Kitchen Nightmares (2007) s05e16 Episode Script

Tonight on Kitchen Nightmares, Gordon may be in the city of brotherly love All right, now I'm gettin' mad! But no one is feeling the love at Chiarella's.
Put it up! Let's go! Chef Ramsay is in for a major struggle with a proud but misguided husband and wife team.
- The food was disgusting.
- I disagree with you.
While one deals with the failing business I don't know what youse are doing! By fighting back Everybody get it together.
The other has given up.
It's just so much I'm afraid of.
Not surprisingly, the marriage is at its breaking point.
What the hell is going on with you? Get ready for a night of raw emotion It ain't her fault, it's my fault! As chef Ramsay tries to rebuild not just a restaurant You've got to bounce back.
But an owner's confidence as well.
I shouldn't even be here.
Tonight, failure might just be an option in Philadelphia.
Do you know how you can turn this around? Save your money.
Shut the door! What is that? Disgusting crap! You're done! I'm done? I'm not insane! Yes, you are! Shut the place down! Get out of here! That is amazing! I can't take any more! I just can't thank you enough.
Kitchen Nightmares s05 ep16 - chiarellas South Philadelphia, boasting some of the most authentic Italian restaurants in the country, and home to Chiarella's.
Good evening.
Two? closed the original Chiarella's, which was located in Wildwood, New Jersey.
My parents owned the original Chiarella's.
Phenomenal business Busy every night, packed.
We just figured once we opened here, we would be just as successful here as Chiarella's was in Wildwood.
Hello.
How you doing? When we first opened Chiarella's, Tommy was fun and happy.
How you doing tonight? Great, great.
Couldn't be better.
- But as business went down - Who didn't come in? A four, a two, a four.
- Why? - I don't know.
Tommy became, like, a completely different person.
The success in Wildwood did not at all follow me to Philly.
No, man.
A lot of people didn't come in.
Don't worry about it.
We have a great little restaurant.
The menu is fantastic.
We have good food And I can't figure out what the problem is.
That's your opinion.
Tommy and Dina need to admit, like, our food blows, and that's it.
- What happened with that? - She don't like that.
They can go themselves, all right? You have to put out what people want, and we're not doing that right now, not at all.
You take this out.
I'm done.
When there's problems in the kitchen, Tommy just goes, "I ain't dealing with this," and he leaves.
He just goes down in the basement and lifts his little weights.
And he does his crazy sit-ups or whatever on the chair.
Or he'll just practice his golf swing.
That's a shank.
Maybe one time a golf ball hit him in the head because he is not himself, and he's mentally breaking down.
Anybody know where my check is? I lost a check, unless it's down my ass.
Is it down my ass? Is it? I can't figure it out.
When I see the restaurant doing poorly, and I see an empty restaurant, it's the worst feeling you can ever imagine.
Why is this happening to me, man? I gotta pick myself up.
Tommy can't deal with the lack of business.
It's driving him crazy.
I ain't destined for this business no more, man.
I don't know what to do.
Over the last couple years, the stress Tommy's just, like, drained from it.
Let's get this night over with, man, 'cause I wanna get out of here.
And I want Tommy to be happy, 'cause he deserves that.
This is not right.
I'm not even doing enough business to keep my electric and gas on.
I can't lose this.
This was it.
This was everything.
I can't lose the restaurant.
I'm dead.
I'm in South Philly, known to locals as the "red sauce neighborhood," because this place is surrounded with great Italian restaurants.
Now, I'm really looking forward to checking out Chiarella's.
It small.
Hello.
- Hello.
How are you? - Nice to see you.
- And your first name is? - Dina.
Dina.
And the name Chiarella's came from? My father.
My family.
Okay We had a restaurant in Wildwood.
And how long was it in Wildwood for? 36 years.
- And did you spend time there? - All my life.
You're not that old, are you? Yeah, I am.
We need chef Ramsay's help because Tommy needs to take control of his business and himself to make things work.
And that is our problem.
And Mr.
Chiarella, he oversees it? - He's retired.
- He's retired.
It's mine and my husband's place.
- May I meet your husband? - Yes.
Please? Thank you.
- Excellent.
- If I can find where he is.
- Thomas, are you in the bathroom? - No, I'm right here.
Can you come up here, babe? - Is he in the kitchen? - No.
Thomas doesn't cook.
- He doesn't cook? - No.
Pleasure.
Pleasure's all mine, bud.
Good to see you.
You too.
- You look fit.
- Yeah, a little bit.
Let's sit down, let's have a catch-up, and let's find out what's going on, shall we? You got it.
Yeah? If I knew exactly why I needed help, I wouldn't need chef Ramsay.
- So, Dina.
- Yes.
So whose idea was it to move that name and to buy in South Philly? Well, my father retired Right.
And we needed to figure out what we were gonna do with our lives.
I mean, all we know is the restaurant business.
That's all we knew.
What's wrong with the restaurant, Dina, what? No consistency.
No consistency.
Service, food? I think our food is better than the area's food around here It's quality, it's fresh.
But Dina just said you're inconsistent.
What's inconsistent is the customers.
So the food's consistent, - but the customers are inconsistent? - Right.
I don't think they like Italian food.
- Come on.
- Yeah.
And I stand behind our food.
But what's missing from the restaurant? We don't know what's missing.
Customers.
Well, okay, in terms of how this place is run, I mean, who actually runs it? - Me.
- You're in charge? And how many days a week are you here? Maybe two or three.
Right.
And do you always agree with what Tommy's doing? - Really? - Yeah.
I don't agree with the way he runs the kitchen.
You're not taking it seriously enough? I take it serious, it's just there's not enough business.
That's not the issue.
The issue is you can't better your business the way you're running it.
Well, he's asking a question He's asking a question and I I'm here every day, you don't have to be here every day.
And I go home, and that's what I do.
I don't fully understand why this place is not working.
He keeps denying what the real issue is.
I didn't think she felt like that.
I mean, I thought Can I just have a word with this man on his own for two minutes, please? I love my wife, but this restaurant has killed our relationship It killed it.
Listen, I can see you're hurting.
That's why I wanted a word in person, that's all.
I'm embarrassed.
She thinks I don't care, man.
But it's my fault.
I mean, my wife I'm the man.
Italian I'm the man.
I'm buried.
I stay in bed because I'm afraid to get up.
I'm afraid who's gonna come after me.
Who's gonna shut my gas off? I need help here.
I need somebody to help me, man, because this business has been absolutely horrendous.
And it's the worst feeling you can ever imagine.
Coming up That's ghastly.
Feel like I've just given birth.
Gordon discovers how deep Tommy has fallen into depression What the hell is going on with you? How far the restaurant has sunk It's like cat food.
And how Fed up Dina has become.
All right, now I'm getting mad.
It's fight time in Philly.
Put it up! Let's go! I don't know what youse are doing! Coming up on Kitchen Nightmares.
After a disheartening conversation with Dina and Tommy Give you another tea.
- Thank you.
- Thank you.
Chef Ramsay is hoping to find encouragement from Chiarella's menu.
Okay Casual gourmet dining.
Do they have veal! "The veal cutlet Johnny, veal parmigiana, "veal cutlet with roasted peppers, "veal scalapini, veal saltimbocca, "veal Chiarella, "veal Sinatra, veal francaise," "veal picante, veal marsala" "veal cutlet Roberto, and veal Mia.
" There's so much veal on here.
I didn't see any chicken.
Hold on.
That's insane.
- Hello.
- Hello, how are you? - I'm good, how are you? - Very well, thank you.
- Your first name is? - I'm Renata.
- Renata, pleased to meet you.
- You too.
Is that real, all these veal and chicken dishes? Yeah.
Damn! And these names Veal Chiarella.
And down here, the steak Michael Anthony.
These are all named after people.
Yeah, they're all named after the family.
So why have they got a veal Sinatra? Yeah, so I think they ran out of names.
Frank Sinatra is not a relative of the family.
I think they had to get a little creative with it, so why not go with Sinatra? He's a great singer, right? Okay, let's order, shall we, darling? Yes.
Why not go for the veal Sinatra? Sure.
Yeah, and the steak Sarah Ann, let's go for that, - mid-rare, please, darling.
- Medium-rare.
Next I'll go for the land and sea sheree.
Is that okay if we use a New York strip for it? We don't have filet.
- Hold on a minute.
- No filet.
You're kidding me.
Says filet on the menu.
Yeah, I know.
It's a problem.
How long has there been no filet? We probably haven't had it since I've been here.
How long have you been here? 4 1/2 years.
And does it still cost the same? Yeah We've changed the filet mignon to, now, a New York strip.
These menus are straight from when they had the place down the shore.
These are the menus from the old restaurant? Yes.
So they've never had their own identity? No.
Why wouldn't you just change the menu? I've been saying that since I've gotten here.
So are you going to get the land and sea sheree? Yeah, let's go for that.
Yeah.
How would you like your steak cooked? - Mid-rare, please, darling.
- Medium-rare.
- Okay, I think we're done, darling.
- All right, I'll be right back.
Lovely.
Thank you.
I need a veal Sinatra, land and sea sheree.
I told him it was a strip.
Medium-rare, he wants it.
And steak Sarah Ann, medium-rare.
my menu.
Bathroom's downstairs, darling? Yeah, downstairs to the right.
- Watch your step.
- Watch your step.
Thank you.
What's this? You are kidding me.
What the hell? What the hell is this? My God! This is a gym.
Man What is this guy doing? That is incredible.
Like the surface of the moon.
Tommy? Would you like me to go get him for you? - Yes, please.
- Sure.
My God.
Bang, straight through.
- He's in your office.
- God.
- Tommy.
- Yes, sir? What the hell is this down here? It's my, uh, office.
I want to get a membership at your gym.
Is this, uh Is this where you come to sort of relieve a bit of stress? Yes.
Exactly.
- Do you work out in here? - Yeah.
- Every day? - Yeah.
When Tommy gets stressed out, he goes downstairs, starts lifting weights, starts hitting balls with golf clubs.
What's this? That wasn't me.
That wasn't me.
There's holes in the wall.
He's punched holes in the wall.
He'll say it wasn't him.
It was.
That wasn't me.
- Man! - That wasn't me.
And that on the wall there? That's my golf balls.
So it's a driving range as well as a gym? Yeah.
Broke a few TVs.
Okay.
All right, this is coming out too.
Is the steak coming? Steaks are in, all right? All right.
I think chef Ramsay will like our food.
Thank you, darling.
I know you hear that on every show, but our food is great.
- So this one is what, darling? - That's the steak Sarah Ann.
The one with the prosciutto, mozzerella okay.
- Okay? - Yeah.
Thank you.
You're welcome.
Man.
Look at that.
That is frightening.
I feel like I've just given birth.
I guess that's the placenta.
It's ghastly.
- Renata.
- Yeah? The steak is raw, and what is that? Prosciutto and mozzerella.
What a disgusting combination.
Tommy? Yes? Two seconds? The steak is raw, and That's supposed to be mozzerella and what? Prosciutto.
Prosciutto.
Honestly, I mean, that's ghastly.
It's like someone's thrown up on my plate.
Tommy, have a word with the chef, would you, please? Yeah.
I know my food's good.
I know it's good.
I know pretty good.
What's wrong? Felipe, this was rare.
Not good at all.
Too rare.
When the kitchen messes up, Tommy, instead of, you know, telling them to step their game up, like, "let's go," like, he just mopes around.
- Veal Sinatra.
- Okay, thank you, darling.
That is ghastly.
Are you kidding me? Veal's our specialty.
I have people that order the veal Sinatra all the time, including myself.
Renata, please.
That's dreadful.
It's just chewy.
They lost all the texture when they pound the veal.
- It's just such a shame.
- Okay.
This is the land and sea sheree.
- Thank you.
- You're welcome.
Dear, they're not actually lobsters.
These are crayfish.
Large crayfish.
So I didn't get my filet mignon, and I didn't get my lobster.
It's a cheap imitation of lobster.
I've gotta hack that off there.
That's bright white, so that's just overcooked.
Absolutely chewy as anything.
My God, it's bland, it's chewy, it's an insult to Italy.
Renata, I would just like you to taste this.
That's a crayfish, by the way.
It's not even lobster.
It's spiny lobster It's a crayfish, darling.
But it's solid.
Everything's overcooked.
Jesus Lord, help us.
I'd like Tommy to taste those lobsters.
- Sure.
- Thank you, darling.
You're welcome.
He wants you to taste the chewy lobster.
So eat up, 'cause I just had to taste the lobster.
- What was the matter? - It was too chewy.
I have really good food.
Chef Ramsay might not agree with that.
I think it's all right.
But it still comes back to I have really good food.
And I know I do.
That was foul.
I'm dying to meet the chef.
- You wanna go back? - Let's get them out.
Tommy and Dina never thought every single meal that we would send out would get critiqued that big.
Okay, let's come around, buddy, so we can talk.
Well, everything that we do here needs improvement.
Is he the head chef? Yeah.
How long have you been working here? Almost close to five years.
Five years? I'm gonna tell you straight If that's the best this restaurant's got to offer, it's embarrassing.
It's 2012, and we're serving food from 1970.
Are you happy with that setup? I'm 28 years old.
This menu's older than me.
But they don't let me change the menu.
You need to change something different.
I can't blame him entirely.
I've got to blame the individuals that he's working for You two.
Because you've handicapped him.
The stuffed entree first.
It was gross.
The steak was raw, cooked one side.
If there's one thing you don't do to a New York strip is stuff it.
The land and sea You know that's not lobster.
That's called a crayfish.
So we haven't even got filet mignon, and we haven't got lobster on the menu, yet the dish is titled with both the headlines "Lobster, filet.
" But the horror for me today was to discover that you've got a menu that has screwed you from the first night you opened.
It's absolute, utter madness.
And you don't need me to tell you that.
- I still stand by it.
- I still stand by my food.
- But you're in denial.
- No, I'm not in denial.
When you sit there and tell me that food is good, there's nothing wrong with it - It ain't her fault! - It's my fault! It's my fault I threw him to the wolves.
But where am I going You've given him an impossible task! Do we start a whole new menu? I think our food's still good.
I disagree with you.
Well, now you're in denial! The food was disgusting.
No, I disagree.
That's your opinion.
Come on.
You are gonna have to get your head out your ass.
With the owners and chef Ramsay having vastly different opinions of the food How you doing, sir? I've had better afternoons.
Nice neighborhood.
How are you? Gordon's curious to see how the locals react during dinner service.
What are you doing this evening? Tell me the roles.
- Hosting.
- Hosting, great.
And what are you doing? Wait.
Tommy tends to think he is a waiter.
And he needs to understand that he is the owner.
He is not a worker.
All right, I'll get the order in as soon as I can.
Good evening how are we? Right this way.
Here's some bread for youse.
I'm gonna have veal Mia.
Excellent choice.
Hi, guys.
God, it's tight down here, Yeah.
All right, first table in.
- Tommy, who's expediting? - Who's expediting? Who's expediting? I don't.
I'll let you know in a second.
So no one calls out an order? No.
There's no system.
Felipe, that's normal? Even when I'm not here, that's the same? - Every day.
And you're not Fed up? - Sometimes.
Tommy, he don't know how to run his kitchen, so I have to do it myself.
What's wrong? He's the boss.
I'm not the boss.
That's fine.
Despite no expediter, and no real system in the kitchen, Felipe quickly pushes food out to the diners.
- Veal Johnny? - Ravioli and meatball.
But it quickly becomes apparent that the customers are far from satisfied.
Yes? Okay, I will take off the meatball.
- What's wrong? - They didn't like the meatballs.
Just two seconds.
Let me taste the meatball.
Me.
Tommy, come here.
I just want you to taste that for me.
I mean, it's disgusting.
And if anyone tells me again that their food is amazing, I'm gonna blow my lid.
It's like cat food.
Come on, Tommy.
It's definitely up to Tommy to make sure everything goes out perfect, nothing comes back, and the restaurant runs smooth.
I mean, that's the main problem right now.
How's everything, ladies? That's all right.
John, what's the matter with it? It's stringy and it's watery.
All right, Tom, I think you need to go back in the back and check on your cooks.
Keep going back there and just Tommy needs to stand up for himself.
Then you go expedite.
You go expedite.
You wanna expedite Instead of him going back there and talking to his chef, he's hiding and leaving it up to me.
And it's not supposed to be like that.
All right, now I'm getting mad! Put the food that we need up! Youse are messing up my own friggin' restaurant! Gimme table ten, and gimme the pasta specials! What a nightmare.
Honestly, Dina, she's trying her best.
Tommy, well, he's not even there.
He's just all over the shop.
No wonder there's so many complaints.
This restaurans just not going anywhere.
It's such a shame.
Look at that.
That's disgusting.
How's everything? What's going on? What is all that? Here's your bowl, Tom.
I don't want to go back there and So you're not gonna say anything to him? Yeah, I'm gonna Yeah, let me go back No, give want me to grab that last one? No, give me the oil.
Felipe.
Hello.
It's just all swimming in oil.
And you weren't gonna say anything.
You can't drain that off like that and then serve it back to the customers.
They deserve better than that.
Who said drain it out? No, that's what you do on the side.
He's draining the thing on the side.
- Who says? - It Tommy! It shouldn't have oil.
I yeah.
It is so simple.
And do you know what Tommy! My God.
Dysfunctional owner, and a dysfunctional kitchen.
I'm already embarrassed in life.
You can't embarrass me any more, but guess what.
I found out that you can be embarrassed even more.
Even if it's rock bottom, you can hit even deeper than rock bottom.
Put it up! Let's go! I don't know what youse are doing! When I tell you I need 'em, I'm telling you that's the one.
And everybody get it together! With Dina now firmly in charge of the kitchen Craigy And Tommy retreating to the basement Let's just put up the two tables and end it.
This extremely Rocky dinner service comes to an end.
I don't know what to say.
I'm just almost at a loss for words.
Even when food was coming back, no one gave a.
No one gives a damn.
We're serving, and you tell me your food's good.
I think our food is really good.
You're gonna have to get your head out your ass.
And, Tommy, I felt for you today.
I just thought you were under immense pressure.
But you hide, like it's a game.
I'm not here to play games, you know? I just the confrontations At the time right now, I'm not feeling that great.
Confrontation? It's about being responsible, Tommy! Yes.
The orecchiette was swimming in oil! You're draining it off.
This is not a time to be nervous and wimping around.
But right now, you're in denial.
And do you know what? Do you know how you can turn this around and make money? Honestly, Dina, Tommy Stop, and save your money.
Shut the door! After 24 hours of sheer frustration dealing with owners in denial, chef Ramsay decides to make a home visit - Hello.
- Nice to meet you.
Likewise.
Good to see you.
To have a chat with Dina and her eldest daughter, Denay.
Rough morning? You know, I woke up a little upset because, like I said, I really feel I have good food.
I stick by that.
I know you're here to help me But I was humiliated.
I suppose if I put it this way Outside that restaurant, there's better and cheaper restaurants.
Okay.
Your menu does not work in South Philly.
So basically, what he's saying is that is that your food isn't horrible, it's just that there's a million Italian restaurants in one area You're right, I didn't say the food was horrible.
I said it was disgusting.
I I No, no.
Here's the issue.
Here's the issue.
You're in denial that your food is good.
It is.
Okay? Darling, if that's the case - That's the bottom line.
- I'm I'm gonna go.
Seriously.
"A," I'm not gonna waste your time.
"B," I'm not gonna waste my time.
But more importantly, you know, I'm not gonna deal with someone that is that deluded.
- You want help - Yes! But you don't like the help that I'm suggesting.
I guess I'm scared.
Don't be scared.
That's why I'm here.
Scared is staying the same.
You've gotta grasp a complete new change.
And that's scary territory.
I have great memories of Chiarella's, and I've been doing this for so long, it's all I know.
So it's very hard for me to get past the past, get on with the future.
It's not working.
It's the truth.
I know what you're saying to me, that I have to go The menu's outdated, things aren't right, the food's different We'll try our best.
Okay.
I came by here this morning to talk about Tommy.
Because there's this level of depression that's sinking this man.
And you can see this figure just almost disintegrating.
And I've seen small, little fragments of a personality.
He's got such a great personality.
Okay, we need to get him back.
Because I don't think he actually understands.
No.
This place just wiped him out.
It wiped him out.
It did.
If there's one area that he'll listen to, it's the family.
And I just think you need to tell him what he means to you, and how we want to see him back at his best.
- Good morning.
- My man.
How are you, bud? Good.
Take a seat, please.
Sit down.
How you doing? - Good.
- Yeah? - Good sleep? - No.
No, I didn't think so, no.
Let me tell you something.
I came to see your family this morning because I'm concerned that you've lost that spark.
Your self-esteem is at a sort of all-time low, and before I can make any changes, Tommy, I need you back I need to see that spark.
Dina.
I want you back.
I love you.
I want me back too.
Listen, I love you.
I know you love me, babe.
It's just so much I'm afraid of, you know.
The problem with the restaurant is me.
You know, it's me.
I shouldn't even be there.
An owner should make sure everything runs prop It's me, know what I mean? I'm afraid.
I'm not the same person I was.
My whole life You have to get that person.
You've gotta reach inside, Tommy, and pull it out.
What person am I pulling out? You.
The real you.
The real you.
Come on.
What the hell is going on with you? Pull it out.
Excuse me.
What do you mean what person are you pulling out, dad? What person am I pulling out? Are you kidding? The last seven years? Dad 'Cause you don't think What am I pulling back, that guy that's tired and exhausted And never sees anything good ever happen in his life? When you fail your whole life, man, it hurts.
You haven't failed your whole life.
How could you fail your whole life? You've got three beautiful kids.
We love you.
We want you to be happy.
You have to pull yourself out of this.
I'm gonna.
I know I gotta.
I need I need We love you.
, I need a good day's sleep, man.
I'm weak.
My body's weak.
You don't think anybody's proud of you it's not true.
They don't understand, man.
I'm so depressed.
My whole life I've been a failure.
It's been awful.
I mean, all through life, man.
It is clear that Tommy's depression is one of the major problems of the restaurant.
When you fail your whole life, man, it hurts.
And chef Ramsay knows that before he can ke any changes, Tommy needs to change.
How could you fail your whole life? You got three beautiful kids.
We love you.
We want you to be happy.
You have to pull yourself out of this.
I'm gonna.
I know I gotta.
I need I need We love you.
, I need a good day's sleep, man.
I'm weak, you know? My body's weak.
You don't think anyone's pro of youit's not true.
You haven't failed.
We love you.
You haven't failed.
You know? You have not failed.
You're a lucky man.
You have amazing kids, amazing wife.
And I'm telling you, you know, you have not failed.
You can't give up.
You've got to bounce back.
I know, I got to.
- Okay? - I gotta get tough.
Come on, he needs you.
Tommy bones, he needs you! I need the funny, charismatic, witty, - energetic man.
- I got it.
- That's what I need.
- I gotta pull back Tommy.
Exactly that.
That's what he's trying to say.
We can make great changes, but unless you're back It ain't gonna work, I know.
- Nothing'gonna work.
- Thank you.
You're right.
That's it.
- I want to fight, yeah.
- Okay, good.
I'll see you back he restaurant.
Yeah? New day.
It was important to hear from my family.
'Cause sometimes, you know, you get knocked down a lot.
You don't realize you're not getting back up.
I think it's time I gotta get back up.
So I'm a fighter.
This nose don't look like this for a reason.
Come on.
Man.
Come on! I love that guy.
With Tommy beginning the day with a more positive outlook Let's go.
All right.
- I want you in the kitchen.
- Yeah? I knew you were gonna do this to me.
Yeah? Chef Ramsay's anxious to get Tommy more involved in the kitchen.
What you've never, ever gotta fear is your kitchen This is the engine room.
The more he sees you supporting him, the closer you guys get.
I'm very happy that chef Ramsay's doing this because themas doesn't have the experience in the kitchen.
Right, now we're gonna make some orichette.
And he needs to understand that this is his entity.
This is his business.
Oil in.
Garlic in.
This is the first time I've ever been a cook on the line, let alone with chef Ramsay.
That's pretty scary, man.
That's scary.
So far so good? You with me? Yeah, yup.
- What's the matter? - This stuff's tough, man.
White wine.
Where's my white wine? Nice.
Good.
That's enough.
Little shake.
Come on, what's the matter with you? For God's sake! It's very difficult, but if I know my kitchen, I can take hold of this place, run it the way it's supposed to be run.
Now taste the seasoning.
Well done.
Nice - You happy with that? - I'm a chef now.
Nice.
Tommy was really proud of himself.
- Like, "I made that, Dina.
" - Nice.
Now that Tommy learned a few things with chef Ramsay, it'll give Tommy a chance to take control of our business.
It's gonna be a new start for us.
Well done.
All right, let's go.
With the rebuilding of Tommy's confidence underway, chef Ramsay and his team work through the night, and in just 12 hours, they transform Chiarella's into a slick contemporary eatery.
- Good morning.
- How are you? Well? - Freezing.
- Good to see you.
Are you ready to come inside? I'll take your jacket, yeah.
Come with me.
Come in.
- It's nice.
- My God.
That's phenomenal.
- My God.
- How'd you do it that fast? It was an eyesore before, and now it's another table.
We're gonna use this bar to eat from.
It's gorgeous, it's stunning.
And it's a main feature as you walk in.
- It's gorgeous, yeah.
- It really is.
Are you ready to see next door? Ready.
Okay, great.
Come through, please.
My God.
Holy, how'd you do that? Gone is that old-fashioned '70s mustard color.
You have this nice light pale gray that opens up the room The room looks twice as big.
It looks huge.
New light fittings.
Look at the lights.
Where'd you get these lights at? They're unreal.
There is a feature in the center of this dining room Reclaimed wood.
Local wood.
And it's part of the community.
Shelving adjacent.
All these little touches give a contemporary feel to this dining room.
It's so nice.
You should be an architect too.
How the hell you know all this stuff, man? On the table, we got rid of those hideous cloths.
We got white, crisp linen, all new China, a very cool slab of slate, salt, peppers.
All these little touches give a contemporary feel to this dining room.
You've brought the neighborhood into the restaurant.
It's phenomenal.
It looks like the city.
It looks like it should look.
It looks like the neighborhood the neighborhood would want.
My God, I love it.
You're phenomenal, man.
Happy? My God, am I happy? This is the best day of my life besides having my kids.
I love the look of the restaurant.
It looks brighter, it looks bigger.
We definitely will have our own identity.
Not only has chef Ramsay given the restaurant's interior a modern makeover Okay, come over, please.
Look at that food.
Maronna Mia.
He's also done the same with the 30-year-old menu.
Right, the beauty of this menu, it's small, powerful.
It sends out all the right messages.
Yes.
- Gone are the 75 dishes.
- I like that.
- It looks wonderful.
- By the way All gone.
Thank God.
Now, let's start off from the top.
Classic Italian antipasto.
Next to that you got arancini Parmesan, smoked paprika aioli, and parsley.
Small but powerful.
I'm, like, so excited.
Entrees chicken parmesan.
It's a staple, it's a classic.
Veal marsala Oregano, marsala, mushrooms, and spinach.
It looks so good.
After that you've got a classic spaghetti, meatball.
Big, hearty dish that just oozes Italy.
Orecchiette.
This time it's not gonna be swimming in oil, and Tommy's not gonna be taking it back and draining it.
Dina, what do you think? - I love it.
- You love it? - Phenomenal.
- Tommy, what do you think? I love it, man.
Love it.
Yeah, I love it.
Good.
One more thing to talk to you about.
Felipe's not gonna learn how to cook this in a day.
- I know that.
- Right.
You need help.
Yeah.
I phoned an amazing, talented chef who's been here since first thing this morning.
He's been in there, he's been working.
And you need to get close to this guy.
Yeah? Please say hello Chef Mike Trow.
Mike, good to see you, buddy.
Let me introduce you to our owners.
- This is Dina.
- Hi, Mike.
- And this is Tommy.
- Pleasure.
- Good to see you, buddy.
- Thank you very much.
First of all, local boy.
Trained in some of the best restaurants in the country.
But more importantly, this man knows exactly what you need.
I'm very, very excited with the chef Mike Trow.
Chef Ramsay definitely set me up for success.
- It's up to me now.
- Food looks amazing.
Great new menu tonight.
Let's get excited.
Let's focus and have a great service.
- Thank you.
Hell of a job.
- I'll see you shortly.
- Yeah? Brilliant.
- That makes me feel good.
I don't have to worry about the kitchen as much, you know? Right, dig in, guys, come on.
Dig in, dig in, dig in.
Excellent.
- I really like this.
- I really like that.
My God, that sauce is so good.
That food is delicious.
I mean, I could keep eating it, and I'm full.
- That is good.
- Yeah, it's so good.
Everything is good.
Meatballs are good meatballs.
I like the meatballs.
I mean, Is fantastic.
- Thomas, taste this, babe.
- What's that, just meatballs? Our menu was a dinosaur.
What a difference in the food.
Out with the old and in with the new.
That looks so good.
I'm so happy.
This is a good life.
Coming up All right, Tom, they've been waiting for a while.
It's the all-important relaunch of Chiarella's.
I knew it was running way too smooth.
Will Tommy finally step up and take control One little mistake, we don't collapse.
Or will he crumble, and take his restaurant with him? Tom, don't screw this up, please.
It's relaunch night at Chiarella's.
Everybody know their menus? Yes, yes.
With chef consultant Mike Trow guiding Felipe behind the line One at a time, one at a time.
Don't get too far ahead of it.
All eyes are on a re-energized Tommy.
Let's go.
Hello, hello.
How are you? Three? Folks, welcome to the new Chiarella's.
How are you? Have a nice dinner.
You're welcome.
Relaunch night is a big night.
Have a nice dinner.
And if Tommy steps up and does what he's supposed to do, everything will be great tonight.
- You folks set to order? - Yes.
Can I have the Caesar salad? I'm gonna have the buffalo mozzerella bruschetta.
All right, checking in, guys.
First one.
Order in.
Two calamari and buffalo.
Let's go.
Come on, come on.
Let's go tonight, guys.
Let's go.
Come on.
With Tommy leading his staff Fire up four.
Fire up four.
Calamari, soup, and livers.
Dishes are going out at a rapid pace.
Service, please.
- Pesto crostini? - Enjoy.
While most of the diners are ecstatic with the new menu There is one table that is feeling left out.
- Renata, where is their dinner? - I don't know.
What table is this? There was one table I could see they were getting a little antsy.
I knew it was running way too smooth tonight.
Tommy has to step up and really do what he's gotta do.
All right, Tom, Dina wants to know about table 20 because they've been waiting for a while.
I messed up on the table number.
Tom, don't screw this up.
Please! Tommy, listen, I said to you, one little mistake, we don't collapse.
Stay on top of it.
Just change it.
Get on with it.
Let's go.
Come on.
Chef Ramsay's definitely right.
Take it easy, relax.
It's just a little bump in the road here or there.
I made a mistake on the table number, Mike.
What do you need? - It's coming right now.
- Thank you.
It'll be out in about five minutes, all right? Nice.
Keep it going.
Come on, Tommy, keep it going.
How we looking here? How we looking here? Coming right now.
Table 20.
Follow me.
Table 20.
Here we go.
Seeing Tommy step up and run the business was fantastic Spectacular.
Soup's right here.
Enjoy it.
Come on, let's go, Tom.
Come on, baby.
Do your thing.
I move these down, all right? We're good in there.
We're good in there.
We're good in there.
We're good.
- Nice, nice! - Good, good, good.
Lasagna, baby! Yes.
Tommy now is showing his true passion for this business, and his true love for this business.
He's full of enthusiasm, he's full of life.
Good job, Michael.
Tommy's back.
He's himself again.
And I'm very, very happy for him.
Good job tonight.
Great job.
I'm the boss! Okay.
How we feeling? Great, great.
Fantastic, brother.
You should be.
I know.
This restaurant looked and felt like a completely different restaurant than I first walked into at the beginning of the week, let me tell you that.
Tonight, Chiarella's was the place to be in Philadelphia.
- Thank you.
- Thank you.
You've got to maintain that now.
We gotta keep it.
We gotta keep it.
You cannot go backwards.
To the team, well done.
And a great job, Mike, and Felipe.
Felipe Felipe, excellent.
And can I have a quick word with you two, please? Well done.
Good job, Mike.
Good job, yes? Well done.
Tommy just seems like he's a different person.
He feels secure in running his business.
He's Tommy.
Okay, did you notice how well your kitchen ran tonight? Excellently.
Yeah, the standard was night and day tonight.
Yes.
- You two work well together.
- Yes, we do.
And you'd forgotten that.
And your tenaciousness - He needs that.
- Yes.
And tonight I could see and hear the old Tommy.
And it's just it's moving.
But Chiarella's needs both of you.
Dina and Tommy.
I know exactly what you're saying.
- And you can do it.
- Yes.
Chef Ramsay, he's a good man with a big heart.
Look after yourself, will you? Yeah.
- Come on.
- Look after yourself.
He was here to fix me.
But he did fix the restaurant.
Don't get me wrong.
But he was here to fix me.
And I hope I stay like this.
Take care.
God bless.
Thank you.
When you consider the changes we made to the food, the decor, and how this restaurant was run, this is the biggest transformation of any Italian restaurant I've ever done.
But I'm leaving here with one big question, and that is, will Tommy and Dina maintain the high standards that we set tonight? I promise you, only time will tell.
In the weeks that followed Fire up table ten.
The combination of a confident Tommy Yeah, baby.
And a supportive Dina have made it possible for Chiarella's to maintain the high standards - set by chef Ramsay.
- This is decadent.
Yeah, it's really good.
And this once fractured couple is truly united as a team.
When chef Ramsay came to our restaurant, we were not thrilled at all with what he had to say.
I got five right here.
I got it.
I know.
All right, go.
But with change comes opportunity to grow and be stronger.
And I'm hoping that this will become the best Italian restaurant in South Philadelphia.
A new beginning, Chiarella's.
Ready? One, two, three A new beginning! Next time on Kitchen Nightmares Chef Ramsay visits a Mexican restaurant that has completely lost its way.
- Come back here and help me.
- Yeah, right.
The restaurant that originally brought this couple together is now tearing them apart.
Wait a minute, wait a minute, wait a minute! Hurry up! What? Can Gordon get this husband and wife working together as a team and not as enemies?