Kitchen Nightmares (2007) s05e06 Episode Script

Tonight on Kitchen Nightmares Gordon travels to a sunny California eatery.
Opa! Where there may be joyous Greek dancing, but there's a dark cloud hanging over the restaurant.
Wow, there's a lot of conflict here.
I can feel it.
Father and son are being torn apart by a mysterious secret that threatens the business.
They never discussed it, never talked about it, but it hurt.
The father is tired and overworked.
- Are you burnt out? - No, not at all.
He might not admit it but he is.
And his standards have gone to rot.
Just smell that, just smell inside that.
It smells.
It's good.
It's good? You're sick.
The son is hungering to step in and help.
I know I can make it better than ever.
But his dad refuses to give him a shot.
Everything all right back here? Get out.
It's a stalemate that has the entire business suffering.
A taste of Greece.
Yeah, it tasted greasy.
The kitchen has no leader.
Do you not tell them anything? Do you not say anything to the chefs? What do you want me to say? The food has no flavor.
Tabbouleh is very bland.
And the diners have nothing but complaints.
They didn't like it? Worst they ever had.
Can Gordon uncover the truth? Something's happened, and you better tell me what.
I don't have to say nothing.
Or will the secret stay buried? - Talk to me, Mike.
- I don't know what happened.
And along with it, any chance for success.
It's my big fat Greek nightmare.
- You're done! - I'm done? I'm not in denial.
Yes, you are.
Shut the place down! Get out of here! That is amazing! I can't take anymore! I just can't thank you enough.
The Ventura Harbor in Southern California An oceanfront playground that attracts throngs of tourists and locals.
It's this ideal location that drew Makis Mikelatos and his wife Lynn to open a Greek restaurant just steps from the water.
Hello.
Welcome to the Greek.
From day one when we opened the restaurant in 1994, it was a success.
Oh, my gosh, really good.
We did great.
It was always busy.
Whoopa! All ready, guys, let's starting.
My dad, he had that old school Greek work mentality, just go, go, go, go.
And the kitchen was always running very smoothly.
I need a large pan 'cause I'm gonna cook some onion.
I feel my American dream come true.
It make me feel like very successful, very, very good.
But as time went on, my dad's standards have dropped.
Okay, I got a complaint.
Hey, guys, they said the keftedes were rock hard.
Huh? He's been working 365 days a year for 17 years.
He's just burning out from being here so long.
It was rubbery.
I don't know.
On the bottom.
Makis, I mean, he hardly anymore is making sure that everything is cooked to perfection.
- Put it up, put it up.
- Makis, that's not good.
It hurts me w hen I see our level drop because the standards are not high enough.
I'm done.
You know, the lamb is very dry.
It all looks like it came out of a cafeteria.
Makis has really let a lot of things slip through the cracks.
The calamari was really, really Well, it's not Makis, okay.
And that's why our business has declined.
Not very many people around.
The situation is frustrating, but I want to change this place.
I want to make it better.
I haven't learned everything, but I will.
I know I can.
I'm very capable, and I know I can make it better than ever.
Anyway.
My dad has a hard time listening to other people sometimes because this is what he created, but I'm here to help.
And he wants to make sure I'm 100% ready, but I can't be 100% ready if he doesn't allow me to be.
I need your help.
Opa.
Aris is a super creative person.
He's a great entertainer, great people-person.
Opa! But at the same time, how are you gonna help run a restaurant if you don't know the kitchen? To run this restaurant, you have to come back here at this kitchen.
And, Aris, he not have done this before.
Opa.
This restaurant is not only my father's legacy.
It's all of our legacy.
We've all worked together.
And I've seen the profit pretty much diminish until it's been non-existent.
How much money do we have in our account right now? Oh, we're getting low, we're getting low.
I don't know how I'm gonna do this.
It's like we work our asses off, and we don't make any money.
It's hard.
Oh, my God.
I'm just hoping that chef Ramsay will help us get this restaurant to be the success it deserves to be.
I don't want what we've spent years building up to be lost.
I just don't want that to happen.
Wow, look at this place, absolutely stunning.
On the water, it's almost like a little slice of the mediterranean.
It's fairly busy as well.
How on Earth can a restaurant fail in this spot? I'm dying to find out what's been going on.
It's huge.
Greek food on the water.
Hello.
- Well, hello.
- How are you? I'm excellent.
- Your first name is? - Lynn.
Lynn, Gordon, nice to see you.
- Owner? - Yes, uh-huh.
- And you run the business? - My husband, Makis and I.
- You run it with your husband? -Uh-huh.
Gordon, how are you doing? And there yeah, this is Aris, our son.
- Hello.
- How are you? Nice to meet you.
How are you? Good to see you.
- Thank you for coming.
- Why don't you get your father and let's sit down, have a catch up.
I'm really happy to see chef Ramsay, and I hope he's pretty nice to my boys.
Not too nice.
Okay.
"A", I am very happy to be here.
"B", I'm dying to find out what's wrong with the place.
How could a restaurant not work when it's out on the water? Right.
Okay, mom? it was very successful, and we did very, very well.
So when did it start to turn? The last couple of years, not profitable.
- No profit, yes.
- Wow, okay.
How often are you here? Well, I work 14 hours a day, Seven days a week? Yeah.
- That's the truth.
- Serious? That's crazy.
- It is crazy.
- He's been doing it too long.
He's burnt out, and he might not admit it but he is.
Are you burnt out? No.
No, no.
No.
Are you gonna sit in that kitchen till you drop? I mean, where is the succession? Is the goal to groom? Aris will take over or No.
No.
Well, I'm here, and I'm doing a lot of stuff right now.
Sure.
Do you work in the kitchen? I don't, but that's one of my goals.
I want to learn the kitchen.
That's one of my I'm glad you're here because I wanna learn more stuff and Mm-hmm.
Do you teach him how to cook? No.
Really? Why? Is he not good enough? Are you that much of a control freak? No.
No, no.
Is he not committed? Well, I was thinking that I feel like I'm pulling teeth here.
Back in my mind, I expect him to be more here than he was.
So, he's not committed? He's just getting the passion.
He never really wanted when he graduated college.
I never thought I would.
He didn't wanna be a part of our business.
Hmm.
Well, I mean, I'm here just trying to save this place, and it's just Are you committed now? I am committed here.
I am.
- You are? - Yes, I am.
I understand like, yeah, I haven't been here at times, but I need chef Ramsay to prove to my dad that I'm ready to do whatever it takes to make this place run better and smoothly, and it's time for big changes.
This is the time.
So, how would you rate your food out of ten? - What would you give it? - My food, I give a ten.
- Ten? - Yes.
Right.
Let me eat.
Let me give good to see you.
Nice to meet you.
Likewise, and I'm Okay.
All the recipes that I have for the Greek food came from Greece.
A lot of people, when they visit Greece, they come here and they tell me, "the food is better here than Greece.
" I think chef Ramsay is gonna like my food, yes.
Hi.
Hi, how are you doing? How are you? - How are you? - My name is Demetri.
Demetri, good to see you.
Where are you from, buddy? I'm from Greece, Sparta.
Nice.
How long have you been here? In this restaurant, almost 15.
Wow.
Wow, wow, wow.
So you know everything? - Everything.
- First, the calamari.
The calamari is gonna be heaven? Or it's gonna be? - Hell.
- Exactly.
Okay, let's try the calamari.
Okay.
And you know what, I'll have the hot salmon The platter.
- The platter? Okay.
- Yeah.
And I'll take the cold platter as well.
I'd like to see that.
I want to see as much as possible.
Okay.
Anything else? I'll have the moussaka eggplant casserole with the beef, yeah.
- With the beef.
- Brilliant.
- I think we're done.
- Thank you.
I'm very excited.
Chef Ramsay, the guy is smart.
And Makis, he needs to see, when the food is not good, everything is not good.
Calamari appetizer, make it.
Heat the olive oil and put onions and bell peppers with the wine.
You guys, do what I say.
Makis is a very proud person.
He does not take criticism well.
But chef Ramsay is here to help.
He's not here to compliment.
Hmm.
Look at these tables.
Why would you cover them? Dreadful tablecloths.
Bloody hell.
The decor is hideous.
And I haven't seen chairs like this since that banquet 30 years ago, my grandma's 80th.
Is that a disco ball up there? Saturday night fever.
In fact, looks like there's two disco balls up there.
What's going on here? It looks like I'm back to 1970.
Okay.
That that's the calamari.
Okay.
We're looking at heaven or hell? Oh, dear.
And this is our cold platter.
Okay, great.
- Thank you.
-Enjoy.
Thank you.
It's greasy.
It looks like I'm having a hell day, right? Yeah, it's not yes.
It's not good.
This is terrible.
- Told you.
- Oh, dear.
Can I take it away? -Hmm, quickly.
-I know.
Damn.
How was the calamari? Not good.
Very greasy.
- People love it.
- Yeah, it's very greasy.
Very popular.
That's a strange-looking hummus.
Seriously.
The only way to eat out of this is with a straw.
Seriously.
Greek dips.
It looks like six plates of Greek dog.
That's what it goes in like, imagine what it's gonna come out lik.
Makis.
He ate it with a straw.
I mean, you have to be really idiot to make the hummus watery.
- This is our hot sampler.
- Wow.
Okay?.
The meatballs are cold in the middle.
Falafel look like they've been sat on by Greek goddess.
Yeah, I know.
And the phyllo paste, there's a lot of phyllo paste, but hardly anything in them.
Yeah.
And greasy.
Very shiny.
Yeah, not good.
And they're terrible.
There's no filling in there.
Thank you.
Thank you.
A taste of Greece.
Yeah, it tasted greasy.
- What the is that? - What is that? This is the moussakas.
Moussakas.
That's with the roasted potatoes.
Okay, great.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Enjoy it.
Wow, moussaka.
It was drab.
I mean, it's shocking.
It's so bad.
Dreadful.
Demetri? The eggplant is spongy and raw.
Even the moussaka? Yeah, it's disgusting.
Carrots and mush.
That is an insult to any Greek isle.
Listen, can you get me all the chefs in the kitchen out in the dance hall.
I'd like to meet them, please.
Of course.
Okay, guys, all of the cooks, he want them over there.
He wants all the cooks.
Everybody.
I mean, the falafel's actually I thought some of my food is not the way he was describing the food.
Oh, dear.
Dear, oh, dear, oh, dear.
That was a disaster.
I mean, I've just sat down and had the biggest embarrassment to Greece that I've ever tasted in my entire life.
The platter, bland.
Falafel, dry.
And the biggest kick in my Greek , liquid hummus.
Liquid! The Greek moussaka eggplant Undercooked, bitter.
It's an insult not just to Greece but to the vegetable itself.
Did anyone taste it? Of course, it's wrong.
- It's done wrong.
- Come on, that's frightening.
What hurts me is the fact that you're actually realizing that it's And still sending it.
I can't do anything about it.
I'm Greek, I grew up with this food, but I'm not allowed to cook the food the way I cook it in Greece.
Here, I'm following Makis' way, and he's tired.
- Makis, have you given up? - No.
You run your business like you've given up.
No, no, that's not true.
I don't believe that my food is that terrible, okay? My food is similar to Cephalonia.
You think it's similar to Cephalonia? Yes, sir.
Yeah.
Not today, my friend.
Your calamari is greasy.
It's bland.
How come I have all these people says my calamari is the best they've ever had? They're blowing smoke up your ass.
You're not that stupid.
It's not one or two.
Thousands of people.
No, stop exaggerating.
Where are the thousands of people that tell you that your calamari is the best? Are they booked in for dinner tonight? You came from Greece.
You bring it over, you make it better here.
You've made it worse.
I got really upset when chef Ramsay talked to me like that.
I know how the food is, and people love it.
And he has no clue about the food here.
Coming up Oh, my God.
- They didn't like any of it.
- What do you want me to say? Makis' standards in the kitchen are questionable.
- It smells.
- It's good.
Makis, you're sick.
And later Something's happened, and you better tell me what.
I don't have to say nothing.
A stunning revelation threatens to tear this family apart.
Do you think he still holds that against him? - Yeah.
- Does he? Yeah.
You don't wanna miss what's coming up on Kitchen Nightmares.
The town of Ventura is a buzz with chef Ramsay's visit.
How are you all doing? And as the restaurant fills up with diners Are you ready? Chef Ramsay is anxious to begin his kitchen investigation during dinner service.
So what do you do in service? How do you work? - What do you do? - What I do here? Yeah, yeah.
They work, I watch.
.
And who expedites? I do if I have to.
Wow.
Where are the P.
O.
S.
systems? P.
O.
S.
is right here.
Marika, Marika.
There's my daughter right there.
- Hello.
- She's your daughter.
- Hi.
- How are you? - Nice to meet you.
- Likewise.
Good to see you too.
I think chef Ramsay doesn't know what he's stepping into.
My dad is just like really set in his ways.
And what's that for? Just the minced onions, and this is veggie dolmades.
What's under here? Baked carrots.
Bloody hell.
We cook them today.
And we're heating them up.
So it served like a cafeteria where everything All the carrots done, all by.
There's a lot that we cook and then store and just take out whatever's for the order each order.
That's not good, but I'm not leading the kitchen, so I don't really have a say over that.
So a t this is cooked? It's cooking right now, yeah.
No, it's not cooking.
It's cooked.
Yes.
We're cooking food, and it's sitting there drying out.
It's all cooked.
It's a.
Doesn't it look like a cafeteria to you? - No.
- God bless California.
One tabbouleh, please.
- John.
- Yes? Your falafel, man.
With so much of the food prepared in advance - Are you happy with that? - Yes.
This restaurant has no problem sending dishes out at a rapid pace.
Table 10, table 15.
Table 91, please.
- Ready.
- Calamari.
Chicken Caesar salad.
Does food normally cone out this quickly? Yeah.
That's like sort of flying out.
- It's ready.
- Take it, take it.
Oh, my God.
Makis, do you not tell them anything? Do you not say anything to the chefs? What do you want me to say? All right, let's keep going.
It's just ridiculous.
Like, I'm not trying to stop you.
I'm trying to help you.
But my dad, he gets so egotistical about it sometimes.
It's like I'm just this little eight-year-old getting barked at.
- Are you all right? - Yeah, yeah.
I just need to cool off after that.
I know.
I can see the tension.
Your father's there expediting the food, letting it go, sauce dripping all over the side, and it's almost like he's given up.
I mean, was he like that ten years ago? No, I think, he's just physically exhausted, and he's been working 15 hours a day his whole life, I mean, imagine that.
Do you ever sit down and say, "dad, you know, it's so obvious where we're going wrong"? I want to help, but he doesn't want to listen.
He's so stubborn, man.
I don't know, man.
It's just Horrific.
This has turned out to be a very funny Greek restaurant.
A little bit different to what I expected.
- Thank you.
- Thank you.
Unfortunately for the diners, the restaurant is also different from what they expected.
I don't like this one.
You don't like it? The veggies came out raw, and then I brought out more, and they were still raw.
Oh, God.
As tray - This is cold.
- After tray The lamb chops are supposed to be rare.
- After tray - Tabbouleh's very bland.
Gets sent back to the kitchen.
Oh, my God.
Unbelievably, there's almost as much food coming back as there is going out.
Dad, how are you doing? The situation is frustrating.
Obviously, we have problems with this restaurant, but I don't know what to do exactly.
- Kali, you ready, hon? - Okay.
I'll announce it right now.
Hello, everybody, welcome to the Greek at the Harbor.
My name is Aris.
We're gonna perform a little dancing for you right now.
So, please enjoy the show.
There's more dances to come.
Opa! Opa! Opa.
What's that clapping going on? We have Greek dancing and the belly dancing and Really? Yeah.
Unbelievable.
Now I get what he's passionate about.
Finally, something edible.
Despite Aris pleasing some of the diners with his dancing We have a problem.
They continue to be far from pleased with the food.
What's wrong? The batter on the fish and chips was still slimy.
The roast lamb was inedible.
Get me Aris, please.
Oh, and they said - all of it was lukewarm.
- Where's Makis? - What is it? - Just smell that.
Just smell inside that, inside.
- What's wrong with that one? - Eat a little bit.
I'm not eating that, it smells.
- It's good.
- It's what? - It's good? - You're sick.
Makis, you're sick.
I'm very worried about Makis because it should be obvious when something is not cooked properly.
There's no way that you can say, "oh well, they were just complainers.
" It's real.
Aris, you need to know what's going on here as well.
As far as your father's concerned, it's good, there's nothing wrong with it.
He's not even a chef, and he knows it's dry.
Come on, Makis.
You stood there and watched that come out.
It's an embarrassment to Cephalonia.
I knew this was gonna happen.
My dad he's not stupid.
He's a great cook.
But he also is in denial a bit.
He's a type of person that, asking for help maybe, it is a sense of failure to him.
My emotions are deeply hurt from what chef Ramsay says.
Hey, dad.
Hey.
Are you just relaxing? Yeah.
It's just really sad, you know he's just an older man that can't really handle it all.
I love you.
I love you too.
I just don't like it when my dad is so sad.
It's really hurts.
It's an hour and a half into dinner service.
They didn't like any of it.
And even though food is flooding back to the kitchen You stood there and watched that come out.
It's an embarrassment to Cephalonia.
Makis seems have lost interest.
It's almost like he doesn't exist.
What do you want me to say? I don't feel good when I see food coming back.
- Makis? - Can I have a word with you outside? Yeah.
What's happening? I don't know.
Why are you doing this to yourself? What do you want me to do? I want you to wake up a little bit.
You're letting it happen under your nose.
What do you want me to say? I just want you to be a little bit more honest - with yourself.
- I never lie.
Okay.
But how come you haven't taught Aris anything? How come you don't have him by your side? Why haven't you treated him like a son? - What is it? - Nothing.
Something's happened.
And you better tell me what.
I don't know what happened.
- I don't know.
- Yes, you do.
Oh, don't Don't act like that.
You can't just give up.
Come on,.
How we doing? - How we doing? - No, we're not doing well.
We're not doing well.
He has to be a little bit more honest with us.
I'm not honest? No.
You're paying the price for it.
I don't understand why you're not closer to your father.
I don't understand why you're not open with that big Greek heart of yours.
I don't get it.
It's time to change, you know.
He's going to need a commitment from you.
A commitment as father-son.
And if you got any chance of carrying on this legacy, then you need to be by his side.
He won't teach me anything.
It doesn't make sense.
Have a word with him.
Have a word I'm struggling.
Me.
I need to sit down.
I'm tired.
I don't want you to struggle here anymore.
I'm fine, dad.
Just let me Let me let me help.
Let me help you.
I know.
With my dad, even though he loves me and I love him, it's just It's almost like I'm not good enough for him.
It's a feeling.
It hurts.
Gordon is still completely mystified by Makis' lack of mentoring of Aris.
You got two minutes? We'll catch up.
- Okay.
- Please.
And he has only one other person to turn to for answers.
So, I'd love to hear it from you, you know, why have they been ignoring each other? Well, when Aris went to college, he never really wanted to be here.
And most of the time, he wouldn't be here at all.
He'd come, like, at night to dance and so forth.
And when he graduated from college, we had his party here, and we had I mean, the place was full.
We had 100 people here or so.
And when he was doing his little speech and thanking people for coming and everything, you know, he announced, "I'm gonna make something of my life, " I'm not working in the restaurant.
" What? In front of all of the staff? In front of all of his friends.
Wow.
I mean, how rude.
You paid the fees for the college.
He comes back and hosts the party in his parents' restaurant and then on them from a great height.
Mm-hmm.
I remember that very well, yeah.
It was as if what we'd done all these years was, like, uh, worthless.
Is Makis's soul hurt? Do you think he still holds that against him? - Yeah.
- Does he? Yeah, it's he really does.
Unbelievable.
It hurt us very bad, and I've always remembered it.
Never discused it, never talked about it.
But it hurt.
Gordon has finally learned the real truth behind what's tearing this family apart.
He announced, "I'm gonna make something of my life.
" I'm not working in the restaurant.
" What? And now Makis and Aris arrive at the restaurant unaware of what he has just uncovered.
Pull a chair up.
Both of you sit down.
I want to tell you something really important.
I'm off with you, and I'll tell you why.
I don't think that you've quite understood the level of support that you've had in and out of here.
And so when you turned around and told all your friends in your parents' restaurant that you're gonna make something out of yourself, it was in a way that you were disgusted with being brought up in the restaurant, and this wasn't you.
You were above that.
Well, it wasn't me being above it.
It was just I didn't know if at one point.
It was the way you declared it wasn't good enough for you.
Well, this was before.
- I know.
- Yes.
But you did it, and you on your own doorstep.
- I wasn't on that.
- I love my family.
I'm telling you, you did.
Well, I was I was confused at the time too.
I didn't know wh I was gonna do with my life.
I went to college.
I didn't know if the restaurant business was something I was gonna do, and I didn't know if I was ready to do it.
I don't think you've ever understood the ramifications of an announcement like that.
How did you feel truthfully about that statement? Truthfully.
My son, when he say something like that, it hurts me, yes.
Thank you.
I mean, I'm not a perfect - Don't look at me.
- No, I'm just saying.
No, no if you've got anything to say, I'd say it to your mom and dad.
Take the opportunity.
I'm gonna give you a little bit of privacy.
I I just see how we struggled as a family, regardless if we're making money or not.
We kill ourselves here.
And I didn't want to kill myself either, not in a selfish way.
I just didn't want I don't But, I guess, I remember it, because it really hurt me when you said it.
I remember it.
And I don't think that's anything we ever talked about.
And I sincerely apologize for saying that, 'cause that was so wrong of me.
Mom, dad, I am sorry.
Here.
I love you.
I love you too.
I think Makis hasn't really taken Aris seriously because he's never really gotten himself committed, but that has changed.
And for him to make this declaration with such passion, he's definitely committed.
I'm 100% believe that.
Everything's gonna work.
It will.
After Aris cleared the air with his parents, chef Ramsay is still concerned about his commitment.
Okay.
So I've been doing some thinking.
Why have you hung around so long? It's my family.
It's like, I don't We don't give up on our family.
And th I is my home too.
So I love this place, and I wanna fix it.
But I don't know if you're committed enough, that's all.
Because it's not about dancing on the dance floor No, I know.
But if you put that determination that you put in that dance floor last night, carrying all those tables in your mouth, in the kitchen, trust me, you'll be untouchable here.
And that's what I want.
I know at one point, I wouldn't have believed in me either, I've changed.
I know I can do this.
I just need support, and I just need my dad to help me.
So, you say you're committed.
I am committed, yes.
And you say that you're committed.
- Yes.
- Yes? So put both your hands together.
Like this, hands out.
Now Oh,.
- Yeah.
- Even if I'm right-handed? - Don't care.
- You don't care.
'Cause you're not cooking.
You're gonna be taught.
Now, look at me, for the very first time in the history of father and son, get into that kitchen and show him something.
I don't care if it's a simple Greek salad, a roasted fish, or whether it's a stunning hummus, I don't care.
- But show him.
- Sure.
Now.
Now watch.
Don't bull me too much now.
Don't be a bull.
Getting handcuffed was a funny experience.
I'm gonna need a plate to put it in.
- All right? - Well, I have to walk with you.
My dad kind of like is this bull trying to attack me.
- Let's make a pasta, huh.
- You want pasta? This is exactly what I've been looking for; to have this opportunity.
So, let's do it.
Okay.
Slice a tomato.
Here, I can do it.
How's that? Go.
.
Okay, let's put the onions.
We're gonna wait on the garlic, right? - Yeah.
- Because it cooks faster.
We need seasoning to be put in there or anything? Let's put some black pepper.
- A little sprinkle.
- Yeah.
You want me to add some of the sauce? Yeah, add a coup of spoonfuls there.
Cooking with my dad was great.
Reduce it a little bit, and then we're done.
And I'm proving to him right now Im gonna learn the kitchen and I guess the only way you can ever learn is just to do it, right? Tastes great.
Totaly.
It was a lot of fun for me and Aris to b ein that way and I see that Aris has a passion about this restaurant, and I'm very proud.
Gordon, we got it done.
Voila, monsieur.
- What is that? - Greek pasta.
Uh-huh.
Did you listen to your father? - I did.
- Yeah? How is that? Yeah, yeah, it's nice.
I see more consistency in this plate than I did in the whole of service last night.
It did my heart good because this was a turning point.
This was the first time that Makis has ever really shown Aris any Greek cooking.
Thank you.
I have very strong feelings about my boy that he's not a boy any longer, he's a man.
And I'm ready to back off a little out of the way, his way.
- Are you committed to do it? - Of course.
What I know I will teach you.
- Everything.
- Okay.
- Okay? - Sounds good to me.
That's what I want.
Coming up - Are you ready? - Yes.
Aris finally gets his shot at running the restaurant.
I need a homemade hero sandwich on the dot, now! I got it.
Will he lead the team to success? Don't rush, don't rush.
Stop throwing food.
If they're out of control and you're out of control, we're finished.
Or will he disappoint Makis? It's cold in the center, guys.
Oh, no.
Come on.
- And chef Ramsay - Just take it.
No.
It's stone cold.
It's raw.
Stop, stop, stop.
Stop! Stop! Now that it appears as though Makis is finally passing the torch to Aris, chef Ramsay and his team move ahead with the restaurant makeover.
Good morning.
Good morning.
Are you ready for a stunning new change? Yes.
We are.
Good.
Today, we are saying good-bye to the past and opening the doors to your new future.
Are you ready to see your restaurant? Off you go.
Go in, go in, go in.
Wow.
Oh.
Welcome to the new Greek.
Wow.
How beautiful is this? - I love that blue.
- Beautiful.
- Awesome.
- Stunning! - Nice.
- It's amazing.
Wow.
It's so beautiful, it's so beautiful.
When I first walked in here, I saw a banquet hall with hideous chairs that was set up with no charm.
So, we've taken a tacky restaurant out of the '80s and put it into the 21st century.
And the good news is the disco balls have gone.
Look at the ceiling.
You got the Greek windmills.
Oh, look at that.
Have a look at those beautiful tables.
They were covered before.
We got them sanded.
We got them varnished.
They're your own tables.
- Excellent.
- Gone are the murals.
Why have a mural of a harbor on the wall when you're sat in front of the harbor? And look at that baby down there on the wall, a custom-made Greek flag shutter.
Wow.
Beautiful.
- A shutter, wow.
- This is outstanding.
Complete joy is what I feel right now.
- Wow.
- Oh! Oh.
How are you? Huh? Wow.
I have goose bumps on me.
It feels totally like, "where I am now?" In santorini on the hill there?" It feels like home.
It's spectacular, beautiful.
Makis, I like to see you so alive like this.
Aren't you happy? - Yes, I am.
- Yeah? I think this is one of your best show decorations I've ever seen.
- This is.
- I agree.
I think it's one of my best also.
To go along with the dramatic makeover Oh! Come down, all of you, please.
Is an equally dramatic redesign of the menu.
Okay.
Let's have a look the menu.
The dips, tzatziki, the hummus, beautiful, not smeared on a plate, not sipped through a straw.
A proper dip.
The falafel look at them.
Small, dainty, delicious, and made with a spicy chickpea.
- Nice.
- Gyro.
Is a homemade pate.
Okay? Wait till you taste it.
You've got the grilled lamb chop that's served with grilled artichokes, sun-dried tomatoes, yeah, arugula salad and tahini sauce.
The zucchini eggplant moussaka layered with potatoes and topped with bechamel.
With chili in there, so we got some heat in there as well at the same time.
- Excited? - Oh, yeah.
This is look the best I ever seen in my life.
It's fresh, it's taking part of what you put into this restaurant to begin with.
And we've modernized it.
You did, you did great.
- Yeah? - Yes.
Okay.
I want you all to dig in.
All right.
Have a little taste, ok? Jump in.
Mm.
Oh, my God, it's amazing.
Excellent.
At the beginning, actually, I would have was I was denial about the food, but this is the best food I've ever had, Greek food.
So good, the falafel Melts in your mouth, not dry.
The food is really, really good.
I mean, it's amazing, and it's a new direction, it's a new beginning.
And I'm excited about it.
This really tastes good.
It's really good.
Mm.
With the reins of the restaurant being handed over from father to son Okay, Makis, you ready? Yeah? Chef Ramsay has Makis working the salad station and Aris in the crucial role of expediter.
- Are you ready? - Yes.
Okay, good.
- You don't take from them - Yeah.
And you're the last line of defense.
Don't let them throw food out at you.
We have a new menu in line, awesome new recipes.
I'm taking charge of this kitchen.
I wanna make sure people are following the recipes and they're not 'em up.
Make me proud, boys.
Let's do this.
Hello.
Word of the re-launch has spread, and the restaurant fills up quickly with eager diners.
Hello, how you doing? - Hello.
- Welcome to the Greek.
The calamari would be great.
Okay.
A kitchen needs to be driven.
Let's go.
- All right.
- First ticket up, guys Two vegetarian moussakas.
Fire those right away.
Okay.
Panos, let me count that.
Two zucchini moussakas, please.
Aris is in charge of the kitchen tonight.
But he has to step up and do this.
I got the hummus.
You guys got the moussaka.
How much time? - Nice.
- All right.
Another ticket up, we got a shrimp and a calamari.
All right, I got it.
How much time on that calamari? - Two minutes.
- Two minutes, let's do it.
Good, that's what I wanna hear.
Push and encourage.
Push and encourage, yeah? Is the vegetarian moussaka up or no? Zucchini moussaka.
In spite of it being his first time expediting Cathy, you're up too.
Come right back.
Aris is looking very comfortable.
Four minutes on the saganaki.
Watch the falafel.
And a steady stream of orders are flowing out of the kitchen.
- Who got the Greek salad? - Here's your calamari.
And the results are unanimous.
Oh! That's so good.
This is fantastic.
I need a saganaki right away.
Back in the kitchen, under the watchful eye of chef Ramsay Watch the sauce.
Put less in there next time.
Yeah, I don't wanna it all pissing down the side, yes? Aris continues to perform.
Don't rush, don't rush.
I need a new saganaki.
How's it going? Last line of defense, you.
I hope you're checking it.
That's all.
I'm not gonna let you throw food out tonight.
- I'd rather stop - Okay.
Than go crazy at the end.
- Let's go at table 11 here now.
- Ready? Yes.
I got one more spanakopita, right.
All right, kelsey, you're up.
You got another branzino, another Fisherman's catch.
- Here.
- There you go.
- All right.
- Who's this for, Cathy? - Just take it.
- Let me just check.
Is that cooked? Nah, it's stone cold.
It's raw.
Stop, stop, stop.
Stop! It's re-launch night, Aris' big chance to finally prove himself.
Guys, let's get it together here.
We got it, come on.
But just when it appears as though everything is on track Who's this for? Cathy? Just take it.
The kitchen is starting to unravel.
Is that cooked? It's raw.
Stop, stop, stop.
Stop! Look at me.
If they're out of control and you're out-of-control, we're finished, because you are maintaining the standards.
Hey, all of you, stop.
One, two, three, four, five.
You come here.
Come here! Come here! Look at what you're sending out.
That wasn't like the first table.
I'm not sending that.
- And what the is that? - Come on, guys.
Mush.
Look at me.
Look at me.
You have to stay in control.
You've got to stay in control.
- Got it.
- Okay? Yes.
I can't let the kitchen fall apart.
I'll do whatever it takes to get better.
Let's slow it down.
Slow down, slow down.
- Thank you.
- One ticket at a time.
Standards.
Right now, standards.
Let's get the calamari up.
All right, table 32, how we looking? Where's the Fisherman's catch? I don't want to see go out, guys.
Come on.
Make sure it's cooked and good, all right? A very determined Aris clearly has his focus his back.
This chicken's sitting here too long.
Finally.
He's catching mistakes.
It's cold in the center, guys.
Oh, no.
Come on.
And quickly getting them fixed.
Panos, you're gonna have to reheat this.
Let's get that done before we continue, guys.
Make sure it's quality.
Listen to him.
Stop throwing food.
Well-spotted.
Look at me.
This is the transition.
- This is it.
- Yes.
Okay guys, this is a team effort, all right? - Are you guys with me? - Yes.
Okay, good.
You guys got this, come on.
Good, that's what I wanna hear.
Veggie moussaka 33? Awesome.
Azee, take this.
Good, good to go.
Guys, we need a little bit more sauce on that meat.
- Nice.
- I need one more calamari, guys.
- The calamari is coming.
- Thank you.
Opa.
Fire the chicken, fire the lamb chops.
- Hear him on the hot plates? - Yeah, I hear it.
Let's focus on table 25 and table 30.
He's doing good.
Do you believe that's your son? I was surprised a little bit, but Aris did a great job for the first time expediting.
Just wipe it down.
I'm very proud of my son.
Oh, my God.
So how do you guys like the new menu? Awesome, good.
They loved it.
Not one complaint.
I just need the lamb burger, and we're done.
Coming up now.
Let's finish it.
, come on.
Aris is totally in control of the line expediting.
And, table by table by table, he's stepped up.
It's so good.
It was good.
I'm stuffed.
And that's a fabulous feeling.
No, that was awesome.
Well done, seriously well done.
We had an excellent re-launch.
Yes, we had our bumps, but, my God, there was an amazing buzz in there tonight.
A dramatic change.
- Yes.
- Yeah.
Customers loved the food, yeah? Loved the decor, but the big transformation tonight was Aris.
You nailed it.
You did a phenomenal job.
Thank you.
I'd never seen anyone And I really mean this Take to expediting the way you did tonight.
That was your first time, and it felt like you've been doing it for ten years.
Makis, how was that for you, to listen to him controlling the kitchen? - Yeah.
He did a great job.
- It's very impressive.
Chef Ramsay came in to unite us together.
My son and I will be very successful, I believe that.
Stay together as a family, 'cause when it works, it's beautiful.
Of course.
This family right here, we're unbreakable.
- Thank you.
- Stay in there.
- I will.
- Yeah? Look after him.
Thank you very much.
Because of chef Ramsay, my dad believes in me, and he knows I can do anything.
I have a lot of work to do personally to learn the kitchen, but I'm an ambitious young man, and I'm ready to do it.
You've got the wind in the sail, run with it, okay? Thanks again.
Good night.
Good night.
Thank you, Gordon.
Wow, when I first arrived, this restaurant was a big fat Greek mess.
We made a lot of changes, some dramatic changes to the food, the decor, but more importantly, to Aris.
And now, that guy has his feet firmly on the ground.
This restaurant has every chance of not becoming a great tragedy.
Oopah! What the was he doing with those tables? In the days that followed, Aris continued to embrace his role as leader of the kitchen.
Go ahead, take that out.
I need a vegetarian moussaka.
And is determined to maintain the high standards that chef Ramsay put in place.
Hey, the fish is raw.
Guys, watch the fish.
With Aris in complete control and new customers packing the restaurant on a nightly basis I love it.
Makis is considering doing something he thought he would never do - It's good to change.
- Yeah.
- It has to be done.
- Retire.
Makis is so proud of Aris.
We all are.
He's really proved that he's committed to make this restaurant be the best it can be.
Fries, we need fries.
Let's do it.
Chef Ramsay, thank you so much.
Aris' future is definite bright, and so is the Greek's.
Great job.
I love you all.
I love you too.