Kitchen Nightmares (2007) s07e03 Episode Script
Old Neighborhood
The place is littered with [Bleep.]
.
Chef Ramsay makes his first visit to Colorado and is faced with a restaurant that hasn't changed anything in 33 years.
This place feels like it's been closed for the last ten years.
It's the look that the restaurant has.
The owner who runs the front of house Wow.
Is an out-of-control hoarder.
- Does it work? - No.
And to make matters worse The owner who runs the kitchen is completely clueless.
You cross-contaminated every ounce of ingredients in this kitchen.
It's one of the most shocking and filthiest restaurants Chef Ramsay has ever seen.
Disgusting, deplorable mess.
And you not believe what he uncovers It stinks.
- In the dining room - Wow.
- In the office - Gross.
- In the kitchen - You are kidding me.
And in the entranceway.
Ooh.
Careful, she's slippery.
While the decor is horrid This is a horror show.
The food is wretched.
I wouldn't feed that to the mannequin.
And unbelievably, the husband and wife owners have no idea why their business is failing.
A lot of people enjoy the things that we cook.
The food is hideous.
Get ready to witness I'm not actually too sure what to do.
One of the most difficult challenges of Chef Ramsay's career.
Maybe we should just close it down and lose everything we have.
What is that? You're serving rotten food.
They're not crap.
They're delicious.
- Then wake up! - You wake up! Shut the place down.
Get out of here! That is amazing.
- That's embarrassing! - God! Thank you so much.
Arvada, Colorado, 15 minutes from Denver, is home to the Old Neighbourhood restaurant.
Owners Alexa and Randy met when they were servers during their college years.
They fulfilled a dream when they bought the eatery in 1988.
Almost ready? Ready as ever.
My wife and I have owned the restaurant for 25 years.
And we're here all the time together.
Thank you, Randy.
Thank you very much.
Just trying to do my job.
The business has been declining for probably about 13 years.
What else is coming back? You have all the tickets that you're gonna have, I believe.
Just go.
I don't need you here.
Go, please.
Off the line.
But the last three months have been really, really hard.
And we don't know, really, why.
How are we all doing this evening? I don't know what you put in this steak, but it leaves a terrible aftertaste.
I don't think there is a menu in the country that is even close to ours.
_ _ _ We have things like a sedona chicken.
We have teriyaki steak.
We have beef wontons.
We also have trout parmesan, burritos, cajun catfish, duck schnitzel.
It's really weird.
_ It's not only the menu that's out of control, it's the decor.
Welcome to grandma's house.
It's definitely about 40 years out of date.
My father doesn't throw anything away.
He's definitely the epitome of a hoarder.
Everything in here is decrepit.
The wallpaper is falling off the wall.
Half of the chairs are broken.
So it's like, sometimes when people sit down, they just go down.
You lost a wheel over there? I mean, seriously, look.
I think Randy and Alexa are just kinda stuck in their old ways.
I don't think that they're willing to really change a whole lot of things.
They haven't done much in the past 30 years.
My wife and I are in debt to the tune of about $320,000.
If the stress doesn't subside somewhere, something drastic is gonna give.
Us, our relationship, this restaurant we can't keep going like this.
Wow.
"Old Neighbourhood restaurant.
" Even the sign looks old.
Wow.
Ooh, [Bleep.]
.
What is that thing? Are you kidding me? Strange.
Good afternoon.
How are you, sir? - Randy.
- Randy, Gordon.
Good to see you.
- Chef, nice to meet you.
- Likewise.
So happy to be here.
What is this? - What is this? - This thing here.
- Fiona? - Who who is this? - Fiona.
- It has a name? - She has a name, yes.
- Come on, seriously? It's not an it, it's a she.
- Wow.
- She changes outfits regularly.
Ooh.
Careful, she's slippery.
Now no disrespect, but you walk into a restaurant, you don't expect to see a mannequin there.
It's kind of my wife's thing.
And these? Well, you know, somebody stole her hands.
She's delicate.
So this is not a joke, this is something that your wife looks after, her mannequin? - She does.
- Okay.
We have pictures of people with Fiona.
okay, right.
Well, why don't you get your dear wife, and we'll have a catch-up together, all right? - I'll put this thing back.
- Sure.
Yeah.
Oh, [Bleep.]
.
Really? Man, this is really weird.
My God.
Chef Broke Fiona.
- He wants you to come out here.
- No.
What the hell? You are kidding me.
Damn.
- Hello.
I'm Alexa.
- Alexa, nice to see you.
- Nice to meet you.
- Likewise.
Um, let's sit down at the bar, shall we - Absolutely.
- And catch up? Um, I thought Randy was winding me up, because he said that that doll in the window is, like, a friend of yours.
Yeah, she has had a couple rides in the convertible when I've tried to take her home and put her at peace in the garage.
And I had to go run an errand first, so stop.
Okay, you've had this place for how long? - 25 years that we've owned it.
- 25 years? We both worked here as servers when we were college students - at the university of Colorado.
- Nice.
My oldest one, Wiley, works here part-time.
Okay, great, so in a nutshell, um, describe the food for me.
Traditional American.
Okay.
How often does it change, the menu? - It's hasn't in a very long time.
- Once a year.
When was the last time you changed the lunch menu? The lunch menu? Several years.
When does the menu change? Every three months? Every six months? No, more like eight months to a year.
- Eight months to a year? - Once a year.
Once a year, and when was the last big change? [Bleep.]
, now, Randy, have you any idea how bad this sounds? Okay, so in 33 years, the menu has changed not many times, but it has.
Okay, right, more importantly, what's wrong with the place? It's been a real struggle to even stay open.
But I don't think we'd survive 33 years, especially without too much change, unless the food was good.
Good.
Glad to hear it.
Um, I'm dying to eat.
- Where should I sit? - Wherever you'd like.
What's all that stuff up there? Antiques.
Antiques? Wow.
Randy's hoarding well, he's got some serious decor issues.
The antique stuff and everything, it needs to come down.
Looks like a pile of junk.
Right.
Alexa, I'm gonna eat.
Let me have a good look at the menu, and I look forward to catching up with you later.
- Thank you both.
- Thank you.
- Hello - Hello - how are you? - I'm good.
How are you? - First name is? - Kristen.
- Kristen, good to see you.
- I'll be your server today.
Okay, great.
- Um, wow, everything's so dated.
- It is.
I mean, has anything changed in here? No, it's I don't think anything has changed - since they took over.
- Wow.
I walked in, and there was a dreadful smell, - an old musty, stinky smell.
- It's musty.
And where's that smell coming is it these antiques? Um, I don't know if it's the antiques or if it's the old upholstery.
If you sit in one of these booths, um, it smells like someone that hasn't showered in a while.
- Serious? - Yeah, I'm serious.
What, like someone's go ahead and smell it.
Someone's, like like, B.
O.
? Yeah.
Yeah, you're right.
What was [Bleep.]
.
Yeah, it's pretty bad.
When I have to set the tables, I smell it all the time, so, they stink.
It smells really bad.
Have they been reupholstered? No, I think this is the original upholstery from 1980.
That's a lot of farts in these chairs.
Man, and what's with the wheels on the chairs? Um, because it's carpet, I think they think it's convenient, 'cause Man.
Um, is this the menu? Yeah, that is the lunch menu.
Look at the state of it.
And I had to pick you out the best one.
That's the best one? Yeah, that's the best one I could find.
Wow, and this is the yeah, this is the dinner menu.
- The dinner menu? - Yep.
Wow.
Brie en croute.
French onion soup, wow.
New Orleans barbecue shrimp.
Cajun catfish, mushroom tempura, beef wontons.
We've gone from French to New Orleans to Asian.
Wow.
Italian.
[Bleep.]
Flies.
[Bleep.]
Flies everywhere, where are they coming from? [Bleep.]
.
That fly won't leave you alone.
[Bleep.]
.
Man, anyway - Shall I order? - Okay.
Let's go for the new Orleans barbecue shrimp.
- Thank you.
- Okay.
- The Yucatan sea scallops.
- Okay.
And is there a salmon special today? The salmon special today is baked with a dill dijon cream sauce.
Okay, yeah, let's go for that as well.
Okay, darling, I think we're done for now.
- I'll go turn those in to Alexa.
- Thank you.
- Order's in.
- Bring it on.
- How are you? - My name is Wiley.
- Wiley, good to the son.
- The son, yes.
- Okay, great.
- How long have you been here? I've been here about ten years.
What do you think the big problem at the restaurant is? I think the big problem is the decor.
Have you ever tried to take some of this junk down? I'm afraid to.
I'm afraid of what my father might do if I tried to take something down.
- Why? - He's kept it up here for 30 years.
Yeah, but is it worth anything? I doubt it.
It's like a garage sale that you're staring at and eating at.
Yeah.
- Well, good to meet you, bud.
- Thank you.
Definitely.
- It's great to meet you.
- Likewise.
Good to see you too.
You too.
Here's your barbecued shrimp.
All right.
My dishes are excellent, and if Chef Ramsay doesn't like any of my cooking, it will piss me off.
- Ooh, this is what? - Barbecue shrimp.
Barbecue shrimp? That's a very strange-looking barbecue sauce.
It's a cream barbecue cream sauce.
- A barbecue cream sauce? - Cream sauce.
Look at the color of that.
Is that is the shrimp barbecue, or is it the sauce that's barbecue? - It's a barbecue sauce.
- I see.
And why would you sort of coat the Lemon in cream? It's, collateral damage.
Yeah, I'll say.
- Thank you, darling.
- You're welcome.
Aah.
[Bleep.]
Me.
I wouldn't feed that to the [Bleep.]
mannequin.
Even she'd manage to throw that up.
That sauce is hideous.
And the shrimp feels tough as old boots.
And the flies are landing on me, as opposed to on the shrimp.
The look on your face doesn't look good.
No, it's got a really weird texture.
When a fly bypasses a [Bleep.]
dish, you know it's bad.
Trust me.
- Um, I'm done with that.
- Okay.
Thanks, darling.
Jeez.
So what did he say about this? Um, it has a weird texture to the sauce.
He doesn't know why it would be called barbecue.
People have been coming here for 33 years.
The food cannot be that bad.
This is your salmon.
Wow.
This is the special? Yes, with the dill dijon cream sauce.
With a dill dijon cream sauce.
Somebody likes cream in the kitchen.
Who is that? Where do all these cream sauces come from? I don't know who originally started them, but Alexa cooks with a lot of cream.
- Wow.
- Everything's made with heavy cream.
Damn, a lot of cream sauce.
Thank you, darling.
You're welcome.
The salmon tastes frozen.
It doesn't taste fresh at all.
It's dry, very dry.
Wow.
I mean, it's very old school.
Cream on cream on cream.
- But thank you, my darling.
- You're very welcome.
Yeah, that wasn't pleasant.
All right.
I'll let them know.
That was hideous.
He says the salmon tastes dry.
What? Come on, really? He said, "cream again?" Yeah, well, everything he ordered has cream, but I know, and wow, I would think people would know what they were ordering before they did it, but that's whatever.
I think everything is delicious.
I wouldn't serve if I didn't think it was delicious.
There goes another one.
God, look at that wallpaper.
That's terrible.
What a mess.
Randy, when the last time we had a coat of paint or changed the wallpaper? - When was the last wallpaper? - Five years ago.
This wallpaper is five years ago? No, not this one.
- Can I show you something? - Sure.
Please? What's all this here for? And this here? Disrepair.
And you pull that table out, and you just see all that marking there, across the wall like that.
This place looks and feels like it's been closed for the last ten years.
It's the look that the restaurant has.
Wow.
Hopefully, before the week is finished, I'll get a straight answer.
Here is your Yucatan scallops, sir.
Here it is.
Here he is.
Wiley.
- There you go, Chef.
- The man.
And where are the scallops? - In the dish.
- Inside that boat.
- Underneath the peppers - And in the boat.
Excellent, thank you.
You're welcome.
Wow, it is absolutely gross.
Wow, dreadful.
No seasoning whatsoever.
And the scallops are just hideous.
I gotta find out why this is called Yucatan.
'Cause I don't wanna insult those people in Mexico.
Randy, um, I'd like to find out why it's called "the Yucatan," the sea scallop dish.
What's the relation? The spice with the chipotle peppers.
So why's it called Yucatan? - 'Cause it's got spice in it? - It's just the name.
You just picked the name out of a hat? It bears no relevance to the actual if it does or doesn't, I'm not actually 100% sure.
Are you kidding me? Okay, I'm done with that.
Thank you.
That was gross.
The scallops are overdone, and the sauce is bland.
That's the way I've been cooking 'em.
They look beautiful.
They were cooked perfectly.
I know they were.
I'm getting irritated.
I like it.
It's an absolute matter of taste.
This is just stupid.
That's the way we cook.
That's that's it wasn't an off day.
After sampling some unusual and disgusting food It's got a really weird texture.
While sitting in a musty, bug-filled dining room Flies everywhere, where are they coming from? Chef Ramsay wants to have a little chat with head Chef and owner Alexa and her kitchen staff.
I'm gonna get straight to the point.
I'm seriously concerned.
Um, the New Orleans barbecued shrimp I've never known a barbecue cream sauce, anywhere.
Yucatan sea scallops no seasoning.
The scallops were meaty, bland, and actually whiter than the actual cream sauce.
Do you, taste anything that you're cooking? I didn't see anything seasoned.
I'm sorry, I have a lot of pride.
And I cooked everything there.
And I really, you know a lot of people enjoy the things that we cook.
Right.
I'm not asking about your pride.
The question I asked was, - "does anyone taste" - Yes.
"As they cook?" So all my food - I didn't taste your food.
- You didn't taste my food? No, but I cook that food all the time, I don't know.
So it's just automatic? Push the button, and we're cooking that.
So you don't think anything needs seasoning? I thought I was making good food.
But I don't know why.
The food is dated, the decor is hideous, and you sit customers in front of a [Bleep.]
wall with dilapidated wallpaper, peeling off! You better take a good look at yourself and maybe dust yourself down.
Shake it off.
That [Bleep.]
freak in the corner there, man.
Stop.
Let's go get ready for dinner.
Word has spread that Chef Ramsay is in town Hello.
And the restaurant that is normally not very busy right this way.
Is booked.
For you, sir? _ Tonight, Chef Ramsay will continue to examine the dysfunctional working of this restaurant.
Jeez.
What's all this [Bleep.]
here for? - Hello, Chef.
- Do people does anyone actually sit down here? - They do, yes.
They do, - Yeah? And when you when they sit on this, do you not think this looks drab? I don't have a better one.
You don't have a better one.
How about nothing? What is that? Wow.
Merry Christmas.
What is this? I mean, honestly.
When was this cleaned? Not for a long time, sir.
You are in charge of front of house, right? I am.
My God.
There you go, there's your card.
The joker.
How fitting is that? - How old is this chair? - 20 years.
- 20 years? - 20 years.
What kind of message does it send when you have this in the middle of the dining room? I mean, that does look like it's gone - past its sell-by date, right? - Yes.
When was the last time it was cleaned? I would say a couple years ago.
My God.
- Have you seen down there? - Yes.
And that's acceptable for you? That's not clean, sir, no.
My God.
You are kidding me.
No, what is that? Looks like a comb.
Looks like a comb? Come on, Randy.
Do you think this is funny, in front of the customers? Not at all.
The crumbs and the [Bleep.]
down there.
You're not putting it back there, are you? No, I'll take it out yeah, get it the [Bleep.]
out of here.
I gotta wash my frickin' hands.
I wasn't totally flabbergasted.
The trash fell out of somebody's pocket.
Somebody didn't see it was there.
You know, I don't feel that bad about that.
I'm covered in dust.
My God, what a mess.
There are rat droppings everywhere.
Gross.
This is shocking.
You keep your dirty shoes under the banquette? They're not mine.
Did the customer die? There's holes in the sole.
Dirty, crusty shoes.
I gotta wash my hands again.
Man.
Okay, onion rings.
Did we fix those? Are they already out? What's that? It's from the steam table.
Looks like a river running through here.
God, look at the state of this stove.
How old is that stove? Wow, I mean, I know the restaurant's called the Old Neighbourhood, but, like, the kitchen's an old, dilapidated Neighbourhood, yeah? What is that? Is that your wow, you are kidding me.
He sticks it in the prime rib, then he sticks it back in there.
What's that spray? Canned coating, so it doesn't stick.
- Canned coating? - Yes.
Wow.
My mother's definitely lost her high standards over the last 15, 20 years.
Here you go, Randy.
I know she cares for this place.
But the passion and the fire that I've seen in her before is no longer there.
Okay, filet, filet, lamb chops.
I probably burned 'em.
Son of a bitch.
- What is this in here? - This is the office.
Wow.
How could anyone work in this mess? Do you know what I mean? It doesn't make sense.
What the God.
What? What is all this junk? Old equipment.
- But what's it here for? - Parts, once in a while.
Parts? So what parts do you take from a 1950s ice machine? - Legs.
- Legs? And what's this? It's a microwave.
- Does it work? - No.
So what can you take from that then? - I don't know.
- Wow.
Look at the mess.
It's like you're hoarding stuff.
Chef Ramsay must think I'm a lunatic for having that stuff sitting back there, but I don't really think that I'm a hoarder.
It's just hard for me to throw things away.
What's that noise coming from? Something doesn't sound right in there.
Oh, [Bleep.]
Almighty.
Next to cleaning equipment.
How long has that been there? I don't know.
It was not in there yesterday.
So it died only as of this morning.
That dry? Can we come out of there? That that died a lot longer than 24 hours ago.
Matt, take over from Alexa for one minute, please.
I got it.
- Have you seen out here? - I know.
He has a problem with throwing [Bleep.]
away, clearly.
- And are you okay with this then? - No.
- You're not? - No, it needs to go.
This is ridiculous.
I'm trying to get him, slowly, to get rid of it and to change his ways, but he doesn't listen.
- It's a problem.
- It's a big issue.
You're enabling a hoarder.
You're right, it is a problem.
It's a hoarder, I agree.
And that, as an office, in there? It's it's a travesty, absolutely horrendous.
Gotta wash my hands.
That's all I've done for the last 20 minutes, I've washed my frickin' hands.
While it is clear to Chef Ramsay that Randy is a hoarder What's wrong with that, Kristen? The baked potato is foaming because there's - so much butter on it with the sour cream.
- Gross.
It's also becoming evident that customers are as disappointed with their food as he was earlier today at lunch.
The split-top came back.
He says it was tough.
- That's ridiculous.
- I know.
He didn't like the potato cake either.
Now he decides to see what is lurking in the walk-in fridge.
What is that? My God.
That stinks.
That's gone off.
Raw chicken and cooked meat.
I am not impressed.
They have broken every cardinal rule.
It's barely an hour into dinner service at the Old Neighbourhood.
The restaurant is already full of unhappy customers.
The baked potato is foaming because there's so much butter - on it with the sour cream.
- Gross.
And Chef Ramsay has not only made some shocking discoveries in the dining room My God.
But back in the kitchen, he has made some frightening discoveries as well.
What is that? My God.
That stinks.
That's gone off.
My God, that's disgusting.
That is off as well.
Salmon, and look, some dirty [Bleep.]
picked all the bones out and just left them on the side.
What way to run a fridge.
That stinks.
So the hoarding isn't just wash machines and microwaves.
It's old food.
Ugh, [Bleep.]
Look at the state of this.
Dirty, dirty [Bleep.]
.
Wonderful.
We survived it.
Nope.
What in the [Bleep.]
is this? Mud pie on top of scallops.
Man, this fridge is littered with [Bleep.]
.
This is a horror show.
Randy, can you just get me Lexi, please, for two minutes? - She's extremely busy right now, - But - yeah, well, I'm extremely - I understand, I'll get her.
Wiley, can you stay with me? - Two seconds.
- Yes.
Lexi, Chef has to have you for a minute right now.
Okay.
When was the last time this walk-in fridge was cleaned? - Monday.
- Monday? - Can you just step over here, two seconds? - Yeah.
This is the dessert start preparation.
It's got blood.
That's disgusting.
And these? Lamb chops.
And what's it sat in? - What is that? - I don't know what that is.
Cold water, dirty water, absolutely.
Dirty water, you're right.
And this here? What is that? Fudge from the mud pie.
Fudge from the mud pie that sat on top of a leg of lamb that is dripping with blood you withe? The place is littered with [Bleep.]
, everywhere you turn.
And for me, it was bad enough to see the crap in the dining room.
I didn't expect that walk-in to be festering the way it is.
Go and have a look in there now.
Both of you, walk in there.
Mold, crap.
That was cleaned last week? It was not cleaned last week.
And this here, can you see that up there? I can see that.
Let's get out of here.
Seriously? Just smell that.
Look at the color of it and the congealed blood.
And this? That's blood from the lamb.
I've never, ever seen a pack this bad.
And then some dirty [Bleep.]
Takes bones from the salmon and dumps them on the side.
- I did it.
- You did this? I was pulling 'em out.
Yep, I did.
And you put them back on there I sat 'em there, and I didn't put 'em away.
My God, just touch the temperature of that.
Just touch that.
The big shock for me hold them both.
It sat with this.
You have raw chicken and cooked [Bleep.]
meat.
There's a theme here.
This place is littered with junk, the chairs are caked in [Bleep.]
, and the refrigeration walk-in is in disarray.
I stepped one foot into your kitchen, and there was a [Bleep.]
hole in the wall, where the meat thermometers gets taken out and stuck inside.
There's a freezer there that's not even up to the temp.
of a fridge, let alone a freezer.
And you've got cooked meat, raw meat, and [Bleep.]
desserts glazed, and half cooked leg of lamb blood.
This is criminal.
You have cross-contaminated every ounce of ingredients in this kitchen.
And you you see that? Who is hoarding all this [Bleep.]
? We serve that [Bleep.]
.
You use that [Bleep.]
? Wiley, get in there and stop any other [Bleep.]
entree leaving, and shut it [Bleep.]
down.
After witnessing one of the worst kitchens he has ever seen my God.
This is a horror show.
Stop any other [Bleep.]
entree leaving, and shut it down.
Chef Ramsay knows he has to put an end to the madness.
- No more entrees.
- I'm sorry? - Take their food away.
- Why? 'Cause we're not serving anymore.
We are about as dirty as a kitchen could be, and it's absolutely disgusting.
We will not be serving any more food this evening.
- I'm extremely sorry.
- That's no good.
I mean, this is so [Bleep.]
up.
It's so ridiculous.
The kitchen's infested.
The office is a mess.
And on your chairs that you told me got cleaned years ago, a comb, a candy cane? I mean, old kleenex, used.
People wiping their nose, sticking it down the side.
You can't even get clarity in there, because you're so festering in crap everywhere.
Both of you should be ashamed.
What did you say to me today? That I take pride in what I do.
Where? I don't know.
I am not proud right now.
We got overwhelmed, and it's a [Bleep.]
.
It's a [Bleep.]
, and it's a mess.
And maybe we should just close it down and lose everything we have.
'Cause that's probably what we're gonna do.
How can I help two individuals that don't even care about what they're doing? We do care.
We care tremendously.
So why didn't you do anything before I got here? We did.
I can't tell you how many hours we cleaned.
You cleaned before I got here? I threw out my clothes on Monday, I was so encased with grease.
How long? How many hours? How many days? Five.
[Bleep.]
.
What the [Bleep.]
? You just need to stop.
What a [Bleep.]
mess.
Come here.
I love you.
It's all right.
It's gonna get better.
I never thought my restaurant would be shut down.
Can I have a quick word, please Absolutely.
With both of you, outside.
It's the worst moment of my life, undoubtedly.
For the first time in a long time, I'm not actually too sure what to do.
Right now, I wanna get out of here.
Please don't.
We could really use your help.
The mistakes are so basic.
We perhaps should not even be in the business.
That's what I'm scared about.
I think we can do this.
We desperately need your help.
You told me in there that you cleaned for five days before I got here.
Didn't do any good.
How do I know that you really get it and you really will commit to getting this place turned around? I can do whatever you show me.
I can do it.
I'm begging you to stay and help us, please.
I'll do whatever you want.
We're not gonna let you down.
Now, it's your chance to prove it to yourselves and me.
- Show me.
- Okay, we will.
- Thank you.
- We will.
Nick, throw this [Bleep.]
away.
It was the most mortifying thing I've ever lived through.
And I have no excuses.
It's my fault if something isn't right here.
It's a joke.
This is my restaurant.
I have a lot of pride in it.
I was shown too many things that I did not want to see.
The problem is, I'm the guy who's supposed to see it.
We're not good at what we do.
We're not even remotely good at what we do.
We'll get better, a lot better.
We spent 24 years here.
I don't wanna close this place down, filthy and dirty and not operating and a coffin.
I don't want it to be a coffin.
I want it to exist.
- I love you.
- I love you too.
After one of the worst days that Chef Ramsay has ever experienced on kitchen nightmares Yeah, what a difference.
He is pleased with the overnight cleaning done in the kitchen.
Now it looks and smells like a proper kitchen.
Good.
But he has decided to take matters literally into his own hands in the dining room.
Okay, Alexa, how you feeling? Very nervous.
When I first came to restaurant, I was overwhelmed with the clutter.
Randy, your inability to get rid of junk sent a message to everyone that cleaning out was not necessary.
And that has to end today.
Come with me, please.
Let's go.
My gosh.
That was your restaurant.
That's a lot of trash.
Today is a groundbreaking day, Randy, because you are gonna get rid of this [Bleep.]
.
My husband has a hard time letting go of things.
And it's easier to just store them and think about getting rid of 'em later, but that later time never came.
You ready to do this? I wanna keep the accordion that's got Wiley's name on it.
What? Randy, whether you like it or not, right now, we're moving forward.
I brought in this truck.
Either store or destroy.
The majority of this stuff you know damn well is junk.
Let's go.
All right.
Excellent, follow along.
Pick something for destruction.
Everybody, join in.
Randy, no? I love it, let's go.
I've had that stuff for 30 years.
Some stuff in there looked pretty good.
Didn't really wanna part with it.
Randy come round, Randy.
Where's the button? I want you to do it.
Which one? I'm throwing it away.
I'm not gonna get a dime for it.
The tuba! The tuba.
Yes, victory.
Look at that.
It's probably the greatest feeling in the entire world, having Randy actually throw things away.
Let's go, guys.
Nick, the microwave again.
One, two, three.
And honestly, I think he enjoyed it.
- I really think he did.
- Should I save the legs, Chef? You cannot save the legs.
I think he turned a corner.
- Right, there's one more valuable piece.
- Yes, there is.
Fiona too? No, Chef.
I know you guys are close.
- We're not that close.
- Are you sure now? I'm sure.
I'm 150% sure.
It's time to go where you belong.
Everybody wave good-bye to Fiona.
She broke into a million pieces.
- Maybe you have changed.
- I think so.
I didn't think there was gonna be any light at the end of the tunnel.
But in the end, I feel like the world's off my shoulders with all that stuff being crushed in the truck.
I thought he was gonna dive in the truck after.
Okay, I've been working on something in the kitchen I wanna show you right now.
Follow me, please.
Let's go.
So first of all, you'll notice how de-cluttered the kitchen is.
I've never, ever overhauled a kitchen to this extent $65,000 worth of equipment.
I don't know how you ever lasted a week working in this kitchen with such dreadful equipment.
There's knobs! Wow.
There's more than knobs.
I made a very urgent call to our friends at Culiquip.
And they came through last minute with brand-new kitchen equipment.
Take a look at this stunning range.
A stunning rapid six-ring gas burner from Therma-tek.
It's amazing.
Two full-size ovens.
I just wanna cook something.
Yeah.
Now, straight on the right-hand side, is the broaster pressure fryer.
It's not just a fryer.
Broasted chicken comes out great.
And it is a unique and fast, healthy way of cooking.
The whole system seals in the tenderness, and the flavor is retained.
- Wow.
- That is too good.
We also replaced that dreadful old fryer with a brand-new imperial dual basket fryer.
Look, you can see through the grease, it's clean.
You have a brand-new prep area now.
That's chilled.
Everything's working.
It's all in one piece.
It's all in one piece.
Put your hands in there, feel that.
That's what you call a refrigeration unit.
It's the most amazing equipment I've ever seen.
It's all so new and compact and clean.
The river Neighbourhood is gone.
It's absolutely the most incredible day of my life right now.
She's gonna cry again.
No, I'm trying not to.
It's okay, those are good tears.
You can let those out.
It's beautiful.
It's inspired me.
I can't wait.
I can't believe you you haven't had anything new in this kitchen - for how long? - 33 years.
That's way too long, let me tell you.
- Thank you so much.
- It's beautiful.
With a clear indication that Randy and Alexa have seen the error of their ways, Chef Ramsay continues to push forward with his massive transformation, including a new sign.
Good morning.
Good morning, Chef.
Please take off your blindfolds.
- Cool! - Wow.
- Awesome.
Great! - So cool.
Something that was completely dated was that hideous sign.
Now, are you ready for more change? Yes.
Come on in to your new restaurant.
- My gosh, it smells so good.
- My God.
How beautiful is this? - Cool.
- My God.
Let's just start off with the booths first reupholstered with a stain-resistant, stunning material.
Does anybody notice the wheels have gone, and the new chairs are here? I'm really glad they got rid of all the nasty chairs.
I think it's gonna be a great fresh start for us and one we really needed.
Please, come on down.
Gone is that antiquated P.
O.
S.
System.
And we have replaced it with a state-of-the-art, brand-new, unique P.
O.
S.
, given to us by Dinerware.
It's fabulous.
It's incredible.
Yes, thank you so much.
Old Neighbourhood's menu was cluttered, much like the restaurant Take a menu, please.
So Chef Ramsay not only revamped the food, but also cut down the menu size dramatically, from 95 items to 20 stunning dishes.
Right, visually, keeping with the decor modern, classic, fresh, and fun.
I want you to jump in and start eating.
Ooh, I'm digging in.
So much better than what we had.
So delicious.
The menu just went from four pages down to one, and the new food is amazing.
It's not going back to four pages.
That is so good.
Now that this landmark restaurant has gone through massive changes in all areas Welcome to the new Old Neighbourhood.
The doors open for the grand reopening.
How are we doing this evening? And with a new system in place Okay, we are ready.
An energized Randy and Alexa work to get orders out to the diners.
Okay, one cheese dip, get it started.
Three poutiness, one right away, by itself, singled out.
Guys, why am I coming down here making Mac and cheese? I can't do everything.
Only 30 minutes into service, Chef Ramsay realizes that although Alexa complains about the staff doing little Watch out.
Give it to him.
Matt can plate this up.
She's doing almost no delegating.
Alexa? Yes? Come round 30 seconds, I wanna show you something very important.
- You're cooking and plating everything.
- Yep.
There's three guys there by your side.
You gotta use 'em a little bit.
Okay, you're in charge.
- All right, I got it.
- You're not the line cook.
- Absolutely.
- You're the Chef.
- No, right.
- Come on, you can do it.
Absolutely.
I'll have them help me.
- Right here.
let's go.
- All right, let's go.
Let's plate some of these things up here.
- There you go.
Spread the love.
- There you go.
Here we go, mashed potatoes, need the green beans.
Let's put the, ketchup on it.
Good.
Nice and loud, so they can hear you.
Salt and pepper in the macaroni and cheese over here, please.
Good.
Keep it going, Lexi.
With Chef Ramsay's advice still ringing in her ears Off you go.
Alexa quickly finds her groove Grab the fried chicken out.
And now is running the kitchen, even impressing Chef Ramsay.
Well done.
Keep it going, yes? And the relaunch is a success.
Poutine.
Cheese dip.
Whoa.
My God.
That is so good.
It's perfect.
It really is.
It's a lot of flavor.
That tartar sauce is phenomenal.
It's like a completely new restaurant.
It's incredible.
Well done, that's what I wanna say to you all.
This restaurant is back.
It's beautiful.
It has a great menu.
And overall, you should be proud of yourself.
Don't underestimate that.
And, Alexa, for the first time in a long time, you were not only the voice, but you held the reins in that kitchen.
I kept it together, and I couldn't have gotten here without the help that I've gotten.
- Thanks very much.
- Okay.
- Appreciate it, okay.
- Okay.
Thanks for everything.
Get the boys cleaning that kitchen, okay? - They'll burn less.
- Thanks, Chef.
Good night, darling, good job.
- Thank you.
- Well done.
In the last 25 years, this restaurant went from being a town landmark to a filthy disaster.
And I was seriously worried that these two owners would never change.
Randy started to impress me when he let go of the past.
But tonight, Alexa really stepped up and showed not only can she cook, but she can run a kitchen.
And I don't think we've ever made a restaurant transformation as big as this one.
Now, this may be called the Old Neighbourhood, but trust me, it's a new restaurant, back on the road to success.
Who has a mannequin as a friend? Rest in peace, Fiona.
Wow.
The new Old Neighbourhood.
May I help you? After Chef Ramsay left, business at the Old Neighbourhood immediately went on the rise.
I wanna see fish and chips, first plate.
Alexa has embraced the new menu and has done a great job managing the kitchen as well.
One rack worth goes down, we need another whole rack worth in there.
And we're happy to report she's also done a great job managing Randy, who no longer brings any of his junk into the restaurant.
.
Chef Ramsay makes his first visit to Colorado and is faced with a restaurant that hasn't changed anything in 33 years.
This place feels like it's been closed for the last ten years.
It's the look that the restaurant has.
The owner who runs the front of house Wow.
Is an out-of-control hoarder.
- Does it work? - No.
And to make matters worse The owner who runs the kitchen is completely clueless.
You cross-contaminated every ounce of ingredients in this kitchen.
It's one of the most shocking and filthiest restaurants Chef Ramsay has ever seen.
Disgusting, deplorable mess.
And you not believe what he uncovers It stinks.
- In the dining room - Wow.
- In the office - Gross.
- In the kitchen - You are kidding me.
And in the entranceway.
Ooh.
Careful, she's slippery.
While the decor is horrid This is a horror show.
The food is wretched.
I wouldn't feed that to the mannequin.
And unbelievably, the husband and wife owners have no idea why their business is failing.
A lot of people enjoy the things that we cook.
The food is hideous.
Get ready to witness I'm not actually too sure what to do.
One of the most difficult challenges of Chef Ramsay's career.
Maybe we should just close it down and lose everything we have.
What is that? You're serving rotten food.
They're not crap.
They're delicious.
- Then wake up! - You wake up! Shut the place down.
Get out of here! That is amazing.
- That's embarrassing! - God! Thank you so much.
Arvada, Colorado, 15 minutes from Denver, is home to the Old Neighbourhood restaurant.
Owners Alexa and Randy met when they were servers during their college years.
They fulfilled a dream when they bought the eatery in 1988.
Almost ready? Ready as ever.
My wife and I have owned the restaurant for 25 years.
And we're here all the time together.
Thank you, Randy.
Thank you very much.
Just trying to do my job.
The business has been declining for probably about 13 years.
What else is coming back? You have all the tickets that you're gonna have, I believe.
Just go.
I don't need you here.
Go, please.
Off the line.
But the last three months have been really, really hard.
And we don't know, really, why.
How are we all doing this evening? I don't know what you put in this steak, but it leaves a terrible aftertaste.
I don't think there is a menu in the country that is even close to ours.
_ _ _ We have things like a sedona chicken.
We have teriyaki steak.
We have beef wontons.
We also have trout parmesan, burritos, cajun catfish, duck schnitzel.
It's really weird.
_ It's not only the menu that's out of control, it's the decor.
Welcome to grandma's house.
It's definitely about 40 years out of date.
My father doesn't throw anything away.
He's definitely the epitome of a hoarder.
Everything in here is decrepit.
The wallpaper is falling off the wall.
Half of the chairs are broken.
So it's like, sometimes when people sit down, they just go down.
You lost a wheel over there? I mean, seriously, look.
I think Randy and Alexa are just kinda stuck in their old ways.
I don't think that they're willing to really change a whole lot of things.
They haven't done much in the past 30 years.
My wife and I are in debt to the tune of about $320,000.
If the stress doesn't subside somewhere, something drastic is gonna give.
Us, our relationship, this restaurant we can't keep going like this.
Wow.
"Old Neighbourhood restaurant.
" Even the sign looks old.
Wow.
Ooh, [Bleep.]
.
What is that thing? Are you kidding me? Strange.
Good afternoon.
How are you, sir? - Randy.
- Randy, Gordon.
Good to see you.
- Chef, nice to meet you.
- Likewise.
So happy to be here.
What is this? - What is this? - This thing here.
- Fiona? - Who who is this? - Fiona.
- It has a name? - She has a name, yes.
- Come on, seriously? It's not an it, it's a she.
- Wow.
- She changes outfits regularly.
Ooh.
Careful, she's slippery.
Now no disrespect, but you walk into a restaurant, you don't expect to see a mannequin there.
It's kind of my wife's thing.
And these? Well, you know, somebody stole her hands.
She's delicate.
So this is not a joke, this is something that your wife looks after, her mannequin? - She does.
- Okay.
We have pictures of people with Fiona.
okay, right.
Well, why don't you get your dear wife, and we'll have a catch-up together, all right? - I'll put this thing back.
- Sure.
Yeah.
Oh, [Bleep.]
.
Really? Man, this is really weird.
My God.
Chef Broke Fiona.
- He wants you to come out here.
- No.
What the hell? You are kidding me.
Damn.
- Hello.
I'm Alexa.
- Alexa, nice to see you.
- Nice to meet you.
- Likewise.
Um, let's sit down at the bar, shall we - Absolutely.
- And catch up? Um, I thought Randy was winding me up, because he said that that doll in the window is, like, a friend of yours.
Yeah, she has had a couple rides in the convertible when I've tried to take her home and put her at peace in the garage.
And I had to go run an errand first, so stop.
Okay, you've had this place for how long? - 25 years that we've owned it.
- 25 years? We both worked here as servers when we were college students - at the university of Colorado.
- Nice.
My oldest one, Wiley, works here part-time.
Okay, great, so in a nutshell, um, describe the food for me.
Traditional American.
Okay.
How often does it change, the menu? - It's hasn't in a very long time.
- Once a year.
When was the last time you changed the lunch menu? The lunch menu? Several years.
When does the menu change? Every three months? Every six months? No, more like eight months to a year.
- Eight months to a year? - Once a year.
Once a year, and when was the last big change? [Bleep.]
, now, Randy, have you any idea how bad this sounds? Okay, so in 33 years, the menu has changed not many times, but it has.
Okay, right, more importantly, what's wrong with the place? It's been a real struggle to even stay open.
But I don't think we'd survive 33 years, especially without too much change, unless the food was good.
Good.
Glad to hear it.
Um, I'm dying to eat.
- Where should I sit? - Wherever you'd like.
What's all that stuff up there? Antiques.
Antiques? Wow.
Randy's hoarding well, he's got some serious decor issues.
The antique stuff and everything, it needs to come down.
Looks like a pile of junk.
Right.
Alexa, I'm gonna eat.
Let me have a good look at the menu, and I look forward to catching up with you later.
- Thank you both.
- Thank you.
- Hello - Hello - how are you? - I'm good.
How are you? - First name is? - Kristen.
- Kristen, good to see you.
- I'll be your server today.
Okay, great.
- Um, wow, everything's so dated.
- It is.
I mean, has anything changed in here? No, it's I don't think anything has changed - since they took over.
- Wow.
I walked in, and there was a dreadful smell, - an old musty, stinky smell.
- It's musty.
And where's that smell coming is it these antiques? Um, I don't know if it's the antiques or if it's the old upholstery.
If you sit in one of these booths, um, it smells like someone that hasn't showered in a while.
- Serious? - Yeah, I'm serious.
What, like someone's go ahead and smell it.
Someone's, like like, B.
O.
? Yeah.
Yeah, you're right.
What was [Bleep.]
.
Yeah, it's pretty bad.
When I have to set the tables, I smell it all the time, so, they stink.
It smells really bad.
Have they been reupholstered? No, I think this is the original upholstery from 1980.
That's a lot of farts in these chairs.
Man, and what's with the wheels on the chairs? Um, because it's carpet, I think they think it's convenient, 'cause Man.
Um, is this the menu? Yeah, that is the lunch menu.
Look at the state of it.
And I had to pick you out the best one.
That's the best one? Yeah, that's the best one I could find.
Wow, and this is the yeah, this is the dinner menu.
- The dinner menu? - Yep.
Wow.
Brie en croute.
French onion soup, wow.
New Orleans barbecue shrimp.
Cajun catfish, mushroom tempura, beef wontons.
We've gone from French to New Orleans to Asian.
Wow.
Italian.
[Bleep.]
Flies.
[Bleep.]
Flies everywhere, where are they coming from? [Bleep.]
.
That fly won't leave you alone.
[Bleep.]
.
Man, anyway - Shall I order? - Okay.
Let's go for the new Orleans barbecue shrimp.
- Thank you.
- Okay.
- The Yucatan sea scallops.
- Okay.
And is there a salmon special today? The salmon special today is baked with a dill dijon cream sauce.
Okay, yeah, let's go for that as well.
Okay, darling, I think we're done for now.
- I'll go turn those in to Alexa.
- Thank you.
- Order's in.
- Bring it on.
- How are you? - My name is Wiley.
- Wiley, good to the son.
- The son, yes.
- Okay, great.
- How long have you been here? I've been here about ten years.
What do you think the big problem at the restaurant is? I think the big problem is the decor.
Have you ever tried to take some of this junk down? I'm afraid to.
I'm afraid of what my father might do if I tried to take something down.
- Why? - He's kept it up here for 30 years.
Yeah, but is it worth anything? I doubt it.
It's like a garage sale that you're staring at and eating at.
Yeah.
- Well, good to meet you, bud.
- Thank you.
Definitely.
- It's great to meet you.
- Likewise.
Good to see you too.
You too.
Here's your barbecued shrimp.
All right.
My dishes are excellent, and if Chef Ramsay doesn't like any of my cooking, it will piss me off.
- Ooh, this is what? - Barbecue shrimp.
Barbecue shrimp? That's a very strange-looking barbecue sauce.
It's a cream barbecue cream sauce.
- A barbecue cream sauce? - Cream sauce.
Look at the color of that.
Is that is the shrimp barbecue, or is it the sauce that's barbecue? - It's a barbecue sauce.
- I see.
And why would you sort of coat the Lemon in cream? It's, collateral damage.
Yeah, I'll say.
- Thank you, darling.
- You're welcome.
Aah.
[Bleep.]
Me.
I wouldn't feed that to the [Bleep.]
mannequin.
Even she'd manage to throw that up.
That sauce is hideous.
And the shrimp feels tough as old boots.
And the flies are landing on me, as opposed to on the shrimp.
The look on your face doesn't look good.
No, it's got a really weird texture.
When a fly bypasses a [Bleep.]
dish, you know it's bad.
Trust me.
- Um, I'm done with that.
- Okay.
Thanks, darling.
Jeez.
So what did he say about this? Um, it has a weird texture to the sauce.
He doesn't know why it would be called barbecue.
People have been coming here for 33 years.
The food cannot be that bad.
This is your salmon.
Wow.
This is the special? Yes, with the dill dijon cream sauce.
With a dill dijon cream sauce.
Somebody likes cream in the kitchen.
Who is that? Where do all these cream sauces come from? I don't know who originally started them, but Alexa cooks with a lot of cream.
- Wow.
- Everything's made with heavy cream.
Damn, a lot of cream sauce.
Thank you, darling.
You're welcome.
The salmon tastes frozen.
It doesn't taste fresh at all.
It's dry, very dry.
Wow.
I mean, it's very old school.
Cream on cream on cream.
- But thank you, my darling.
- You're very welcome.
Yeah, that wasn't pleasant.
All right.
I'll let them know.
That was hideous.
He says the salmon tastes dry.
What? Come on, really? He said, "cream again?" Yeah, well, everything he ordered has cream, but I know, and wow, I would think people would know what they were ordering before they did it, but that's whatever.
I think everything is delicious.
I wouldn't serve if I didn't think it was delicious.
There goes another one.
God, look at that wallpaper.
That's terrible.
What a mess.
Randy, when the last time we had a coat of paint or changed the wallpaper? - When was the last wallpaper? - Five years ago.
This wallpaper is five years ago? No, not this one.
- Can I show you something? - Sure.
Please? What's all this here for? And this here? Disrepair.
And you pull that table out, and you just see all that marking there, across the wall like that.
This place looks and feels like it's been closed for the last ten years.
It's the look that the restaurant has.
Wow.
Hopefully, before the week is finished, I'll get a straight answer.
Here is your Yucatan scallops, sir.
Here it is.
Here he is.
Wiley.
- There you go, Chef.
- The man.
And where are the scallops? - In the dish.
- Inside that boat.
- Underneath the peppers - And in the boat.
Excellent, thank you.
You're welcome.
Wow, it is absolutely gross.
Wow, dreadful.
No seasoning whatsoever.
And the scallops are just hideous.
I gotta find out why this is called Yucatan.
'Cause I don't wanna insult those people in Mexico.
Randy, um, I'd like to find out why it's called "the Yucatan," the sea scallop dish.
What's the relation? The spice with the chipotle peppers.
So why's it called Yucatan? - 'Cause it's got spice in it? - It's just the name.
You just picked the name out of a hat? It bears no relevance to the actual if it does or doesn't, I'm not actually 100% sure.
Are you kidding me? Okay, I'm done with that.
Thank you.
That was gross.
The scallops are overdone, and the sauce is bland.
That's the way I've been cooking 'em.
They look beautiful.
They were cooked perfectly.
I know they were.
I'm getting irritated.
I like it.
It's an absolute matter of taste.
This is just stupid.
That's the way we cook.
That's that's it wasn't an off day.
After sampling some unusual and disgusting food It's got a really weird texture.
While sitting in a musty, bug-filled dining room Flies everywhere, where are they coming from? Chef Ramsay wants to have a little chat with head Chef and owner Alexa and her kitchen staff.
I'm gonna get straight to the point.
I'm seriously concerned.
Um, the New Orleans barbecued shrimp I've never known a barbecue cream sauce, anywhere.
Yucatan sea scallops no seasoning.
The scallops were meaty, bland, and actually whiter than the actual cream sauce.
Do you, taste anything that you're cooking? I didn't see anything seasoned.
I'm sorry, I have a lot of pride.
And I cooked everything there.
And I really, you know a lot of people enjoy the things that we cook.
Right.
I'm not asking about your pride.
The question I asked was, - "does anyone taste" - Yes.
"As they cook?" So all my food - I didn't taste your food.
- You didn't taste my food? No, but I cook that food all the time, I don't know.
So it's just automatic? Push the button, and we're cooking that.
So you don't think anything needs seasoning? I thought I was making good food.
But I don't know why.
The food is dated, the decor is hideous, and you sit customers in front of a [Bleep.]
wall with dilapidated wallpaper, peeling off! You better take a good look at yourself and maybe dust yourself down.
Shake it off.
That [Bleep.]
freak in the corner there, man.
Stop.
Let's go get ready for dinner.
Word has spread that Chef Ramsay is in town Hello.
And the restaurant that is normally not very busy right this way.
Is booked.
For you, sir? _ Tonight, Chef Ramsay will continue to examine the dysfunctional working of this restaurant.
Jeez.
What's all this [Bleep.]
here for? - Hello, Chef.
- Do people does anyone actually sit down here? - They do, yes.
They do, - Yeah? And when you when they sit on this, do you not think this looks drab? I don't have a better one.
You don't have a better one.
How about nothing? What is that? Wow.
Merry Christmas.
What is this? I mean, honestly.
When was this cleaned? Not for a long time, sir.
You are in charge of front of house, right? I am.
My God.
There you go, there's your card.
The joker.
How fitting is that? - How old is this chair? - 20 years.
- 20 years? - 20 years.
What kind of message does it send when you have this in the middle of the dining room? I mean, that does look like it's gone - past its sell-by date, right? - Yes.
When was the last time it was cleaned? I would say a couple years ago.
My God.
- Have you seen down there? - Yes.
And that's acceptable for you? That's not clean, sir, no.
My God.
You are kidding me.
No, what is that? Looks like a comb.
Looks like a comb? Come on, Randy.
Do you think this is funny, in front of the customers? Not at all.
The crumbs and the [Bleep.]
down there.
You're not putting it back there, are you? No, I'll take it out yeah, get it the [Bleep.]
out of here.
I gotta wash my frickin' hands.
I wasn't totally flabbergasted.
The trash fell out of somebody's pocket.
Somebody didn't see it was there.
You know, I don't feel that bad about that.
I'm covered in dust.
My God, what a mess.
There are rat droppings everywhere.
Gross.
This is shocking.
You keep your dirty shoes under the banquette? They're not mine.
Did the customer die? There's holes in the sole.
Dirty, crusty shoes.
I gotta wash my hands again.
Man.
Okay, onion rings.
Did we fix those? Are they already out? What's that? It's from the steam table.
Looks like a river running through here.
God, look at the state of this stove.
How old is that stove? Wow, I mean, I know the restaurant's called the Old Neighbourhood, but, like, the kitchen's an old, dilapidated Neighbourhood, yeah? What is that? Is that your wow, you are kidding me.
He sticks it in the prime rib, then he sticks it back in there.
What's that spray? Canned coating, so it doesn't stick.
- Canned coating? - Yes.
Wow.
My mother's definitely lost her high standards over the last 15, 20 years.
Here you go, Randy.
I know she cares for this place.
But the passion and the fire that I've seen in her before is no longer there.
Okay, filet, filet, lamb chops.
I probably burned 'em.
Son of a bitch.
- What is this in here? - This is the office.
Wow.
How could anyone work in this mess? Do you know what I mean? It doesn't make sense.
What the God.
What? What is all this junk? Old equipment.
- But what's it here for? - Parts, once in a while.
Parts? So what parts do you take from a 1950s ice machine? - Legs.
- Legs? And what's this? It's a microwave.
- Does it work? - No.
So what can you take from that then? - I don't know.
- Wow.
Look at the mess.
It's like you're hoarding stuff.
Chef Ramsay must think I'm a lunatic for having that stuff sitting back there, but I don't really think that I'm a hoarder.
It's just hard for me to throw things away.
What's that noise coming from? Something doesn't sound right in there.
Oh, [Bleep.]
Almighty.
Next to cleaning equipment.
How long has that been there? I don't know.
It was not in there yesterday.
So it died only as of this morning.
That dry? Can we come out of there? That that died a lot longer than 24 hours ago.
Matt, take over from Alexa for one minute, please.
I got it.
- Have you seen out here? - I know.
He has a problem with throwing [Bleep.]
away, clearly.
- And are you okay with this then? - No.
- You're not? - No, it needs to go.
This is ridiculous.
I'm trying to get him, slowly, to get rid of it and to change his ways, but he doesn't listen.
- It's a problem.
- It's a big issue.
You're enabling a hoarder.
You're right, it is a problem.
It's a hoarder, I agree.
And that, as an office, in there? It's it's a travesty, absolutely horrendous.
Gotta wash my hands.
That's all I've done for the last 20 minutes, I've washed my frickin' hands.
While it is clear to Chef Ramsay that Randy is a hoarder What's wrong with that, Kristen? The baked potato is foaming because there's - so much butter on it with the sour cream.
- Gross.
It's also becoming evident that customers are as disappointed with their food as he was earlier today at lunch.
The split-top came back.
He says it was tough.
- That's ridiculous.
- I know.
He didn't like the potato cake either.
Now he decides to see what is lurking in the walk-in fridge.
What is that? My God.
That stinks.
That's gone off.
Raw chicken and cooked meat.
I am not impressed.
They have broken every cardinal rule.
It's barely an hour into dinner service at the Old Neighbourhood.
The restaurant is already full of unhappy customers.
The baked potato is foaming because there's so much butter - on it with the sour cream.
- Gross.
And Chef Ramsay has not only made some shocking discoveries in the dining room My God.
But back in the kitchen, he has made some frightening discoveries as well.
What is that? My God.
That stinks.
That's gone off.
My God, that's disgusting.
That is off as well.
Salmon, and look, some dirty [Bleep.]
picked all the bones out and just left them on the side.
What way to run a fridge.
That stinks.
So the hoarding isn't just wash machines and microwaves.
It's old food.
Ugh, [Bleep.]
Look at the state of this.
Dirty, dirty [Bleep.]
.
Wonderful.
We survived it.
Nope.
What in the [Bleep.]
is this? Mud pie on top of scallops.
Man, this fridge is littered with [Bleep.]
.
This is a horror show.
Randy, can you just get me Lexi, please, for two minutes? - She's extremely busy right now, - But - yeah, well, I'm extremely - I understand, I'll get her.
Wiley, can you stay with me? - Two seconds.
- Yes.
Lexi, Chef has to have you for a minute right now.
Okay.
When was the last time this walk-in fridge was cleaned? - Monday.
- Monday? - Can you just step over here, two seconds? - Yeah.
This is the dessert start preparation.
It's got blood.
That's disgusting.
And these? Lamb chops.
And what's it sat in? - What is that? - I don't know what that is.
Cold water, dirty water, absolutely.
Dirty water, you're right.
And this here? What is that? Fudge from the mud pie.
Fudge from the mud pie that sat on top of a leg of lamb that is dripping with blood you withe? The place is littered with [Bleep.]
, everywhere you turn.
And for me, it was bad enough to see the crap in the dining room.
I didn't expect that walk-in to be festering the way it is.
Go and have a look in there now.
Both of you, walk in there.
Mold, crap.
That was cleaned last week? It was not cleaned last week.
And this here, can you see that up there? I can see that.
Let's get out of here.
Seriously? Just smell that.
Look at the color of it and the congealed blood.
And this? That's blood from the lamb.
I've never, ever seen a pack this bad.
And then some dirty [Bleep.]
Takes bones from the salmon and dumps them on the side.
- I did it.
- You did this? I was pulling 'em out.
Yep, I did.
And you put them back on there I sat 'em there, and I didn't put 'em away.
My God, just touch the temperature of that.
Just touch that.
The big shock for me hold them both.
It sat with this.
You have raw chicken and cooked [Bleep.]
meat.
There's a theme here.
This place is littered with junk, the chairs are caked in [Bleep.]
, and the refrigeration walk-in is in disarray.
I stepped one foot into your kitchen, and there was a [Bleep.]
hole in the wall, where the meat thermometers gets taken out and stuck inside.
There's a freezer there that's not even up to the temp.
of a fridge, let alone a freezer.
And you've got cooked meat, raw meat, and [Bleep.]
desserts glazed, and half cooked leg of lamb blood.
This is criminal.
You have cross-contaminated every ounce of ingredients in this kitchen.
And you you see that? Who is hoarding all this [Bleep.]
? We serve that [Bleep.]
.
You use that [Bleep.]
? Wiley, get in there and stop any other [Bleep.]
entree leaving, and shut it [Bleep.]
down.
After witnessing one of the worst kitchens he has ever seen my God.
This is a horror show.
Stop any other [Bleep.]
entree leaving, and shut it down.
Chef Ramsay knows he has to put an end to the madness.
- No more entrees.
- I'm sorry? - Take their food away.
- Why? 'Cause we're not serving anymore.
We are about as dirty as a kitchen could be, and it's absolutely disgusting.
We will not be serving any more food this evening.
- I'm extremely sorry.
- That's no good.
I mean, this is so [Bleep.]
up.
It's so ridiculous.
The kitchen's infested.
The office is a mess.
And on your chairs that you told me got cleaned years ago, a comb, a candy cane? I mean, old kleenex, used.
People wiping their nose, sticking it down the side.
You can't even get clarity in there, because you're so festering in crap everywhere.
Both of you should be ashamed.
What did you say to me today? That I take pride in what I do.
Where? I don't know.
I am not proud right now.
We got overwhelmed, and it's a [Bleep.]
.
It's a [Bleep.]
, and it's a mess.
And maybe we should just close it down and lose everything we have.
'Cause that's probably what we're gonna do.
How can I help two individuals that don't even care about what they're doing? We do care.
We care tremendously.
So why didn't you do anything before I got here? We did.
I can't tell you how many hours we cleaned.
You cleaned before I got here? I threw out my clothes on Monday, I was so encased with grease.
How long? How many hours? How many days? Five.
[Bleep.]
.
What the [Bleep.]
? You just need to stop.
What a [Bleep.]
mess.
Come here.
I love you.
It's all right.
It's gonna get better.
I never thought my restaurant would be shut down.
Can I have a quick word, please Absolutely.
With both of you, outside.
It's the worst moment of my life, undoubtedly.
For the first time in a long time, I'm not actually too sure what to do.
Right now, I wanna get out of here.
Please don't.
We could really use your help.
The mistakes are so basic.
We perhaps should not even be in the business.
That's what I'm scared about.
I think we can do this.
We desperately need your help.
You told me in there that you cleaned for five days before I got here.
Didn't do any good.
How do I know that you really get it and you really will commit to getting this place turned around? I can do whatever you show me.
I can do it.
I'm begging you to stay and help us, please.
I'll do whatever you want.
We're not gonna let you down.
Now, it's your chance to prove it to yourselves and me.
- Show me.
- Okay, we will.
- Thank you.
- We will.
Nick, throw this [Bleep.]
away.
It was the most mortifying thing I've ever lived through.
And I have no excuses.
It's my fault if something isn't right here.
It's a joke.
This is my restaurant.
I have a lot of pride in it.
I was shown too many things that I did not want to see.
The problem is, I'm the guy who's supposed to see it.
We're not good at what we do.
We're not even remotely good at what we do.
We'll get better, a lot better.
We spent 24 years here.
I don't wanna close this place down, filthy and dirty and not operating and a coffin.
I don't want it to be a coffin.
I want it to exist.
- I love you.
- I love you too.
After one of the worst days that Chef Ramsay has ever experienced on kitchen nightmares Yeah, what a difference.
He is pleased with the overnight cleaning done in the kitchen.
Now it looks and smells like a proper kitchen.
Good.
But he has decided to take matters literally into his own hands in the dining room.
Okay, Alexa, how you feeling? Very nervous.
When I first came to restaurant, I was overwhelmed with the clutter.
Randy, your inability to get rid of junk sent a message to everyone that cleaning out was not necessary.
And that has to end today.
Come with me, please.
Let's go.
My gosh.
That was your restaurant.
That's a lot of trash.
Today is a groundbreaking day, Randy, because you are gonna get rid of this [Bleep.]
.
My husband has a hard time letting go of things.
And it's easier to just store them and think about getting rid of 'em later, but that later time never came.
You ready to do this? I wanna keep the accordion that's got Wiley's name on it.
What? Randy, whether you like it or not, right now, we're moving forward.
I brought in this truck.
Either store or destroy.
The majority of this stuff you know damn well is junk.
Let's go.
All right.
Excellent, follow along.
Pick something for destruction.
Everybody, join in.
Randy, no? I love it, let's go.
I've had that stuff for 30 years.
Some stuff in there looked pretty good.
Didn't really wanna part with it.
Randy come round, Randy.
Where's the button? I want you to do it.
Which one? I'm throwing it away.
I'm not gonna get a dime for it.
The tuba! The tuba.
Yes, victory.
Look at that.
It's probably the greatest feeling in the entire world, having Randy actually throw things away.
Let's go, guys.
Nick, the microwave again.
One, two, three.
And honestly, I think he enjoyed it.
- I really think he did.
- Should I save the legs, Chef? You cannot save the legs.
I think he turned a corner.
- Right, there's one more valuable piece.
- Yes, there is.
Fiona too? No, Chef.
I know you guys are close.
- We're not that close.
- Are you sure now? I'm sure.
I'm 150% sure.
It's time to go where you belong.
Everybody wave good-bye to Fiona.
She broke into a million pieces.
- Maybe you have changed.
- I think so.
I didn't think there was gonna be any light at the end of the tunnel.
But in the end, I feel like the world's off my shoulders with all that stuff being crushed in the truck.
I thought he was gonna dive in the truck after.
Okay, I've been working on something in the kitchen I wanna show you right now.
Follow me, please.
Let's go.
So first of all, you'll notice how de-cluttered the kitchen is.
I've never, ever overhauled a kitchen to this extent $65,000 worth of equipment.
I don't know how you ever lasted a week working in this kitchen with such dreadful equipment.
There's knobs! Wow.
There's more than knobs.
I made a very urgent call to our friends at Culiquip.
And they came through last minute with brand-new kitchen equipment.
Take a look at this stunning range.
A stunning rapid six-ring gas burner from Therma-tek.
It's amazing.
Two full-size ovens.
I just wanna cook something.
Yeah.
Now, straight on the right-hand side, is the broaster pressure fryer.
It's not just a fryer.
Broasted chicken comes out great.
And it is a unique and fast, healthy way of cooking.
The whole system seals in the tenderness, and the flavor is retained.
- Wow.
- That is too good.
We also replaced that dreadful old fryer with a brand-new imperial dual basket fryer.
Look, you can see through the grease, it's clean.
You have a brand-new prep area now.
That's chilled.
Everything's working.
It's all in one piece.
It's all in one piece.
Put your hands in there, feel that.
That's what you call a refrigeration unit.
It's the most amazing equipment I've ever seen.
It's all so new and compact and clean.
The river Neighbourhood is gone.
It's absolutely the most incredible day of my life right now.
She's gonna cry again.
No, I'm trying not to.
It's okay, those are good tears.
You can let those out.
It's beautiful.
It's inspired me.
I can't wait.
I can't believe you you haven't had anything new in this kitchen - for how long? - 33 years.
That's way too long, let me tell you.
- Thank you so much.
- It's beautiful.
With a clear indication that Randy and Alexa have seen the error of their ways, Chef Ramsay continues to push forward with his massive transformation, including a new sign.
Good morning.
Good morning, Chef.
Please take off your blindfolds.
- Cool! - Wow.
- Awesome.
Great! - So cool.
Something that was completely dated was that hideous sign.
Now, are you ready for more change? Yes.
Come on in to your new restaurant.
- My gosh, it smells so good.
- My God.
How beautiful is this? - Cool.
- My God.
Let's just start off with the booths first reupholstered with a stain-resistant, stunning material.
Does anybody notice the wheels have gone, and the new chairs are here? I'm really glad they got rid of all the nasty chairs.
I think it's gonna be a great fresh start for us and one we really needed.
Please, come on down.
Gone is that antiquated P.
O.
S.
System.
And we have replaced it with a state-of-the-art, brand-new, unique P.
O.
S.
, given to us by Dinerware.
It's fabulous.
It's incredible.
Yes, thank you so much.
Old Neighbourhood's menu was cluttered, much like the restaurant Take a menu, please.
So Chef Ramsay not only revamped the food, but also cut down the menu size dramatically, from 95 items to 20 stunning dishes.
Right, visually, keeping with the decor modern, classic, fresh, and fun.
I want you to jump in and start eating.
Ooh, I'm digging in.
So much better than what we had.
So delicious.
The menu just went from four pages down to one, and the new food is amazing.
It's not going back to four pages.
That is so good.
Now that this landmark restaurant has gone through massive changes in all areas Welcome to the new Old Neighbourhood.
The doors open for the grand reopening.
How are we doing this evening? And with a new system in place Okay, we are ready.
An energized Randy and Alexa work to get orders out to the diners.
Okay, one cheese dip, get it started.
Three poutiness, one right away, by itself, singled out.
Guys, why am I coming down here making Mac and cheese? I can't do everything.
Only 30 minutes into service, Chef Ramsay realizes that although Alexa complains about the staff doing little Watch out.
Give it to him.
Matt can plate this up.
She's doing almost no delegating.
Alexa? Yes? Come round 30 seconds, I wanna show you something very important.
- You're cooking and plating everything.
- Yep.
There's three guys there by your side.
You gotta use 'em a little bit.
Okay, you're in charge.
- All right, I got it.
- You're not the line cook.
- Absolutely.
- You're the Chef.
- No, right.
- Come on, you can do it.
Absolutely.
I'll have them help me.
- Right here.
let's go.
- All right, let's go.
Let's plate some of these things up here.
- There you go.
Spread the love.
- There you go.
Here we go, mashed potatoes, need the green beans.
Let's put the, ketchup on it.
Good.
Nice and loud, so they can hear you.
Salt and pepper in the macaroni and cheese over here, please.
Good.
Keep it going, Lexi.
With Chef Ramsay's advice still ringing in her ears Off you go.
Alexa quickly finds her groove Grab the fried chicken out.
And now is running the kitchen, even impressing Chef Ramsay.
Well done.
Keep it going, yes? And the relaunch is a success.
Poutine.
Cheese dip.
Whoa.
My God.
That is so good.
It's perfect.
It really is.
It's a lot of flavor.
That tartar sauce is phenomenal.
It's like a completely new restaurant.
It's incredible.
Well done, that's what I wanna say to you all.
This restaurant is back.
It's beautiful.
It has a great menu.
And overall, you should be proud of yourself.
Don't underestimate that.
And, Alexa, for the first time in a long time, you were not only the voice, but you held the reins in that kitchen.
I kept it together, and I couldn't have gotten here without the help that I've gotten.
- Thanks very much.
- Okay.
- Appreciate it, okay.
- Okay.
Thanks for everything.
Get the boys cleaning that kitchen, okay? - They'll burn less.
- Thanks, Chef.
Good night, darling, good job.
- Thank you.
- Well done.
In the last 25 years, this restaurant went from being a town landmark to a filthy disaster.
And I was seriously worried that these two owners would never change.
Randy started to impress me when he let go of the past.
But tonight, Alexa really stepped up and showed not only can she cook, but she can run a kitchen.
And I don't think we've ever made a restaurant transformation as big as this one.
Now, this may be called the Old Neighbourhood, but trust me, it's a new restaurant, back on the road to success.
Who has a mannequin as a friend? Rest in peace, Fiona.
Wow.
The new Old Neighbourhood.
May I help you? After Chef Ramsay left, business at the Old Neighbourhood immediately went on the rise.
I wanna see fish and chips, first plate.
Alexa has embraced the new menu and has done a great job managing the kitchen as well.
One rack worth goes down, we need another whole rack worth in there.
And we're happy to report she's also done a great job managing Randy, who no longer brings any of his junk into the restaurant.