Gordon Ramsay's 24 Hours to Hell and Back (2018) s01e02 Episode Script
The Old Coffeepot Restaurant
1
GORDON: I'm Gordon Ramsay,
and I'm hitting the road.
[blues rock music]
[horn honks]
I'm heading to restaurants
all across America.
WOMAN: Oh, my God, no, no.
GORDON: On the brink--
MAN: [bleep] you!
GORDON: Of collapse.
They're sat in blood.
What are you waiting for,
a [bleep] tip?
But having endured
so many kitchen disasters
over the years
There's a [bleep] mouse
in here.
I know that I need
to do something
I've never, ever done before.
I must try to save
each of these restaurants
In just 24 hours.
MAN: That's not a lot of time.
WOMAN: I'm scared
we're not gonna finish.
[snoring]
GORDON: Because in this age
of social media,
where every customer
is a critic
If you want fast service
and good drinks, don't go here.
Next one, one star,
"The food looks gross
when it comes out
of the kitchen."
Oh, my God.
GORDON: Your business can
succeed or fail overnight.
But when people know
I'm coming,
they tend to hide
what's really going on.
So, this time,
I'll need to be covert.
Hiding cameras
in the restaurants
and myself in plain sight
Catch of the day, hepatitis B.
To catch them all red-handed.
I had to stop you
from eating in there,
-and this is the reason why.
-Oh, my God, no!
GORDON: If I have any hope
of saving them
Bless thy soul,
may I come out in one piece.
I'll have to go
to hell and back.
Oh, my God.
In 24 hours.
[coughs]
[beeping]
[foghorn blares]
[groovy rock music]
♪
This week,
I'm in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Now, this city is known
for its rich history,
incredible jazz music,
and, of course,
its delicious Cajun cuisine.
Now, though this city's
nickname, we know,
is "The Big Easy,"
it's been anything but easy
for the Old Coffee Pot
restaurant.
This century-old bistro
is in the middle of
the busy French Quarter,
but they can't get
customers through the door.
[laid-back music]
My name's Dustin Palmisano,
and I'm the owner of
the Old Coffee Pot.
It's been open since 1894.
I started working at the Old
Coffee Pot as the chef.
When I first purchased
the restaurant,
it was doing really,
really well.
One of the best
breakfast restaurants
in the French Quarter.
GAYNELL:
We used to make big money,
but it's not there anymore.
Two years ago, Dustin really
started having family problems.
DUSTIN:
Me and my ex-wife
definitely started
having some issues,
and we had to
file for divorce.
It definitely threw my world
completely out of whack.
SHIRLEY:
I mean, she just up and gone,
and, you know,
left him with all the kids.
I have the kids on my own 24/7.
He's a father and a mother
to those boys,
so it was impossible
for him to be here.
And we saw the business
drifting down, down, down.
DUSTIN:
It's been a constant struggle.
When I'm not at
the restaurant,
Dawn is the one
that is in charge.
♪
I'll drink it
if you don't believe me.
-Throw it away.
-[spits]
Nah, it's bad.
Dawn's biggest issue, honestly,
is she is very manipulative.
-[scatting]
-Dustin is too lenient.
♪
Dawn doesn't do anything.
[tense music]
♪
DUSTIN: I feel Dawn
is doing the best she can
-as a manager.
-I feel lost.
Maybe there is things I need to
learn about being a manager
We need a banana.
Son of a bitch.
But I will do anything
for Dustin.
DUSTIN: I think once I leave,
it's like a switch.
They turn it on,
and they do whatever they want.
-Oh, hell no!
-Ohhh, that's right.
♪
DUSTIN:
I don't know how to fix it.
I lose about $10,000 a month.
This place won't be here
much longer.
I need to be able
to take care of them,
and without the restaurant,
I don't know
how I'm gonna do that.
I love you, Daddy.
If that don't work, we won't
have a home for the kids.
♪
With only 24 hours to try
and save the Old Coffee Pot,
I need to find out what exactly
were they doing wrong.
So, my team
told the restaurant
that they were trying out for
a traditional renovation show,
but while they're
being interviewed,
we installed hidden cameras
throughout the restaurant,
and I've been secretly
recording surveillance footage
since we left.
[rock music]
Without help, trust me,
the Old Coffee Pot
will be closed
in a matter of months,
maybe weeks.
Now, this time, we're doing
things a little differently,
and I mean differently.
Time to get changed.
Now, when people know
I'm coming,
they all tend to be on
their best bloody behavior,
so I'm going undercover
to catch all of them
off guard.
In order to blend in,
I've invited
four local musicians
to camouflage me
going undercover.
Sounds amazing.
Ready for lunch?
BOTH: Yeah.
-Let's go.
[solemn music]
♪
-Hi.
-How y'all doing?
-Hi.
-How many?
-Five of us.
-Five?
-You can put him in there.
-Uh-huh.
Over here.
Excuse me, hello, guys.
How are you?
Hello, how are you doing?
Let me get you a server.
Will you look how busy
that street is out there?
How can the restaurant
fail so miserably
with so many customers
on their doorstep?
Businesses on either side
of this are packed.
Yeah.
Have you decided?
May I have the Fleur de Lis
Chicken, please?
GORDON: We're ordering
classic New Orleans dishes
-The Eggs Jonathan.
-Crawfish Po' Boy.
GORDON: That any restaurant
in The Big Easy
-should be able to perfect.
-Thank you, gentlemen.
Wow.
Band-Aids? I just cut
the [bleep] out of my finger.
DUSTIN: Redfish
eggs, and the Crawfish Po' Boy.
You want the redfish?
[dynamic percussive music]
It's funny how all
three waitresses
-are standing at the bar.
-[laughs]
Go ahead, oh, Gaynell,
go ahead.
[both laugh]
-You got it, girl.
-Yeah, baby.
Weird.
It's frozen,
but it don't smell bad.
[solemn music]
[tense music]
♪
It's been a minute, huh?
♪
Excuse me?
-Ma'am?
-I don't think she can hear me.
[bleep] too busy.
Ma'am?
Ooh, throwing [bleep]
on the floor.
Agh, screwed it up.
-Thank you.
-I had the redfish.
-Redfish Couvillion.
-Thank you.
♪
-Ma'am?
-Toast looks pretty burnt.
When a restaurant can't get
a [bleep] toast right,
-uh, you know it's [bleep].
-Mm-hmm.
How do you like your eggs, man?
Uh, I'm not sure yet.
The poached egg was
rock-hard in the center.
Uh, no good.
Not good.
-All right, enjoy.
-Thank you so much.
You're welcome.
So, I've got rotten fries.
♪
Let's sort the little chicken.
Thank you.
Hm.
I didn't even, like,
consciously do that.
-[both laugh]
-The chicken smells funny.
I don't know
what they've done to it.
♪
Meat, don't eat anymore.
I've discovered the kitchen,
and it's pretty gross,
and what I'm about to show you
in a couple of minutes,
is shocking.
I've seen enough.
Excuse me.
No problem.
[solemn rock music]
♪
GORDON: I've never seen
anything that bad ever,
and the atmosphere
was terrible.
It smells in there.
It's like the restaurant
has given up,
and no one gives a [bleep].
About time to go tell them.
[intense guitar music]
MAN: Oh, my God.
WOMAN: Is that Gordon Ramsay?
-How are you?
-Yeah, I've had better days.
♪
Can you get me Dustin, please?
-Dustin?
-Oh, Lord, what's this?
GORDON: Ladies and gentlemen,
forks down.
The restaurant is closed.
Thank you.
Sorry I just stopped
your lunch.
This is crazy.
♪
Ladies, that was me
who sat down there
with a beard.
Right there? Yes.
GORDON:
Right there, yes.
[solemn music]
I had to tell my guests
to stop eating.
The food was that bad.
♪
What happened, Dustin?
♪
-Just now or
-You don't know?
Who poached the eggs?
I poached a few. I don't know
if that was the one.
-You poached a few?
-Yeah.
Kay, well, Matthew's eggs
were like bullets.
♪
When a restaurant
can't even poach an egg,
that's not a good sign.
When was that chicken cooked?
Do you re-heat that
in the microwave?
-Yes.
GORDON: Yeah?
♪
This restaurant needs help.
♪
Ladies and gentlemen,
I need all of you to follow me.
♪
-Let's go, everybody.
-Okay.
♪
[intense rock music]
I would like to introduce you
to something
close to my heart.
♪
This is Hell on Wheels.
That's my engine room.
State-of-the-art kitchen,
travels all over
the country with me 24/7,
and more importantly,
every individual behind there
are serious experts.
But, listen up, all of you,
this will be a shock
for you all.
Recently, I've had my top team
inside your restaurant, Dustin,
undercover,
filming surveillance
for weeks.
♪
I had to stop you
from eating in there,
and this is the reason why.
[music intensifies]
Take a look.
[tense music]
♪
-No, I don't.
-What's wrong with you?
Oh, man.
♪
WOMAN:
Oh, God, disgusting.
♪
Oh, my Lord.
♪
Oh, man.
♪
You didn't just lick the plate.
What is wrong with you?
♪
-Oh, man.
-Horrible.
♪
GORDON:
[bleep] six--"Stuart Little."
Them rats.
♪
Oh, Lord.
WOMAN: Oh, my God.
WOMAN: This is crazy.
[gasps]
Oh, my God, no, no, no.
GORDON:
Oh, my Lord. Wow.
[tense music]
Oh, man.
WOMAN: Oh, Lord.
♪
Oh, my God, no, no. Ugh.
Disgusting. I don't go again.
Never again in this place.
Never.
Do you understand
why I asked you to stop eating?
[solemn music]
I've been to
thousands of restaurants.
I've never seen anything
as shambolic
and disgusting as that.
You've lost your passion.
It shows in the service.
Licking food off
the side of the plate.
DAWN:
I am incredibly embarrassed.
♪
I'm horrified.
♪
Most I can't even say.
I'm just totally humiliated.
Anyone wanna speak up?
♪
Dustin, give me something,
young man.
I'm ashamed of it.
Bloody right you should be.
Dustin, I'm willing to help,
but I'm not here
for six months.
I've only got 24 hours.
[dramatic tone]
[people exclaiming]
-That's not a lot of time.
-That's right.
There's not a lot of time.
If you can't commit
to 24 hours, unconditionally,
then it's never gonna work.
In these next 24 hours,
I'm gonna commit everything
I've got, learned, understood,
my team,
and put everything into it,
but I can't do it
unless you're prepared
to give everything you've got.
-Are you sure you want my help?
-Yes.
-I am.
-I can't hear you.
-Yes!
DUSTIN: Yes.
MARIE: To be honest,
I don't think it's possible.
In 24 hour?
You cannot do that.
Get on your cell phones
and ring home and tell them
you're not gonna be seeing them
for the next 24 hours,
because the clock
starts now.
[beeping]
Customers, lunch is on me.
I've taken care of that.
My apologies.
But what I would
like to see you,
is to return
and give us one more chance
at 24 hours from now, and help
relaunch this restaurant.
Would you do that for me?
-Return? Please?
-Yes.
Thank you, I appreciate that.
Everybody else
I'll meet you back in
the restaurant in five minutes.
-I'm [bleep] disgusted.
-[indistinct murmuring]
That hurt.
That hurt really bad.
I'm sorry, Dustin
You?
I was just as bad.
I have no idea what's gonna
happen in the next 24 hours.
I think it's gonna be hard.
You're fighting for
one of your kids.
-That's what it should be like.
-Yeah.
That's my name on that video.
I need help.
Everything's at stake.
I just wanted to let you know,
I'ma be over here all night.
24 hours damn near
they gonna keep us here.
GORDON: With the reopening
in less than 24 hours,
my team have installed clocks
throughout the restaurant
to track
our impending deadline.
Oh, shoot, we got
a counting clock in here.
Tick, tick, tick.
[sighs]
Okay, let me read you
some recent reviews,
if that wakes you up
and just gets you
in the zone a little bit.
"A decade ago, no question,
"this place had the best
breakfast in New Orleans,
"but after the last time
I went,
"I'll never go
back there again.
My eggs were badly overcooked."
Eggs! Eggs!
Badly overcooked.
Hold on, listen, this is
breaking news, this one.
"I came here to eat
with my boyfriend.
"I was shocked.
"The wait staff
was standing around,
"doing nothing all night.
The people working
were so slow and so rude."
That's exactly what I witnessed
a couple of hours ago.
♪
Wow.
Who's the weak links
in the chain?
I need to fix this urgently.
Look at the time.
One problem is, uh me.
♪
You? I respect your honesty.
Why are you the problem?
I wasn't trained the way
I probably should've
been trained.
♪
Dustin, you're losing
money rapidly.
Why?
We've gotten complacent.
We've gotten sloppy.
We just act like we don't care
and given up.
Okay, who's in charge?
-Of the dining room?
-Yes.
Dawn is.
Hold on a minute,
Dawn's the chef.
♪
So, you manage the dining room
and cook in the kitchen?
Yes, sir.
And you've just said
you've got no experience?
What I'm smelling now is
absolute utter bull[bleep].
How long do you think
the business has got left now?
It doesn't look good at all.
-No, no, we know that.
WILHELMENIA: Yes.
Ask him how long do you think
it's got to stay open?
How long, Dustin?
♪
A few more months, maybe.
♪
GORDON: Unbelievable.
When was the last time
this place was cleaned?
Why is it so sticky here?
Well, we had
a cleaning schedule
that I haven't been posting,
-but they usually--
-Wait, hold on a minute.
So, you have
a cleaning schedule,
but you haven't posted it yet?
I put--everybody knows
what they're supposed to do.
What is this in here?
What the [bleep] is in--
what is this,
a [bleep] aquarium?
-What--
-The water.
GORDON: Why is all this
water down here?
It leaks like that overnight.
GORDON: Unbelievable.
Look at the [bleep] mess.
Chocolate syrup,
that's where we store that,
behind this box.
Moldy.
Even the apron's moldy.
-Full of mold.
-[bleep].
"New Orleans Roast."
Are you telling me
that we don't even own
our own coffee pots?
-We rent them.
GORDON: What's it called?
Old Coffee Pot.
And we're renting coffee pots?
Who cleans this?
This
Oh, [bleep]!
[tense music]
No!
You are kidding me.
There's a [bleep] mouse
in here.
A mouse?
♪
Oh, my God.
No. No.
♪
Thatis [bleep] toast.
♪
[tense music]
♪
Oh, [bleep]!
There's a [bleep] mouse
in here.
-A mouse?
-A mouse?
Oh, my God.
No. [bleep].
My guests were served
toast today.
What are you waiting for,
a [bleep] tip?
♪
I'm gonna wash my hands.
[bleep].
I've worked in countless
kitchens around the world,
but with an infestation
like this,
I don't know
if it's even possible
to fix a problem this big
in so little time.
We're here to help,
but I need all of you
waking up quickly.
Please, go ahead, get started.
Dustin, Donald, Dawn,
follow me.
Okay, we gotta get
this place cleaned up.
We are going to take
all of the furniture outside,
and then we're gonna start
the renovation.
-Let's get started.
-Quick, quick, quick, quick.
Kay, come on,
Wicked Witch of the West.
Grab your room.
Let's sweep.
DONALD:
It's gonna be a long day.
GORDON:
We only have 22 hours left
to transform this broken
and run-down restaurant
into the gem that it once was.
We'll remove and update
the drab décor,
light fixtures, and furniture,
then open up the restaurant
to embrace the vibrant
and authentic feel
The Big Easy has to offer.
Just stand in there for me.
What I've seen so far
has been horrifying,
so I'm scared to death of
what I'm gonna find
in this kitchen.
What's that there?
[bleep], almighty.
That is just slime.
[bleep] hell.
What does that mean
when it's slime?
-Bad?
-Yeah, that's right.
It's sticky,
[bleep] disgusting.
One, two, three, four,
five freezers.
And this is what you call
fresh food, right?
Bloody hell.
What are we actually
cooking here?
What is that?
♪
Look at it, feel it, hold it.
It's freezer-burned,
it's dry, it's gone.
Here.
There's another [bleep] loofa
for your back.
There's the bacon.
Oh, my Lord.
♪
You are [bleep] kidding me.
♪
Jambalaya.
Are we really in New Orleans?
Come on!
♪
Garbage.
I just need five minutes
with this guy.
You two start clearing down.
[bleep].
In the last 20 minutes,
you've said nothing to me.
You just stood there
and nodded your head.
What has happened?
What has happened with me
or this or both?
Let's start off with you.
When you bought this place,
you were not running it
like this.
No. I wasn't.
I studied the figures,
and you're in already
for over $300,000 loss.
But that's not the reason
to give up.
The only thing that's gonna
keep a roof over your head
at that moment for you
and your three [bleep] kids
is this restaurant.
Why are we in
this [bleep] mess?
I wouldn't say I work
as much as I would like to,
-or as much as I need to.
-Why?
-Divorce.
-A divorce?
-When did this happen?
-Year and a half.
And what happened?
Wife cheated on me
with the next-door neighbor.
He was 19.
19 years of age?
-How old was your wife?
[bleep].
And how did you find out?
We had three kids together.
After our last,
I had a vasectomy.
I can't have kids anymore.
Means my wife was
pregnant by him.
Oh, my Lord.
This I didn't know.
I have full custody,
because of her behavior
with him.
I mean, I wasn't expecting
to raise three kids by myself.
I had nowhere to bring my kids,
so when I would come to work,
I had to actually cook
everything for the whole week,
'cause I didn't know
when I was coming back.
That's a tough blow.
But you cannot disappear
and sink to oblivion.
[soft guitar music]
♪
Good.
It's obvious that
Dustin's divorce
has absolutely been
the catalyst for every issue.
He needs to get a grip
on this restaurant quick,
before it's too [bleep] late.
And with time running low,
I know the first place
we need to start.
-Kevin? How are you, sir?
-Oh, good. How are you doing?
-Thank you so much for coming.
-Yes, my pleasure.
GORDON: I've never seen
anything quite this bad.
KEVIN:
That's just disgusting.
[rock music]
GORDON: Look at the size
of that hole there.
So, they can easily
come through there.
You think we can control this?
You gotta be very thorough,
very thorough.
GORDON: This place
needs to be exterminated
from top to bottom.
Let me know if you
can do anything else
-Okay, all right, I sure will.
-Yeah. Please.
Thanks, Kevin.
♪
While half my team is rushing
to transform the restaurant,
my culinary team has been
at Hell on Wheels,
whipping up
an exciting new menu.
Uh, gents and Dawn,
I need to show all of you
something really important.
Let's go, please.
All right, he's coming, guys.
I hate having short legs.
Like, sprint to catch up
with him.
GORDON:
The clock is ticking away.
All right, listen up,
take a look at these,
because we have a lot
of ground to cover.
This is a hallmark
of classic dishes
that scream New Orleans,
cooked to order fresh,
and not cooked
in bulk and frozen.
Bananas Foster French Toast:
caramelized bananas.
That looks great. I like it.
Next to that, Eggs Benedict
and a beautiful cake
with sweet potato hash brown.
Crawfish Po' Boy.
Crispy bread, toasted,
-inviting, fresh.
-Looks good.
We've got a shrimp
remoulade salad.
Mixed greens, heirloom tomato,
and a nice creole dressing.
A chicken and andouille sausage
with gumbo, pickled okra.
Buttermilk fried chicken.
Classic, right?
Let's cook together, okay?
Eggs Benedict.
Hot pan.
Three slices of
that caramelized ham.
Absolutely beautiful.
Get it nice and crispy
on the edge. Out.
Keep the pan as it is,
piping hot.
Absorb all that fat on the bun.
Now, the flavor's incredible.
Eggs to a rolling boil
for one minute.
The art is in the preparation.
A beautifully flavored
Tabasco Hollandaise,
glazed over the eggs.
Look what happens
when I put that knife in there.
It just oozes out.
That is a classic
Eggs Benedict.
Let me tell you what's gonna
happen throughout the night.
Each and every one of
these amazing chefs
are gonna teach you one on one,
and you're gonna
absolutely nail this menu.
Come around,
get familiar with them,
and get frickin' busy.
-Dawn?
-Yes.
Nice to meet you.
All right, we're gonna
be friends now, okay?
Right now is make or break
for Dustin.
This is definitely
an opportunity.
GORDON:
If he doesn't step up,
find his voice,
and start cooking,
we've got no chance.
Not only that,
but his team behind him
needs to learn
this menu quickly.
-Dawn?
-Yes?
Can you do me a favor
and poach me a couple of eggs?
[chuckles]
[rock music]
♪
Agh!
-Oh, let's start over.
-What are you doing?
Oh, crap, I'm already frickin'
breaking the egg wrong.
Oh
[tense music]
I popped it wrong,
'cause it ain't doing right.
WOMAN:
Still not cutting it.
All right,
what are you doing next?
Hollandaise is made
in a double boiler.
You whisk, whisk, whisk.
Ooh, hot. That was hot.
Ooh, shoot.
Careful to not get
scrambled eggs,
which is what's happening.
-It's getting too hot.
-Uh-oh.
-Let's go.
-Let's see those eggs.
-Looks beautiful.
-Yay.
-I messed up.
-Yes, you did.
Ooh!
-Not good?
-No.
Unbelievable.
[solemn music]
Oh, my gosh. Inedible.
GORDON: Uh, Dustin?
-Yes, sir?
-Two seconds, please?
-All right.
GORDON: Oh, man.
There's a problem in there:
Dawn.
Almost, almost getting there.
Yay, I'm finally
getting there
I think.
This is a girl that's,
in your mind,
a general manager,
masters the kitchen
in your absence.
She couldn't even poach an egg.
Oh, God.
[sighs]
-Dustin
-That's bad.
-That's--that's--
-Why is she employed?
Is there a feel-sorry factor?
What is it?
Well, probably partly that.
And why do you feel
sorry for her?
Yeah, but she's
bringing you down.
[solemn music]
That clock is ticking away.
When are you gonna
take the reins?
You can't go forward
in that business
carrying excess baggage.
I can't believe
she can't poach an egg,
or know what
hollandaise sauce is
when we use it every day.
Make some substantial changes.
I am not good at this at all.
[dramatic tone]
That clock is ticking away.
[solemn music]
You can't go forward
in that business
carrying excess baggage.
DUSTIN: I can't believe
she can't poach an egg,
or know what
hollandaise sauce is,
when we use it every day.
I am not good at this at all.
Make some substantial changes.
♪
-Dawn, we need to speak.
-Huh?
We need to talk.
♪
You have to go home.
♪
It's not gonna work.
Yes.
♪
-You're just throwing me out?
-This has to be done.
-Nothing you--
-What did I do wrong?
Honestly?
Can you look at me and tell me
what did I do wrong?
♪
You're not equipped
to be in the kitchen.
This has to be done.
For me to succeed
I have to be in the kitchen,
I have to run the place,
I have to get
my [bleep] together,
or it's gone.
This is what I need.
-Okay.
-Okay?
[soft music]
Okay? Sorry.
-Go home and get some rest.
-[sobs] I'm sorry.
Don't be sorry.
No, I let myself down.
I let the restaurant down.
That ain't on
nobody else but me.
♪
Okay?
♪
Can I go hug her?
♪
As a friend, yes, it does hurt,
but with three kids,
it's my responsibility to make
some difficult decisions.
That sucks.
DUSTIN: At this point,
I'm at the last straw.
Either I'm gonna do
what I have to do,
put everything into it,
succeed,
or I'm gonna--
the doors will be closed.
-Who's working in the kitchen?
-Us three.
Whatever we gotta do
to get it done.
A little bit.
Dustin's starting
to finally understand
what it's like
to be back in control,
but if you haven't got
discipline in your business
-on a daily basis
-No, no, no, no, no
Ooh, yeah, she just--
may I grab that one?
Your reputation will fall down
quicker than you built it.
You dump that, you have to
re-plate the whole thing.
GORDON: He needs to find
that inner strength;
he needs to dig deep
and wake up and get a grip
-before it's too late.
-That's what you want.
-You want this color.
DONALD: Yeah, that's perfect.
GORDON: The tables are
beginning to turn for Dustin.
But with limited time
remaining,
the Old Coffee Pot
is not yet out of the woods.
[dramatic tone]
-Do you think we hit something?
-We hit a wire.
Uh, let me find a panel box.
Nail, went through
a piece of MC cable.
Oh, my God.
I've never seen anything
like that before.
Yes!
[upbeat music]
-Okay.
-All right, we're moving.
-We're grooving.
-Very good. Good, good, good.
The chandelier, the big
chandelier's coming out.
Where should we put it?
Right in that van.
Get me the NOLA letters that
are in the back of the truck.
I'm scared on this one.
I'm scared
we're not gonna finish.
This place is in
really bad shape.
[groovy bass music]
♪
-How's that coming, John?
-Good.
DUSTIN:
I'm exhausted, I'm tired,
working all night,
but to have Jonathan
and my dad
in the kitchen, on my side,
it's amazing.
These are completed.
All right, just bring 'em
straight to the table.
Okay.
Rise and shine.
Can't nobody walk
as fast as you. Let's go.
Chefs, ladies, welcome.
Just take a look at
that food on the table.
WILHELMENIA:
Presentation is very good.
The food looks very appetizing.
GORDON: Well, those chefs
standing behind you have worked
throughout the night,
and they've worked bloody hard.
You can see the change here.
But there's an even
bigger change,
and that is in the man
behind you.
Dustin, do you have something
to tell your staff?
DUSTIN: Um
definitely realized
that a lot of things
-that needed to be changed
-Yes.
So I had to make
a difficult decision.
Oh, Lord, what's this?
Dawn is no longer with us.
WOMAN: [gasps]
[tense music]
Um, Dawn is no longer with us.
[tense music]
I had to make
that difficult decision,
because I needed
to be able to step up,
run my kitchen,
run my restaurant
the way it needs to be ran.
Is that Dustin that's doing
all the talking?
Change, change,
like, overnight.
Dustin, a great move
that you made,
and I think all of us
appreciate you making
that great move.
Yes. Yes.
It felt amazing to have
the staff behind me
after the difficult decisions
that were made.
Thank you.
Thanks for everything.
DUSTIN:
Today, for the first time,
I will admit that I think
I got my staff's attention.
To have them
fully committed with me,
never felt that
with them before.
You're ready for more,
aren't you?
-Yes.
GORDON: Good.
The journey hasn't
even started yet.
Two very important things:
This is the staple of a menu
that we'll be
launching tonight.
Small menu, but it's
a fresh, powerful menu.
Now, we are on one of
the busiest quarters
anywhere in New Orleans.
This is one of the biggest
missed opportunities:
the Old Coffee Pot
grab-and-go.
What is that saying
on that bag?
ALL: "Old Coffee Pot."
-The Old Coffee Pot.
It is a marketing tool.
It is a way of
selling that business.
Coffee to go, beignets to go.
I want all of you to dig in
and start tasting this menu.
-Mmm.
-Mmm-mmm.
SHIRLEY:
This is very good.
JONATHAN:
It tastes completely different.
Very good.
-Chicken's good, huh?
-Yeah, it's one of the best.
Matter of fact,
everything is good.
[laughter]
The new menu,
I'm super excited about it.
That's what we needed.
We needed some sort
of guideline,
like, "This is what you do,"
and it's a great start.
GORDON: With only four hours
until the relaunch,
the team is racing
to finish the renovation,
but signs of fatigue
are showing.
Oh, this is great out here.
[snoring]
[chuckles] Wilhelmenia.
[upbeat music]
[snoring]
Really good job.
Bright, vibrant, authentic.
You got it, you got it.
That's gonna hang there,
is that right?
Uh, Dustin, I need you
in the kitchen now.
Let's go.
Just come in here.
How does this feel?
How does it look?
DUSTIN: It definitely
does not look like
the same restaurant.
[laughs]
GORDON: This place has been
gutted top to bottom.
It has been steamed clean.
It is immaculate.
And an exterminator has
gotten rid of all those rats.
It's up to you
to continue that, yes?
-Yes.
-Now, a gift:
an amazing array
of professional equipment
from Breville.
We've gotten
some utensils as well:
weight and measures,
microplanes, spatulas, spoons.
And last but not least,
your new coffee machines!
Yay!
[all cheer]
-It's your own machine!
-Yes.
GORDON: All right.
You, get them going.
You get organized.
We're 46 minutes away
from opening those doors.
Yeah?
GAYNELL: I need to go get
our uniform shirts.
Girl, we gotta get ready.
Re-butter all of these for me.
Coming through.
Finishing the project.
We're good.
I think we're totally good.
GORDON: [bleep] come on.
Let's go!
[tense music]
Final meeting.
Oh, no, we're leaning
at the bar.
-No leaning at the bar.
-[laughs]
[overlapping chatter]
Um, just turn around,
and have a look at this gorgeous room.
WILHELMENIA: The looks of it
is so beautiful.
GORDON: Yes.
WILHELMENIA: Oh, my God.
GAYNELL: It make you wanna do
a little bit more,
-just a little bit more
-Oh, no, no, no
Just a lot. A lot. [laughs]
No, no, we're selling,
we're not dancing.
90 seconds before we go.
Final words:
Young man, how are you feeling?
Feeling good.
It's been a tough
24 hours, right?
-[chuckles]
-You've been to hell and back.
That's putting it lightly.
Anything you'd like
to say to the team?
I thank y'all
for standing behind me
and rallying,
and now it's time that
we have to put it to work.
Damn right. That's right.
-Yeah.
-[applause]
-Right.
-Yes, well done.
Remember what's at stake.
ALL:
Five, four, three, two, one.
-Let's go. Come on.
-[applause]
It's the new Coffee Pot.
Oh, it's adorable.
Such a cute place.
GORDON: In only 24 hours,
my team has completely
renovated the Old Coffee Pot
from top to bottom.
MATTHEW:
It's really come together.
It really looks
completely different.
GORDON: We have replaced
the dated décor
with a fresh and modern look.
Isn't it beautiful?
MAN: It is beautiful.
GAYNELL: Oh, I feel good.
I feel good.
It's just a pleasure
to walk into
something like this.
GORDON: Customers
will no longer walk past
an abandoned
and dirty restaurant
-We're ready, right?
-Got this.
GORDON:
They'll see a revived eatery
that has been serving the
Big Easy for over 100 years,
and a menu that brings
old-world charm
into every bite.
It's warm outside.
Do you fancy a nice cold brew?
It's--[chuckles]--warm outside.
How about a nice cold brew?
I love this place.
We just like to make
the customers smile.
You got gray hairs coming.
Oh, yeah.
You're giving them to me.
I think it's all
gonna work out.
On the menu, we have--
Fried chicken
First order on, Dustin, yes?
Shrimp Remoulade, Gumbo,
Crawfish Po' Boy.
Crawfish Po' Boy.
Got it.
Good. Get that pan
nice and hot first, yeah?
-You, use your voice tonight
-Yes, Chef.
Do as you're told
and listen, yes?
-Yes, Chef.
-Good.
-Is this your appetizer?
-Yeah.
DUSTIN: Order coming in.
JONATHAN: Two Banana Fosters,
two minutes.
Good, nice timing.
DUSTIN:
Order up for table five.
Coming up now, order, Gaynell.
Order up.
Ooh, nice.
-[speaks indistinctly]
-Lots of fresh crème.
-Hi. That's beautiful.
-Awesome. Oh, my God.
-Thank you so much.
-All right.
This is the cutest.
-Mmm.
-Wow, that's good.
We got one chicken, right?
DONALD: Chicken.
DUSTIN: Two chickens.
-Two chickens.
-All right.
What's going next, please?
Two--two fried--I have four.
Two chickens, one, uh
No, you have two right now.
DONALD: Two fried--
two fried chickens.
Come on, please, guys,
this is not [bleep] difficult.
-Two fried chickens up.
-Thank you.
Thank you.
Chickens for the gentlemen,
and I'll be back
with your gumbo.
[tense music]
MAN: Excuse me
♪
Okay.
♪
-What's wrong?
-I'm sorry.
-[mumbles]
-It's raw.
♪
What happened?
Oh, [bleep].
No, no, no, [bleep] hell.
Hey, hey, all of you!
This is [bleep] undercooked.
It's [bleep] raw,
both of them.
[dramatic tone]
[tense music]
This is [bleep] undercooked.
It's [bleep] raw, both of them.
That's not 30 seconds away,
okay?
Now when they're that thick,
how long do they need?
About eight minutes?
Hey, we got off
to a great start.
I know it's a mistake,
but don't drop your head now.
You can't give up.
Now, I know it's your dad,
but you still gotta tell him
it's [bleep] undercooked.
[bleep].
-They're raw.
-The chickens?
Chickens.
You [bleep] should've cooked.
And look, Dustin,
don't go quiet on me, okay?
-Yes, sir.
-We're re-firing them.
Let's get over it
and bounce back, yes?
What's the ETA
on another chicken?
One minute.
[rock music]
All right.
Concentrate, concentrate.
You got this. Don't buckle.
Two chickens, right there.
DUSTIN: Order up!
Lovely color, Donald,
on the chicken.
-Nice and crispy. Good.
-Thank you.
Follow to table six,
please, thank you.
Good job. Thank you.
Good, that's how we work
as a team.
Keep it going, yes?
With the kitchen
running together
Two fried chickens,
one Benedict.
GORDON: And Dustin's
passion reignited
-We got this.
-Behind you, Chef.
-Hey, it's ready.
-Yeah.
-Thank you.
-You got it.
GORDON: I'm finally starting
to see the charm
of the Old Coffee Pot again
♪
And so are the customers.
Ladies, nice to see you.
Good evening.
Hi.
Are you, uh,
picking up some coffee?
-To grab and go.
-Grab and go, how nice.
I wanna try the Caribbean.
That sounds good.
And then the beignets.
WOMAN: This place is cute.
WILHELMENIA: There you are.
-Thank you so much.
WILHELMENIA:
All right, thank you.
GORDON: With a logo stamped
on every grab-and-go bag,
the Old Coffee Pot
will be seen
throughout all
the French Quarter.
Dustin, VIP table.
-This time they're not critics.
-Okay.
I think you'll recognize them.
Look at those dudes over there.
-Oh, man
-Hi, Daddy!
Look at--[chuckles]
Look at--[chuckles]
-Hey, Dad!
-Look--[chuckles]
Hey, how cool are they?
Man.
First of all, congratulations,
uh, not just on
an amazing family,
the help you got
with that family.
DUSTIN: My kids are
the most important to me.
Everything I've done regardless
of what I've been through,
this is the reason I do it.
I do this for them.
That's what it's all about,
right?
This and securing their future.
You know Daddy's lucky, right?
He's excited. I'm happy.
I believe I have
so much more confidence now
than I had 24 hours ago.
Love you.
All right, see you
in a little while.
I'm very proud of
how it came together,
but I think it started with me.
I had to make decisions.
I had to
get myself together.
My time is done.
Good luck.
Thank you.
And wear that jacket
with pride.
I'm the one that bought
this restaurant.
I'm the one that
is gonna put it back
on the map.
Follow me.
A present for all of you.
[soft music]
[laughter]
Oh, thank you!
It's for bread,
not a hamster wheel, okay?
[laughter]
Right. Good night.
Good night. Thank you so much.
Thank you so much.
These last 24 hours, honestly,
I've truly gone
to hell and back,
but tonight,
the Old Coffee Pot heartbeat
is beating strongly again.
It's returning to
its former glory days.
Man, I'm toast.
Not as much as
that [bleep] mouse.
What the [bleep]
was all that about?
Good evening.
Nice to see you.
Watch out for the mice.
Hey Chef Gordon, this is
Dustin from the Old Coffee Pot
and I was just giving y'all
an update on everything.
The restaurant's been doing
pretty good.
We had our ups and downs
Banana Foster all day,
one yogurt, one gumbo.
But the menu's doing
really well.
Everybody seems
to love the items.
French toast.
DUSTIN:
The kids are awesome
Daddy, you super rad.
But they're not liking me
working all my nights.
WILHELMENIA: Gordon Ramsay,
all the ladies at the Coffee
Pot are doing very well.
And thank you so much for
everything that you did for us.
And I thought maybe you might
want an order of toast.
GORDON: Next week, I head to
the heart of Los Angeles,
where I meet an owner
so broken by tragedy
I never saw when they pulled
that trigger,
but I heard it
all over the place.
GORDON: That he has lost
control of his business
I quit.
GORDON:
And the staff that runs it.
What a disgusting way to behave
in front of your boss.
-You should be ashamed.
-I'm not.
GORDON: The only chance I have
to save this restaurant
Where's the guy with
37 years' experience gone?
Will be to save him first.
What's more important to you,
family or a restaurant?
♪
GORDON: I'm Gordon Ramsay,
and I'm hitting the road.
[blues rock music]
[horn honks]
I'm heading to restaurants
all across America.
WOMAN: Oh, my God, no, no.
GORDON: On the brink--
MAN: [bleep] you!
GORDON: Of collapse.
They're sat in blood.
What are you waiting for,
a [bleep] tip?
But having endured
so many kitchen disasters
over the years
There's a [bleep] mouse
in here.
I know that I need
to do something
I've never, ever done before.
I must try to save
each of these restaurants
In just 24 hours.
MAN: That's not a lot of time.
WOMAN: I'm scared
we're not gonna finish.
[snoring]
GORDON: Because in this age
of social media,
where every customer
is a critic
If you want fast service
and good drinks, don't go here.
Next one, one star,
"The food looks gross
when it comes out
of the kitchen."
Oh, my God.
GORDON: Your business can
succeed or fail overnight.
But when people know
I'm coming,
they tend to hide
what's really going on.
So, this time,
I'll need to be covert.
Hiding cameras
in the restaurants
and myself in plain sight
Catch of the day, hepatitis B.
To catch them all red-handed.
I had to stop you
from eating in there,
-and this is the reason why.
-Oh, my God, no!
GORDON: If I have any hope
of saving them
Bless thy soul,
may I come out in one piece.
I'll have to go
to hell and back.
Oh, my God.
In 24 hours.
[coughs]
[beeping]
[foghorn blares]
[groovy rock music]
♪
This week,
I'm in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Now, this city is known
for its rich history,
incredible jazz music,
and, of course,
its delicious Cajun cuisine.
Now, though this city's
nickname, we know,
is "The Big Easy,"
it's been anything but easy
for the Old Coffee Pot
restaurant.
This century-old bistro
is in the middle of
the busy French Quarter,
but they can't get
customers through the door.
[laid-back music]
My name's Dustin Palmisano,
and I'm the owner of
the Old Coffee Pot.
It's been open since 1894.
I started working at the Old
Coffee Pot as the chef.
When I first purchased
the restaurant,
it was doing really,
really well.
One of the best
breakfast restaurants
in the French Quarter.
GAYNELL:
We used to make big money,
but it's not there anymore.
Two years ago, Dustin really
started having family problems.
DUSTIN:
Me and my ex-wife
definitely started
having some issues,
and we had to
file for divorce.
It definitely threw my world
completely out of whack.
SHIRLEY:
I mean, she just up and gone,
and, you know,
left him with all the kids.
I have the kids on my own 24/7.
He's a father and a mother
to those boys,
so it was impossible
for him to be here.
And we saw the business
drifting down, down, down.
DUSTIN:
It's been a constant struggle.
When I'm not at
the restaurant,
Dawn is the one
that is in charge.
♪
I'll drink it
if you don't believe me.
-Throw it away.
-[spits]
Nah, it's bad.
Dawn's biggest issue, honestly,
is she is very manipulative.
-[scatting]
-Dustin is too lenient.
♪
Dawn doesn't do anything.
[tense music]
♪
DUSTIN: I feel Dawn
is doing the best she can
-as a manager.
-I feel lost.
Maybe there is things I need to
learn about being a manager
We need a banana.
Son of a bitch.
But I will do anything
for Dustin.
DUSTIN: I think once I leave,
it's like a switch.
They turn it on,
and they do whatever they want.
-Oh, hell no!
-Ohhh, that's right.
♪
DUSTIN:
I don't know how to fix it.
I lose about $10,000 a month.
This place won't be here
much longer.
I need to be able
to take care of them,
and without the restaurant,
I don't know
how I'm gonna do that.
I love you, Daddy.
If that don't work, we won't
have a home for the kids.
♪
With only 24 hours to try
and save the Old Coffee Pot,
I need to find out what exactly
were they doing wrong.
So, my team
told the restaurant
that they were trying out for
a traditional renovation show,
but while they're
being interviewed,
we installed hidden cameras
throughout the restaurant,
and I've been secretly
recording surveillance footage
since we left.
[rock music]
Without help, trust me,
the Old Coffee Pot
will be closed
in a matter of months,
maybe weeks.
Now, this time, we're doing
things a little differently,
and I mean differently.
Time to get changed.
Now, when people know
I'm coming,
they all tend to be on
their best bloody behavior,
so I'm going undercover
to catch all of them
off guard.
In order to blend in,
I've invited
four local musicians
to camouflage me
going undercover.
Sounds amazing.
Ready for lunch?
BOTH: Yeah.
-Let's go.
[solemn music]
♪
-Hi.
-How y'all doing?
-Hi.
-How many?
-Five of us.
-Five?
-You can put him in there.
-Uh-huh.
Over here.
Excuse me, hello, guys.
How are you?
Hello, how are you doing?
Let me get you a server.
Will you look how busy
that street is out there?
How can the restaurant
fail so miserably
with so many customers
on their doorstep?
Businesses on either side
of this are packed.
Yeah.
Have you decided?
May I have the Fleur de Lis
Chicken, please?
GORDON: We're ordering
classic New Orleans dishes
-The Eggs Jonathan.
-Crawfish Po' Boy.
GORDON: That any restaurant
in The Big Easy
-should be able to perfect.
-Thank you, gentlemen.
Wow.
Band-Aids? I just cut
the [bleep] out of my finger.
DUSTIN: Redfish
eggs, and the Crawfish Po' Boy.
You want the redfish?
[dynamic percussive music]
It's funny how all
three waitresses
-are standing at the bar.
-[laughs]
Go ahead, oh, Gaynell,
go ahead.
[both laugh]
-You got it, girl.
-Yeah, baby.
Weird.
It's frozen,
but it don't smell bad.
[solemn music]
[tense music]
♪
It's been a minute, huh?
♪
Excuse me?
-Ma'am?
-I don't think she can hear me.
[bleep] too busy.
Ma'am?
Ooh, throwing [bleep]
on the floor.
Agh, screwed it up.
-Thank you.
-I had the redfish.
-Redfish Couvillion.
-Thank you.
♪
-Ma'am?
-Toast looks pretty burnt.
When a restaurant can't get
a [bleep] toast right,
-uh, you know it's [bleep].
-Mm-hmm.
How do you like your eggs, man?
Uh, I'm not sure yet.
The poached egg was
rock-hard in the center.
Uh, no good.
Not good.
-All right, enjoy.
-Thank you so much.
You're welcome.
So, I've got rotten fries.
♪
Let's sort the little chicken.
Thank you.
Hm.
I didn't even, like,
consciously do that.
-[both laugh]
-The chicken smells funny.
I don't know
what they've done to it.
♪
Meat, don't eat anymore.
I've discovered the kitchen,
and it's pretty gross,
and what I'm about to show you
in a couple of minutes,
is shocking.
I've seen enough.
Excuse me.
No problem.
[solemn rock music]
♪
GORDON: I've never seen
anything that bad ever,
and the atmosphere
was terrible.
It smells in there.
It's like the restaurant
has given up,
and no one gives a [bleep].
About time to go tell them.
[intense guitar music]
MAN: Oh, my God.
WOMAN: Is that Gordon Ramsay?
-How are you?
-Yeah, I've had better days.
♪
Can you get me Dustin, please?
-Dustin?
-Oh, Lord, what's this?
GORDON: Ladies and gentlemen,
forks down.
The restaurant is closed.
Thank you.
Sorry I just stopped
your lunch.
This is crazy.
♪
Ladies, that was me
who sat down there
with a beard.
Right there? Yes.
GORDON:
Right there, yes.
[solemn music]
I had to tell my guests
to stop eating.
The food was that bad.
♪
What happened, Dustin?
♪
-Just now or
-You don't know?
Who poached the eggs?
I poached a few. I don't know
if that was the one.
-You poached a few?
-Yeah.
Kay, well, Matthew's eggs
were like bullets.
♪
When a restaurant
can't even poach an egg,
that's not a good sign.
When was that chicken cooked?
Do you re-heat that
in the microwave?
-Yes.
GORDON: Yeah?
♪
This restaurant needs help.
♪
Ladies and gentlemen,
I need all of you to follow me.
♪
-Let's go, everybody.
-Okay.
♪
[intense rock music]
I would like to introduce you
to something
close to my heart.
♪
This is Hell on Wheels.
That's my engine room.
State-of-the-art kitchen,
travels all over
the country with me 24/7,
and more importantly,
every individual behind there
are serious experts.
But, listen up, all of you,
this will be a shock
for you all.
Recently, I've had my top team
inside your restaurant, Dustin,
undercover,
filming surveillance
for weeks.
♪
I had to stop you
from eating in there,
and this is the reason why.
[music intensifies]
Take a look.
[tense music]
♪
-No, I don't.
-What's wrong with you?
Oh, man.
♪
WOMAN:
Oh, God, disgusting.
♪
Oh, my Lord.
♪
Oh, man.
♪
You didn't just lick the plate.
What is wrong with you?
♪
-Oh, man.
-Horrible.
♪
GORDON:
[bleep] six--"Stuart Little."
Them rats.
♪
Oh, Lord.
WOMAN: Oh, my God.
WOMAN: This is crazy.
[gasps]
Oh, my God, no, no, no.
GORDON:
Oh, my Lord. Wow.
[tense music]
Oh, man.
WOMAN: Oh, Lord.
♪
Oh, my God, no, no. Ugh.
Disgusting. I don't go again.
Never again in this place.
Never.
Do you understand
why I asked you to stop eating?
[solemn music]
I've been to
thousands of restaurants.
I've never seen anything
as shambolic
and disgusting as that.
You've lost your passion.
It shows in the service.
Licking food off
the side of the plate.
DAWN:
I am incredibly embarrassed.
♪
I'm horrified.
♪
Most I can't even say.
I'm just totally humiliated.
Anyone wanna speak up?
♪
Dustin, give me something,
young man.
I'm ashamed of it.
Bloody right you should be.
Dustin, I'm willing to help,
but I'm not here
for six months.
I've only got 24 hours.
[dramatic tone]
[people exclaiming]
-That's not a lot of time.
-That's right.
There's not a lot of time.
If you can't commit
to 24 hours, unconditionally,
then it's never gonna work.
In these next 24 hours,
I'm gonna commit everything
I've got, learned, understood,
my team,
and put everything into it,
but I can't do it
unless you're prepared
to give everything you've got.
-Are you sure you want my help?
-Yes.
-I am.
-I can't hear you.
-Yes!
DUSTIN: Yes.
MARIE: To be honest,
I don't think it's possible.
In 24 hour?
You cannot do that.
Get on your cell phones
and ring home and tell them
you're not gonna be seeing them
for the next 24 hours,
because the clock
starts now.
[beeping]
Customers, lunch is on me.
I've taken care of that.
My apologies.
But what I would
like to see you,
is to return
and give us one more chance
at 24 hours from now, and help
relaunch this restaurant.
Would you do that for me?
-Return? Please?
-Yes.
Thank you, I appreciate that.
Everybody else
I'll meet you back in
the restaurant in five minutes.
-I'm [bleep] disgusted.
-[indistinct murmuring]
That hurt.
That hurt really bad.
I'm sorry, Dustin
You?
I was just as bad.
I have no idea what's gonna
happen in the next 24 hours.
I think it's gonna be hard.
You're fighting for
one of your kids.
-That's what it should be like.
-Yeah.
That's my name on that video.
I need help.
Everything's at stake.
I just wanted to let you know,
I'ma be over here all night.
24 hours damn near
they gonna keep us here.
GORDON: With the reopening
in less than 24 hours,
my team have installed clocks
throughout the restaurant
to track
our impending deadline.
Oh, shoot, we got
a counting clock in here.
Tick, tick, tick.
[sighs]
Okay, let me read you
some recent reviews,
if that wakes you up
and just gets you
in the zone a little bit.
"A decade ago, no question,
"this place had the best
breakfast in New Orleans,
"but after the last time
I went,
"I'll never go
back there again.
My eggs were badly overcooked."
Eggs! Eggs!
Badly overcooked.
Hold on, listen, this is
breaking news, this one.
"I came here to eat
with my boyfriend.
"I was shocked.
"The wait staff
was standing around,
"doing nothing all night.
The people working
were so slow and so rude."
That's exactly what I witnessed
a couple of hours ago.
♪
Wow.
Who's the weak links
in the chain?
I need to fix this urgently.
Look at the time.
One problem is, uh me.
♪
You? I respect your honesty.
Why are you the problem?
I wasn't trained the way
I probably should've
been trained.
♪
Dustin, you're losing
money rapidly.
Why?
We've gotten complacent.
We've gotten sloppy.
We just act like we don't care
and given up.
Okay, who's in charge?
-Of the dining room?
-Yes.
Dawn is.
Hold on a minute,
Dawn's the chef.
♪
So, you manage the dining room
and cook in the kitchen?
Yes, sir.
And you've just said
you've got no experience?
What I'm smelling now is
absolute utter bull[bleep].
How long do you think
the business has got left now?
It doesn't look good at all.
-No, no, we know that.
WILHELMENIA: Yes.
Ask him how long do you think
it's got to stay open?
How long, Dustin?
♪
A few more months, maybe.
♪
GORDON: Unbelievable.
When was the last time
this place was cleaned?
Why is it so sticky here?
Well, we had
a cleaning schedule
that I haven't been posting,
-but they usually--
-Wait, hold on a minute.
So, you have
a cleaning schedule,
but you haven't posted it yet?
I put--everybody knows
what they're supposed to do.
What is this in here?
What the [bleep] is in--
what is this,
a [bleep] aquarium?
-What--
-The water.
GORDON: Why is all this
water down here?
It leaks like that overnight.
GORDON: Unbelievable.
Look at the [bleep] mess.
Chocolate syrup,
that's where we store that,
behind this box.
Moldy.
Even the apron's moldy.
-Full of mold.
-[bleep].
"New Orleans Roast."
Are you telling me
that we don't even own
our own coffee pots?
-We rent them.
GORDON: What's it called?
Old Coffee Pot.
And we're renting coffee pots?
Who cleans this?
This
Oh, [bleep]!
[tense music]
No!
You are kidding me.
There's a [bleep] mouse
in here.
A mouse?
♪
Oh, my God.
No. No.
♪
Thatis [bleep] toast.
♪
[tense music]
♪
Oh, [bleep]!
There's a [bleep] mouse
in here.
-A mouse?
-A mouse?
Oh, my God.
No. [bleep].
My guests were served
toast today.
What are you waiting for,
a [bleep] tip?
♪
I'm gonna wash my hands.
[bleep].
I've worked in countless
kitchens around the world,
but with an infestation
like this,
I don't know
if it's even possible
to fix a problem this big
in so little time.
We're here to help,
but I need all of you
waking up quickly.
Please, go ahead, get started.
Dustin, Donald, Dawn,
follow me.
Okay, we gotta get
this place cleaned up.
We are going to take
all of the furniture outside,
and then we're gonna start
the renovation.
-Let's get started.
-Quick, quick, quick, quick.
Kay, come on,
Wicked Witch of the West.
Grab your room.
Let's sweep.
DONALD:
It's gonna be a long day.
GORDON:
We only have 22 hours left
to transform this broken
and run-down restaurant
into the gem that it once was.
We'll remove and update
the drab décor,
light fixtures, and furniture,
then open up the restaurant
to embrace the vibrant
and authentic feel
The Big Easy has to offer.
Just stand in there for me.
What I've seen so far
has been horrifying,
so I'm scared to death of
what I'm gonna find
in this kitchen.
What's that there?
[bleep], almighty.
That is just slime.
[bleep] hell.
What does that mean
when it's slime?
-Bad?
-Yeah, that's right.
It's sticky,
[bleep] disgusting.
One, two, three, four,
five freezers.
And this is what you call
fresh food, right?
Bloody hell.
What are we actually
cooking here?
What is that?
♪
Look at it, feel it, hold it.
It's freezer-burned,
it's dry, it's gone.
Here.
There's another [bleep] loofa
for your back.
There's the bacon.
Oh, my Lord.
♪
You are [bleep] kidding me.
♪
Jambalaya.
Are we really in New Orleans?
Come on!
♪
Garbage.
I just need five minutes
with this guy.
You two start clearing down.
[bleep].
In the last 20 minutes,
you've said nothing to me.
You just stood there
and nodded your head.
What has happened?
What has happened with me
or this or both?
Let's start off with you.
When you bought this place,
you were not running it
like this.
No. I wasn't.
I studied the figures,
and you're in already
for over $300,000 loss.
But that's not the reason
to give up.
The only thing that's gonna
keep a roof over your head
at that moment for you
and your three [bleep] kids
is this restaurant.
Why are we in
this [bleep] mess?
I wouldn't say I work
as much as I would like to,
-or as much as I need to.
-Why?
-Divorce.
-A divorce?
-When did this happen?
-Year and a half.
And what happened?
Wife cheated on me
with the next-door neighbor.
He was 19.
19 years of age?
-How old was your wife?
[bleep].
And how did you find out?
We had three kids together.
After our last,
I had a vasectomy.
I can't have kids anymore.
Means my wife was
pregnant by him.
Oh, my Lord.
This I didn't know.
I have full custody,
because of her behavior
with him.
I mean, I wasn't expecting
to raise three kids by myself.
I had nowhere to bring my kids,
so when I would come to work,
I had to actually cook
everything for the whole week,
'cause I didn't know
when I was coming back.
That's a tough blow.
But you cannot disappear
and sink to oblivion.
[soft guitar music]
♪
Good.
It's obvious that
Dustin's divorce
has absolutely been
the catalyst for every issue.
He needs to get a grip
on this restaurant quick,
before it's too [bleep] late.
And with time running low,
I know the first place
we need to start.
-Kevin? How are you, sir?
-Oh, good. How are you doing?
-Thank you so much for coming.
-Yes, my pleasure.
GORDON: I've never seen
anything quite this bad.
KEVIN:
That's just disgusting.
[rock music]
GORDON: Look at the size
of that hole there.
So, they can easily
come through there.
You think we can control this?
You gotta be very thorough,
very thorough.
GORDON: This place
needs to be exterminated
from top to bottom.
Let me know if you
can do anything else
-Okay, all right, I sure will.
-Yeah. Please.
Thanks, Kevin.
♪
While half my team is rushing
to transform the restaurant,
my culinary team has been
at Hell on Wheels,
whipping up
an exciting new menu.
Uh, gents and Dawn,
I need to show all of you
something really important.
Let's go, please.
All right, he's coming, guys.
I hate having short legs.
Like, sprint to catch up
with him.
GORDON:
The clock is ticking away.
All right, listen up,
take a look at these,
because we have a lot
of ground to cover.
This is a hallmark
of classic dishes
that scream New Orleans,
cooked to order fresh,
and not cooked
in bulk and frozen.
Bananas Foster French Toast:
caramelized bananas.
That looks great. I like it.
Next to that, Eggs Benedict
and a beautiful cake
with sweet potato hash brown.
Crawfish Po' Boy.
Crispy bread, toasted,
-inviting, fresh.
-Looks good.
We've got a shrimp
remoulade salad.
Mixed greens, heirloom tomato,
and a nice creole dressing.
A chicken and andouille sausage
with gumbo, pickled okra.
Buttermilk fried chicken.
Classic, right?
Let's cook together, okay?
Eggs Benedict.
Hot pan.
Three slices of
that caramelized ham.
Absolutely beautiful.
Get it nice and crispy
on the edge. Out.
Keep the pan as it is,
piping hot.
Absorb all that fat on the bun.
Now, the flavor's incredible.
Eggs to a rolling boil
for one minute.
The art is in the preparation.
A beautifully flavored
Tabasco Hollandaise,
glazed over the eggs.
Look what happens
when I put that knife in there.
It just oozes out.
That is a classic
Eggs Benedict.
Let me tell you what's gonna
happen throughout the night.
Each and every one of
these amazing chefs
are gonna teach you one on one,
and you're gonna
absolutely nail this menu.
Come around,
get familiar with them,
and get frickin' busy.
-Dawn?
-Yes.
Nice to meet you.
All right, we're gonna
be friends now, okay?
Right now is make or break
for Dustin.
This is definitely
an opportunity.
GORDON:
If he doesn't step up,
find his voice,
and start cooking,
we've got no chance.
Not only that,
but his team behind him
needs to learn
this menu quickly.
-Dawn?
-Yes?
Can you do me a favor
and poach me a couple of eggs?
[chuckles]
[rock music]
♪
Agh!
-Oh, let's start over.
-What are you doing?
Oh, crap, I'm already frickin'
breaking the egg wrong.
Oh
[tense music]
I popped it wrong,
'cause it ain't doing right.
WOMAN:
Still not cutting it.
All right,
what are you doing next?
Hollandaise is made
in a double boiler.
You whisk, whisk, whisk.
Ooh, hot. That was hot.
Ooh, shoot.
Careful to not get
scrambled eggs,
which is what's happening.
-It's getting too hot.
-Uh-oh.
-Let's go.
-Let's see those eggs.
-Looks beautiful.
-Yay.
-I messed up.
-Yes, you did.
Ooh!
-Not good?
-No.
Unbelievable.
[solemn music]
Oh, my gosh. Inedible.
GORDON: Uh, Dustin?
-Yes, sir?
-Two seconds, please?
-All right.
GORDON: Oh, man.
There's a problem in there:
Dawn.
Almost, almost getting there.
Yay, I'm finally
getting there
I think.
This is a girl that's,
in your mind,
a general manager,
masters the kitchen
in your absence.
She couldn't even poach an egg.
Oh, God.
[sighs]
-Dustin
-That's bad.
-That's--that's--
-Why is she employed?
Is there a feel-sorry factor?
What is it?
Well, probably partly that.
And why do you feel
sorry for her?
Yeah, but she's
bringing you down.
[solemn music]
That clock is ticking away.
When are you gonna
take the reins?
You can't go forward
in that business
carrying excess baggage.
I can't believe
she can't poach an egg,
or know what
hollandaise sauce is
when we use it every day.
Make some substantial changes.
I am not good at this at all.
[dramatic tone]
That clock is ticking away.
[solemn music]
You can't go forward
in that business
carrying excess baggage.
DUSTIN: I can't believe
she can't poach an egg,
or know what
hollandaise sauce is,
when we use it every day.
I am not good at this at all.
Make some substantial changes.
♪
-Dawn, we need to speak.
-Huh?
We need to talk.
♪
You have to go home.
♪
It's not gonna work.
Yes.
♪
-You're just throwing me out?
-This has to be done.
-Nothing you--
-What did I do wrong?
Honestly?
Can you look at me and tell me
what did I do wrong?
♪
You're not equipped
to be in the kitchen.
This has to be done.
For me to succeed
I have to be in the kitchen,
I have to run the place,
I have to get
my [bleep] together,
or it's gone.
This is what I need.
-Okay.
-Okay?
[soft music]
Okay? Sorry.
-Go home and get some rest.
-[sobs] I'm sorry.
Don't be sorry.
No, I let myself down.
I let the restaurant down.
That ain't on
nobody else but me.
♪
Okay?
♪
Can I go hug her?
♪
As a friend, yes, it does hurt,
but with three kids,
it's my responsibility to make
some difficult decisions.
That sucks.
DUSTIN: At this point,
I'm at the last straw.
Either I'm gonna do
what I have to do,
put everything into it,
succeed,
or I'm gonna--
the doors will be closed.
-Who's working in the kitchen?
-Us three.
Whatever we gotta do
to get it done.
A little bit.
Dustin's starting
to finally understand
what it's like
to be back in control,
but if you haven't got
discipline in your business
-on a daily basis
-No, no, no, no, no
Ooh, yeah, she just--
may I grab that one?
Your reputation will fall down
quicker than you built it.
You dump that, you have to
re-plate the whole thing.
GORDON: He needs to find
that inner strength;
he needs to dig deep
and wake up and get a grip
-before it's too late.
-That's what you want.
-You want this color.
DONALD: Yeah, that's perfect.
GORDON: The tables are
beginning to turn for Dustin.
But with limited time
remaining,
the Old Coffee Pot
is not yet out of the woods.
[dramatic tone]
-Do you think we hit something?
-We hit a wire.
Uh, let me find a panel box.
Nail, went through
a piece of MC cable.
Oh, my God.
I've never seen anything
like that before.
Yes!
[upbeat music]
-Okay.
-All right, we're moving.
-We're grooving.
-Very good. Good, good, good.
The chandelier, the big
chandelier's coming out.
Where should we put it?
Right in that van.
Get me the NOLA letters that
are in the back of the truck.
I'm scared on this one.
I'm scared
we're not gonna finish.
This place is in
really bad shape.
[groovy bass music]
♪
-How's that coming, John?
-Good.
DUSTIN:
I'm exhausted, I'm tired,
working all night,
but to have Jonathan
and my dad
in the kitchen, on my side,
it's amazing.
These are completed.
All right, just bring 'em
straight to the table.
Okay.
Rise and shine.
Can't nobody walk
as fast as you. Let's go.
Chefs, ladies, welcome.
Just take a look at
that food on the table.
WILHELMENIA:
Presentation is very good.
The food looks very appetizing.
GORDON: Well, those chefs
standing behind you have worked
throughout the night,
and they've worked bloody hard.
You can see the change here.
But there's an even
bigger change,
and that is in the man
behind you.
Dustin, do you have something
to tell your staff?
DUSTIN: Um
definitely realized
that a lot of things
-that needed to be changed
-Yes.
So I had to make
a difficult decision.
Oh, Lord, what's this?
Dawn is no longer with us.
WOMAN: [gasps]
[tense music]
Um, Dawn is no longer with us.
[tense music]
I had to make
that difficult decision,
because I needed
to be able to step up,
run my kitchen,
run my restaurant
the way it needs to be ran.
Is that Dustin that's doing
all the talking?
Change, change,
like, overnight.
Dustin, a great move
that you made,
and I think all of us
appreciate you making
that great move.
Yes. Yes.
It felt amazing to have
the staff behind me
after the difficult decisions
that were made.
Thank you.
Thanks for everything.
DUSTIN:
Today, for the first time,
I will admit that I think
I got my staff's attention.
To have them
fully committed with me,
never felt that
with them before.
You're ready for more,
aren't you?
-Yes.
GORDON: Good.
The journey hasn't
even started yet.
Two very important things:
This is the staple of a menu
that we'll be
launching tonight.
Small menu, but it's
a fresh, powerful menu.
Now, we are on one of
the busiest quarters
anywhere in New Orleans.
This is one of the biggest
missed opportunities:
the Old Coffee Pot
grab-and-go.
What is that saying
on that bag?
ALL: "Old Coffee Pot."
-The Old Coffee Pot.
It is a marketing tool.
It is a way of
selling that business.
Coffee to go, beignets to go.
I want all of you to dig in
and start tasting this menu.
-Mmm.
-Mmm-mmm.
SHIRLEY:
This is very good.
JONATHAN:
It tastes completely different.
Very good.
-Chicken's good, huh?
-Yeah, it's one of the best.
Matter of fact,
everything is good.
[laughter]
The new menu,
I'm super excited about it.
That's what we needed.
We needed some sort
of guideline,
like, "This is what you do,"
and it's a great start.
GORDON: With only four hours
until the relaunch,
the team is racing
to finish the renovation,
but signs of fatigue
are showing.
Oh, this is great out here.
[snoring]
[chuckles] Wilhelmenia.
[upbeat music]
[snoring]
Really good job.
Bright, vibrant, authentic.
You got it, you got it.
That's gonna hang there,
is that right?
Uh, Dustin, I need you
in the kitchen now.
Let's go.
Just come in here.
How does this feel?
How does it look?
DUSTIN: It definitely
does not look like
the same restaurant.
[laughs]
GORDON: This place has been
gutted top to bottom.
It has been steamed clean.
It is immaculate.
And an exterminator has
gotten rid of all those rats.
It's up to you
to continue that, yes?
-Yes.
-Now, a gift:
an amazing array
of professional equipment
from Breville.
We've gotten
some utensils as well:
weight and measures,
microplanes, spatulas, spoons.
And last but not least,
your new coffee machines!
Yay!
[all cheer]
-It's your own machine!
-Yes.
GORDON: All right.
You, get them going.
You get organized.
We're 46 minutes away
from opening those doors.
Yeah?
GAYNELL: I need to go get
our uniform shirts.
Girl, we gotta get ready.
Re-butter all of these for me.
Coming through.
Finishing the project.
We're good.
I think we're totally good.
GORDON: [bleep] come on.
Let's go!
[tense music]
Final meeting.
Oh, no, we're leaning
at the bar.
-No leaning at the bar.
-[laughs]
[overlapping chatter]
Um, just turn around,
and have a look at this gorgeous room.
WILHELMENIA: The looks of it
is so beautiful.
GORDON: Yes.
WILHELMENIA: Oh, my God.
GAYNELL: It make you wanna do
a little bit more,
-just a little bit more
-Oh, no, no, no
Just a lot. A lot. [laughs]
No, no, we're selling,
we're not dancing.
90 seconds before we go.
Final words:
Young man, how are you feeling?
Feeling good.
It's been a tough
24 hours, right?
-[chuckles]
-You've been to hell and back.
That's putting it lightly.
Anything you'd like
to say to the team?
I thank y'all
for standing behind me
and rallying,
and now it's time that
we have to put it to work.
Damn right. That's right.
-Yeah.
-[applause]
-Right.
-Yes, well done.
Remember what's at stake.
ALL:
Five, four, three, two, one.
-Let's go. Come on.
-[applause]
It's the new Coffee Pot.
Oh, it's adorable.
Such a cute place.
GORDON: In only 24 hours,
my team has completely
renovated the Old Coffee Pot
from top to bottom.
MATTHEW:
It's really come together.
It really looks
completely different.
GORDON: We have replaced
the dated décor
with a fresh and modern look.
Isn't it beautiful?
MAN: It is beautiful.
GAYNELL: Oh, I feel good.
I feel good.
It's just a pleasure
to walk into
something like this.
GORDON: Customers
will no longer walk past
an abandoned
and dirty restaurant
-We're ready, right?
-Got this.
GORDON:
They'll see a revived eatery
that has been serving the
Big Easy for over 100 years,
and a menu that brings
old-world charm
into every bite.
It's warm outside.
Do you fancy a nice cold brew?
It's--[chuckles]--warm outside.
How about a nice cold brew?
I love this place.
We just like to make
the customers smile.
You got gray hairs coming.
Oh, yeah.
You're giving them to me.
I think it's all
gonna work out.
On the menu, we have--
Fried chicken
First order on, Dustin, yes?
Shrimp Remoulade, Gumbo,
Crawfish Po' Boy.
Crawfish Po' Boy.
Got it.
Good. Get that pan
nice and hot first, yeah?
-You, use your voice tonight
-Yes, Chef.
Do as you're told
and listen, yes?
-Yes, Chef.
-Good.
-Is this your appetizer?
-Yeah.
DUSTIN: Order coming in.
JONATHAN: Two Banana Fosters,
two minutes.
Good, nice timing.
DUSTIN:
Order up for table five.
Coming up now, order, Gaynell.
Order up.
Ooh, nice.
-[speaks indistinctly]
-Lots of fresh crème.
-Hi. That's beautiful.
-Awesome. Oh, my God.
-Thank you so much.
-All right.
This is the cutest.
-Mmm.
-Wow, that's good.
We got one chicken, right?
DONALD: Chicken.
DUSTIN: Two chickens.
-Two chickens.
-All right.
What's going next, please?
Two--two fried--I have four.
Two chickens, one, uh
No, you have two right now.
DONALD: Two fried--
two fried chickens.
Come on, please, guys,
this is not [bleep] difficult.
-Two fried chickens up.
-Thank you.
Thank you.
Chickens for the gentlemen,
and I'll be back
with your gumbo.
[tense music]
MAN: Excuse me
♪
Okay.
♪
-What's wrong?
-I'm sorry.
-[mumbles]
-It's raw.
♪
What happened?
Oh, [bleep].
No, no, no, [bleep] hell.
Hey, hey, all of you!
This is [bleep] undercooked.
It's [bleep] raw,
both of them.
[dramatic tone]
[tense music]
This is [bleep] undercooked.
It's [bleep] raw, both of them.
That's not 30 seconds away,
okay?
Now when they're that thick,
how long do they need?
About eight minutes?
Hey, we got off
to a great start.
I know it's a mistake,
but don't drop your head now.
You can't give up.
Now, I know it's your dad,
but you still gotta tell him
it's [bleep] undercooked.
[bleep].
-They're raw.
-The chickens?
Chickens.
You [bleep] should've cooked.
And look, Dustin,
don't go quiet on me, okay?
-Yes, sir.
-We're re-firing them.
Let's get over it
and bounce back, yes?
What's the ETA
on another chicken?
One minute.
[rock music]
All right.
Concentrate, concentrate.
You got this. Don't buckle.
Two chickens, right there.
DUSTIN: Order up!
Lovely color, Donald,
on the chicken.
-Nice and crispy. Good.
-Thank you.
Follow to table six,
please, thank you.
Good job. Thank you.
Good, that's how we work
as a team.
Keep it going, yes?
With the kitchen
running together
Two fried chickens,
one Benedict.
GORDON: And Dustin's
passion reignited
-We got this.
-Behind you, Chef.
-Hey, it's ready.
-Yeah.
-Thank you.
-You got it.
GORDON: I'm finally starting
to see the charm
of the Old Coffee Pot again
♪
And so are the customers.
Ladies, nice to see you.
Good evening.
Hi.
Are you, uh,
picking up some coffee?
-To grab and go.
-Grab and go, how nice.
I wanna try the Caribbean.
That sounds good.
And then the beignets.
WOMAN: This place is cute.
WILHELMENIA: There you are.
-Thank you so much.
WILHELMENIA:
All right, thank you.
GORDON: With a logo stamped
on every grab-and-go bag,
the Old Coffee Pot
will be seen
throughout all
the French Quarter.
Dustin, VIP table.
-This time they're not critics.
-Okay.
I think you'll recognize them.
Look at those dudes over there.
-Oh, man
-Hi, Daddy!
Look at--[chuckles]
Look at--[chuckles]
-Hey, Dad!
-Look--[chuckles]
Hey, how cool are they?
Man.
First of all, congratulations,
uh, not just on
an amazing family,
the help you got
with that family.
DUSTIN: My kids are
the most important to me.
Everything I've done regardless
of what I've been through,
this is the reason I do it.
I do this for them.
That's what it's all about,
right?
This and securing their future.
You know Daddy's lucky, right?
He's excited. I'm happy.
I believe I have
so much more confidence now
than I had 24 hours ago.
Love you.
All right, see you
in a little while.
I'm very proud of
how it came together,
but I think it started with me.
I had to make decisions.
I had to
get myself together.
My time is done.
Good luck.
Thank you.
And wear that jacket
with pride.
I'm the one that bought
this restaurant.
I'm the one that
is gonna put it back
on the map.
Follow me.
A present for all of you.
[soft music]
[laughter]
Oh, thank you!
It's for bread,
not a hamster wheel, okay?
[laughter]
Right. Good night.
Good night. Thank you so much.
Thank you so much.
These last 24 hours, honestly,
I've truly gone
to hell and back,
but tonight,
the Old Coffee Pot heartbeat
is beating strongly again.
It's returning to
its former glory days.
Man, I'm toast.
Not as much as
that [bleep] mouse.
What the [bleep]
was all that about?
Good evening.
Nice to see you.
Watch out for the mice.
Hey Chef Gordon, this is
Dustin from the Old Coffee Pot
and I was just giving y'all
an update on everything.
The restaurant's been doing
pretty good.
We had our ups and downs
Banana Foster all day,
one yogurt, one gumbo.
But the menu's doing
really well.
Everybody seems
to love the items.
French toast.
DUSTIN:
The kids are awesome
Daddy, you super rad.
But they're not liking me
working all my nights.
WILHELMENIA: Gordon Ramsay,
all the ladies at the Coffee
Pot are doing very well.
And thank you so much for
everything that you did for us.
And I thought maybe you might
want an order of toast.
GORDON: Next week, I head to
the heart of Los Angeles,
where I meet an owner
so broken by tragedy
I never saw when they pulled
that trigger,
but I heard it
all over the place.
GORDON: That he has lost
control of his business
I quit.
GORDON:
And the staff that runs it.
What a disgusting way to behave
in front of your boss.
-You should be ashamed.
-I'm not.
GORDON: The only chance I have
to save this restaurant
Where's the guy with
37 years' experience gone?
Will be to save him first.
What's more important to you,
family or a restaurant?
♪