
I want you to help me get this restaurant to where I need it to be.
Where we know it can be.
Yep.
Tomorrow we start again.
Get some rest.
It's a new day, and Abby and Rico are on board for change.
Morning, morning, morning.
But before that can happen, Chef Ramsay wants to give the staff something they have been rarely given: A chance to talk freely without getting fired.
So this is what we're gonna do.
I want each of you to write down some questions.
And direct them to the person you want them to answer.
This is going to be another hell day for me.
Don't sign your name.
It's anonymous.
I knew that if we were gonna do an exercise.
Um, in talking about the restaurant, I knew that it was all gonna be directed at me.
Thank you very much.
Okay, good.
Here's the, uh, the first one.
Wow.
Abby.
"Why is the menu so huge?" We, uh, just, um, to give the customer more choices.
But the amount of dishes is absurd.
And the more dishes, the lower the standard.
Uh, Abby and Jimmy.
"The quality of the food needs to improve.
How can we fix it?" Good question.
And it all comes down to menu size.
With as many items as there are, if you prep for dinner alone, and then the dessert menu, you can't prep enough stuff Yeah.
It's like you-- you just can't do it.
Who's putting all those dishes on there? Abigail.
Abby.
When I put this menu together, I just expected my staff to just do this menu.
Abby.
"Why do you not allow "anyone to express their opinions without it being seen as a personal attack to you?" Since I bought this restaurant, I became a defensive Bitch.
I question and I get upset at the fact that you're questioning what I'm doing.
That's paranoia.
We do care about this restaurant.
You are our friend.
So we want to see you succeed, and the answer I've gotten from you in the past is, "you.
That's not true.
" We're just here for money.
Or we're just here because-- what? We're just here 'cause we can't get other jobs and stuff.
And it's--it's hurtful, because when you invest so much time, and we would do anything for you.
And I completely realize that we've just got to talk more instead of me yelling and screaming.
It can't just be my show.
It's not the Abby show.
It's the Down City show.
Are you ready to embrace change? Yeah, absolutely.
Major change? Absolutely.
I think this experience is making Abby realize that she has to relinquish control.
And I think she's going to do it, because I think Abby turning around is definitely paramount for this restaurant to survive.
Coming up on Kitchen Nightmares Can I have some food up in the window, please? Abby may be focused on moving ahead Come on, guys.
But can her kitchen staff step up their game? I'm confused on where we are for apps.
Oh, my God.
Chef Ramsay tries desperately to save Down City from going down.
Quit falling behind.
You've got to work together.
But this Providence restaurant could be too hopeless to turn around.
None of us know what the we're doing.
Right, Jimmy, let's go, bud.
As Abby's menu was clearly bogging down the kitchen, Chef Ramsay has gone through it and scaled it back.
Tonight, we're just gonna keep it really simple.
For tonight's dinner service, half the items are off the menu.
And he's introducing a roasted chicken special.
Just cut the breast, fat side down.
Just cut through.
Everyone's excited, and we can't have another night like the previous few.
It's time to get it right.
Happy? Happy.
Makes it a lot more simple.
Big time.
Folks, good evening.
Welcome to Down City.
Follow me.
Did you guys decide on appetizers? We're gonna have an order of the calamari.
So we're doing two calamaris? Uh, let's get the grilled chicken breast.
Chicken breast? Yes.
I've got to get everyone involved if we are gonna take Down City to the next step, to the next level.
All right, here we go.
Order fire, calamari, frisee salad, nicoise salad.
Make sure everything comes up at the same time.
Tonight's smaller menu is having an immediate impact.
Wipe the plates, please.
Better-prepared appetizers are quickly leaving the kitchen.
That's 37.
That's up.
These, um, appetizers going to 39? Can you help a run? And when you combine that with a calm and under control Abby at the helm Can you run this to the next table, please? Down City's dinner service is off to a good start.
Oh, yeah.
Order fire.
Calamari, another frisee salad, no egg.
Jimmy, we've got to bang all these entrees out.
I know, I know.
Here, you're on apps.
You're on table 28.
Now I'm confused on where we are for apps.
You need table 28.
I don't even have a 36 up here.
I didn't say 36.
Oh, wait.
One, two, three.
Come on, guys.
There's nothing coming out.
Jimmy is supposed to be the leader in the kitchen, calling out tickets.
Do me a favor.
Get two of the-- oh, you're doing something? And they just started crossing paths.
No one seemed to know what the hell they were doing back there.
Yes or no? No, I'm still waiting on 28.
It's an hour and a half into a dinner service that started out as promising.
Can I have some food up in the window please? No, dude, dude.
This couscous is runny and gross.
But unfortunately has declined rapidly.
They're not even here.
That's all the way down there.
They have none of this.
And, not surprisingly, diners are losing their patience.
Can I get something up on the line, please? Yeah, right now.
Right now.
Jimmy's doing all three sections.
He's covering the grill.
He's covering the salmon, he's covering the chicken.
He's trying to run the kitchen as well at the same time.
He's got nothing behind him.
Oh, my God, what a show.
Well, we've been here since and we still don't have our entrees.
I know, I'm gonna go check on your entrees.
So this is not good.
I've got people that had put their orders in an hour and 15, hour and a half, some of them.
Where the Was that food? Let's, uh, find our server and--and let's just go.
Did that refired chicken go? It's right here.
Give it to him.
I need it right now.
Please.
Come on, is it your first time at the rodeo? Plate 'em! Guys, they got food dying in the window! Chris, please! Yeah, I can't take this.
It was a disgrace.
It was horrifying.
It was embarrassing.
Don't make this.
They just walked.
Oh, my God.
Jimmy doesn't have any excuses anymore.
His excuse for months has been our menu is too big.
So we give him a smaller menu to do, and they still can't turn it out.
So, I mean, where do we go from here? I need one chicken up in the line right now.
With Abby pushing her kitchen staff I'm not taking this out until it's all up on the line.
Can I have a chicken on the line, please? In my hands! Okay! They still struggle.
Food! Thank you.
But manage to get the last entrees out.
Ohh! There we go! And that's the-- that's everything? Start cleaning up.
Good night.
Thank you.
Good night.
Thank you.
Now an unusually calm Abby Jimmy.
Come out here.
Listen to me.
Is about to let loose.
What I saw tonight was the worst Show I've ever seen-- ever, ever, ever seen! No, I know, I know, I know.
It did not go smoothly, but they--they--they-- "smoothly"? Jimmy, we were an hour in before more than two dinners went out.
An hour into service.
I'm almost accepting that none of us know what the we're doing.
And we can't get to the next step.
I'm actually considering that.
After tonight, I don't know if I have the staff to get it back.
I don't know if we can do it.
Tonight's dinner service was plagued by confusion and incompetence in the kitchen.
Can I get something up on the line, please? I'm confused on where we are.
Come on, is it your first time at the rodeo? Plate 'em! The problems are obvious to Chef Ramsay, but it's time to find out if Abby is still in denial.
Abby, what did you see tonight? What happened is it happens all the time.
As soon as the line gets hit with a number of slips at one time, the kitchen folds, it goes down in flames.
And, um I've lost confidence in my kitchen, um, honestly.
Jimmy I'm not blaming you entirely.
I'm looking at the tools you've got to work with.
And it's a disaster.
Behind that line, there's no way on earth This group of cooks call pull off a new menu.
So seeing how frustrating it's been here, I made a call to a very experienced Chef in my team to be here first thing tomorrow morning getting your crew at a respectable level.
It's cool having his Chef to help us all out.
And it's gonna be a good experience for all of us.
Tomorrow's comeback day.
We're relaunching with a new menu.
Let's roll up our sleeves and push it.
I mean, really push it.
Definitely.
Can't wait.
I'll see you first thing in the morning.
Absolutely.
Thank you.
Good night.
I'm glad that the kitchen's gonna be shown what to do and how to do it properly.
Because this is it.
It's not only my kitchen's last chance.
It's my restaurant's last chance.
Good morning! Good morning.
Wow, come in.
How are we? Good.
The Chef that I brought in, James, has been here since 00 this morning, supervising, working his ass off with your team, getting ready for this menu.
Today, your menu will be in keeping with your beautiful restaurant and your great service.
First up, the appetizers.
Come down.
Now, these are appetizers.
Pleasing on the eye and fun.
Goat cheese truffle dip.
Honey-spice chicken wings.
Meatball sliders.
Delicious.
Wow.
Now we can have a real party in our mouth, Abby.
Can't wait! Okay! On to the entrees.
The main event, seared lamb chop.
Classic.
Lobster Mac and cheese.
Bacon-wrapped Angus meatloaf.
Thank you.
I want you to get familiar with the new menu.
Yes? Get up to speed with those dishes, have a little taste! This is awesome.
That's money.
The new menu is beyond belief.
Kind of surprised that it came out of my kitchen.
Oh, my God, that is good.
Bacon-wrapped meatloaf.
Isn't that awesome? Oh, my God.
It's unbelievable.
I had no idea that it could get this good.
Oh, my God.
That's azing.
Wow.
I've been for years describing this restaurant as creative comfort food.
I had no clue.
This is creative comfort food.
I've never seen Abby this emotional.
Like, she does have a heart in there.
She does have a soul.
It's amazing.
There is a God.
Yep.
It's relaunch night at Down City.
And while Abby and Rico get the front of the house ready for the most important night in the restaurant's history We are gonna rock this town tonight.
Let's go, let's go.
Whoo! Back in the kitchen Then we're gonna go here, table by table until we have to do pits, yes? Chef James is doing the same with the kitchen staff.
Every dish perfect, every time.
Folks, how we doing tonight? Welcome, welcome.
Have you had a chance to look at all the new and fun, exciting menu items that we have? Let's go, guys, yeah? I wanna hear you tonight, and I wanna hear you too, yes? Let's go.
Only minutes into the service, a locally-renowned food blogger has arrived.
Stacey place ripped apart her last meal in the restaurant.
Abbyyou recognize her? Yeah.
You know how important she is.
But Chef Ramsay convinced her to give it another try.
She has 10,000 followers.
She blogs tomorrow, we're 10,000 potential customers back up.
I tried everything on this menu today.
So if you have any questions, you feel free to ask.
Oh, yeah, definitely.
The goat cheese truffle dip really stood out for me.
Well, that sounds really good.
Jimmy, you and I, we're gonna be communicating all night.
I need the app for 37, All right.
Right now, in the window, I need that fish and chip.
I need that slider.
Sliders up, Chef.
A reinvigorated Jimmy has the kitchen moving in the right direction.
Calamari.
Sliders.
Jimmy, keep it going, yeah? Frisee salad on the fly! And the new menu is being embraced by the customers.
Wow.
But just when it appears as though it's gonna be smooth sailing I need a chowder, a calamari, a slider! Jimmy, did you call the calamari for table 30? I just did! Abby and Jimmy Listen to me.
Are having a communication breakdown.
I need four soups and one chowder up in the line, please.
That's incorrect.
Uh-oh, here we go again.
The repeat of last night.
The kitchen's going down.
We're .
Jimmy, focus on 37, yeah? This is the golden ticket.
This is it! All right, lead ticket, I need a truffle dip.
Truffle dip takes six minutes, yes? Yes, sir.
All right, get it in the oven.
Jimmy, look at me.
We're falling behind! You've got to work together! Come on, guys, there's nothing coming out.
Please! Let's get this food out.
Give me a time on the truffle dip, please.
.
She's not blogging now, is she? What's she doing? She's definitely blogging.
She's blogging live from the table? We've got bloggers live from their table, guys.
I need a truffle dip up on the line, right now! Urgently, please! I washorrified.
We are slipping like the night before.
They're blogging as we speak.
I wanted to, like, just scream.
Come on, guys, I need some food on the line.
There's nothing in the window.
Come on, guys! I need to see some food up on this line! It's taking too long.
Literally, my kitchen going down in flames.
Listen, Jimmy One minute, Abigail! And there was literally nothing I could do about it.
Abby, come on.
Jimmy, I need a truffle dip.
Come on, guys! It's 45 minutes into dinner service.
Let's get this food out! We've got bloggers live from their table, guys! And an influential food blogger who can greatly affect the future of Down City I need a truffle dip up on the line, right now! Still has not received her appetizers.
Abby, two seconds, quickly.
Take over.
Take over.
Let's go, Abby.
She just tweeted, "waiting for appetizers.
Getting hungry.
" Okay, this is not now.
Menu's there, Chefs are there.
I need you there.
Control it.
Yeah? I know what you're capable of.
Yeah.
Yes? And it's been tough for the last couple of days, granted.
However, gotta find your voice.
Okay.
All right.
Come on! Please? Okay, let's go.
Please.
It's definitely time to step it up.
We want everything to go right with that table.
And we're gonna get the job done.
Listen, Jimmy, they're already blogging that they're waiting too long for food.
Let's get this food out.
All right, how long on a solo truffle there? Urgently, please! Truffle dip behind you! Thank you.
Truffle dip and the salads.
Caesars, they are? With that caesar I need sliders and a truffle dip.
Come on, guys.
Abby? Abby, read that discreetly.
"Truffle dip amazing.
" Yes? Yeah.
Come on.
Keep it going, yes? Entrees, make sure they come together, okay? Fire that table, please, yeah? Jimmy! Table 37.
Did you fire? I did fire.
Good.
So we got everything.
With Abby focused on the task at hand Come on! Let's get loud back there.
And Jimmy in full control of his kitchen You guys can fire that fish and chip.
Quality entrees are quickly heading out to the dining room.
Med-rare lamb chops.
Salmon, ribs, filet.
Med-rare lamb.
Heard.
The food looks amazing.
The food looks outstanding.
Absolutely amazing.
It appears as though blogger Stacey place has reached her verdict.
Yeah? And she's not the only one.
Do you like that? And those chips, aren't they delicious? A lot better than last night, right? Yeah, definitely.
How was everything? Delicious.
The flavor was right there.
Everything was great.
Great.
Thank you so much for coming in.
And we're gonna see you again.
I was living an absolute kitchen nightmare.
And my dream just came true, and I'm in absolute shock.
Like, this is the restaurant I've always wanted.
Those are your last two desserts.
Jimmy It was awesome.
Thank you.
It's a new Down City.
I'm just absolutely loving it.
Right.
Last night, I said Down City needed to make a comeback tonight.
We did just that.
Well done.
Each and every one of you pulled off a great service.
Customers loved the food.
Abby, how do you feel, babe? I feel beyond belief, fantastic.
Looking back at it now, I was so unprofessional.
Why don't you get the Out of my restaurant? Want me to go? Get the out of my restaurant, please! The new Abby is professional.
I just want to continue learning.
It's just made me such a better leader.
Come on then.
Give me a hug.
You're not gonna ask me, I'm gonna ask you.
That's right.
I, Gordon Ramsay, are asking you for a hug.
Come here.
Huh? I absolutely love Chef Ramsay, and, uh, I'm gonna miss him when he goes.
Thank you very much, Gordon.
Not at all.
This restaurant is getting back on the map that it hasn't been on in a while.
And I know it's only going to get better.
Good night.
Thanks, Chef.
Thank you.
Whew, without question the biggest transformation this week is Abby, which I never expected.
As Abby goes, so goes Down City.
If she can keep her cool, this restaurant's gonna be a huge success.
Wowparty in my mouth? Please.
Whoo! ! After Chef Ramsay left, Chef James stayed on and continued to train the cooks.
It gets prepped and put away.
Allowing Jimmy the chance to thrive.
All right, the meatloaf's being plated.
That settles the lead.
And Abby rewarded him with a promotion.
I wanted to introduce to all of you our head Chef, James Bjurman.
Let's give it up.
Thank you.
Eager to spread the word about their upgraded restaurant Nice to meet you.
Abby and Rico hit the town.
This is a crispy pork belly in a lettuce cup.
Doing some grassroots marketing by giving out samples of their new menu.
It's right down the street.
It's walking distance.
Chef Ramsay saved my restaurant.
He really did.
But I've got to continue it.
I promise him that the next time he comes back, the food will be a ten.
i>- I'm shuttin' the place down.
Chef Ramsay returns to the scene of some of his most unforgettable confrontations.
Don't you Go there! Don't point that Finger at me .
It will be a night of drama.
You're gonna get your Ass kicked.
And surprises.
What happened? As Chef Ramsay returns to the restaurants he tried to save.
Did you really hate me that much? Who's living the dream? Did you pay him the money back? And who turned the restaurant back into a nightmare? What's going on? That's next time on Kitchen Nightmares.