Kitchen Nightmares (2007) s06e06 Episode Script

Tonight, on Kitchen Nightmares Revisited Chef Ramsay is back in Baltimore, Philadelphia, and New Jersey Holy crap.
Where he checks in on some of his biggest challenges he has ever faced.
Smell it! Oh! They were the most disgusting That's fucking older than me! Dysfunctional Eighty-six the French fries! And most distraught restaurants in Kitchen Nightmare's history.
It ain't her fault.
It's my fucking fault.
First, we return to Cafe Hon in Hampden, Maryland.
Could I have everybody's attention? The owner was caught in a nasty battle with the community.
I was afraid for my life.
What? Death threats? And her staff was ready to revolt.
You're a rude bitch.
Then we'll visit Chiarella's in Philadelphia Put it up! Let's go! Where the family business was so bad, that one owner had completely lost his confidence I just stay in bed 'cause I'm afraid to get up.
While his wife had completely lost her patience.
All right, now I'm getting mad! And lastly, Chef Ramsay travels to Montclair, New Jersey, to get an update on Leone's Under no circumstances can we continue to serve food.
I'm sad to say that we're closing down Leone's for the night.
Where a lazy owner The major problem here is there's no manager, nobody in control of this restaurant.
It's hard for me to really show passion.
Was ruining a restaurant that his mother had worked so hard to build.
We've already drowned.
Get ready for a night of surprising updates Can I talk about that? As we find out who stayed on the road to success and who veered off, turning a restaurant back into a nightmare.
Oh, I'm pissed off.
What is that? You're serving rotten food! We could possibly kill them.
- Then wake up! - You wake up! Shut the place down! Get out of here! That is amazing! I can't take anymore.
Thank you, Chef.
As soon as I leave a restaurant, I'm always wondering whether or not they stuck to the plan, and I know you do, also.
Tonight, I'm going to show you three restaurants I visited last year, and you're going to be surprised at what I found out.
First up, Cafe Hon, in Baltimore.
Hampden, Maryland, a suburb of Baltimore.
When I first arrived, I visited a local radio station to find out restaurant owner Denise Whiting was at war with the community.
She had trademarked the term "hon," which is a cultural icon of Baltimore.
She was threatening businesses with lawsuits.
The lawsuits? I mean, it went that far? She demanded legal fees from somebody that was making tourist stuff with just the word "hon" on it.
After finding out what I was in for I mean, she's almost become the anti-hon.
Yes.
It was time to go to Cafe Hon and actually meet the owner.
All right.
I want everybody's attention.
Can I have everybody's attention? But, before I made it inside, I was faced with a giant and I mean a giant pink flamingo.
Holy mackerel.
Wow, wow, wow, wow, wow.
I'd hoped that the restaurant wasn't on its last leg as well.
I desperately needed to hear Denise's side of the story.
The problem is, I federally registered "The Hon" as a as a trademark.
People scream at me from across the street.
Just horrible things.
It's got that bad? I mean, I was afraid for my life.
Did you not sue anyone? I never sued anybody.
You didn't sue anybody? No.
Did you threaten to sue anybody? No.
But Denise wasn't telling me the truth.
I've done my homework before I got here.
I did I you know what See, you're not being fair now.
After setting her straight, the next step for me was to taste the food.
Then I met my lovely server, Amanda.
Amanda, love the hair.
Beautiful.
Thank you.
And, oh, boy.
Her hair was hon-derful.
Wow.
Look at you.
They sure do love their hairspray in Baltimore.
The batter's soggy.
It doesn't stick to the fish.
Sadly, the food was atrocious.
It's like a flamingo turd just landed on my plate.
It's dreadful.
And then these stone cold shrimp.
Horrible.
He said the shrimp tastes had, like, a weird aftertaste to it, like, almost tasted like the refrigerator.
Really? I don't understand.
This is perfect.
Perfect? Trust me, they were far from perfect.
And I could tell already I was gonna have my hands full with Denise.
That night, at dinner service This is asparagus.
All right? I'm tired of seeing the asparagus different kinds of ways.
- You cut off the ends - Oh, my God.
and you blanche them.
I could not believe how Denise ran her restaurant.
Any turkey on the board, eighty-six the turkey.
She was eighty-sixing the whole fricking menu.
Eighty-six biscuits, you guys.
Item Eighty-six the pot pie.
After item Eighty-six the catfish.
After item.
Eighty-six the French fries.
I thought she was going to eighty-six me next.
Eighty-six the steak.
We don't have steak.
Oh, my God.
I'm going to die.
That was a disaster.
How could you let it go this far? After seeing how bad a leader Denise was, I decided to talk to her staff about her behavior.
She goes up to one to the girls, and tells them they're stupid, or she gets up to my face, "tell her to fix her hair.
" She focuses on a lot of the superficial things.
She micromanages.
It was clear that her very loyal staff were deeply affected by her actions.
It was time to confront Denise.
Denise, you, um You're a rude bitch.
Ouch.
And I'm tired of it.
Denise, you're the negative in the restaurant.
People don't like you.
They did not hold back, but that is exactly what Denise needed to hear.
I'm sorry that I've been a bit overbearing.
To lose this business would be for me to lose my soul.
And I can only say that this is the beginning of a new day.
Denise's apology was a step in the right direction.
But the bigger issue was her relationship with her community.
So I hatched a plan.
I put together a select group of people that I'd like you to hear from.
Okay.
Okay? Please, jump in the car.
Put these on.
Denise was forced to listen.
She pushes everyone around.
She's focused on Denise Whiting.
And if you don't like it, you're going to be sorry.
What would it take for this community to embrace Cafe Hon again? She has to walk away from the trademark.
She has to abandon it.
She has to abandon it? Give up all claim to it, say it was a mistake.
She does not own it.
Denise had a big decision to make.
Give up the hon trademark, or lose your restaurant.
Would she do the right thing? I am so sorry for the animosity and the hatred and everything that trademarking a word, just a word, has done.
Please forgive me.
That must have taken a lot of courage, to say that.
But you never said you were going to give the trademark back.
Yes.
Wow.
This is amazing.
That's kind of stunning.
After getting Denise's commitment to change, we were ready to relaunch Cafe Hon with a new decor Oh, my God.
A new menu - Mm.
- That's delicious.
Really good.
And an owner with a new attitude.
Great job.
You're doing awesome.
John, thank you.
Johnny, beautiful.
Cafe Hon was well on its way to becoming a fixture in the community once again.
These are fantastic.
I've been given a great gift, and an amazing opportunity, and I will be forever grateful.
Last year, if you wanted to see an angry owner at war with the community, then trust me, Cafe Hon in Baltimore was guaranteed fireworks.
Personally, I felt like I was negotiating a treaty as opposed to fixing a restaurant.
I'm now back to find out, is there peace? Coming up, has Denise repaired her relationship with her staff and her community? Have we got good news, bad news? She wasn't sincere when she apologized.
Oh, no.
Or has she gone back to being the tyrant of Baltimore? You know, we've had some issues, and it's not a surprise to anybody.
I'm on my way to meet Reagan and Jojo.
They're DJs at the local radio station.
These guys really do have their fingers on the pulse of the community.
And they're going to give me an update to find out how the locals have responded since Denise went and gave up that trademark "hon," and what's really happening in that restaurant.
Baltimore's Mix 106.
5.
It's Jojo and Reagan on The Mix Morning Show.
And we've got a special guest this morning.
As you may have been reading in the papers, Gordon Ramsay's back in town.
Yeah, we're going to see what Baltimore thinks about Cafe Hon now.
Hi, guys.
Welcome back to Baltimore.
Thank you so much.
Likewise, good to see you guys.
Good to see you again.
I'm so happy to be back.
Now, the word on the street, Cafe Hon.
Have we got good news, bad news, in between? Good news.
Good news.
The good news is, there's not a lot of news.
Okay.
Which is really good for Denise.
So it's not people just violently angry at her anymore.
Right, great.
There are still people who say she wasn't sincere when she apologized.
Right.
There are still people who say, "oh, she didn't give up the trademark.
" She did give up the trademark.
We know that for a fact.
So there are people that just aren't going to be won over.
But I think the majority of people have come around.
Things are back to normal in that neighborhood, and everything's going okay.
And just as importantly, the restaurant.
Has anyone been? Any feedback? My wife and I were there a couple of days ago.
Oh, good.
We had the crab cake.
We had the chicken pot pie.
It was good.
Right.
I saw Denise.
There was a resurgence in her that I hadn't seen.
That was nice to see.
Good.
So you're going to head over and talk to her? Yep.
Good to see you both.
Good to see you.
Chef Gordon Ramsay, thanks for joining us this morning on the Jojo and Reagan show.
- Excellent, good to see you both.
- Absolutely.
That pink flamingo.
They haven't gotten rid of that.
Look at you two.
Welcome back, Gordon.
Nice to see you.
Are you well? How are you, my darling? I'm great.
Whoa, dear.
Thank you.
Thank you.
First of all, this place is heaving.
It's wonderful.
Let's have a couple of minutes together somewhere quieter.
Let's go over there at the bar in the corner.
Wow.
That is crazy in there.
You look great, by the way.
Thank you.
I brought you a little present.
Can I open it? Please.
I'm dying to see what you think.
I thought, because you kept the big one on the outside I'd bring you something a little bit more intimate.
Thank you.
It's good to see you, darling.
It just seemed so special.
Made me think he was thinking about me other than when he's here.
How are you personally? Wonderful.
Don't get upset.
I know.
Come on.
I know.
I'm just so grateful.
Last time, you cried for a different reason.
I have people scream at me from across the street, just horrible things.
It's got that bad? I mean, I was afraid for my life.
This time, you know It's happy cry.
It's a happy cry.
I felt like, for a whole year and a half, I couldn't be part of the community.
Sure.
And as soon as we did the relaunch, I went right to a community meeting that Monday.
And then I just started getting more involved in the community.
Which is music to my ears.
You know, it's like the restaurant is one thing, but I know.
Come here.
Come here, come here, you.
Honestly.
As soon as I rejoined the community, I really felt like the weight of the world had been lifted off my shoulders, and I could be me again.
Business in general, since I last saw you where are we? Since the relaunch, business picked up about 20%.
Good.
We're still working to regain people's trust and get them coming back again.
But we've gotten a lot of new people in the door.
And that's and people that said, "oh, we stopped coming, and now we're coming again.
" Good.
The food, the service.
How are you feeling there? I've been kind of overseeing things a little bit more.
Oh, no.
But I've been really good.
'Cause, remember, last time, it was interference.
It was just negative.
Oh, come on, really? What's this, Dottie? Why is it sitting there? Is this for something? Listen, you look great.
The restaurant sounds amazing.
Thank you.
I'd like you to do something special for me now.
Go and cook me a special.
I'm dying to taste the food.
Okay.
Go to it.
Surprise me.
Okay.
- How are you, my darling? - Hi.
Oh, good to see you.
Let's sit down, have a catch up.
How are you, my darling? Hi.
You look great.
Good to see you.
Thank you.
Your hair looks amazing.
Thanks for the compliment, Chef Ramsay.
I'm dying to ask.
How's she been? This is real? It's the truth.
Good.
And she's not coming in, nitpicking No, she's not picking on us.
Bitch festing? No.
Giving asparagus lessons in the middle of service? Could I have everybody's attention? This is asparagus, all right? You cut off the ends Oh, my God.
and you blanche them.
That's happened again, I'll have you know.
Oh, you're kidding me.
But she walked away, Gordon.
She walked away.
She walked away.
Is she still eighty-sixing things? Eighty-six the turkey.
Eighty-six the French fries.
Eighty-six the catfish.
No.
Now it's not like that.
Now they don't have a reason to hate her.
It's it is a lot easier for us.
Good.
How much has she changed? A lot.
Is she supporting you more? She is, and she's also staying home more.
She cooked for us, she waited on us.
Good.
The management got invited home for dinner? Yeah, yes.
To her house.
Wow.
To her house? Denise is a lot easier to talk to.
She's more receptive to our comments.
She's turned it around.
She really has.
Now, what is that? It's a guacamole burger.
A guacamole burger.
Nice.
Look at that.
They love the burgers.
Wow.
That's delicious.
Is it good? I get the opportunity to cook for Chef Ramsay and he really likes it? That makes me feel really good.
Ladies and gentlemen, I'm so pleased to see the delight on Denise Whiting's face, the fact that, not only is she a part of the community again, but you as the locals feel part of this restaurant, as well.
Incredible.
Thank you.
I'd like to introduce a very special guest.
Give a warm welcome, please, to Baltimore City Councilman Nick Mosby.
Good to see you.
On this day, I would like to present you with an official Baltimore City resolution in recognition of your selfless dedication and continued support to the community and the city of Baltimore.
Wow.
Crazy.
Thank you.
Nick, thank you so much.
Thank you.
I appreciate the recognition, really and truly.
And I know that you know, we've had some issues.
And I really appreciate the fact that I've been given a second chance, because not everybody gets a second chance in this lifetime.
And I'm very grateful to have had the opportunity to work with Gordon Ramsay.
And I feel like you've given me my life back and my restaurant back, and I will be forever grateful to you.
Well done, my darling.
Thank you.
Nick, you're a star.
They really appreciate it.
Thank you.
Well done, darling.
I feel like I've earned the right to be happy again.
I might be crying right now, but I'm really happy inside.
I'm very proud of what you're doing.
- Thank you.
- Again, well done.
Thank you.
Take care.
Good to see you.
- Okay.
Best wishes.
- Thank you.
Bye-bye.
Bye, guys.
Bye.
Let me tell you what really happened here.
This was a PR nightmare that became a PR miracle.
And if only Denise could always remember to be part of the solution and not the problem, then trust me, Cafe Hon has a very, very bright future in Baltimore.
That is the biggest fucking flamingo I've ever seen in my entire life.
What a monster.
Next, Chef Ramsay returns to Philly where Tommy Defino was a broken man, completely depressed.
I stay in bed 'cause I'm afraid to get up.
I'm afraid of who's going to come after me, who's going to shut my gas off.
Has Tommy remained the confident man that Chef Ramsay built up Has Tommy personally made any changes? Or has he let Chiarella's fall apart? Come on, look.
That wasn't me.
Find out next when Kitchen Nightmares Revisited returns.
South Philadelphia, home to Chiarella's, owned by husband and wife Tommy and Dina Defino.
Shortly after meeting the couple But what's missing from the restaurant? We don't know what's missing.
Customers.
I think our food is better than the area's food around here.
It's quality, it's fresh.
Right.
And I stand behind our food.
I could tell they were really in love with their food.
So what's wrong with the restaurant? I don't agree with the way he runs the kitchen.
There's not enough business.
This is That's not the issue.
And his wife was so frustrated with him and their business.
The issue is, you can't better your business the way you're running it.
I'm trying.
Right away, I could tell this man was broken.
But now, I wanted to get to tasting this "amazing food.
" Thank you.
- Thank you.
- Wow.
There's so much veal on here.
Veal Cutlet Johnny, Veal Parmigiana, Veal Cutlet with Roasted Peppers, Veal Scallopino, Veal Saltimbocca, Veal Chiarella, Veal Sinatra.
Why not add a Veal Madonna or a Veal Bocelli? I mean, come on.
While waiting for my lunch, I decided to have a little walk around.
What's that? You're kidding me.
And what did I discover? A full-blown gym.
Oh, fuck! Man! What is this guy doing? - Tommy? - He's in your office.
Oh, God.
- Do you work out in here? - Yeah.
So what's this? That wasn't me.
It wasn't me.
There's holes in the wall.
He's punched some holes in the walls.
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 wall.
- Fuck.
Not only was it a gym, it was a driving range as well.
Fore! That's a shank.
Okay.
Back to the food.
- Veal Sinatra.
- Thank you, darling.
Man.
That's dreadful.
- It's just chewy.
- Okay.
Let's get one thing straight.
The food was not good.
That's ghastly.
What a disgusting combination.
It's like someone's thrown up on my plate.
Tommy and Dina failed to see that.
- I still stand by my food.
- I still stand by our food.
The food was disgusting.
Well, I-I disagree with that.
- That's your opinion.
- Come on! Uh, hello? Can somebody say denial? No.
I'm not in denial.
You are gonna have to get your head out of your ass.
And it went downhill from there.
Philippe, hello? It's just all swimming in oil.
And you weren't going to say anything.
But hey, Tommy! Throughout dinner, Tommy avoided the problems.
All right.
Tommy, I think you need to go back in the back and check on your cooks.
He literally ran away from the problems All right, now I'm getting mad.
And Dina had no choice but to step in.
Put it up, let's go! I don't know what you are doing! Give me table ten and give me the pasta special.
All right.
Here you go.
Dysfunctional owners and a dysfunctional kitchen.
I knew if there was any hope of saving Tommy, I needed the help of his family The double Ds, Dina and Denay.
I came by here this morning to talk about Tommy.
We need to get him back.
- Hey, good morning.
- Ah.
Take a seat.
Listen, I love you.
I know you love me, babe.
- I want you back.
- I want me back, too.
I'm not the same person I was.
- In my whole life I've been - You have to get that person.
You gotta reach inside, Tommy, and pull it out.
We want you to be happy.
We love you.
We can make great changes, but unless you're back It ain't gonna work, I know.
I want to fight, yeah.
Okay, good.
Dina and Denay were able to build up his confidence, and finally we were getting somewhere.
Tommy was ready for change.
The next day, we relaunched Chiarella's.
Come on, come on.
Let's go tonight, guys.
Let's go.
Come on.
It was now up to Tommy to prove to everyone he can run his restaurant How we lookin' here? How we lookin' here? Coming right now, table 20.
You follow me.
Table 20, Ariel.
And he did just that.
Good in here.
We're good in there.
We're good in there.
We're good.
- Nice, nice.
- Good, good, good.
Lasagna, baby.
Good job tonight, great job.
I'm the boss! Last year when I came to Chiarella's in South Philly, I met a husband and wife team that were about to literally give up on their own restaurant.
And let me tell you, things couldn't have got any worse.
We had a phenomenal week and made some unbelievable changes.
We're about to find out if any of them are lasting.
- Coming up - Aah! Has the rebuilding of Chiarella's destroyed the marriage? How's the relationship between you and Tommy? And later, it's an unexpected revisit not to be missed.
Why is he lying to me? Oh, I'm pissed off.
It's great to be back in South Philly.
I'm on my way to Chiarella's, an Italian restaurant run by Tommy and Dina Defino.
Now, last time I was here Tommy was so depressed.
And Dina, she was just a nervous wreck.
We made some substantial changes, not just to the restaurant but to the owners as well.
I'm back to check in, and hopefully they've kept up that momentum.
- Hello.
- Hello! - Wow! How are you? - Wonderful.
- Good to see you.
- Wonderful.
- Good to see you.
- Are you well? - Yeah, I'm well.
You well? - Look at this place.
Yeah, it's been bumping.
The atmosphere is amazing.
- How have you been? - Good.
- Yeah? - Yeah.
You're quiet.
You seem calm.
Last time I saw you, you were a nervous wreck.
And it was almost like you hated being here.
Yeah.
It was very stressful.
- How's the business been? - 20% better.
Wow.
So 20% up, which is great news, positive.
How do we take it to another level.
How do you get up 40%? Um, I think a liquor license.
That's what we're working on.
- Oh, you've been saving? - Yeah.
Just imagine what the business could do if it did have that liquor license.
We're getting there.
Once we get that liquor license, we'll be able to be open later, have a happy hour.
We'll be, like, set.
And how's the relationship between you and Tommy? I don't agree with the way he runs the kitchen.
You can't better your business the way you're running it.
I didn't think she felt like that.
- On a scale of one to ten.
- Ten.
- Ten, seriously? - Ten.
Seriously.
Good.
And his confidence is back? Yeah.
Thank God.
- Where is he? - I think he's down this way.
Once we changed in here Let me get him.
Tommy transitioned into a new person.
All right, Bobby.
Table five, we need five and six.
Make the salads up, all right? - How many soups you need? - Tommy! - How many soups? - I need 15.
Whoa, Chef.
How are you? - Good to see you.
- Ow! Good to see you.
Let's go have a chat.
Come here.
How are are you? - Which way? Where we going? - Down to the office.
What's this? That wasn't me.
That wasn't me.
- Man! - That wasn't me.
- Watch your head.
- Okay.
Wow.
- Looks a lot better, right? - Look at this.
They're the old marks.
- Are they? - They're the old ones Oh, no, no, no.
Promise me? I haven't hit nothin'.
And walk me through oh, damn.
- Oh, oh - That wasn't me.
Can I talk about that? For fuck's sake.
That ain't a fist! It's a ball.
I swear to God.
- A ball? - It's in there.
I swear to God.
Come on, look! - It's perfect.
- I promise you.
You put me I'll take a liar detector test.
- Honestly? - That's a shank.
You're not bench pressing now.
I could do it a couple times, but I'm hurt.
Okay.
Let me see.
All right.
I'm gonna do it easy for you.
- Look at that.
- Okay, good.
- Is that good enough? - You're still in great shape.
I'm telling you.
I walk in, the place is buzzing.
Last time I was here, it was more than 20% down.
You're now 20% up, saving for a liquor license.
- Yes.
- So you're putting enough money away each month to save for that? I am starting.
We were still we're still behind.
I mean, you know, the electric and the gas and all that goes first.
But we were up from last year, and that's what I look at.
- Just as long as we're up, it's positive.
- Exactly.
There seems more control, less anger.
Are you happier inside? Definitely.
Can't you see? I'm definitely from before, I'm emotionally in a way better place, way better.
You need to get back to work.
That place is full up there.
I miss you, man.
It's not easy to find your manhood when things are going bad, and he put it back for me.
- Come on.
- Ahh! Hi! - It's so good to see you.
- I know, me too.
- Are you well? - I'm well.
I'm real well.
- The place is busy.
- Yeah, it's been good.
I actually like coming to work now.
- You do? - Yeah.
- I'm so pleased to hear that.
- Yeah.
Tommy looks less stressed.
Is he better? - Yeah.
He's a lot better.
- Is he? Oh, my God, yeah.
He learned how to take control of his business without letting the business take control of him.
And that's the biggest change in Tommy.
- Thank you, my darling.
- You're welcome.
- Lasagna.
- That looks amazing.
- And your chicken piccata.
- Wow.
Tommy, sit down.
That looks fantastic.
Dina, take a seat, my darling.
I'm dying to taste this.
- When was this made? - Today.
- Today? - It's fresh, fresh, fresh.
That is delicious really, really good indeed.
Last time I was here, he was walking around with his head in the sand.
You were still giving your food ten out of ten.
And I stand behind our food.
The food was disgusting.
How are you feeling now? I feel that now it's ten out of ten.
And I'm happy now.
And I'm happy because he's happy.
With Tommy and I working together, running a business together, raising a family together, we were more confident together.
This is the happiest that Tommy and I have been, because we're able to communicate better.
And I'm not, um, sugarcoatin' anything.
Coming back and seeing exactly where both of you are now, it makes me really proud.
I want you to really succeed.
So I'm personally going to make a contribution Get out of here.
To you both to help get that liquor license.
Seriously.
We can be 20% up now without the liquor license, get that liquor license we're on the road.
Chef Ramsay is a great guy, and he couldn't have helped us any more, I couldn't possibly have thought.
But for him to make a contribution towards a liquor license is, like, just awesome.
It really is.
Brilliant.
Well, good to see you both.
- Thank you.
- Yeah, thank you.
Chef Ramsay coming in here has been more than a life-changing experience.
It's been unbelievable.
And he really is 100% behind me, which is a great feeling.
It's a great feeling.
All right, listen.
Keep it up, will you? - Yes, definitely.
- Yeah? Seriously? - Yes.
- Well done.
- Thank you.
- Okay, bud, look after yourself.
- Thank you from here, seriously.
- Take care.
- Easy one.
- And listen and stop putting those holes in the wall.
- Ah, man.
- Okay.
Take care.
Thank you, Chef.
I love you.
Wow.
I am so surprised.
I mean, I had my doubts about Tommy, but he has really stepped up and taken the bull by the horns.
And now he's in control of his business.
And Dina, she is completely transformed.
And as a couple, they're united stronger than ever before.
And I really believe that Chiarella's now is on its way to being back on top where it belongs.
Coming up, Chef Ramsay goes back to New Jersey, where Michael went from the laziest owner to a hard-working manager.
I need one cod and one orecchiette.
Find out if he's still leading his restaurant That's so sad.
I'm so disappointed.
Or has his old habit resurfaced? That's coming up on Kitchen Nightmares Revisited.
Montclair, New Jersey, home to Italian restaurant Leone's, run by a mother and son, Michael and Rose Leone.
We owe 1,400 for the meat, overdue for the past month.
What are you gonna do, Michael? You tell me.
What do you want me to do? When I first walked into the restaurant.
.
And what's that thing there? That's my old television that I watch all the games on.
- You watch games on there? - Yes, sir.
I was absolutely stunned by what I saw.
Do you think that's a good impression when the customers walk in for the first time? Michael just seemed clueless a lazy owner.
Watching telly was bad enough, but the decor was just as hideous.
- 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.
- How are you? - How are you? It's good to see you, sweet.
But then there was Mama Rose.
Likewise oh, yeah, nice.
Chef Ramsay's hot.
I've been married three times.
I need number four.
She was quite a character.
I can't start to even think about turning this place around until I get to the bottom of the issues.
The major problem here is there's no manager, there are no nobody in control of this restaurant.
I take care of payroll, I take care of receiving - Payroll? - Doing the menus.
Wow.
Poor Mama Rose.
She depended on Michael to run the restaurant.
Basically the staff is running this restaurant right now.
I-I disagree.
He wasn't running anything, except maybe his mouth.
Are you here every day? Except Monday, yeah, I'm here every day.
So you're here six days a week, across those six days a week you're in here, you're here what, - No, no, no.
- How many? I work the dinner shift from like 5:00 to 10:00, So five hours a day? How many of them do you sit down? - Depending on the situation? - Roughly.
Three.
So you're on your feet for two hours a day? - Yes.
- Holy crap.
In order to get the whole picture, I decided to order the whole menu.
Oh, my God.
Holy crap.
- How many items on the menu? - Over a hundred.
A hundred? I mean physically, the appearance oh, come on, guys.
Could I have a knife and fork, please? And maybe a bag a fucking sick bag.
And while the dishes looked awful There's no seasoning in there.
Everything's bland bland.
It's bland.
The pasta's bland.
They tasted even worse.
Aah.
Dirt.
It's like a fucking flip-flop.
- Now, are you crunching grits? - Yes, yes.
You think it's good? I had heard enough.
Michael was clearly delusional.
I'll be back later, yeah? I'd like to catch a plane out of here right now.
Even though I wanted to leave for good, I came back for dinner.
What is that? Big mistake.
- I think it's veal, chef.
- You think it's veal? - Pretty sure it's veal.
- You didn't put it in there? It looks like meat thrown in a pan.
But what is it, though? I don't know.
And it's not labeled.
How could you not know? - Stuffed what? - Mushrooms.
Smell that.
Smell it! That's fucking older than me.
Smell it! Go on! I'd seen enough.
The kitchen was so disgusting, I had no choice but to Shut the place down! Under no circumstances can we continue to serve food.
I'm fucking embarrassed.
Everybody, I'm sad to say, and embarrassed to say, that we're closing down Leone's for the night.
Leone's never been shut down.
I'm very embarrassed by it.
Probably won't sleep tonight over this.
I'm angry at myself.
I think as the boss of the restaurant, it was just irresponsible.
We're gonna turn this 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 want to make 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.
So, with Michael's eyes finally open, we spent some valuable time in the kitchen together.
A touch olive oil on there, salt and pepper.
Cooked on the bone.
Why do we cook it on the bone? - More flavor.
- Right.
Get that pan nice and hot.
How do you know when the oil is ready, chef? A light smoke coming off there.
It's got the sear in there.
Wow.
Mmm.
That is unbelievable, huh? It just melts in your mouth.
I think it's time for a change.
And I want to be the best Italian restaurant in town.
For the first time, I saw this lazy owner making a positive change.
Then I knew he was ready to run his restaurant.
You may recognize him from sitting on his ass outside watching television.
But that guy's gone now.
We have a new Michael.
Let's go.
With a new, modern look, a concise menu Are we ready to order? Michael stepped up and not only surprised his staff 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.
But his mother too.
Mama Rose, are you happy? Yeah, I'm very happy.
- Look after your son.
- I will.
Michael proved with hard work he can run Leone's.
Three important words that I need you to remember, - stay the course.
- Stay the course, Chef.
I can't hear you.
Chef, in my restaurant I'm gonna stay the course.
Good.
I'm back in New Jersey hoping that he's kept his promise, or has reverted back to his old lazy ways.
Next, Chef Ramsay gets to the bottom of what's going on at Leone's.
Truly, honestly? You don't want to miss what's coming up.
Unfortunately, here's the bad news.
I'm back in Montclair, New Jersey to check on the Italian restaurant Leone's, run by owner Mama Rose, and her son Michael.
Last time I was here, all Mama Rose wanted was for her son to step up and actually run the business.
It almost didn't happen, but we finally turned him into a leader.
Time to check in if he's continued to make his mother proud.
- How are you? - Hey! Welcome back.
- Good to see you.
- Good to see you, sir.
- Wow, this place is busy.
- Yes, sir.
Love the buzz.
That's good.
Well, let's step through there and have a little catch up.
I'm very excited to see Chef Ramsay today, and tell him about the progress we've made in the restaurant, and all the beautiful changes we have here at Leone's.
First things first.
Where's the television? That's my old television that I watch all the games on.
Seriously? I promise you the day you left, - there was no television here.
- No television? In the entire restaurant, my word.
- How have you been? - I've been doing well.
As soon as you left, the buzz around the neighborhood - and the food was fantastic.
- Right.
- The new dishes flew off the menu.
- Good.
I wake up energized.
I'm going to restaurant supply houses, buying all the fresh ingredients.
Looking up new recipes, trying new things with me and my cooks.
- There's a better, stronger relationship there.
- That's fantastic.
I started a delivery campaign.
- You started a campaign? - Yes, sir.
I did a menu, mailed 'em out to the surrounding towns, and it's been very beneficial.
You have been busy.
So this is a complete revolution.
You are so much more hands-on now than you ever were before, right? Oh, huge.
Big difference, night and day.
- Dina, is he lazy? - Yes.
- John, is he lazy? - Yes, chef.
I feel like it's finally my business, and I'm not running my mother's business.
That's fantastic.
That's absolutely fantastic.
And where's the business sitting now? It's probably up 40% since last time.
You are working hard.
Yes, sir.
I gave you my word.
- This is a new Michael.
- Energized Michael.
- Unbelievable.
- Yeah, energized.
- I mean, you are seriously energized.
- Yeah.
Ah, what a lovely surprise.
- Hello, my darling.
- Hi.
- How are you you look great! - Thank you.
Look at you.
Oh, my goodness me.
Come over.
I've missed you.
- I've missed you.
- You've lost weight.
That's incredible.
Well done.
- Stop, come on.
I'm a year older.
- Hot! You don't want to go chasing men at 45 years of age.
Michael, I'm hungry.
- I shall make you something.
- Good.
- Welcome back to Leone's.
- How are you? - Good to see you.
Are you well? - Good to see you again.
- You look great.
- Yes, I'm great.
Thank you.
- Have you got two minutes? - Yes, absolutely.
Mama Rose looks amazing.
- She looks fabulous.
- God bless her.
Michael, he told me he's here first thing in the morning, he's here last thing at night.
Is he really working that hard? He still shows up at his usual time, 5:30-6:00.
Oh, no.
Oh, no.
Back to the beginning? Why is he lying to me? Maybe he's scared.
Unreal.
Hello, my darling.
- How are you? - Hi.
How are you? I was good, until I just heard that.
- What? - Take a seat, please.
I had a chat with Michael around the corner, and he told me he's working so hard.
What time's he coming in? He comes in at 6:00-6:30.
Wow.
Wow.
6:30.
- Yeah.
- I mean, crazy.
You can't run a business by coming in at 6:30.
You have to set that example to the staff.
- Is he helping with payroll? - No.
He doesn't do any of it.
Damn.
- Inventory? - No, nothing.
No.
What the fuck.
So he's not stepping up? We're here at 9:00 today.
We swept the floor, we mopped the floors.
We set it up.
Bloody hell.
It's so annoying.
And he he was physically the last one in here.
Honestly? And he found TVs across the street.
He found TVs across the street? What do you mean? - Yeah, at the bar - In the bar.
Oh, shit.
So he goes across to the sports bar - to watch TV? - Yeah, yeah.
- Oh, no.
- Oh, yes.
- He's still Michael.
- He's still Michael? Oh, Trudy, honestly? - Yeah.
- That's so sad.
You can paint stripes on a horse, but that doesn't make it a zebra.
Like, just because you gave us a little face lift he's still the same person underneath.
I mean, we all love Michael.
But unless he steps up, he could destroy it.
I'm so disappointed.
- He did not stay the course.
- He detoured the day you left.
Oh, my God.
Oh, I'm pissed off.
He needs somebody to tell him what to do.
Right.
Leave it to me.
Thank you.
I appreciate the catch-up.
I'm hoping Gordon Ramsay will be able to help Michael and maybe give Michael another kick.
Because Michael needs another kick.
Okay, Chef.
Today we have a Mozzarella Caprese.
Nice.
And our homemade eggplant parmesan.
- Wow.
Thank you.
- Enjoy, sir.
Thank you.
What a difference.
What a difference.
What the fuck is that? Oh, my God.
The chilis Modern, clean, tasty.
- Are you that involved in the kitchen now? - Yes.
These are both my dishes, so hope you enjoy them, yeah.
That is delicious.
That's good news.
Unfortunately, here's some bad news.
Whilst I'm excited about the buzz, business being up 40%, delivery is working brilliantly I've just heard from John and Trudy.
Everything you told me about working so much harder is not what they think.
My question to you is why bullshit me through there? I didn't bullshit, chef.
Listen, you're not manning up.
You changed course the day I left.
- What time do you come in every day? - 4:30-5:00.
Trudy's saying sometimes it's 6:30.
On certain days, Chef, not every day.
- On any day - Mm-hmm.
You've got to be here before the staff.
How many times have I said that? Are you scheduling the payroll? Are you helping out with those? No.
I kept that as it is.
Right now, Chef, I'm just more concentrating on the food, the atmosphere You cannot concentrate on the food when you walk in at 6:30 in the evening.
Mama Rose, I'm sorry, but I'm disappointed.
You have to be tough.
You need to be a leader.
You need to be in here before your staff.
You need to show that commitment.
They're loyal members that have been here for a long time.
They don't hate you, they just want a commitment from you.
I'm sorry, Mama Rose.
I'm sure you've got work to do.
I'm not impressed, Michael.
Up to now I haven't been staying the course.
It's very hard to admit that in front of my mom.
I should be more hands-on with the food, with the specials, with the servers, and the overall business.
Chef, I just wanted to tell you that I'm sorry.
There is areas I could really concentrate and put more time in.
I didn't want to say it in front of my mother.
I don't want to make her any more nervous than she is.
But I really want to tell you that you are right.
I could put definitely more commitment into this restaurant and do a better job.
I feel like I'm letting you down.
I know, but there's there's a lazy streak in you when things are going well.
That's when you've gotta work harder.
I set an example that I've gotta work harder than my staff.
- Jump back in there, and nail it.
- Yes, sir.
- Please? - You have my word.
- I want to make you proud.
- Don't let me down.
And don't let yourself down, and don't let your mother down.
- You got it.
- Okay.
Take care.
- Thank you for coming back, Chef.
- Excellent.
I believe that Chef Ramsay gave me a little bit of tough love today 'cause he really does want me to succeed.
He doesn't want to coddle me.
He wants me to keep on driving and going forward.
Damn.
I'm a little surprised to hear Michael slipped back to some of these old habits.
And his staff clearly need more help.
And with that mall opening up shortly, business is going to continue to grow.
So my only hope now, he steps up and leads Leone's on a path to success.
But more importantly, God bless Mama Rose.
In the days that followed, Michael kept his promise to Chef Ramsay, and is putting in more hours at the restaurant.
Now, only time will tell if he will stick to his word.
If Chef Ramsay visits again, he's gonna see a more committed Michael that's more in tune with his staff.
I'm gonna make him proud and make this business succeed.
Three restaurants, three different stories, but so far, all on the road to success.
In the restaurant business, you're never out of the woods.
The good news is they are all heading in the right direction.
Good night.