Kitchen Nightmares (2007) s04e11 Episode Script

Tonight on Kitchen Nightmares Gordon Ramsay is in Southern California, where a sibling rivalry threatens a legacy that spans four decades.
It's a battle every day.
They can't work together.
It's a fire.
While sister Celine may be too aggressive Martin, you heard me, right? Her brother Alex seems to be too laid back.
You don't give a .
As for the chef, he is completely fed up.
I'm burning out.
I'm burning, I'm burning, I'm burning, I'm And everyone in the family is suffering.
Every day is a fight.
I can't keep going.
Now, Chef Ramsay must break through the jealousy Are you pissed that she's come to run the business? She shouldn't even be here.
The anger This is gonna up everything.
And the resistance.
You've just sort of given up.
Have you given up? So he can fix this fractured restaurant This Is much, much worse than I could ever imagine.
Before it tears this family apart.
This is destroying us.
That's tonight On a very emotional Kitchen Nightmares.
I don't even think that anyone knows how much I care.
Ventura Boulevard, one of L.
A.
's top destinations for shopping and dining.
On this famed street is a landmark restaurant called La Frite, a bistro owned by French immigrant Andre Ramillon.
La Frite opened in 1972.
We were the only French restaurant on the boulevard.
Right this way.
It was always busy, even at 12:00 at midnight, we were packed.
After years of success, Andre's son Alex was eager to join his father at La Frite.
I was looking forward to my dad and myself making this restaurant work for the next 15, 20, But two years ago, Andre's daughter Celine decided she also wanted in on the family business.
Alex, you care this is going out like this, this soupy? You're the boss.
I know my brother is not happy that I'm here.
I know he wishes that he--it could just keep going the way he was going.
I think that this restaurant has so much more potential than it's already had.
And I really felt like I could really make a difference here.
I can make this at home.
Not in a good way.
The food is mediocre at best.
What do you need? I've been cooking at La Frite for about 19 years.
I'm responsible 100% for everything in the kitchen.
I don't think the menu is, uh, there is nothing wrong with it.
Onion soup is bitter.
Onion soup is bitter? Martin has a Napoleon complex.
Just give me the number table! He's a little man with a bit mouth.
Agh! I've watched the food just slowly kind of go down and down and down.
Souffle's coming back.
Too eggy.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
I've made my comments.
I can't tell anybody anything.
Um, Alex Just I get argued with, or I get told no.
Ah, good ol' Celine.
Well, Alex, he's a little lackadaisical sometimes.
He resents Celine.
I'm not the manager tonight.
He feels slighted.
He feels shunned.
My brother and I used to get along really, really well.
And we were very close.
But the restaurant's hurt our relationship pretty bad.
I don't hate Alex.
I know he does.
It's really difficult for me because I'm the one who has to be the buffer for both of them.
I wish, sometimes, they can understand each other.
It's so quiet in here.
The number's just cut down to 1/3 of what we were doing before.
Now, we are dead by 9:00.
Hey, we only did about It's gonna be tough.
I need Chef Ramsay to come in because someone needs to say, "hey, look, this is what's affecting your business.
" Yeah, it's slowing down, but why do we need to change things when it has been working for such and such amount of years? Yeah, we're losing money, and, uh, it's time for my kids to take over.
And if they can't work together, just have to close the door.
Before Chef Ramsay makes the six-mile drive from his L.
A.
restaurant to La Frite, owner Andrea Ramillon is anxious to meet with him privately How are you today? All right.
Welcome to Gordon Ramsay.
I'm here for Chef Ramsay.
To give Chef Ramsay a quick briefing into the problems of his restaurant.
Excuse me two seconds.
Hi.
Chef Ramsay.
How are you? Hi, my name is Andre.
Andre, good to see you.
I want to talk to you about the problem I have with my business.
Um, first of all, in terms of the business, it's been there for how long? The business has been over there for 38 years.
Wow.
It's been good to me.
Until recently, I'm starting to back up, and I want my daughter and my son to take over.
Oh, so you're passing to them.
I'm trying to.
And who are they? Alex.
Alex.
Is my boy.
Okay.
He's the older one.
And Celine is sister.
So what is the number one problem with the restaurant? I think it's mostly the communication.
Right.
Between my daughter and my son.
But they somehow-- it's a big clash.
Celine went and tried on her own business, anddidn't really work out.
So she came back and worked for me.
When she came back, Alex didn't want Celine to come back, though, because he thought he owned the place.
They--they never really work together.
And it's really difficult to find a solution.
It's getting to a point where I can't really handle the conflict of personality.
And I hope Chef Ramsay can help.
Thank you for coming over.
It will be great.
Nice to meet you.
See you shortly.
Okay.
Hello.
How are you? Hi, I'm great.
How are you? Nice to see you.
And first name is Gayle.
I'm the manager.
Okay, great.
How long have you been here? Wow, wow, wow.
What's that monstrosity in the middle there? It's our dessert case.
It's what? Your dessert case? Is there a problem in the kitchen, or does it always stay here? It's been here for 20 years that I know of.
Wow.
What is this? That's our dessert tray.
Holy crap.
Did someone drop it? They could have, heh.
How long has that brick been sat there? That's our homemade bread pudding.
That's been there, I think, longer than you've been here.
Huh? Well, they-- yeah, you're right.
Yeah, okay.
Ugh.
Chef Ramsey's right about the dessert case.
I think it should be out of here.
Right, where would you like me to sit, here? Yes, sir.
I've been trying to get it out ever since I've been here.
Can you hear the noise of that thing, the motor? Who wants to come out to a restaurant and sit next to a fridge? Constant buzz.
Um, is Andrea round? Would you like to see Andre? Yes, please, yeah.
Okay.
Thank you.
Nice meeting you.
Bye-bye.
It's good to see you too.
Dessert fridge is a disaster.
Andre Yes? Chef Ramsey would like to see you.
Yeah.
The color's ghastly.
Hello, Gordon.
How are you? How are you? All right.
Yeah, good to see you again.
My daughter.
How are you? I'm Celine.
Celine good to see you.
Likewise.
She's gonna take care of you.
Thank you.
Brilliant.
Gordon coming here was pretty much my idea.
You're gonna look at the menu for a minute? Absolute, definite.
I'll be right back.
Thank you, Celine.
Because it's really become a big pointing-finger match of it's so-and-so's fault.
Oh, it's so-and-so's fault.
But nobody's taking responsibility for the problem.
I'm back.
You have any questions for right now? UmWhat quiche would you recommend? I prefer the Lorraine.
That's something we're known for.
Let's do the Lorraine.
The Lorraine? And then I'll start with La Frite salad, and then the seafood crepe.
Not a problem.
Thank you.
Guys, this table that's coming in right now is for Gordon.
Seafood crepe.
Quiche Lorraine.
I'll take the La Frite salad to him.
Chef Ramsey will like the food because all my food is good.
How much dressing would you like? The usual amount.
About 3/4 to start.
And inside the salad, what do you got? Inside the salad is the romaine, the, uh, the walnuts, and you've got your bleu cheese as well.
And that's one portion? It's massive.
The salads are large, and it's usually good as an entree.
Enjoy.
Thank you.
Wow.
Ah.
It's bland.
The vinaigrette dressing is so-- fridge.
The, um, vinaigrette dressing is so strong, it's overpowering.
Are you through with the salad? Yeah, I am.
May I clear it? It's so acidic.
Yep.
I already know.
Did you mention it to the chef? Yeah, no one listens to me.
You knew it was wrong, you told them, but no one's listening to you.
Story of my life.
But why is that? Martin doesn't listen to me.
And he has an issue taking anything from a female.
'Cause of his chauvinistic stance? Yes.
Yeah.
Some of it.
That's absurd.
I understand that.
And that is disgusting.
I'll let him know.
Thank you.
I am embarrassed by the food.
I just think that it can all be improved immensely.
Martin, your vinaigrette is too vinegary, okay? Wh--you know, what is wrong with it? Because we were running this food for many years.
Martin, you heard me, right? I'm just letting you guys know what he's saying, okay? ! Thank you.
This is gonna be the seafood crepe.
I'm gonna set that in front of you here.
It looks like a pie.
Basically, they take the dish, they line it with the-- with the crepes.
They fill it with the items, fold it back, and then they bake it.
They're not like your typical French crepe.
But why would you call it a crepe if it's not really a crepe? I think when the seafood crepe comes out, it just like a slurpy mess ofBlop.
Can I have a word with your big brother? Is he here or not? He is on Thursday night.
He will be here for dinner service tonight.
Okay.
All right, enjoy.
Thank you.
Okay.
Oh! Bleh.
That is hideous.
It's--it's hot in parts, like in the middle, but on the side, they're stone cold.
Want me to take it? Is the oven not working? No, the oven's working fine.
You can't serve this and expect customers to flow through the door.
I understand.
How long has he been here? Martin? Uh-huh.
Too long.
You're not wrong there.
Martin lost his mojo around here many years ago.
If you've got someone who doesn't care about the food they're putting out, what do you have? Martin, he said it's hot in the middle, it's cold on the side.
He doesn't like it.
Thank you.
How long has that been under the grill? 'Cause it looks like it's been overcooked.
It's piping hot.
Is he microwaving that? I don't know.
Gayle Yes? Normally, something's that piping hot like that it always tells you that it's been microwaved.
Can you just check with the chef? Okay, I'll check.
Excellent.
Thank you.
Okay, Martin The quiche is warmed in the oven? Yeah.
Hasn't seen the microwave? No.
No.
Okay.
Chef Um, quiche? No microwave.
I asked him if he put it in; He said no.
Ah, hold on a minute.
I'm convinced this has been microwaved.
Look at it.
It's congealed.
It's just like a rubber puck.
Sometimes, if he gets a little backed up, I-I've seen him do it before.
Backed up? This is ridiculous.
Uh, let's go and meet this Martin.
Please.
It's a food issue right now.
And it starts from the kitchen.
If we had somebody in here who cared about the food, we'd be so much better than we are now.
Martin.
Yes? Want you to meet Chef Ramsay.
Come round, please.
You're the head chef? And everything I Ate for lunch, you cooked? Yes, sir.
Lunch was a disaster.
The quiche Lorraine was rancid.
Where did you heat that up? Was that in the microwave? Oven.
No, I disagree.
Okay.
We start it on the microwave and then we cook it in the oven, yes.
So it did go in the microwave? That is right, yes.
But you just told me it wasn't in the microwave.
Why do you want to lie to me? Do you want me to lie to you? I'm not lying to you.
I'm just telling you how I do it.
I'm so amazed that you're so laid back and, like, you don't give a .
Talk to me.
What do you want me to say? Why don't you care? Is it because you hate Celine? What does that have to do with cooking, sir? 'Cause she said to me in the dining room, every time she tries to tell you something, bang! You jump down her.
She will come and attack me.
Attack you? Yes, sir.
Like saying that I'm in here for too long.
It's time for me to go.
If you're not prepared to change, yeah, I think she's right.
Okay, if it is time for me to go, I go.
That was easy.
Martin After Chef Ramsay's miserable lunch Bleh.
That is hideous.
Lunch was a disaster.
Chef Martinez not interested in hearing any criticism.
If it is time for me to go, I go.
And is ready to say good-bye to La Frite.
Martin! The blame is falling on me.
That's why I feel like I've been attacked.
Martin Talk to me.
She just don't understand how much of the stress and pressure I've been under! I'm burning out.
I'm burning, I'm burning, I'm burning, I'm Well, tell me.
Do you know how much the stress is when I know that I have to work with her? And I cannot work like that.
I feel burned out.
Celine, you know, is over power her, you know, authority as a boss.
And there's nothing I can do.
Even the own brother runs away from her.
Like, you know, he doesn't want to deal with her.
That's not right.
Martin Now I've got your side of the story.
Can I I wanna see how you cook on a busy night's service, okay? I'll see you later.
Jeez.
It's 30 minutes before dinner service, and Celine's brother Alex What's up, you guys? Arrives to begin his shift.
Any updates? Gordon didn't make me cry.
He was actually nice to me.
Uh-huh.
That's nice.
Um Tonight'll be fun.
Chef Ramsay's gonna be coming into this restaurant changing things.
So do I feel resistant? Definitely.
Guys Look alive.
Gordon's comin' in now.
Good evening.
Hey, chef.
Well, hello.
How are you doing, Chef Ramsay? I'm Alex.
Alex, good to see you.
So you're the big brother.
Yeah, I'm the big guy.
Excellent.
Little sis.
Big brother.
And where's dad? Dad, uh, you know what? Hockey game tonight? He's what? He's gone to a hockey game? Wow, okay.
Um, two minutes with you to catch up.
All right.
So why weren't you here at lunch time? Um You're part-owner of this business, right? Mm-hmm.
But you never work with your sister.
Uh, no, we work separate nights.
Right.
Your father came to see me this morning.
Oh, okay.
To tell me the conflict about you two not working together.
Mm-hmm.
So why is there so much conflict in here? I think the real conflict is the--the-- who wants to control and what-- you know, wants to control things.
Are you pissed that she's come to run the business? She shouldn't even be here.
I would rather her not be here.
But it's your little sis.
Wouldn't you be stronger and better with your No.
Unfortunately, not.
So what's wrong with this restaurant in your mind? MmmI don't see anything wrong with it, so You don't see anything wrong? There's not a problem with this restaurant anywhere? You know, I would change the bathrooms.
I would change the different physical-- Wow.
I'm not here to make you look stupid.
All right.
But you're sounding ridiculous.
Let me ask you again: What the is wrong with the restaurant? Um In your eyes, there's nothing much wrong with it.
Well, let's go.
We'll--we'll see.
Okay.
Well, thanks for the insight.
Yeahabsolutely.
Ay yi yi.
If he's not gonna be willing to accept this and move on, and take it as constructive criticism, it's not gonna work.
All right, you guys.
We ready? Hello there.
Hi.
While Andre is at the hockey game Hi, ladies.
How are you? His two children, Celine and Alex, are working a rare night together.
Which is good, because the restaurant is packed as word has spread that Chef Ramsay is at La Frite.
I'm gonna have the chopped salad.
And you're doing the lamb special.
Okay, uh, risotto.
Tres special.
Three working, three.
I'm proud to be doing the cooking.
Because I know what I'm doing.
Excuse me, when you put things on the grill there, you don't season it? Salt, pepper in-- there's nothing on there.
Right now? Yeah.
What do you mean, right now? When were you going to season them then? Yeah, right now.
Right now.
There's no seasoning on there.
They should-- I think they-- don't they salt and pepper it when they put it on the grill? Yeah, well, they're not.
They're not? Martin.
Martin.
Martin and I have never gotten along.
He ignores me.
I don't get answers.
Alex can talk to Martin.
But Martin does not like hearing anything from me.
What is that? That's quiche, but it's been overcooked.
You're kidding me.
They don't listen to my opinions because it's me.
Martin.
Yeah, talk to me! Yeah, come round, please.
I am talking to you.
Yes, sir.
Are you serious? Okay, one more coming up.
I just said to Martin, "would you come round for a minute?" He's serving that.
You don't walk away and ignore me.
Alex has never taken confrontation well.
You try and talk to him about something, and he just walks away.
Are you joking a round, or are you ignoring me like this? You've just sort of given up.
Have you given up? I have not given up.
Absolutely not.
It's wonderful? Uh-huh.
Wow.
This is the most disorganized restaurant I've ever seen.
Martin the chef, he's burnt out.
Alex, well, he's so laid back, he's almost comatose.
Andre, the owner, who makes all the decisions, he's at a frickin' hockey game.
And the only one who cares, Celine, everybody ignores her.
Unbelievable.
Oh, by the way, the food sucks.
Unreal.
It's chewy, and the sauce is just gooey.
Oh, no.
I'm sorry.
Uh They said the lamb has no flavor.
Yep.
Okay.
I know why it doesn't.
We didn't salt and pepper it.
He's not even seasoning it? Okay, bring 'em a menu.
Let Alex know what table it is, please.
Alexbut that's just coming back now.
Thanks, Gordon.
Thanks a lot.
Is this normal that he doesn't care? Yes.
Mm-hmm.
Celine You better get a grip.
I can't get in the middle.
And it's really sad.
We've been running the restaurant for 38 years.
And things don't need to change.
You're not real.
It hurts.
I love my brother, and I know he's better than what he's doing here right now.
I wish he would realize that everybody's here to help.
Otherwise, uh Alex will ruin me.
Alexlook at me.
Don't bully your sister.
Bully me.
I'm not bullying anybody, Gordon.
Take a bit of responsibility.
I am.
Wow.
What a sponge.
This is destroying us.
What a attitude.
It's only an hour into a shaky dinner service.
This is gonna up everything.
You better get a grip.
And Chef Ramsay is frustrated with Alex's arrogance.
Alex, I-I can't-- I'm not gonna get in the middle.
As for Celine She is clearly feeling the resentment from her brother.
What a attitude.
He thinks I did this to set him up.
Stop crying.
Stop crying.
The anger.
I can see the anger.
It's got to come out now.
I understand, yeah.
Y'all have to do it.
You have to work together.
You have to get along.
Every day is a fight.
What am I supposed to do? I can't keep going.
And I feel like I'm the only one fighting.
So everybody looks at me like I'm the bitch.
I'm the one who's fighting.
I don't even think that anyone knows how much I care.
I think the man's here to work it out with you.
I just move on.
Itake a breath and Push through it.
That's it.
There's nothing else I can do.
Can you call your dad? Can I--can you get your dad on the phone? I'll try.
Get him here.
Would you? Get him here? Please, yeah.
I'm ready to go.
And tell him it's urgent.
I will.
And if he can't be bothered to get his ass over here to look at the mess that he's left, I'm out of here.
Hi.
Papa, you need to see this right now.
A lot of food's coming back, you know, and just Alex is really just kind of nonchalant about the whole thing, and it's really kind of pissing Gordon off.
He--the same attitude he always takes, papa.
You know exactly-- you know? Okay.
Bye.
Andre, you got two seconds? Unbelievable.
First of all, I'm slightly concerned you weren't even here.
This is much, much worse than I could ever imagine.
The worst thing of all is Alex's attitude.
With me? He has an attitude with himself.
Why is he so arrogant? He hates her being anywhere near him in the restaurant.
Whilst they're avoiding each other Oh, yeah.
And doing their separate things, the kitchen is diving.
It's sinking, quicker than the Titanic.
You can't leave it all to me.
I can't help you unless you start helping yourself.
I'll see you in the morning.
Mon oui.
After a long night of contemplating La Frite's main issue Good morning.
How are you? Good morning.
Chef Ramsey is focused on bringing this family back together.
I can't begin to fix this restaurant because there's so many personal problems here.
Because nobody's opening up in front of each other, I want to try something.
So I just want you to bear with me.
Come with me two seconds.
Okay.
Please.
Take a seat.
I want you to sit here, watch, and listen what's happening between Celine and Alex.
Don't leave this space.
I'm gonna go talk to Celine.
How are you? Good, how are you? I'm well.
Good to see you.
Yeah, uh, darling, take a seat.
Let's just have a catch-up.
Okay.
That was tough.
Tough night last night.
This restaurant's been running for 38 years.
But the legacy's not gonna continue with this kind of attitude.
Yeah.
The fragmented relationships between the families is incredible.
You and Alex are so disconnected.
How did it get to where it is today? Communication broke down.
But underneath all that, deep down inside, do you think Alex resents you? I know Alex resents me.
Tell me why.
I think that he feels like he's the older brother, and the he thought this was his.
He thought that he was gonna be able to run it the way he wanted, and His world came crashing down.
Your relationship with your father, is it different to the relationship he has with Alex? Yeah.
I think that he thinks that my dad In the end loves me more, for some reason.
Hi.
Hey.
How are you? I'm doing good.
Sit down.
We were just talking about you.
Oh, yeah? Why don't you just explain to Alex what you just explained to me.
I said we used to be very close.
But I think that you're bitter towards a lot of things.
You've got a lot of resentment.
I don't know if it's only towards me, if it's towards other things.
I don't see you Wanting to-- to come here.
It felt like he was gonna give you the restaurant.
I felt like, you know, I was losing Not only the passion and the pride, but the--the whole aspect of the restaurant.
I still have that uneasyfeeling like Do I belong? I put that wall up.
Yes, I did.
I can't do it-- I've said a million times, I can't do it alone.
You know that.
You know that.
I'm not here to hurt you.
No.
I'm not.
I'm not here to step on you in any way.
This is the first time that I got to look at you in the eyes and knowing that you're serious about it.
The separation between my sister and I definitely wasn't working, and she made me, you know, realize we need to get unionized, and we need to get together with each other, and--and work together.
I wanna do it with you.
Yeah.
Okay.
Okay.
I love her, and of-- of course we're gonna work together.
That's good to hear, 'cause I don't I really have thought you hated me for a long time.
I think she needs a hug.
You're her big brother for God's sake.
We've got to figure out just a way to talk again.
We used to talk.
We used to-- We used to have fun.
We used to-- we used to be best friends.
This feels incredible.
It's the most important thing for the restaurant for my brother and I to be family and for-- for us to get along.
And for us to love each other.
Let me leave you guys for a couple of minutes on your own.
Thank you.
Okay, gonna get some fresh air.
The walls kind of came down, which is exactly what needed to happen for this family.
She definitely showed me that we need to respect each other and that the respect for each other is what's gonna make La Frite succeed.
If we can continue the legacy and continue the heartbeat of La Frite You've got an amazing son and daughter there that are desperate to get this place right.
Huh? I hope.
That's one thing I really want is all us three to communicate or talk to each other.
And, you know, it was hurting me.
It's One step at a time.
Yeah, that's it.
I love you.
I love you.
I love you.
Every time we were at meeting, it was a wall.
You were not talking to each other.
Both of you are going to have to work with each other and listen.
All three of us are in charge, and we should sit down anytime we have a decision.
We need to go one way where everybody work together.
We have seen a big step on the communication.
I just hope and cross my finger that it's going to hold.
After a breakthrough emotional meeting between Alex and Celine I love her, and of-- of course we're gonna work together.
Chef Ramsay is now ready to start implementing some changes.
Gone is the 20-year-old dessert case that sat in the middle of the dining room.
Oh, fridge.
And in its place, a contemporary crepe station.
There you go.
We're gonna start doing some crepes.
For tonight's menu, Chef Ramsay is replacing the soggy, heavy casserole crepes Bleh.
With fresh, light, traditional crepes.
Try that.
That's excellent.
Yeah.
It's really good.
You'll be our first table tonight.
Best table in the house.
Tonight, Alex will once again be in charge of the front of the house.
But he will also be supervising the new crepe station and will be assisted by Gayle.
As for Celine, she will be in the kitchen expediting and working alongside Chef Martin.
Martin, you and I are gonna really need to chat.
I am gonna go completely off the specials.
Sounds good.
The smoked salmon crepe? Okay, is it all up? What is that? It's an omelet.
Do you want to do it again? You tell me.
Can he not cook an omelet? He should be able to.
Can I get two new ones? Is anybody listening? Yes! I'm ready for the Cordon Bleu.
Martin, try to communicate, please.
Right here.
What is that? Cordon Bleu.
Look at that, it's a a sandwich.
Andre, Martin.
Just stop and come round.
Look at me.
Look at me in the eyes.
Look.
I can't serve that.
That's that? It shouldn't be like that.
Like a oil slick.
Come on, guys.
Papa, will you tell him? We don't drown it in there.
My nine-year-old daughter can cook better than that.
Martin.
Yes? I just want you to care.
Yeah, I-- I got that.
I'm struggling.
There's a little communication trying to get everything fired.
Who's making the croque monsieur? While the kitchen struggles to push out food Here you go.
Thank you, Celine.
Customers who ordered the crepes are thrilled with what they are receiving.
It looks fabulous! Absolutely awesome.
As for the old menu, it's disappointment.
After disappointment.
Oh, I'm so sorry.
The artichoke, it's droopy.
It doesn't have any flavor.
Did you want anything else instead, or just, uh No, we'll just go to the main course.
Thank you so much.
Two hot artichokes coming back.
No good? Why not? Too salty or They said they're old, and they don't like it.
It's disheartening to see how much food was wasted tonight.
I literally feel like we are, you know, back to square one.
Sowe just get a little bit organized.
I wanna see you step up to the plate, yeah? But they don't listen to me.
Last night, you were the only voice of reason I could actually understand.
So they gotta listen! Got it.
You understand? Communication's of the essence, guys.
How many minutes out are we on table 19? Ooh! In the kitchen, Chef Martin continues to ignore Celine.
Flip that baby.
But in the dining room, Alex is a new man.
It's pretty darn good, huh? I'm gettin' my routine here.
He's energetic and working hard to satisfy customers any way he can.
Ham and cheese.
Including making delicious, satisfying crepes.
So yummy.
Isn't it, like, so good? I love the dill.
Okay, well, thank you gentlemen.
Bye-bye.
Thank you very much.
Let's be honest.
We all know where the problem is.
Celine The Head Chef is not acting as the Head Chef and watching the food come out properly.
And for every crap dish they send out It's closing that door quicker.
I have seen what you have seen.
I have seen some stuff which I don't like.
They need a leader.
They need a better leader.
You're right! They need that.
Without that, they can't respect us.
That's the engine room in there.
If that's not firing on all cylinders, we're screwed.
Understand What I've said? Absolutely.
Tomorrow, I want each and every one of you to get ready for some major changes.
Coming up You'll be the first customers of the new La Frite.
It's the biggest night in the last 30 years for La Frite.
I need you to get a grip of the kitchen.
Can this struggling kitchen staff Martin! You need to talk! Finally get it together? None of my tables have their entrees.
Or will they fail miserably and crush the dream of a family? I'm walkin' out now! It hurts me so much to watch any table walk out of here without even getting served their food.
With the family now all on the same page, Chef Ramsay moves ahead with the 40-year-old facelift of La Frite.
Good morning! Good morning.
Are you ready to witness the new La Frite? Let's do it! Celine, ladies first.
Off you go.
Oh, my God.
Oh, my gosh.
God, it's beautiful.
Oh, it's different.
Wow.
Look at it! Where's my yellow? Gone is the yellow.
I can't believe how bright.
How much does that blue pop out now? It's beautiful.
Father, the awning's gone.
My bar American is gone.
The bar can be a bar now.
It's not smothered with a hideous awning.
We've opened it up and it's got that modern French bistro vibe.
We've got custom artwork on the wall--look at it.
Wow.
Oh, my God! Oh! It's beautiful.
Customer, oh, my gosh.
They're going to say What do you think? What do you think? Can you see the change? It's awesome.
I think it's just beautiful.
Look at the two of you.
I think it's a new beginning.
We're turning that page from the '70s to the future.
This restaurant needs to be cool, hip, and trendy to compete.
So the menu needs to reflect that.
Wow, cut down! It's a classic, modern bistro take.
Good.
Yes.
Okay, tonight, we are relaunching La Frite.
Yes.
New restaurant, new menu.
More importantly, a united family with a brand-new attitude to put this restaurant on the map.
You ready? Yeah.
Here's one of the most important worries on my mind.
Last night, there was a glaring problem.
Your kitchen was nowhere near strong enough to relaunch this restaurant.
So I made a few phone calls and I found a secret weapon.
Please welcome Chef Chuy.
Come here, buddy! Good to see you.
Hi.
Good to see you, buddy.
Nice to meet you.
Yeah, I'm happy to be here with you guys.
Okay.
This man has over 15 years of experience in French bistros.
Whilst I'm here, I wanted him to be over every little detail in that kitchen, teaching your brigade this menu, to make sure we haven't got issues you got another voice.
Thank you.
Okay, let's go.
We got some prep to do.
While Chef Chuy trains Martin and the kitchen staff Chef Ramsay reveals the stunning new menu to the family.
Okay, the new menu at La Frite.
It's gorgeous.
It smells good in here already.
Let's have a little run-through of the menu from the top.
Something classic and French.
Escargot.
French snails with puff pastry croutons in there.
Minced filet mignon.
Yeah? Classic garnish.
Finished with a little quail egg on the top.
The entrees.
Coq au vin.
Braised chicken and red wine, Swiss chard, and turnips.
The jarret d'agneau.
Braised lamb shank, truffle polenta, and Brussels sprouts.
A frenchman's dream.
It's good.
I-I love it.
It's gorgeous.
I-I'm just flabbergasted.
I mean, it's beautiful.
This is how it should be.
This is exciting.
It's a--a great menu.
And, you know, I can't wait to see excellent food coming out of the kitchen.
Oh, my God.
I mean, they're all amazing.
It's good, that's all-- that's all I know.
After almost 40 years without a change, it's relaunch night at La Frite.
How are you? Good.
You'll be the first customers of the new La Frite.
And time for Chef Martin to be tested.
Okay, great.
You all set? Yeah.
Good.
Chef Chuy will be there to support him and oversee the crepe station.
The old La Frite is gone.
Let's go.
I'm a little nervous because, after 20 years cooking the same food almost every day, you know, the new menu is totally different.
What do we think? I'll have the onion soup to start.
I'll have the braised lamb shank.
I'll have the tuna nicoise salad with a mushroom crepe.
Martin, order in.
Escargot, table two! Ready to go! It's 30 minutes into service All right, soup du jour.
And appetizers are not only leaving the kitchen quickly They are a hit with customers.
That is great.
But back in the kitchen Martin, two soup du jours and a Cordon Bleu crepe.
Martin Trouble is brewing as a frustrated Celine How's my Cordon Bleu crepe? Tries to get answers from Martin.
Martin! Communicate, please! Martin! Martin! I hear you, sir! Talk to me! I need you to start giving an answer to Celine.
You need to talk! While an organized Celine tries to expedite, Martin continues to ignore.
And almost nothing is leaving the kitchen.
Absolutely.
I'll bring it right away.
Do we have table three? If they--they're doing it right now.
They're doing it right now.
Uh-huh, perfect.
How long for this, do you think? 'Cause otherwise, they said they will cancel it.
It's about five more minutes.
Five more minutes.
Uh, yeah.
Five minutes? I have five tables, all waiting an hour and a half for their entrees.
And I cannot do anything.
Don't run that 20.
They're walking out now.
Basically, it hurts me so much to watch any table walk out of here without even getting served their food.
Just completely out of control.
serious, man? It's relaunch night at La Frite, and after a 90-minute wait The first table has walked out.
Wow.
Unbelievable.
serious, man? What's wrong? None of my tables have their entrees, and one of 'em walked out, they're done! Oh, .
Servers, in the dining room.
Everybody else, shut the up for 30 seconds.
This is really important.
Celine, I need you to get a grip of the kitchen.
I need you to delegate, please? Tell him, that, yeah? Chuy, please take control of the kitchen.
Yes, ma'am.
Thank you.
Let's go, guys! We should be able to do this! Come on! How's table eight working? I need like four or five minutes for that.
Yep, perfect.
What I liked about Chef Chuy is, when I said something to him, he would acknowledge me and say, "okay.
" And that's how it should be.
Okay, that's the poulet.
Here, this.
Poulet champignon.
Yay! With Celine and Chef Chuy now working in complete harmony.
We're running table seven, please.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Entrees are flying out of the kitchen Oh, finally.
Yes.
Yes! Oh, look at that.
And La Frite's relaunch It melts in your mouth.
It was worth the wait.
Finishes on a positive note.
I have no other table, huh? I'm finished.
Take a break.
Thank you, guys.
Great job, guys.
Right, um, first of all, let me make something really clear.
You will not be able to move forward unless you make major changes in that kitchen.
I don't know what would have happened to this restaurant tonight if Chef Chuy wasn't there, let me tell you that.
But Chef Chuy can't do it alone.
It's true.
The family's united.
Now you as a family, have to fix the kitchen.
Yep.
Gordon made us realize that we need to work together on making changes, you know, building a team that's gonna continue getting this restaurant to--to the next level.
And, Andre, when you first came to me, you were worried about these two.
I wanted them together.
They can work together.
And they-- they proved it.
Not to me, but to you.
They are fine.
And they just want to make you proud.
I'm proud of them.
This has been a really, really incredible experience.
It's great to have made it through and made it through a stronger person and a stronger family and-- and a stronger restaurant as a whole.
Thank you.
Take care.
Take care.
It was-- you were great.
No more crepe in a casserole.
No.
Promise.
Thank you so much.
Good night.
This week, we definitely, definitely fixed the family.
But I'm not too sure we actually fixed the restaurant.
We've given them all the tools, but it's up to them to make the tough decisions.
Sacre bleu.
In the days that followed, Chef Chuy was brought in full time as the new Executive Chef.
Just put it out.
Put it out.
Cordon Bleu crepes.
Thank you very much, Chuy.
And is continuing to build a strong team in the kitchen.
It's okay.
They'll get crispy.
Bon appetit.
Enjoy.
Alex and Celine are working hard to continue the family legacy.
So I need a frisee salad and the poulet, pomme.
But more importantly, they are doing it together.
Bye, Celina.
Bye.
Mwah.
I'll see you soon.
See you later.
Next time on Kitchen Nightmares Chef Ramsay is in for double trouble.
Oh, my God.
They're messy.
They're lazy.
When's the last time this place was cleaned? What a mess.
They're loud.
Let's play cymbals.
They're emotional.
I didn't think it was that bad.
They're a recipe for disaster.
Will Chef Ramsay be able to get through to this set of twins Will you stop acting like a baby? Or are they beyond saving?