Kitchen Nightmares (2007) s05e02 Episode Script
Leone's
Tonight on Kitchen Nightmares Gordon travels to Montclair, New Jersey where after two years in a coma, the owner returns What are you doing? To find that her restaurant is near death.
This restaurant is being run like a pigsty.
Her son has run the restaurant into the ground.
We're drowning.
We've already drowned.
And he is in complete denial.
There's nobody in control of this restaurant.
I disagree.
Oh, my God.
The menu is massive.
Look at all this food.
The food is a disgrace.
What is that? Ah.
And the kitchen is a health hazard.
What the is that in there? Oh,.
This is raw pork.
Now, smell that.
And unbelievably, even the cooks think the food is sub par.
How does that taste? When a chef doesn't like his own food, how the [bleep.]
do you expect the customer to? Tonight, Chef Ramsay is in for a huge challenge.
You've got ingredients from last Thanksgiving.
Will he be able to get through to this lazy owner? Michael, I need you to step up.
No.
Or will his ailing mother see her life's work Under no circumstances can we continue to serve food.
Get completely trashed.
Shut the place down.
That's tonight on Kitchen Nightmares.
Disgusting crap.
What is that? Yes, you are! Shut the place down.
Get out! I can't thank you enough.
Montclair, New Jersey, an affluent suburban community just 20 minutes from Manhattan.
In the heart of town sits an Italian eatery called Leone's, opened more than a decade ago by Rose Leone.
When my mom first opened Leone's in 1996, Leone's was the place to go to if you wanted Italian food.
Welcome to Leone's.
Do you have some reservation? People would wait in line to come in.
I was here 8:00 in the morning until 12:00 at night.
I did everythingcooking, cleaning, inventory.
Mama treated this restaurant like her child.
This restaurant was her life.
About two years ago, my mother went in for a routine kidney stone.
The operation went bad and she went into a coma, which was very, very difficult.
When Rosie was ill, it was a bad moment.
You look around, you don't see Rosie.
There's nothing here and that's what hurts.
Without Mama Rose, everybody was just scrambling to make it work, literally.
She said the fish was dry and she didn't like that the polenta was soft.
You got the polenta? I'll get that, yeah, yeah, they kept on waiting.
No, I got it.
I got it.
Michael stepped in and he says he's the boss but doesn't do anything boss-worthy.
He shows up around 6:00, walks around, hands out a Sambuca.
As long as you're 21, it's my treat.
Watches a little football, gets dinner.
And goes home.
All right, see you later.
Michael is not taking care of this restaurant, so basically, I do everything.
I do ordering, I coordinate staff.
You're supposed to make it the way the menu states.
Michael does not show any concern about this restaurant.
And when everybody sees that, they do the same.
The kitchen staff, they take naps out in the back, they play soccer.
Hello? After Michael took over, the food went to.
There's no flavor.
The taste just wasn't there anymore.
I mean, this place used to be good and I'm not happy anymore.
Business nowadays is awful.
We are very slow.
Last weekend, we had 12 to 15 tables on a Friday night, and that's bad.
How many reservations we got, Lizzie? There's no reservations.
Everything I see was dirty.
So if this is filthy, I'm afraid of what the kitchen looks like.
The kitchen is out of control.
A disgrace, disgusting.
What are you doing? They destroyed everything I worked for in my life.
Carchi, two risotto.
Two risotto.
Two risotto! It deteriorated to nothing.
We owe $1,400 for the meat overdue for the past month.
I need Michael to make some money.
What are you gonna do, Michael? I don't know, I was gonna ask you.
You gotta do something, Michael.
You tell me, what do you want me to do? I need Chef Ramsay to come in and straighten them out.
Chef Ramsay, please be my voice.
If this doesn't work out, I will have no other choice but to die.
All right.
Leone's.
Here we go.
When you think of New Jersey, you think of Italian.
Hey.
Hello.
Hello, Gordon.
How are you? How you doing, Chef? Nice to meet you.
Likewise.
Good to see you too.
First name is? Michael.
Michael, good to see you.
Good to meet you, Gordon.
So you are? Co-owner.
Owner.
Okay.
Yeah.
And what's that thing there? That's my old television that I watch all the games on.
Old? You watch games on there? Yes, sir.
Seriously? Yes, sir.
But this is the main entrance, right? Yes, sir.
Wow.
Is business that flat that you're watching games and trying to deal with customers at the same time? Yes, it is, Chef.
Really? Yes.
That bad? Yes, sir.
Wow.
Go outside.
Yes, sir.
And come back in ten seconds.
Okay.
Hello, table for one, sir? I'm busy.
Okay.
Two seconds.
I'm just gonna watch this goal.
Would you mind? I'll seat myself? I'm busy.
I'm just trying to find the game, it's so important because this is far more important than running my business.
Seriously? Honestly, Michael, do you get the message? I mean, it's justdo you think that's a good impression when customers walk in for the first time? No.
It's terrible.
Chef Ramsay, he looked at me in such a way like, what is this rodent doing next to a television in a restaurant? It was just embarrassing.
Oh, my God.
Is that a baby? Yes.
I mean, they say that there's never an ugly baby.
I think I just found one.
But that's not you, is it? No, sir.
We have one of the worst decors I've ever seen.
The creepy baby keeps me up at night.
I don't know what my mother was thinking to be honest with you.
Everything you see, every artwork is my mother's.
Right.
My mother is actually the owner and I was kind of like the general manager until she got sick.
Everything.
She got sick? Yes.
And mom's name is? Rose.
Okay, Rose.
Is your mother here? Yes.
Okay.
Can we meet? Please.
Please.
How are you? Good to see you, sweetie.
Good to see you.
Likewise.
Oh, yeah.
Nice.
Are you feeling better? Okay.
And how long have you been back in the business? So you've just come back now? How long were you out for? Oh, really? Wow.
I'm sorry.
And how long have you had the restaurant? In your mind, what's wrong with the restaurant? What is it? Everything? Okay.
Let's get the group together and let's have a little meeting and a catch-up, and I'd like to hear from everybody so I can get my head around this.
Yeah? Can we get the chefs and yeah, everybody, please, Michael? So this is? Jon.
Jon, good to see you.
Thank you.
Come around.
And this is? Elizabeth.
Elizabeth, nice to see you.
And you are? I'm Trudy.
Trudy? Right.
It's a lovely name.
Thank you.
And what you do? I'm a waitress.
A waitress.
And sorry, Jon, what do you do? I'm a waiter.
A waiter.
Elizabeth? Hostess.
Hostess.
Because I've met the man that is in charge of the TV control.
Chef Ramsay is going to tear Michael a new.
I would hope that Michael knows that he has it coming, but it is Michael, so he probably doesn't know that he has it coming.
Okay, here's first of all, I can't start to even think about turning this place around until I get to the bottom of the issues.
Um, who would like to go first? Wow.
Trudy.
The major problem here is there's no manager.
There are nonobody in control of this restaurant.
Basically, the staff is running this restaurant right now.
II disagree.
I believe the problem is is that I believe the decor is a turn-off.
The decor? Hmm, no.
It's ridiculous.
She got sick.
I had to step up to the plate.
I take care of payroll, I take care of ordering, I take care of payables.
Ordering? Payroll? Receiving, doing the menus.
Wow.
Is that right? What would happen if Trudy fell ill, God forbid? Where in the hell would we be? I don't know the answer to that, Chef.
I don't know.
Do you want it? You don't, do you? Yes, I do.
Are you incapable? I think I am capable.
So why haven't you done it? When I see the business not busy, it's hard for me to really show a passion.
Have you ever had the passion? Yes, I've had passion with this.
I don't think he ever had the passion.
He's never had it? No.
Wow.
Is that true? I don't think so, Chef.
I fell into it hoping that Michael, somewhere along the line, would learn from me, but he hasn't made the initiative.
I think the bottom line, Chef, is everyone can do more.
I think the servers can do more, I think the busboys can do more and the chefs can do more.
Are you here every day? Except Monday, yeah, I'm here every day.
Except Monday? So you're here six days a week.
Across those six days a week you're in here, you're here what, No.
Nah-uh.
How many? I work the dinner shift from like 5 to 10, 5 to 11.
So five hours a day.
Out of those five hours a night, how many of them do you sit down? Depending on the situation Roughly.
Two.
Three.
So you're on your feet for two hours a day? Yes.
Holy crap.
What's the breakeven per week in this restaurant? $12,000.
What we take in currently a week? $8,000.
We're losing four grand a week.
Yes, sir.
Wow.
Okay.
I'm gonna have a look around.
I'm gonna be back in 20 minutes.
Okay.
So do me a favor.
Just make me one of everything on that menu.
Our menu is 15 pages Let's go.
And I just have to laugh because I knew it was going to look like a freaking Chinese buffet.
I need one of every pasta on the menu.
We need chicken parm, veal parm, shrimp parm, eggplant parm, all parms.
Louie, one of every pizza, please.
And don't forget the sides.
I think the pizza is top, top notch.
And I think most of the food is outstanding.
I eat here six days a week.
Don't forget your pizza special too.
Here you go.
I appreciate it.
More plate, more plates, more plates.
Rolling to you in the window.
Okay.
Right.
Oh, my God.
Holy crap.
Look at all this food.
Bloody hell.
Coming up Ah.
Leone's serves a dangerous dose of indigestion.
That would blow your lungs out, that thing.
And later What is that in there? Gordon's kitchen investigation Oh, my God.
Confirms his worst fears.
The raw veal next to the cooked chicken.
Which threatens the future of Leone's.
Under no circumstances can we continue to serve food.
Shut the place down.
I need to get up to speed.
So I'm gonna keep it simple, just make me one of everything.
After a meeting with the staff, Chef Ramsay is anxious to get up to speed on the food.
I need one of every pasta.
All parms.
But when he returns, he makes a shocking discovery.
Oh, my God! Holy crap.
A dining room full of food.
How many items on the menu? Over a hundred.
A hundred? I mean, physically, the appearance is.
Could I have a knife and fork, please? Sure.
Or maybe a bag.
A [bleep.]
sick bag.
Chef Ramsay, I would like to apologize in advance.
It's justeverything is just terrible.
We'll just start here.
What's what? This is sweet onion pie.
Yeah.
This is a basic cheese pie.
The crust looks very dark.
Is that normal, that, or is he just having an off day? The oven gets very hot, so.
Have you tasted that? Mm-hmm.
How bland is that? I think the texture I don't like, but the taste You like the taste but you don't like the texture.
Yeah.
, is that rice? Risotto.
That's risotto? Hmm.
Risotto? Oh, come on, guys.
I mean, [bleep.]
do me a favor,.
What stinks here? What's that smell? Is that you? No, sir.
What? I don't think so.
Just smell that.
Smell inside I don't want you smelling that.
No, no, not with your state of health.
I don't want you back in a coma.
Taste the clam for me.
Quick.
Blah.
Uh.
Mine is full of grit.
A little spongy.
Spongy, mine's grit.
They're not even clean.
Grit.
Yeah.
Are you crunching grit? Yes.
Yes.
Dirt, sand.
How do you clean a clam if it's sealed? You run them under [bleep.]
cold water.
Oh, I don't even know that, yeah.
Lord only knows where those clams came from.
At least it was just sand.
That's all I'm saying.
What is that? That's arrabiata.
Why is all the vinegar on there? People like that recipe.
They love it actually.
Oh, my God.
The chilies The garlic.
I mean, that is a [bleep.]
disaster.
Next row.
What the [bleep.]
is that? What the [bleep.]
is it? It's chicken.
In balsamic sauce.
Yeah, red wine and a balsamic reduction.
Taste this.
They should come with a [bleep.]
warning.
That would blow your lungs out.
I meanand whereabouts in Italy is that from? I don't know.
Oh, come on.
What is this one? Pasta fazul.
There's no seasoning in there.
Everything is bland.
It's bland.
It's bland.
Pasta is bland.
Ugh, ugh.
Dirt.
It's like a [bleep.]
flip-flop.
Look at the garlic in there.
Too much garlic.
A smell of garlic.
Pissing with garlic.
Way too much garlic.
How many bulbs of garlic is in there? A lot of garlic, yeah.
Are they trying to put me in hospital for two years? I mean, it's bad.
It is bad.
I mean, honestly, get me the chefs out here, will you please? My food, even though I think it needs help, it's definitely not that bad.
I eat it myself.
It's not as bad as the Chef said.
Who made this? I did it.
Have you tasted it? Have you ever sat down and tasted your own food? Sit down.
Here we are.
With it, what happen is No, not with what happened.
Sit down.
Come on, quickly, I need you to taste it.
I know.
Sit down, please.
Yes.
Welcome to Leone's.
There we are.
I know what this is.
How does that taste? Can I have a fork, please? No, you're not eating that.
No, no, no.
I'm not gonna be responsible for putting you back in hospital.
Sit down.
You are not eating that.
How does that taste? How does it taste? You don't like it? I don't like it.
How was that? It's very vinegary.
Have you tasted your risotto? Yes.
I do taste the risotto, but Yeah.
Stay there.
Give it a little taste.
Yeah, just have a taste, everybody.
Use your knife and fork, have a little taste.
How does that taste? Wow.
It's [bleep.]
disgusting.
And if that's classed as a risotto here in New Jersey, dude, you got to get out more.
What, if any dish, do you like on these tables? Nothing at all.
Exactly.
When a chef doesn't like his own food, how the [bleep.]
do you expect the customer to? For me, that says it all.
Even your chefs don't like their food.
I think it's good.
You think it's good? Wow.
Are you in denial or you're just doing this in front of your mother? No, no, I'm not in denial.
Let me get some fresh air.
I'll be back later, yeah? I'd like to catch a plane out of here right now.
Let's go, mamalukes.
After discovering early on that Leone's menu is more of a quantity than quality, Chef Ramsay returns to observe dinner service.
And news of his arrival in Montclair has spread, and the restaurant is busy for the first time in years.
What are we having? And for you, sir? Okay.
Hi, how are you? How are you? And this is? My wife.
Cheyenne.
Cheyenne.
Oh, you're Michael's wife.
Yes.
Wow, didn't he do well? I do, Chef.
Yeah, I guess, right.
And tonight, run the place as normal.
I'd like to see how this thing functions.
I've tasted it, yeah? Now, I wanna see how it works.
Now, take me through the kitchen and show me the line, please.
The kitchen, sure.
Yeah.
Ordering.
Okay, order up.
One asparagus salad, one fried calamarisweet or hot? Here is our fryer area, salads and desserts.
Yeah.
Hello.
How are you? I'm Diana.
Diana, okay, great.
And how long have you been here? I've been here seven years.
Seven years? Yes.
Wow.
Okay, great.
And the main problem with the restaurant is what? I'd say the main problem is the food.
The food.
Yeah.
Wow.
I like the honesty.
I work here and I try to take pride in my work, but I don't think the food is good.
And Michael needs the eye-opener.
Take it out, take it out.
Okay.
Here we go.
All right.
Here we are.
Enjoy.
While diners tried to digest their food Gordon is having a hard time digesting what he sees in the kitchen.
What the [bleep.]
Is that in there? Is that how we heat it? Yep.
We blast it in the microwave.
That's very Italian.
In herewhat's in here? I do yesterday this chicken.
You do this yesterday.
This chicken for a balsamic.
Now, hold on a minute.
That's cooked chicken.
And what's that in there? Veal I did today.
So you have the raw veal next to the cooked chicken.
Oh, come on.
The cooks are to blame for their part.
If they make a mistake, I can live with that.
But somebody being irresponsible and neglectful, there's no excuse.
Look at the crap in here.
Bloody hell's bells.
What's that in there? Is that calamari? That'syeah.
It comes in definitely fresh though.
That I know for a fact.
Fresh? It's frozen.
You buy this in fresh? It is not fresh.
The calamari that we use here is all frozen.
What is that in there? What is that? I think it's veal, Chef.
You think it's veal.
I'm pretty sure it's veal.
You didn't put it in there? No, I didn't.
That looks like meat thrown in a pan.
But what is it though? I don't know.
It's not labeled.
Oh, my God.
.
Hey, forget the orders for five minutes, and come around, you.
Darryl, come around.
Don't worry about the cooking for now.
I got more [bleep.]
issues.
When was the last time this was organized? It hasn't been organized.
Oh, come on.
What's that? Molasses.
Molasses? Yeah, that's been in there since Thanksgiving.
What? It's July.
What's that? Oh, my God.
Oh,.
This is raw pork.
That's not my pork that you served to me, is it? No, that's the old pork that got left in there.
That's the old pork.
When is this one from? Not Thanksgiving again.
Stuffed what? Mushrooms.
Smell that.
Smell it.
That's [bleep.]
all over me.
Smell it.
Go on.
That's your sauce, Darryl.
What in the [bleep.]
is this? Oh, my God.
Is that flounder? It's definitely old.
Definitely old.
It's green.
Smell that.
It was embarrassing.
It was mortifying.
He comes insomething that's so easily identifiable and no one noticed? Smell it! How is that possible? Oh hi.
Can I just show you something for two seconds? Mama Rose, I am absolutely horrified.
That's from Thanksgiving.
And thata slimy, vile, sticky flounder and a sour disgusting cream sauce.
I mean, honestly, this restaurant is being run like a pigsty.
You may be resistant to change, but what's become very clear is that you're resistant to quality.
To begin with and have his dishwashers and cook Always.
All of you come here.
Let's go.
Come here.
How can we work like that? You've got ingredients from last Thanksgiving.
Did you smell the flounder? Yes.
Did you see the cooked chicken, the raw pork, the raw veal? It's a joke.
You should be ashamed of yourselves.
Under no circumstances can we continue to serve food.
Shut the place down.
After discovering disgusting and dangerous practices in Leone's kitchen Under no circumstances can we continue to serve food.
Chef Ramsay has no choice but to Shut the place down.
You go in the dining room now and just apologize.
Get [bleep.]
cleaning! Get it going! Tell them no more service for the rest of the night or just till they're done cleaning? What do you think? Not at all.
I'm just embarrassed, that's it.
I'm [bleep.]
embarrassed.
Everybody everybody, I'm sorry to interrupt you, everybody.
I'm sad to say and embarrassed to say that we're closing down Leone's for the night.
The food is not up to par, it's not what you deserve, so I apologize for the inconvenience.
I thank you for choosing Leone's, but right now it's a must, we must shut down.
He shut it down.
That's it.
He's shutting it? He shut it down.
Sorry, guys.
Leone's has never been shut down.
Very embarrassed by it.
I probably won't sleep tonight over this.
Thank you, ma'am.
Sorry.
Take care.
Sorry about that, ladies.
I'm feeling disappointment.
I feel humiliated telling everyone that they can't eat at my own restaurant.
Can you sit down, please? That's the most badly practiced kitchen I've ever seen.
That's why we need you, Chef.
No, Michael.
Michael, you let it happen on a daily basis.
You need to run your business.
I care, Chef.
Not in your mother's eyes, you don't.
Have you ever walked into your kitchen and opened the door to your refrigeration unit and called them out? No, I check, but I don't check hard enough obviously.
Oh, ma, stop it, ma.
Stop it.
You're oblivious.
It's happening under your own nose, they don't give a because you don't.
Diana, is he lazy? Yes.
Jon, is he lazy? Yes, Chef.
Trudy, is he lazy? Yes.
Mama? Right now, we have a room full of individuals that don't believe in your conviction to run this place.
Prove to me, and more importantly to your mother and your staff, that you are ready to lead.
Got it? Go.
A manager who doesn't manage, my God.
Jon, get me a rag with some soap and water.
Okay.
I don't feel like I've given up, but I feel like I'm broken.
I'm angry at myself.
I think, as the boss of the restaurant, it was just irresponsible.
Is he capable of taking care of this restaurant? For myself, I don't know.
I think seeing is believing.
Are you okay, Ma? What's the matter? Are you crying? Come here, what's the matter? What's the matter, huh? What's the matter, huh? We're gonna turn the ship around.
My mother put in almost 20 years of her life into this place.
Her spirit, her money.
I'm crushed that I let her down.
And I wanna make it good.
But the truth is I don't know if I can turn it around.
And it's a scary feeling.
It really is.
Come on.
Get out of here and get some rest.
Okay? Okay.
After shutting down Leone's, Chef Ramsay realizes Michael and his staff need to have their eyes opened, and he's arranged something appropriate at an art gallery only half a block away.
Take a look at this amazing exhibition.
Come here.
Look at that.
What do you see? Food.
What kind of food do you see on there? Italian food.
Food that's very pleasurable to the eye.
Is it inviting? Yes.
Yes.
This is your competition.
Only blocks away from Leone's.
Michael, I went to five restaurants this morning.
Lovely.
Thank you.
I took the pictures.
And trust me, after shooting those dishes, I ate everything, and they don't only look great.
.
Wow, that was delicious.
But they taste amazing.
I was glad that Michael got to see what else was in the neighborhood instead of living in the denial that our food is fantastic.
Your dishes set an impression and they remain in people's memories.
So let's take a look at these dishes from another local restaurant.
This restaurant is called that's right, Leone's.
Do you recognize the food? Yes.
Wow.
I've never seen such an outdated mess in all my life.
Take a look at that and then turn around and have a look at your competition.
Come on.
Trudy, what's the message I'm trying to get across? Get your [bleep.]
together.
Your food is no comparison to what's in the neighborhood.
I can't believe it, but I'm embarrassed to serve food like that.
Chef's opened my eyes to the neighboring competition.
And I think it takes someone outside the family and your friends to tell you how it is.
Today, we move in this direction.
Let's get back to Leone's and get started.
Let's go.
I think it's time for change.
And I wanna be the best Italian restaurant in town.
With Michael finally realizing how much his restaurant has slipped, Gordon's next move is to push Michael to better understand his business.
When was the last time you cooked anything? Never.
And that means working in the kitchen.
I want you to watch me now cook a delicious veal chop and a simple capellini.
But, Michael, I want you to do them with me.
You don't need to be an amazing chef to understand where the chefs were going badly wrong.
You can't continue to be blindsided by your brigade.
I need you to start leading from the helm.
You start running your business, okay? You got it.
Veal chop, let's go.
To be the man of the house, I have to take all of the responsibility.
I mean, I have to take a kick in the ass.
A lot of people depend on me.
Just follow me every step of the way.
Touch of olive oil in there, yeah? Salt and pepper.
It's cooked on the bone, why are we cooking it on the bone? More flavor.
Right, get that pan nice and hot.
How do you know when the oil's ready, Chef? A light smoke coming off there.
You've got the sear in there.
Wow.
You leave that searing away.
This never crossed your mind to come in and cook from time to time to sort ofno? It's one of those things as the Italian prince, my mother always did the cooking.
It didn't even enter my mind.
It's very embarrassing that I don't know the different positions in my restaurant.
I think it's time for change.
The most important thing is just lead, you know, I'm gonna leave my pride aside.
I wanna do better.
A re nice sear.
There we go.
Into the convection seven minutes, okay.
Capellini in.
Gently now, gently.
Push and pull back.
Nice.
And again, good.
Let's go check our veal.
Is that ready, Chef? I want you to tell me for once.
I wanna pull it right now.
Let's go then, pull it.
Cooking with Chef Ramsay has given me great confidence in myself and in my restaurant.
And I'm sure I will make some errors, but I have to learn.
It has to come the hard way.
Look at that.
Whoo-hoo.
Visually, how do they look? They look fantastic.
Do they belong in the gallery or the garbage? The gallery.
The gallery.
Okay, dig in, guys, please.
Dig in, dig in, dig in.
Mm.
That is unbelievable, huh? It just melts in your mouth.
I love the fact there's someone above Michael that had the knowledge and finally pushed him.
It was very good for Michael.
Delicious.
Jon, what do you think of the veal? The veal was excellent.
Yeah? Good job.
It's probably the best food that's ever come out of that kitchen.
Oh, my God.
The staff, when they seen the food, they looked at me in a different light knowing that I could do the job and I wasn't just bump on a log that could sit in the front.
I don't think I've seen Trudy eat or smile in about two years.
Oh, wow.
Not bad.
For the first time that he tried to cook in his life, I couldn't believe it.
You may recognize him from sitting on his ass outside watching television, but that guy has gone now.
You have a new Michael.
Let's go.
After feeling a little more positive about Michael, Chef Ramsay's team works through the night to transform Leone's from a sleepy and dated restaurant into a modern Italian bistro.
Good morning.
Good morning, Chef.
Today, we are re-launching the new Leone's.
Are you ready? I'm ready.
Let's go.
Come in, come in.
Oh, wow.
Come in.
Please, come in.
Oh, beautiful wow.
Excellent.
Come through, Mama Rose.
Oh, my God.
This is the same restaurant? Beautiful.
Wow.
Oh, wow.
Now, big deep breath.
Gone is the dated, salmon color.
Now we have something sort of contemporary.
We have some elegance with the tablecloths, red and white chairs.
The new lampshades, cool, contemporary.
Fabulous.
Gone the walls laced with hideous artwork.
We used the frames and put imprints of Italy.
Nice.
Very nice.
As soon as I opened the door, it was like a whole different world.
It's amazing.
Beautiful surrounding that makes you feel like you're in Italy.
I love that.
You can't blame the decor in this restaurant no more.
I love it.
Well, I have another big surprise.
This is gonna make your life so much easier.
I have for you the most amazing state of the art point of sale system.
Oh, it's so nice.
Oh.
Provided by Zephyr Hardware and POSlavu.
It is the state of the art, latest touchscreen device.
It's unbelievable.
Each and every dish has been photographed and programmed on there.
Oh, wow.
You go to the table, you takeyou take Oh.
Oh, get out of our here.
The order from wireless touchscreen device.
It's unbelievable.
Even before you've left the table, the order is in the kitchen.
That's unbelievable.
I might have to cry.
Oh, my God.
I've been asking them to get any kind of computer here for years.
This handwritten stuff has to go, and thank God, it's finally gone.
We're like a real restaurant now.
You are like a real restaurant.
Before Gordon Ramsay came here, this was an outdated New Jersey restaurant.
After Gordon Ramsay, this restaurant fits right in.
It's just this modern classic Italian bistro.
You're my hero.
Oh, Mama Rose.
Thank you.
Tears of happiness or oh, Mama Rose.
Aw.
There you go.
Are you okay? Yes? Okay.
In addition to revamping Leone's decor, Chef Ramsay has overhauled their massive and stale menu and replaced it with fresh and innovative modern Italian dishes.
These dishes are good enough to go in any gallery.
When I seen the food, I really was excited.
The most eye-popping dishes I've seen in the long time.
It's exactly the first way I felt when I saw you.
Now, let's start off from the top.
Heirloom tomatoes with cucumber and a Sherry vinaigrette.
Then a delicious cappellini, you have fresh crab.
Beautiful.
I love it.
When you think of Italian classics, you think of a chicken cacciatore.
Polenta, olives, mushrooms, and tomatoesvibrant, fresh.
It's beautiful.
A delicious shrimp scampi.
A roasted, pan-seared cod.
Very nice, Chef.
A menu 1/3 of the size with 45 dishes that can change frequently.
Got it? Yes.
Yes, Chef.
Are you happy? Yes, Chef.
Yeah.
Good.
I want you to get some knife and forks and dig in.
Oh, my God.
That is so good.
This is excellent.
Wow.
This food is a complete 180 from what we were serving here before.
I'm very happy right now.
I absolutely love all the dishes on this menu, and you just could taste the difference of the freshness as soon as it goes in your mouth.
We're back.
We're back in business.
Coming up It's re-launch night.
Stay the course.
And it's the restaurant's last chance.
Run this line, have the balls to do it.
Will Michael finally step up? Do you know what you're doing? Or will he destroy Leone's reputation for good? We're not getting anywhere.
Chef Ramsay needs to kick Michael in the ass.
It's re-launch night at Leone's and after an overhaul of the menu and the decor, Chef Ramsay is encouraged by Michael's new attitude, and so he expects him to take complete control of his restaurant.
Tonight, we're gonna get it done.
I want you to expedite, I want you holding the fort together.
Sure.
Yeah? King of the castle.
Yeah? We get in the weeds, we get out.
You got it.
We stay here together as a team.
I got it.
Yeah? I'm nervous.
I'm excited.
I got the butterflies, but I think it's time for me to make this business run the way it should.
I know that I can do it.
Tonight We're getting it done, Chef.
We're gonna get it done.
You got it.
Let's go guys, come on.
Okay.
Move.
Let's go.
Hi, welcome to the new Leone's.
Hi.
Leone's, once a famed restaurant in this community, had lost its way.
This is our menu.
Tonight, with news of the re-launch Diners are streaming in ready to give it another chance.
Are we ready to order? Penne and the lasagna.
Okay.
What would you like? Okay.
Pizza.
Let's go, pizza.
I'm so impressed by this.
I adore the POSlavu.
It was really cool.
I mean, the ease of ordering, it was incredible.
And my handwriting is atrocious, so this for me is a dream come true.
Appetizers; One soup, one calamari.
Thank you.
Come here, buddy.
This one is? That's our new food okay, good.
How are you? First name is? Alex, good to see you.
So what's going next? We're looking at table six, okay? Go.
Michael is off to a good start My burrata.
Ensuring quality dish after dish is quickly leaving the kitchen.
And diners are thrilled with the new menu.
How does everything look? Good? Okay.
Everyone is loving it, everyone is loving it.
But the kitchen has hit a road block Alex, this right here is table three.
As Michael, in an attempt to push food out fast, has lost control and is sending an order out to a table that has already received its food.
They what? Table three already has their appetizer.
For [bleep.]
sake.
Oh, come on.
We're not getting anywhere, guys.
We've already sent the appetizers.
Just checkoh, was that six? You said three.
Okay.
Then check six.
Then check six.
It's not the same table.
No.
Just checking if it's the same order.
Yeah, I know.
No.
We're sending food out twice.
Oh, for [bleep.]
sake, come on.
Michael, table six and three are eating.
Do you know what you're doing? Mike? You screwin' up, boy.
Michael needs to step up to the plate.
I know it, everyone knows it.
Chef Ramsay needs to kick Michael in the ass.
Michael, I need you to step up.
Stop panicking.
You're right.
There's nothing difficult here.
I know.
Bring the team together.
We got this, Chef.
We're gonna pull through.
Please.
You got it.
Work this line, have the balls to do it.
You got it.
Mistakes are gonna happen.
It all depends on how you handle the mistake.
Jon, table 10, did they get all their appetizers? Yes, they did.
Alex, did you bring this to 19, right? Olives and a calamari at table 19.
Yeah.
I got to keep it together, get my head on straight, have confidence in myself, and stick to the game plan.
Right now, listen, I need one pork belly, one cod and one orecchiette and then we'll worry about everything else.
But that I need now.
Yes, sir.
Come on, keep it going.
You gotta drive the team.
I got it.
Carchi? Yes.
How are we doing on 19? I'm coming, right now.
Okay.
Gotta talk to each other, guys.
Okay, I wanna see it in the window together, good.
Right here.
Right here.
Thank you, sir.
Table six.
With Chef Ramsay's encouragement, Michael has rallied back.
Okay, lasagna, lasagna, lasagna.
One lasagna in the window, baby.
Beautiful, baby.
Food is flowing into the dining room again at a steady pace Yay! Oh, this is so good.
You're gonna love it.
With no snags And no complaints.
What did you like about the pizza? The whole pie.
Diana, how is everything out there? They're loving it.
Everybody is loving it.
They're loving it, yeah.
Carchi, you gave me a chicken parm with no home.
Is the shrimp coming with it? It's incredible having Michael finally step up.
He's doing a good job.
He actually sounds like a boss today.
That's a first.
You guys are doing a great job.
The food looks absolutely gorgeous.
Oh, thank you.
Thank you.
Michael is now working together with us.
Hey, guys, come on, baby.
One more and the finish line is here.
That's supposed to be like that.
We're looking for that for a long time.
How did everything go? Okay? Oh, my God, excellent.
You're are back on the map.
Okay.
How are you feeling? Good.
Yes? Yes.
Feedback? They love the food the old customers.
Right.
Mama Rose, I thought you'd gone to bed, huh? Are you happy? Yeah, I'm very happy.
Look after your son.
I will.
Let him spoil you now.
You need to sit and relax and go around the corner and have a little game of bingo.
He's good enough to take over.
I'm proud to see Michael being a boss, and hopefully things will work out and be better.
I'd like a little word with you.
Yes, sir.
Okay.
Three important words that right now I need you to remember.
Stay the course.
If you don't do that, we're coming off track and we're gonna slip back day by day to our old ways.
Stay the course.
Stay the course, Chef.
I can't hear you.
Stay the course.
Take a big deep breath and shout at me.
Chef, in my restaurant, I'm gonna stay the course.
Good.
Well done.
Thank you, sir.
Good night.
This was just a phenomenal experience.
And the thing that changed me the most is Chef Ramsay.
That's the God's honest truth.
Stay the course.
You got it, brother.
Good night.
Good night.
He believed in me and he said that I can do it.
I truly believe I can do it.
Good job, Michael.
Are you proud of me? Yeah.
Thank you very much.
Let's see you do it without me now, no more.
Okay.
I'm tired.
You're in good hands, mama.
Yeah, thank you.
I love you.
I love you too.
Wow, when I first arrived, I saw a lazy owner sat in his pizzeria watching tv.
We made a lot of changes, and not just to the restaurant, but to the owner.
Michael found his voice and finally, he's now speaking not just for himself but for his mother.
Wow.
That baby was [bleep.]
ugly.
Only days after Chef Ramsay left Alex, get me a silverware and a wrapped silverware? Michael took his advice to heart and stayed the course.
Here's your veal chop, Tara.
Go get it, baby.
And under his leadership Guys, if he needs help, jump in.
Franco, help him.
Leone's is once again a popular spot in Montclair.
Things are more upscale.
As for Rose, she can finally rest easy knowing that her son is in control and the future of Leone's looks bright.
Thank you, Chef Ramsay.
Because of you, Michael is the boss and Leone's is the hottest restaurant in town.
We're hot like Chef Ramsay.
Hot, hot, hot.
This restaurant is being run like a pigsty.
Her son has run the restaurant into the ground.
We're drowning.
We've already drowned.
And he is in complete denial.
There's nobody in control of this restaurant.
I disagree.
Oh, my God.
The menu is massive.
Look at all this food.
The food is a disgrace.
What is that? Ah.
And the kitchen is a health hazard.
What the is that in there? Oh,.
This is raw pork.
Now, smell that.
And unbelievably, even the cooks think the food is sub par.
How does that taste? When a chef doesn't like his own food, how the [bleep.]
do you expect the customer to? Tonight, Chef Ramsay is in for a huge challenge.
You've got ingredients from last Thanksgiving.
Will he be able to get through to this lazy owner? Michael, I need you to step up.
No.
Or will his ailing mother see her life's work Under no circumstances can we continue to serve food.
Get completely trashed.
Shut the place down.
That's tonight on Kitchen Nightmares.
Disgusting crap.
What is that? Yes, you are! Shut the place down.
Get out! I can't thank you enough.
Montclair, New Jersey, an affluent suburban community just 20 minutes from Manhattan.
In the heart of town sits an Italian eatery called Leone's, opened more than a decade ago by Rose Leone.
When my mom first opened Leone's in 1996, Leone's was the place to go to if you wanted Italian food.
Welcome to Leone's.
Do you have some reservation? People would wait in line to come in.
I was here 8:00 in the morning until 12:00 at night.
I did everythingcooking, cleaning, inventory.
Mama treated this restaurant like her child.
This restaurant was her life.
About two years ago, my mother went in for a routine kidney stone.
The operation went bad and she went into a coma, which was very, very difficult.
When Rosie was ill, it was a bad moment.
You look around, you don't see Rosie.
There's nothing here and that's what hurts.
Without Mama Rose, everybody was just scrambling to make it work, literally.
She said the fish was dry and she didn't like that the polenta was soft.
You got the polenta? I'll get that, yeah, yeah, they kept on waiting.
No, I got it.
I got it.
Michael stepped in and he says he's the boss but doesn't do anything boss-worthy.
He shows up around 6:00, walks around, hands out a Sambuca.
As long as you're 21, it's my treat.
Watches a little football, gets dinner.
And goes home.
All right, see you later.
Michael is not taking care of this restaurant, so basically, I do everything.
I do ordering, I coordinate staff.
You're supposed to make it the way the menu states.
Michael does not show any concern about this restaurant.
And when everybody sees that, they do the same.
The kitchen staff, they take naps out in the back, they play soccer.
Hello? After Michael took over, the food went to.
There's no flavor.
The taste just wasn't there anymore.
I mean, this place used to be good and I'm not happy anymore.
Business nowadays is awful.
We are very slow.
Last weekend, we had 12 to 15 tables on a Friday night, and that's bad.
How many reservations we got, Lizzie? There's no reservations.
Everything I see was dirty.
So if this is filthy, I'm afraid of what the kitchen looks like.
The kitchen is out of control.
A disgrace, disgusting.
What are you doing? They destroyed everything I worked for in my life.
Carchi, two risotto.
Two risotto.
Two risotto! It deteriorated to nothing.
We owe $1,400 for the meat overdue for the past month.
I need Michael to make some money.
What are you gonna do, Michael? I don't know, I was gonna ask you.
You gotta do something, Michael.
You tell me, what do you want me to do? I need Chef Ramsay to come in and straighten them out.
Chef Ramsay, please be my voice.
If this doesn't work out, I will have no other choice but to die.
All right.
Leone's.
Here we go.
When you think of New Jersey, you think of Italian.
Hey.
Hello.
Hello, Gordon.
How are you? How you doing, Chef? Nice to meet you.
Likewise.
Good to see you too.
First name is? Michael.
Michael, good to see you.
Good to meet you, Gordon.
So you are? Co-owner.
Owner.
Okay.
Yeah.
And what's that thing there? That's my old television that I watch all the games on.
Old? You watch games on there? Yes, sir.
Seriously? Yes, sir.
But this is the main entrance, right? Yes, sir.
Wow.
Is business that flat that you're watching games and trying to deal with customers at the same time? Yes, it is, Chef.
Really? Yes.
That bad? Yes, sir.
Wow.
Go outside.
Yes, sir.
And come back in ten seconds.
Okay.
Hello, table for one, sir? I'm busy.
Okay.
Two seconds.
I'm just gonna watch this goal.
Would you mind? I'll seat myself? I'm busy.
I'm just trying to find the game, it's so important because this is far more important than running my business.
Seriously? Honestly, Michael, do you get the message? I mean, it's justdo you think that's a good impression when customers walk in for the first time? No.
It's terrible.
Chef Ramsay, he looked at me in such a way like, what is this rodent doing next to a television in a restaurant? It was just embarrassing.
Oh, my God.
Is that a baby? Yes.
I mean, they say that there's never an ugly baby.
I think I just found one.
But that's not you, is it? No, sir.
We have one of the worst decors I've ever seen.
The creepy baby keeps me up at night.
I don't know what my mother was thinking to be honest with you.
Everything you see, every artwork is my mother's.
Right.
My mother is actually the owner and I was kind of like the general manager until she got sick.
Everything.
She got sick? Yes.
And mom's name is? Rose.
Okay, Rose.
Is your mother here? Yes.
Okay.
Can we meet? Please.
Please.
How are you? Good to see you, sweetie.
Good to see you.
Likewise.
Oh, yeah.
Nice.
Are you feeling better? Okay.
And how long have you been back in the business? So you've just come back now? How long were you out for? Oh, really? Wow.
I'm sorry.
And how long have you had the restaurant? In your mind, what's wrong with the restaurant? What is it? Everything? Okay.
Let's get the group together and let's have a little meeting and a catch-up, and I'd like to hear from everybody so I can get my head around this.
Yeah? Can we get the chefs and yeah, everybody, please, Michael? So this is? Jon.
Jon, good to see you.
Thank you.
Come around.
And this is? Elizabeth.
Elizabeth, nice to see you.
And you are? I'm Trudy.
Trudy? Right.
It's a lovely name.
Thank you.
And what you do? I'm a waitress.
A waitress.
And sorry, Jon, what do you do? I'm a waiter.
A waiter.
Elizabeth? Hostess.
Hostess.
Because I've met the man that is in charge of the TV control.
Chef Ramsay is going to tear Michael a new.
I would hope that Michael knows that he has it coming, but it is Michael, so he probably doesn't know that he has it coming.
Okay, here's first of all, I can't start to even think about turning this place around until I get to the bottom of the issues.
Um, who would like to go first? Wow.
Trudy.
The major problem here is there's no manager.
There are nonobody in control of this restaurant.
Basically, the staff is running this restaurant right now.
II disagree.
I believe the problem is is that I believe the decor is a turn-off.
The decor? Hmm, no.
It's ridiculous.
She got sick.
I had to step up to the plate.
I take care of payroll, I take care of ordering, I take care of payables.
Ordering? Payroll? Receiving, doing the menus.
Wow.
Is that right? What would happen if Trudy fell ill, God forbid? Where in the hell would we be? I don't know the answer to that, Chef.
I don't know.
Do you want it? You don't, do you? Yes, I do.
Are you incapable? I think I am capable.
So why haven't you done it? When I see the business not busy, it's hard for me to really show a passion.
Have you ever had the passion? Yes, I've had passion with this.
I don't think he ever had the passion.
He's never had it? No.
Wow.
Is that true? I don't think so, Chef.
I fell into it hoping that Michael, somewhere along the line, would learn from me, but he hasn't made the initiative.
I think the bottom line, Chef, is everyone can do more.
I think the servers can do more, I think the busboys can do more and the chefs can do more.
Are you here every day? Except Monday, yeah, I'm here every day.
Except Monday? So you're here six days a week.
Across those six days a week you're in here, you're here what, No.
Nah-uh.
How many? I work the dinner shift from like 5 to 10, 5 to 11.
So five hours a day.
Out of those five hours a night, how many of them do you sit down? Depending on the situation Roughly.
Two.
Three.
So you're on your feet for two hours a day? Yes.
Holy crap.
What's the breakeven per week in this restaurant? $12,000.
What we take in currently a week? $8,000.
We're losing four grand a week.
Yes, sir.
Wow.
Okay.
I'm gonna have a look around.
I'm gonna be back in 20 minutes.
Okay.
So do me a favor.
Just make me one of everything on that menu.
Our menu is 15 pages Let's go.
And I just have to laugh because I knew it was going to look like a freaking Chinese buffet.
I need one of every pasta on the menu.
We need chicken parm, veal parm, shrimp parm, eggplant parm, all parms.
Louie, one of every pizza, please.
And don't forget the sides.
I think the pizza is top, top notch.
And I think most of the food is outstanding.
I eat here six days a week.
Don't forget your pizza special too.
Here you go.
I appreciate it.
More plate, more plates, more plates.
Rolling to you in the window.
Okay.
Right.
Oh, my God.
Holy crap.
Look at all this food.
Bloody hell.
Coming up Ah.
Leone's serves a dangerous dose of indigestion.
That would blow your lungs out, that thing.
And later What is that in there? Gordon's kitchen investigation Oh, my God.
Confirms his worst fears.
The raw veal next to the cooked chicken.
Which threatens the future of Leone's.
Under no circumstances can we continue to serve food.
Shut the place down.
I need to get up to speed.
So I'm gonna keep it simple, just make me one of everything.
After a meeting with the staff, Chef Ramsay is anxious to get up to speed on the food.
I need one of every pasta.
All parms.
But when he returns, he makes a shocking discovery.
Oh, my God! Holy crap.
A dining room full of food.
How many items on the menu? Over a hundred.
A hundred? I mean, physically, the appearance is.
Could I have a knife and fork, please? Sure.
Or maybe a bag.
A [bleep.]
sick bag.
Chef Ramsay, I would like to apologize in advance.
It's justeverything is just terrible.
We'll just start here.
What's what? This is sweet onion pie.
Yeah.
This is a basic cheese pie.
The crust looks very dark.
Is that normal, that, or is he just having an off day? The oven gets very hot, so.
Have you tasted that? Mm-hmm.
How bland is that? I think the texture I don't like, but the taste You like the taste but you don't like the texture.
Yeah.
, is that rice? Risotto.
That's risotto? Hmm.
Risotto? Oh, come on, guys.
I mean, [bleep.]
do me a favor,.
What stinks here? What's that smell? Is that you? No, sir.
What? I don't think so.
Just smell that.
Smell inside I don't want you smelling that.
No, no, not with your state of health.
I don't want you back in a coma.
Taste the clam for me.
Quick.
Blah.
Uh.
Mine is full of grit.
A little spongy.
Spongy, mine's grit.
They're not even clean.
Grit.
Yeah.
Are you crunching grit? Yes.
Yes.
Dirt, sand.
How do you clean a clam if it's sealed? You run them under [bleep.]
cold water.
Oh, I don't even know that, yeah.
Lord only knows where those clams came from.
At least it was just sand.
That's all I'm saying.
What is that? That's arrabiata.
Why is all the vinegar on there? People like that recipe.
They love it actually.
Oh, my God.
The chilies The garlic.
I mean, that is a [bleep.]
disaster.
Next row.
What the [bleep.]
is that? What the [bleep.]
is it? It's chicken.
In balsamic sauce.
Yeah, red wine and a balsamic reduction.
Taste this.
They should come with a [bleep.]
warning.
That would blow your lungs out.
I meanand whereabouts in Italy is that from? I don't know.
Oh, come on.
What is this one? Pasta fazul.
There's no seasoning in there.
Everything is bland.
It's bland.
It's bland.
Pasta is bland.
Ugh, ugh.
Dirt.
It's like a [bleep.]
flip-flop.
Look at the garlic in there.
Too much garlic.
A smell of garlic.
Pissing with garlic.
Way too much garlic.
How many bulbs of garlic is in there? A lot of garlic, yeah.
Are they trying to put me in hospital for two years? I mean, it's bad.
It is bad.
I mean, honestly, get me the chefs out here, will you please? My food, even though I think it needs help, it's definitely not that bad.
I eat it myself.
It's not as bad as the Chef said.
Who made this? I did it.
Have you tasted it? Have you ever sat down and tasted your own food? Sit down.
Here we are.
With it, what happen is No, not with what happened.
Sit down.
Come on, quickly, I need you to taste it.
I know.
Sit down, please.
Yes.
Welcome to Leone's.
There we are.
I know what this is.
How does that taste? Can I have a fork, please? No, you're not eating that.
No, no, no.
I'm not gonna be responsible for putting you back in hospital.
Sit down.
You are not eating that.
How does that taste? How does it taste? You don't like it? I don't like it.
How was that? It's very vinegary.
Have you tasted your risotto? Yes.
I do taste the risotto, but Yeah.
Stay there.
Give it a little taste.
Yeah, just have a taste, everybody.
Use your knife and fork, have a little taste.
How does that taste? Wow.
It's [bleep.]
disgusting.
And if that's classed as a risotto here in New Jersey, dude, you got to get out more.
What, if any dish, do you like on these tables? Nothing at all.
Exactly.
When a chef doesn't like his own food, how the [bleep.]
do you expect the customer to? For me, that says it all.
Even your chefs don't like their food.
I think it's good.
You think it's good? Wow.
Are you in denial or you're just doing this in front of your mother? No, no, I'm not in denial.
Let me get some fresh air.
I'll be back later, yeah? I'd like to catch a plane out of here right now.
Let's go, mamalukes.
After discovering early on that Leone's menu is more of a quantity than quality, Chef Ramsay returns to observe dinner service.
And news of his arrival in Montclair has spread, and the restaurant is busy for the first time in years.
What are we having? And for you, sir? Okay.
Hi, how are you? How are you? And this is? My wife.
Cheyenne.
Cheyenne.
Oh, you're Michael's wife.
Yes.
Wow, didn't he do well? I do, Chef.
Yeah, I guess, right.
And tonight, run the place as normal.
I'd like to see how this thing functions.
I've tasted it, yeah? Now, I wanna see how it works.
Now, take me through the kitchen and show me the line, please.
The kitchen, sure.
Yeah.
Ordering.
Okay, order up.
One asparagus salad, one fried calamarisweet or hot? Here is our fryer area, salads and desserts.
Yeah.
Hello.
How are you? I'm Diana.
Diana, okay, great.
And how long have you been here? I've been here seven years.
Seven years? Yes.
Wow.
Okay, great.
And the main problem with the restaurant is what? I'd say the main problem is the food.
The food.
Yeah.
Wow.
I like the honesty.
I work here and I try to take pride in my work, but I don't think the food is good.
And Michael needs the eye-opener.
Take it out, take it out.
Okay.
Here we go.
All right.
Here we are.
Enjoy.
While diners tried to digest their food Gordon is having a hard time digesting what he sees in the kitchen.
What the [bleep.]
Is that in there? Is that how we heat it? Yep.
We blast it in the microwave.
That's very Italian.
In herewhat's in here? I do yesterday this chicken.
You do this yesterday.
This chicken for a balsamic.
Now, hold on a minute.
That's cooked chicken.
And what's that in there? Veal I did today.
So you have the raw veal next to the cooked chicken.
Oh, come on.
The cooks are to blame for their part.
If they make a mistake, I can live with that.
But somebody being irresponsible and neglectful, there's no excuse.
Look at the crap in here.
Bloody hell's bells.
What's that in there? Is that calamari? That'syeah.
It comes in definitely fresh though.
That I know for a fact.
Fresh? It's frozen.
You buy this in fresh? It is not fresh.
The calamari that we use here is all frozen.
What is that in there? What is that? I think it's veal, Chef.
You think it's veal.
I'm pretty sure it's veal.
You didn't put it in there? No, I didn't.
That looks like meat thrown in a pan.
But what is it though? I don't know.
It's not labeled.
Oh, my God.
.
Hey, forget the orders for five minutes, and come around, you.
Darryl, come around.
Don't worry about the cooking for now.
I got more [bleep.]
issues.
When was the last time this was organized? It hasn't been organized.
Oh, come on.
What's that? Molasses.
Molasses? Yeah, that's been in there since Thanksgiving.
What? It's July.
What's that? Oh, my God.
Oh,.
This is raw pork.
That's not my pork that you served to me, is it? No, that's the old pork that got left in there.
That's the old pork.
When is this one from? Not Thanksgiving again.
Stuffed what? Mushrooms.
Smell that.
Smell it.
That's [bleep.]
all over me.
Smell it.
Go on.
That's your sauce, Darryl.
What in the [bleep.]
is this? Oh, my God.
Is that flounder? It's definitely old.
Definitely old.
It's green.
Smell that.
It was embarrassing.
It was mortifying.
He comes insomething that's so easily identifiable and no one noticed? Smell it! How is that possible? Oh hi.
Can I just show you something for two seconds? Mama Rose, I am absolutely horrified.
That's from Thanksgiving.
And thata slimy, vile, sticky flounder and a sour disgusting cream sauce.
I mean, honestly, this restaurant is being run like a pigsty.
You may be resistant to change, but what's become very clear is that you're resistant to quality.
To begin with and have his dishwashers and cook Always.
All of you come here.
Let's go.
Come here.
How can we work like that? You've got ingredients from last Thanksgiving.
Did you smell the flounder? Yes.
Did you see the cooked chicken, the raw pork, the raw veal? It's a joke.
You should be ashamed of yourselves.
Under no circumstances can we continue to serve food.
Shut the place down.
After discovering disgusting and dangerous practices in Leone's kitchen Under no circumstances can we continue to serve food.
Chef Ramsay has no choice but to Shut the place down.
You go in the dining room now and just apologize.
Get [bleep.]
cleaning! Get it going! Tell them no more service for the rest of the night or just till they're done cleaning? What do you think? Not at all.
I'm just embarrassed, that's it.
I'm [bleep.]
embarrassed.
Everybody everybody, I'm sorry to interrupt you, everybody.
I'm sad to say and embarrassed to say that we're closing down Leone's for the night.
The food is not up to par, it's not what you deserve, so I apologize for the inconvenience.
I thank you for choosing Leone's, but right now it's a must, we must shut down.
He shut it down.
That's it.
He's shutting it? He shut it down.
Sorry, guys.
Leone's has never been shut down.
Very embarrassed by it.
I probably won't sleep tonight over this.
Thank you, ma'am.
Sorry.
Take care.
Sorry about that, ladies.
I'm feeling disappointment.
I feel humiliated telling everyone that they can't eat at my own restaurant.
Can you sit down, please? That's the most badly practiced kitchen I've ever seen.
That's why we need you, Chef.
No, Michael.
Michael, you let it happen on a daily basis.
You need to run your business.
I care, Chef.
Not in your mother's eyes, you don't.
Have you ever walked into your kitchen and opened the door to your refrigeration unit and called them out? No, I check, but I don't check hard enough obviously.
Oh, ma, stop it, ma.
Stop it.
You're oblivious.
It's happening under your own nose, they don't give a because you don't.
Diana, is he lazy? Yes.
Jon, is he lazy? Yes, Chef.
Trudy, is he lazy? Yes.
Mama? Right now, we have a room full of individuals that don't believe in your conviction to run this place.
Prove to me, and more importantly to your mother and your staff, that you are ready to lead.
Got it? Go.
A manager who doesn't manage, my God.
Jon, get me a rag with some soap and water.
Okay.
I don't feel like I've given up, but I feel like I'm broken.
I'm angry at myself.
I think, as the boss of the restaurant, it was just irresponsible.
Is he capable of taking care of this restaurant? For myself, I don't know.
I think seeing is believing.
Are you okay, Ma? What's the matter? Are you crying? Come here, what's the matter? What's the matter, huh? What's the matter, huh? We're gonna turn the ship around.
My mother put in almost 20 years of her life into this place.
Her spirit, her money.
I'm crushed that I let her down.
And I wanna make it good.
But the truth is I don't know if I can turn it around.
And it's a scary feeling.
It really is.
Come on.
Get out of here and get some rest.
Okay? Okay.
After shutting down Leone's, Chef Ramsay realizes Michael and his staff need to have their eyes opened, and he's arranged something appropriate at an art gallery only half a block away.
Take a look at this amazing exhibition.
Come here.
Look at that.
What do you see? Food.
What kind of food do you see on there? Italian food.
Food that's very pleasurable to the eye.
Is it inviting? Yes.
Yes.
This is your competition.
Only blocks away from Leone's.
Michael, I went to five restaurants this morning.
Lovely.
Thank you.
I took the pictures.
And trust me, after shooting those dishes, I ate everything, and they don't only look great.
.
Wow, that was delicious.
But they taste amazing.
I was glad that Michael got to see what else was in the neighborhood instead of living in the denial that our food is fantastic.
Your dishes set an impression and they remain in people's memories.
So let's take a look at these dishes from another local restaurant.
This restaurant is called that's right, Leone's.
Do you recognize the food? Yes.
Wow.
I've never seen such an outdated mess in all my life.
Take a look at that and then turn around and have a look at your competition.
Come on.
Trudy, what's the message I'm trying to get across? Get your [bleep.]
together.
Your food is no comparison to what's in the neighborhood.
I can't believe it, but I'm embarrassed to serve food like that.
Chef's opened my eyes to the neighboring competition.
And I think it takes someone outside the family and your friends to tell you how it is.
Today, we move in this direction.
Let's get back to Leone's and get started.
Let's go.
I think it's time for change.
And I wanna be the best Italian restaurant in town.
With Michael finally realizing how much his restaurant has slipped, Gordon's next move is to push Michael to better understand his business.
When was the last time you cooked anything? Never.
And that means working in the kitchen.
I want you to watch me now cook a delicious veal chop and a simple capellini.
But, Michael, I want you to do them with me.
You don't need to be an amazing chef to understand where the chefs were going badly wrong.
You can't continue to be blindsided by your brigade.
I need you to start leading from the helm.
You start running your business, okay? You got it.
Veal chop, let's go.
To be the man of the house, I have to take all of the responsibility.
I mean, I have to take a kick in the ass.
A lot of people depend on me.
Just follow me every step of the way.
Touch of olive oil in there, yeah? Salt and pepper.
It's cooked on the bone, why are we cooking it on the bone? More flavor.
Right, get that pan nice and hot.
How do you know when the oil's ready, Chef? A light smoke coming off there.
You've got the sear in there.
Wow.
You leave that searing away.
This never crossed your mind to come in and cook from time to time to sort ofno? It's one of those things as the Italian prince, my mother always did the cooking.
It didn't even enter my mind.
It's very embarrassing that I don't know the different positions in my restaurant.
I think it's time for change.
The most important thing is just lead, you know, I'm gonna leave my pride aside.
I wanna do better.
A re nice sear.
There we go.
Into the convection seven minutes, okay.
Capellini in.
Gently now, gently.
Push and pull back.
Nice.
And again, good.
Let's go check our veal.
Is that ready, Chef? I want you to tell me for once.
I wanna pull it right now.
Let's go then, pull it.
Cooking with Chef Ramsay has given me great confidence in myself and in my restaurant.
And I'm sure I will make some errors, but I have to learn.
It has to come the hard way.
Look at that.
Whoo-hoo.
Visually, how do they look? They look fantastic.
Do they belong in the gallery or the garbage? The gallery.
The gallery.
Okay, dig in, guys, please.
Dig in, dig in, dig in.
Mm.
That is unbelievable, huh? It just melts in your mouth.
I love the fact there's someone above Michael that had the knowledge and finally pushed him.
It was very good for Michael.
Delicious.
Jon, what do you think of the veal? The veal was excellent.
Yeah? Good job.
It's probably the best food that's ever come out of that kitchen.
Oh, my God.
The staff, when they seen the food, they looked at me in a different light knowing that I could do the job and I wasn't just bump on a log that could sit in the front.
I don't think I've seen Trudy eat or smile in about two years.
Oh, wow.
Not bad.
For the first time that he tried to cook in his life, I couldn't believe it.
You may recognize him from sitting on his ass outside watching television, but that guy has gone now.
You have a new Michael.
Let's go.
After feeling a little more positive about Michael, Chef Ramsay's team works through the night to transform Leone's from a sleepy and dated restaurant into a modern Italian bistro.
Good morning.
Good morning, Chef.
Today, we are re-launching the new Leone's.
Are you ready? I'm ready.
Let's go.
Come in, come in.
Oh, wow.
Come in.
Please, come in.
Oh, beautiful wow.
Excellent.
Come through, Mama Rose.
Oh, my God.
This is the same restaurant? Beautiful.
Wow.
Oh, wow.
Now, big deep breath.
Gone is the dated, salmon color.
Now we have something sort of contemporary.
We have some elegance with the tablecloths, red and white chairs.
The new lampshades, cool, contemporary.
Fabulous.
Gone the walls laced with hideous artwork.
We used the frames and put imprints of Italy.
Nice.
Very nice.
As soon as I opened the door, it was like a whole different world.
It's amazing.
Beautiful surrounding that makes you feel like you're in Italy.
I love that.
You can't blame the decor in this restaurant no more.
I love it.
Well, I have another big surprise.
This is gonna make your life so much easier.
I have for you the most amazing state of the art point of sale system.
Oh, it's so nice.
Oh.
Provided by Zephyr Hardware and POSlavu.
It is the state of the art, latest touchscreen device.
It's unbelievable.
Each and every dish has been photographed and programmed on there.
Oh, wow.
You go to the table, you takeyou take Oh.
Oh, get out of our here.
The order from wireless touchscreen device.
It's unbelievable.
Even before you've left the table, the order is in the kitchen.
That's unbelievable.
I might have to cry.
Oh, my God.
I've been asking them to get any kind of computer here for years.
This handwritten stuff has to go, and thank God, it's finally gone.
We're like a real restaurant now.
You are like a real restaurant.
Before Gordon Ramsay came here, this was an outdated New Jersey restaurant.
After Gordon Ramsay, this restaurant fits right in.
It's just this modern classic Italian bistro.
You're my hero.
Oh, Mama Rose.
Thank you.
Tears of happiness or oh, Mama Rose.
Aw.
There you go.
Are you okay? Yes? Okay.
In addition to revamping Leone's decor, Chef Ramsay has overhauled their massive and stale menu and replaced it with fresh and innovative modern Italian dishes.
These dishes are good enough to go in any gallery.
When I seen the food, I really was excited.
The most eye-popping dishes I've seen in the long time.
It's exactly the first way I felt when I saw you.
Now, let's start off from the top.
Heirloom tomatoes with cucumber and a Sherry vinaigrette.
Then a delicious cappellini, you have fresh crab.
Beautiful.
I love it.
When you think of Italian classics, you think of a chicken cacciatore.
Polenta, olives, mushrooms, and tomatoesvibrant, fresh.
It's beautiful.
A delicious shrimp scampi.
A roasted, pan-seared cod.
Very nice, Chef.
A menu 1/3 of the size with 45 dishes that can change frequently.
Got it? Yes.
Yes, Chef.
Are you happy? Yes, Chef.
Yeah.
Good.
I want you to get some knife and forks and dig in.
Oh, my God.
That is so good.
This is excellent.
Wow.
This food is a complete 180 from what we were serving here before.
I'm very happy right now.
I absolutely love all the dishes on this menu, and you just could taste the difference of the freshness as soon as it goes in your mouth.
We're back.
We're back in business.
Coming up It's re-launch night.
Stay the course.
And it's the restaurant's last chance.
Run this line, have the balls to do it.
Will Michael finally step up? Do you know what you're doing? Or will he destroy Leone's reputation for good? We're not getting anywhere.
Chef Ramsay needs to kick Michael in the ass.
It's re-launch night at Leone's and after an overhaul of the menu and the decor, Chef Ramsay is encouraged by Michael's new attitude, and so he expects him to take complete control of his restaurant.
Tonight, we're gonna get it done.
I want you to expedite, I want you holding the fort together.
Sure.
Yeah? King of the castle.
Yeah? We get in the weeds, we get out.
You got it.
We stay here together as a team.
I got it.
Yeah? I'm nervous.
I'm excited.
I got the butterflies, but I think it's time for me to make this business run the way it should.
I know that I can do it.
Tonight We're getting it done, Chef.
We're gonna get it done.
You got it.
Let's go guys, come on.
Okay.
Move.
Let's go.
Hi, welcome to the new Leone's.
Hi.
Leone's, once a famed restaurant in this community, had lost its way.
This is our menu.
Tonight, with news of the re-launch Diners are streaming in ready to give it another chance.
Are we ready to order? Penne and the lasagna.
Okay.
What would you like? Okay.
Pizza.
Let's go, pizza.
I'm so impressed by this.
I adore the POSlavu.
It was really cool.
I mean, the ease of ordering, it was incredible.
And my handwriting is atrocious, so this for me is a dream come true.
Appetizers; One soup, one calamari.
Thank you.
Come here, buddy.
This one is? That's our new food okay, good.
How are you? First name is? Alex, good to see you.
So what's going next? We're looking at table six, okay? Go.
Michael is off to a good start My burrata.
Ensuring quality dish after dish is quickly leaving the kitchen.
And diners are thrilled with the new menu.
How does everything look? Good? Okay.
Everyone is loving it, everyone is loving it.
But the kitchen has hit a road block Alex, this right here is table three.
As Michael, in an attempt to push food out fast, has lost control and is sending an order out to a table that has already received its food.
They what? Table three already has their appetizer.
For [bleep.]
sake.
Oh, come on.
We're not getting anywhere, guys.
We've already sent the appetizers.
Just checkoh, was that six? You said three.
Okay.
Then check six.
Then check six.
It's not the same table.
No.
Just checking if it's the same order.
Yeah, I know.
No.
We're sending food out twice.
Oh, for [bleep.]
sake, come on.
Michael, table six and three are eating.
Do you know what you're doing? Mike? You screwin' up, boy.
Michael needs to step up to the plate.
I know it, everyone knows it.
Chef Ramsay needs to kick Michael in the ass.
Michael, I need you to step up.
Stop panicking.
You're right.
There's nothing difficult here.
I know.
Bring the team together.
We got this, Chef.
We're gonna pull through.
Please.
You got it.
Work this line, have the balls to do it.
You got it.
Mistakes are gonna happen.
It all depends on how you handle the mistake.
Jon, table 10, did they get all their appetizers? Yes, they did.
Alex, did you bring this to 19, right? Olives and a calamari at table 19.
Yeah.
I got to keep it together, get my head on straight, have confidence in myself, and stick to the game plan.
Right now, listen, I need one pork belly, one cod and one orecchiette and then we'll worry about everything else.
But that I need now.
Yes, sir.
Come on, keep it going.
You gotta drive the team.
I got it.
Carchi? Yes.
How are we doing on 19? I'm coming, right now.
Okay.
Gotta talk to each other, guys.
Okay, I wanna see it in the window together, good.
Right here.
Right here.
Thank you, sir.
Table six.
With Chef Ramsay's encouragement, Michael has rallied back.
Okay, lasagna, lasagna, lasagna.
One lasagna in the window, baby.
Beautiful, baby.
Food is flowing into the dining room again at a steady pace Yay! Oh, this is so good.
You're gonna love it.
With no snags And no complaints.
What did you like about the pizza? The whole pie.
Diana, how is everything out there? They're loving it.
Everybody is loving it.
They're loving it, yeah.
Carchi, you gave me a chicken parm with no home.
Is the shrimp coming with it? It's incredible having Michael finally step up.
He's doing a good job.
He actually sounds like a boss today.
That's a first.
You guys are doing a great job.
The food looks absolutely gorgeous.
Oh, thank you.
Thank you.
Michael is now working together with us.
Hey, guys, come on, baby.
One more and the finish line is here.
That's supposed to be like that.
We're looking for that for a long time.
How did everything go? Okay? Oh, my God, excellent.
You're are back on the map.
Okay.
How are you feeling? Good.
Yes? Yes.
Feedback? They love the food the old customers.
Right.
Mama Rose, I thought you'd gone to bed, huh? Are you happy? Yeah, I'm very happy.
Look after your son.
I will.
Let him spoil you now.
You need to sit and relax and go around the corner and have a little game of bingo.
He's good enough to take over.
I'm proud to see Michael being a boss, and hopefully things will work out and be better.
I'd like a little word with you.
Yes, sir.
Okay.
Three important words that right now I need you to remember.
Stay the course.
If you don't do that, we're coming off track and we're gonna slip back day by day to our old ways.
Stay the course.
Stay the course, Chef.
I can't hear you.
Stay the course.
Take a big deep breath and shout at me.
Chef, in my restaurant, I'm gonna stay the course.
Good.
Well done.
Thank you, sir.
Good night.
This was just a phenomenal experience.
And the thing that changed me the most is Chef Ramsay.
That's the God's honest truth.
Stay the course.
You got it, brother.
Good night.
Good night.
He believed in me and he said that I can do it.
I truly believe I can do it.
Good job, Michael.
Are you proud of me? Yeah.
Thank you very much.
Let's see you do it without me now, no more.
Okay.
I'm tired.
You're in good hands, mama.
Yeah, thank you.
I love you.
I love you too.
Wow, when I first arrived, I saw a lazy owner sat in his pizzeria watching tv.
We made a lot of changes, and not just to the restaurant, but to the owner.
Michael found his voice and finally, he's now speaking not just for himself but for his mother.
Wow.
That baby was [bleep.]
ugly.
Only days after Chef Ramsay left Alex, get me a silverware and a wrapped silverware? Michael took his advice to heart and stayed the course.
Here's your veal chop, Tara.
Go get it, baby.
And under his leadership Guys, if he needs help, jump in.
Franco, help him.
Leone's is once again a popular spot in Montclair.
Things are more upscale.
As for Rose, she can finally rest easy knowing that her son is in control and the future of Leone's looks bright.
Thank you, Chef Ramsay.
Because of you, Michael is the boss and Leone's is the hottest restaurant in town.
We're hot like Chef Ramsay.
Hot, hot, hot.