Kitchen Nightmares (2007) s04e05 Episode Script
Grasshopper Also
Tonight on Kitchen Nightmares Chef Ramsay heads to Carlstadt, New Jersey, and encounters the most insecure owner he has ever met.
I don't even know if I can handle this tonight.
Co-owner Mitch is a broken man.
I don't know if I can make it through this.
He doesn't have the support of his fellow partners-- his father-in-law, Chief I need that now.
Just get it.
And his wife, Maureen.
Out of the kitchen! What are you talking about? I'm getting pissed.
All right? I don't give a Whether you get pissed or not.
Mitch is unable to control his cooks.
What the is going on? And the food they serve What is that? Look how slimy it is.
How can you serve that? With an incompetent staff It's raw.
A disgusting kitchen Where's the standard? And a family that is tearing apart Shut up! Why do you tell me to shut up? I said shut up! I'd like to shut the doors and just say, "you know what? Forget all.
" We are not gonna continue along these lines.
Just stop! Stop, hey! This is the one Kitchen Nightmares Mitch! Do something! Where it could all come crashing down I am not serving food tonight.
Dinner is canceled.
Before it even starts.
I give up.
Close the door.
Carlstadt, New Jersey.
A small, industrial town buried in the shadow of Meadowland Stadium.
Only a mile away sits the Grasshopper Also, a family-owned Irish pub and restaurant.
Hi.
How are you, gals? How you doing? All right? Good.
Mitch and Maureen Sandler purchased the restaurant with Maureen's father, a successful restaurateur with 40 years of experience in the business.
We were excited, 'cause you have dreams, and you say, "okay, let's go for it.
" So that's what we did.
Ready to rock and roll, right? Yeah, let's go.
This is gonna be good.
It took off, and we were booming.
Enjoy your meal.
People were coming in left and right.
All right, this way, please.
And as the years rolled by Things started to change in the business.
Obviously, it's dead tonight.
Just go home, okay? As far as why the restaurant is failing, I don't know.
This place is a nightmare because of Mitch.
I have no idea.
His supervision is not what it should be.
Mitch, you gotta come out here! Yeah.
Mitch is responsible for the kitchen.
What am I doing in here? He's in this restaurant a ridiculous amount of hours.
And a majority of those hours are not productive.
Hey, uh, where's the toilet plunger? Can I get a bar mop, please? How are you? Good.
There's daily operations of the restaurant that he absolutely should not be involved in.
Maybe he could commit more of his time to oversee stuff that is, you know, uh, in the kitchen.
All the other stuff has to be done that you're not taking care of.
You're doing all that other stuff.
Communication between Mitchell and his staff is nonexistent.
Hey, uh, how long does it take to make rice? The guys don't probably think it's a problem.
I'm surprised they didn't make any rice.
And because of that, the food at the Grasshopper Just looks awful.
They didn't like the-- they didn't say there was a lot of flavor in it.
It is so dry.
He doesn't like this! That's perfect, that steak.
It was rare.
Mitch, you call this soup? Get rid of this .
My father-in-law blames me for everything, so I'm the scapegoat.
There's nobody here.
It's horrible.
We need some people.
If we continue this way, we're not gonna make it.
I feel like my life is falling apart.
It's pretty tough.
Every day, I think about the restaurant.
It's all on my shoulders.
And every day, it eats at me.
We cannot afford this.
Well, that's why we need some help.
If Chef Ramsay can't help me, I don't know where else to turn.
Ah, this is the last resort.
Hello.
Hi, Chef Ramsay.
I'm Maureen Sandler.
Nice to meet you.
It's good to see you too.
Okay, this is my dad, Eddie.
They call him Chief.
Chef Ramsay, welcome.
Oh, no, no.
This is my husband Mitch.
Hi, Chef, how are you? Mitch.
We're co-owners.
So the three of you are running the business together? Correct.
Wow.
I should really stand between these two guys, 'cause that's usually the case.
Oh, really? Why do you say that? We butt heads occasionally.
Occasionally? Are you kidding? We almost kill each other.
Yes.
Yeah, okay.
Right.
Wow, you're already refereeing these two.
I mean, who does what? I'm the one that oversees the kitchen.
Okay, so I'd like to get up to speed with you individually, and have a quick chat.
Come on this way.
I'm the one that takes care of the bills, and it's getting tougher and tougher.
So we need Chef Ramsay's help.
The fact that you stood in the middle of those two guys-- is it really that bad, or Business has changed drastically.
And my father has to blame somebody, and he blames my husband.
Where does your allegiance lie? With my husband.
You know, I support him.
How much did it cost to build this? That's crazy.
What do you think is wrong with the business? Mitch is one of the biggest problems.
Do you regret now, giving him part of the business? Yes, I do.
Tell me The biggest issue inside Grasshopper.
My father-in-law blames me for everything.
But is he right or is he wrong? Could be right.
Could be wrong.
Who's running it? I guess I am, right? Let's talk about the food.
Uh, people seem to like it.
Lovely, I can't wait to taste that.
Enjoy.
Our traditional Irish food's good here.
I think he'll like the food.
I hope.
Hello.
Hi, how are you? Good.
And first name is Chef Ramsay.
Annette.
Annette.
Nice to see you, darling.
Very nice to meet you.
And you are The floor manager here.
Floor manager.
How long have you been here? I've worked in this one for 16 years.
You've been here from day one.
Day one.
What's wrong with the restaurant? UmStarts at the top.
Managementor lack of.
Very frustrating.
Well, I love your honesty.
On a scale of one to ten, what would you rate the food? Mm A three.
The cooks are winging it.
I don't think care goes into every dish that they're making.
Okay, have you decided? Let's go for the French onion soup.
Okay.
Shepherd's pie.
And I'll go for the Fisherman's platter.
Fantastic.
Hungry, hey? Oh, yes.
Dying to get my head around what's going on.
All right, what's he having? First thing's first.
He'd like a French onion soup.
Thank you.
How bloody awful.
Lamps from another era.
Those bouquets, they look like my grandmother's luggage.
Unbelievable.
This soup, it takes like tar.
I think it's pretty good.
Yes.
Okay.
Mitch is serving the food, which I told him, completely wrong.
But unfortunately, he doesn't know what he's doing in here.
Okay, enjoy.
Thank you.
Dreadful color.
Eesh.
Ahh.
.
Tastes like somebody's dropped sliced onions into boiling dishwater.
Dreadful.
How's the French onion? You're off to a bad start, unfortunately.
It's like someone's in my soup.
Well, that's not good.
We'll take this away.
All right.
That was dreadful.
All right, um, guys, the French onion, he said it's like .
Flavor, he said, was not good.
We know, I know.
I don't know.
I'll find out.
The kitchen staff will do what they want to do.
And do as little as possible.
Mitch should grab the bull by the horns and be in command.
All right, Shepherd's pie.
Here we go.
Thank you, Gabriel.
He makes a good Shepherd's pie.
All right, Chef.
Thank you.
Shepherd's pie.
Wow, that's a very bizarre-looking Shepherd's pie.
Did someone put gravy on top of my crispy mash? Yes.
That is a shocker.
Like someone's snot all over my mash.
And that gravy is made from Beef.
Beef stock on a Shepherd's pie? Yes.
And Shepherd's pie is made out of This one is actually beef.
So it's a cottage pie.
Not a Shepherd's pie.
'Cause Shepherd stands for the The sheep.
The sheep.
I'll be back to check on you.
Eesh.
Cold, congealed gravy.
Just likeglue.
So how are we doing? Taste that for me.
Ouch.
Yeah.
Just gross.
And it's not hot either.
That's partly the reason why they're not coming back.
It's just waterydamn.
That was two strikes right away.
And I was fairly confident that he would like one of them, at least.
You all right? Fine.
I'm good.
Damn.
There's a, uh, there's a lot of pain on Mitch's face.
We're batting zero.
Yeah, with a big, uh Whiff.
All right, Chef.
This is our broad Fisherman's platter.
Okay.
Founder, scallops, and shrimp.
Thank you.
My God.
Oh, boy.
That is gross.
Not good, Chef? Soft, bland, rubbery.
I didn't realize it could be this bad.
Thank you.
Okay.
Oh, no, this was not good.
This is-- we saved the worst This is the worst of the worst.
Till the end.
You know, you're here 16 years, so you think your food is decent.
To hear otherwise is kind of shocking.
I don't know if I'm gonna make it through this.
Coming up Where's the fridge? A shocking inspection.
Look how slimy it is.
That's what you cooked my scallops from? It's like it's been attacked my cats.
A gruesome discovery.
How can you serve that? And a Kitchen Nightmares first We're screwed! That has Gordon running for the door.
I am not serving that in there.
No way! Dinner is canceled.
I didn't realize it could be this bad.
Thoroughly disgusted with lunch That's gross.
Chef Ramsay wants to meet the Chefs responsible for this supposed authentic Irish cuisine.
Come around this side, please.
So who's the Chef? Mario.
How long have you been here, sir? I would say from 1997.
Did you taste any of the food that came back? Yes, I did.
You did.
What was your thoughts? You thought it was okay? Obviously, 'cause you're smiling.
I'm embarrassed.
You're from Ireland.
Yes.
What I had there today had nothing to do with Ireland.
Shepherd's pie Well, , I mean, that wasn't Shepherd's pie.
If you went to Dublin and you served Shepherd's pie like that, they would shoot you.
The food is embarrassing.
Bland.
Cooked dreadfully.
It has no flavor.
Where's the pot of scallops? Where do you keep those? Right there.
Show it to me, please.
Is that what you used out of mine? SoThat's what you cooked my scallops from, yeah? Are they frozen? They were frozen but they're not frozen now.
Yep.
You've got no chance at cooking that decent.
Oh, my gosh.
I was dying.
I was mortified.
It's not hidden.
It wasn't a secret.
You just have to go in and open a fridge door.
What's that in there? I don't think anybody walked into the refrigerators or the walk-in box to inspect it at all.
Frozen.
Everything's frozen.
That's what he's getting.
Nothing's fresh.
Hold on, hold on a minute.
Maureen, come over.
Mitch, come over, please.
What is that? How old are they? That's two days old? That's a funny two days.
How are you gonna recook that? Help me.
What are we gonna do? You refry it? Yeah.
So it's fried twice? I want to throw up.
There's not enough liquor in that bar to get them inebriated enough to even attempt to eat that.
Is there any control in here, guys? Ugh.
What is that? Can you see that there? Blood.
Blood from where? Blood from the meat on the mozzarella sticks.
Come on, guys.
Thank God I didn't have the mozzarella sticks.
There's like a blood transfusion going on down there.
Mitch, when was the last time you went through the fridge? Uh Talk to me, please.
I have not gone through this fridge, Chef.
I left it up to my staff.
I knew I had a problem with Mitch as far as that supervision was involved.
But I didn't think it was this bad, you know? You've got raw meat here.
Cooked meat.
Salami.
Blood in there.
Come on, please.
Don't do this to yourself, let alone the customers.
Rule number one when learning to cook, you cannot store raw meat and cooked meat on the same shelf in the same fridge! The whole thing has got a cross-contamination.
Chief, give me something.
There's a lack of supervision in here.
Where's the rest of the fridge? This way.
That's what I need to see.
What's in there? Chicken tenders? Why is it all bubbly and slimy? The chicken comes like that? Look how slimy it is.
Look how slimy it is.
Look at it.
My God.
That's horrific.
It's totally embarrassing.
What is this? How can you serve that? It's like it's been left out for days and It's been attacked by cats.
This is where your money's going.
Irrespective of where the customers aren't coming from, but just from the base Damn sweet waste.
I know, 'cause I pay the bills.
Let me just tell you now, I would never, never have put a spoon of anything in my mouth if I knew this was taking place.
Shocking to see just the extent of cross contamination.
There's no one checking it.
Sorry, Chief.
You may be the Chief, but I swear to God there's one thing that Grasshopper hasn't got is a leader! We should all be ashamed of ourselves.
At this point in time, I'd like to shut the doors and just say, "you know what? Forget all.
" Someone's got to help me here a little bit.
I cannot help a situation who are not willing to help themselves.
And you don't need me to come in here and turn your fridge upside down.
Mitch If you're the one with the hands-on role in this business, and you're supporting him, and you're the su-- the mentoring figure, we're screwed! We have people coming tonight.
What are we-- what are we gonna do? I can guarantee you one thing, I am not serving food tonight With that in there.
No way! What is that in there? After a horrifying inspection in the kitchen The whole thing has got a cross-contamination.
Chef Ramsay was left with no choice.
I am not serving that in there.
No way! I'm beyond--beyond embarrassed about this situation.
Shutting down our dinner service, it's a nightmare.
We cannot afford this.
And okay, you want to open.
Fine, of course I want business in here.
But open with what? Take one good look at yourselves and think.
I need some air, guys.
Air and a stomach pump.
We have never closed for dinner, ever.
I mean, we've had 18 inches of snow outside, and we've opened.
Mitch There has to be leadership in the kitchen.
What are you gonna do tonight? Guess what they're throwing out.
They're throwing dollars out.
And guess who's paying for it.
We are.
We're paying for it.
What just happened here tonight was, um, kind of a disaster.
Mitch knows that this whole thing right now, tonight, is his responsibility.
We can't serve any food the way it is.
The dinner is canceled.
I'm shocked.
I'm drained, emotionally.
I hope this does not happen ever again.
Otherwise, we won't be here.
Mitch When I said, okay-- what are you starting to fight with me now? I'm not, I'm just saying, Mitch, I'm just-- that's where my focus is.
Bad news, folks.
Sorry, we're not open tonight.
There wasn't enough supervision in there.
And I guess the has hit the fan today.
I'm sorry about it.
Aww.
Sorry about that.
Definitely I'm embarrassed.
As Chief returns from telling customers the restaurant is closed, inside, a leader has emerged to supervise the cleaning of the kitchen.
Mitch, all of this has to be thrown out.
But it's not Mitch.
Because the blood was coming down.
Throw it out.
Get rid of it.
It's Maureen.
All right? That has to go.
It's very upsetting.
The food that's going into that garbage is our profits.
Throw out.
Gone.
And here we are in a situation where we're not making profits.
Mitch, this has to be thrown out.
This has to go.
All right, Maureen.
All right, all right, all right, all right.
Everything was thrown away.
Disposed of.
Scrubbed, washed.
Cleaned.
And, uh, we'll start again.
We're cleaning.
We're closed.
Everything's gotta be clean.
After an eye-opening first day, Chef Ramsay realizes that it's not just the restaurant that is on the line, but Mitch and Maureen's marriage as well.
Morning.
Hi, Chef.
How are you? Good.
How are you doing? Good.
It's a tough day yesterday.
Yeah, I'll say.
Well, this is my home.
God, who's that? That's Mitch.
Seriously? Seriously? When was that taken? Wow.
Mitch and I, back in the day, were best of friends.
And through the years now, he's not the same person he used to be.
And that's the hard thing.
When you opened that restaurant, you got married at the same time.
Right.
The guy I'm seeing today You saw that picture.
That's not the same person.
You haven't got your breathing space.
Mitch has been suffocated.
And, more importantly, a man's getting destroyed on a daily basis.
Icomplain to my father.
When he does, like, the busting chops, and, like, breaking him down, I'm like, "how dare you?" So there's me in the between.
You know what I mean? Yeah, yeah-- it's fragmented to where there's nothing constructive taking place.
But, in Mitch, I think there's a broken man there.
He's spent.
He works his ass off.
And what does he get? And what's his payoff? And it's not right that we're in this situation.
And it's our doing.
But we have to make a decision on which way to go.
The turnaround's gonna start today.
We need to start getting Mitch back.
Okay.
And help him ascertain some form of pride back in his work.
Honestly, the turnaround will be huge.
But I can't do that without you.
I'm ready, man.
As far as the business is concerned and what is at stake, it's our family life.
I'll see you back at the restaurant.
At the end of the day, this place can't control us.
It's time for us to control it.
So whatever it takes.
Now convinced that Maureen will give Mitch the support he desperately needs, Chef Ramsay heads back to the Grasshopper to see if the restaurant is clean enough to open for dinner.
Can I just have a-- have a look? I hope Chef Ramsay will, uh, see a big change in the way we're running this kitchen today.
It's better than yesterday, yeah.
All right, guys, get set up for service tonight.
I want this set up completely.
Okay? You learn from what went on yesterday, and--and hope we get through it okay today.
I don't even know if I can-- how I'm gonna handle this tonight.
Don't beat yourself up all the time.
Don't--stop beating yourself up.
I'm beating myself up, that's right.
Enough.
Mitch is gung ho.
He'll give it a whirl.
But he has to learn to be a better communicator.
And, um, work together as a team, or else we're not gonna make it.
While Maureen tried to energize Mitch, Chef Ramsay knows that years of disappointing his wife and his father-in-law Mitch, you have two seconds? Take me to the office, please.
Has resulted in a complete loss of confidence for Mitch.
You okay? Am I okay? Yeah.
Yeah, yeah.
Okay, tonight, I want you to really, seriously, yeah, make it work.
You have got to get this right.
Run it.
Let them hear your voice.
You wear your heart on your sleeve here.
You know that? I know, I know.
I get emotional.
I can see that.
I can see that.
I can see that, but relax.
You can do this.
The minute you find that voice Yeah? They'll all back off.
You can do it.
Yeah, let's go.
Let's go.
Thank you.
Let's go.
After hopefully energizing Mitch, Chef Ramsay turns his attention to the menu.
Okay, Mario, let's go.
Adding two appropriate specials: Authentic Irish Shepherd's pie and fish and chips.
Okay, cut up the vegetables nice and fine, so as it starts to cook, it disintegrates in the mince.
Salt, please.
I know you don't use it.
Salt? Salt? Salt.
Not over there.
Thank you.
Seasoned.
Okay, from there, mashed potatoes made with cheese.
It seasons it.
Come on, guys.
I want you to taste it.
The Shepherd's pie was awesome.
I was excited about that.
I enjoyed it.
My staff enjoyed it.
And I hope the customers will too.
Okay, the fish.
Lightly seasoned flour.
You don't want to just drop it in, right? No.
Guys, it's a piece of fish.
Tell me it's not a dish cloth.
Crisp batter.
So season it as it cools down.
Chief, what do you think? Oh, that's it.
We should do this long time ago.
Two specials.
We roll with them.
'Cause I'm with you, you're expediting big time.
I don't know if I'm gonna be the leader, but I'm gonna try.
I'm not confident.
I just wanna-- I just wanna crawl into a hole.
Coming up We cannot serve that.
Chef Ramsay gets to observe a dinner service.
It's raw.
Will Mitch find his confidence? You're not helping any! You're not doing anything here! So what good are you? Will the kitchen staff rise to the occasion? Where's the standard? And will this family finally come together? Get out of the kitchen! Shut up! Why are you telling me to shut up? I said shut up! One thing's for sure, Chef Ramsay has his work cut out for him.
We are not gonna continue along these lines.
Stop, hey! That's all coming up on Kitchen Nightmares.
After refusing to open on night one I am not serving that in there.
Chef Ramsay strengthens the menu with his version of a Shepherd's pie and fish and chips.
Oh, that's it.
Now he is hoping to get some encouraging signs as he watches Mitch and his staff during a dinner service.
Okay, uh Javier.
Excuse me? The fish and chips ? I haven't got a clue what he said.
Is that Spanish, Scottish, Irish--what's he talking about? The fish and chips we make by order? Cheese what? Are you making the fish and chips by order? What do you mean "by order"? You cook it in advance sometimes? No, you're not precookin' nothin'.
No.
They fry fish up in advance? You're kidding me.
A burger takes ten minutes to cook.
You can't cook a burger faster.
When it's cooked, we send it.
Ah, .
Okay, here we go.
Hello, how are you? We have two homemade specials the Shepherd's pie and fish and chips.
I'll have the fish and chips.
I'm gonna get the Shepherd's pie.
I'll have the fish and chips.
Mitch, here we go.
First table's here, yes? Where you going? Stay here.
Where is he going? I don't know where he's going.
Timbuktu or a Island.
I don't know where-- just relax, relax.
Told you to stay there.
I'm not going anywhere! No way are you anybody's bitch tonight.
Come on.
Okay.
I need one fish and chip special and three Shepherd pie specials.
Yes, Mitch.
Mario's the only one that's listening to Mitch! Everybody got me, right? Hello down there? I need beer battered Irish sausage and chips.
"Yes, Mitch!" Yes, Mitch! Listen up! I need a fish and chips, a Shepherd's pie, and a sliced steak.
Yes, Mitch! It appears as though Mitch and the kitchen are now on the same page.
And the cooks are beginning to fill the orders.
What'd she say, 40? Huh? I don't know.
I don't have-- I'll have to wait till she comes back.
Ah, .
But Chef Ramsay notices another potential communication problem.
Don't you have a copy of the tickets? No, I don't have them.
An expediter needs the control of the tickets.
Wow, you haven't even got a decent P.
O.
S.
System.
There's the order.
I need that now.
Just get it! Yeah.
There's confusion with the dupes all the time, 'cause it's all handwritten.
It's so antiquated, it's just It's ridiculous.
Come on, guys, tickets are piling up.
I did, but it's fine.
While the Chefs rush to push food out Just stop.
That was the French onion soup.
Little attention is being paid to quality control.
Just stop for two seconds.
LookWe cannot serve that.
We cannot go to this extent and try to start building a reputation and serve in that.
When you're the expeditor, you're the last point of control.
Control, right.
So your standards are there.
Their standards are there.
You've got to start putting in some structure.
Come on, Mitch, please.
This one here.
We're working on it, Chief.
You wait a long, long time.
Get the out! Fish and chips, 43.
After a slow start Fish and chips.
Food is now making its way out to the diners.
Everything's good? It's okay.
And while the new specials are making a good impression Yeah.
The regular menu That's, like, raw.
Isn't impressing anyone.
That's disgusting! This is gross.
My apologies.
Okay, hon.
That's supposed to be medium well.
And that's medium rare.
Come on, guys.
All right, I need another burger! Medium well! Where's the standard? One burger.
Come on, guys.
How could you up a hamburger? I'm so upset.
Medium, yes? Yes.
Come here.
All of you come re.
Touch it.
It's raw.
Did you check it? No, I didn't.
Come on.
Mario! All I want is a burger! A burger.
Come on.
What the is going on? See if you can go outside and say hi to people.
No, I can't just go out because there's no food.
You're not helping any.
You're not doing anything here, so what good are you? Two hours into dinner service, and the kitchen is beginning to unravel.
It's soft! This is ice cold.
With dish Is that, uh, too rare? Rare.
After dish The penne's raw? Coming back.
Ah, dear.
Sorry.
Could I just-- would you mind if I just take that away? Two seconds.
I'm so sorry.
Excuse me.
Have you got two seconds? Maureen.
What is that? Let me just tell you something.
When I was busting my chops earlier making it for you, I turn my back for five minutes, and you send that out.
Chef Chef Come on, guys.
On the back of 115 customers, in 2 1/2 hours, results in that.
Chef Ramsay was just like, "to hell with all of youse.
"There's no passion, there's no care for any of the food coming out.
" All you get paid! Where's the worry in your faces? If you were my brigade, I would have fired you You, you, you, you, you, you, and you! ! The dinner service is now approaching three hours.
It's raw.
And a steady stream of dishes has been returned to the kitchen.
If you were my brigade, I would have fired you Chef Ramsay is fed up, and he knows he needs to make an unusual move to save this restaurant.
Hi.
James, it's Gordon.
Yeah, listen, uh, buddy, I need some help.
Um, I need it quickly.
Um, can you get, uh, yourself down here? The Grasshopper.
Please.
Ay, yi, yi, yi.
Two more, right? Back inside the restaurant What's going on with the last one? The final orders of the night go out.
Thank you very much.
Have a good night.
That was a disaster.
Brutal.
That was really brutal.
I'm shocked.
I'm drained.
Tired.
Whew, that was rough.
A real frickin' disaster.
In there They turn up, they pick up their check, and they piss off home.
They're not here for you.
I realized I have to do something drastic.
I've called a very talented local Chef, and he just got here.
James, please.
This guy's worked with some of the best restaurants in America.
Hi, Chef.
Good to see you.
You too.
Tomorrow, he's gonna work with me and implement a standard here that needs to be put in place to move forward.
And, by the way, he's not only a Chef He's Irish.
Tomorrow, when we launch, we stick together as a team and we kick ass.
Thank you, Chef.
I'll see you in the morning.
Good night.
Thank you.
Thank you very much.
After the arrival Chef James, Chef Ramsay decided to go ahead with his overnight plan of giving the dreary Grasshopper a much-needed makeover.
Good morning.
Good morning.
Today is the beginning of the new Grasshopper.
Yes, absolutely.
Ready? Let's go.
Come have a look.
Welcome to the new Grasshopper.
Look! Oh, my God.
Chief, look at this.
My God.
Love it, it looks awesome.
Yeah, it's absolutely fabulous.
Gone are the dark, dingy colors.
The green walls have gone.
Very exciting.
Welcome to the new, beautiful, vibrant color.
Awesome.
The mahogany looks much nicer with the champagne wall.
It's incredible.
It's bright, it's cheery.
Everything is beautiful.
Mitch, are you happy? Definitely am.
Yeah? Good.
Maureen, you happy? Yeah? Come on, you guys have got to come together, yes? We replaced the old stained glass.
We've got some modern style lamps.
I love these lamps.
Mitch, you happy? This put an extra spring in your step? It's great.
I love it.
It's a breath of fresh air.
This table, beautiful.
A local artist designed it.
Look how good this looks in here.
This is unbelievable.
It's positioned in the center of the room so it becomes a sort of focal family table.
This whole thing has just got a breath of fresh air to it.
Happy? Oh, good.
There is life back in this place.
I can't wait to see our customers' faces when they first come to see the new, improved Grasshopper.
I did make one more significant change.
Annette, put your hands on that box.
You've been stuck in the dark ages with this horrendous way of taking orders.
This is now gonna make your life so much easier.
Extraordinary.
Oh, my God.
Amazing.
The state of the art.
P.
O.
S.
System by Halo.
I can't imagine how much it's gonna change everything for us.
It's gonna make you so much more efficient.
I'm telling you, this is so unbelievable.
Come here.
Come here, come here, come here.
Ah, you're an amazing guy.
Tonight, we have got to make it happen.
Absolutely.
We have got to be on top of it all tonight.
Mitch looked at me, and he had tears in his eyes, and he said, "maybe this is our opportunity.
" The change in the decor will make the Grasshopper more inviting.
But the most critical makeover has been made to the menu.
Gone are the greasy, tired, uninspired dishes.
And in its place are new, vibrant, Irish-American dishes that are not only pleasing to the eye but rich in taste and flavor.
Welcome to the Grasshopper new menu.
Clearly smaller.
Why is it smaller? Quality, controlling the costs.
You'rerying to get consistent.
Irish potato skins, fresh mozzarella sticks, corned beef with carrots and potatoes.
The house burger with Irish cheddar.
Shepherd's pie with the most amazing mash.
Chief, especially for you, Irish ale stew.
Unbelievable.
When he came along and showed us that Irish menu, the way he had it made up, I said, "this is it.
" It's absolutely gorgeous.
The new menu is fabulous.
I'm really, really excited about it.
Get the staff.
A little taste.
This food has spirit and life to it.
So it'll change this place.
Just like mama used to make.
Chief You need to be honest, firm Firm.
And you can't stop being firm.
No, no, no.
And you call it as you see it.
And they have to listen, 'cause you know why? 'Cause you're wise.
That's right.
You've had success in yourLife.
There's only one Chief, and you're it.
Yeah, okay.
Hi, folks.
Welcome to the Grasshopper.
This is our new menu.
The whole new menu just looks delicious.
I'm gonna have the potato-- the beer potato soup.
Shepherd's pie.
Tonight, Chef James will be behind the line, overseeing the cooks You got all your sauces.
Keep turning.
And Mitch, who is desperate not to repeat last night's disaster, will be expediting.
All right, can I get two beer battered shrimp, lamb sliders.
Give me five.
Give me five soups.
Five potato soups, all day! I got this.
Come on.
Okay, you gotta put more parsley on this.
With Chef James controlling the line You keep that and put it in the window.
Don't worry, he doesn't need to take it.
There you go.
Thank you! That's done? Appetizers are moving out quickly to the customers.
This is really good.
Wow.
Oh, wow.
Thank you very much.
It's good.
Now the pressure shifts to Mitch, to keep the kitchen organized and the momentum going.
All right, just fire the, uh What do you have? I need a beer battered shrimp and a pi--and a ham and pea soup.
Can you--can you call it again, please? When I was watching Mitch expedite, I noticed that he wasn't communicating with the line the way he should have been.
And he was getting himself backed up.
That's gonna be--this is gonna get here.
I don't like this.
Mitch! Come on, you gotta talk them, Mitch.
You--you're--you're it.
Come on, guys, let's go, all right? Do you understand what I'm trying to say? Yes.
Fire the entrees! He's gonna cook what you tell him! Okay, I'm sorry.
I need a poor boy.
I need two poor boys.
Lamb sliders.
Two shrimp.
A battered shrimp.
Three battered shrimp.
The first appetizers went out brilliantly.
But we have a real problem in the kitchen.
And that's Mitch's expediting.
You gotta get a system going.
Just think, you gotta get a system going.
If this guy was an air traffic controller, he'd be landing planes at the wrong frickin' airport.
While customers anxiously wait for the food You got your food yet? Chef Ramsay is still waiting for Mitch to step up and take control of his kitchen.
I have a fish and chips! An Irish stew! Is that a wait or an order? Oh, come on.
Oh, come on.
Come on! Mitch, you cannot do that to us! With the kitchen at a complete standstill Dad, please.
A frustrated Chief tries to help out.
Mitch Out of the kitchen.
But it's not exactly welcomed.
Don't me.
Shut up! Why are you telling me to shut up? Out of the kitchen! I said shut up! That's not right.
Get out of the kitchen! Just stop! Just stop! It's not right! MarioStop! It's relaunch night at the Grasshopper.
Come on! And despite providing Mitch with a new, tasty menu It's good.
And Chef James to supervise the cooks You keep that and put it in the window.
Don't worry, he doesn't need the ticket.
Mitch's failure in the kitchen has resulted in a battle between his wife and his father-in-law.
Shut up! Why are you telling me to shut up? I said shut up! Just stop! Stop, hey! And Chef Ramsay has had enough.
We are not gonna continue along these lines.
James I'm sorry.
Come down, please! Mitch, I want you assisting James.
James, I want you expediting.
All right, guys, let's go.
Regroup! For the first time in 16 years, work together! Yes! Start again! Take over, please.
Chef, I need those five soups right away.
Listen and assist him.
I am.
Potato skins.
You need this first, right now.
Thank you.
All right, that's going.
Well, run it out there, Mitch.
Run it out there.
Yeah.
Finally, I found a job for Mitch.
He's running food out.
Potato skins? What table number? Where you going with them? Where are you going with them? Potato skins? This is 22.
I was going with food.
Every table said, "I didn't order that.
" Hi.
Oh, no, I got pasta.
No, she got pasta.
I was going to all the wrong tables.
Oh, this sucks.
I don't want to do this anymore.
Table 40, runner, please! All right.
Mitch, get out! You! Let's go.
We're making progress.
Let's go.
Chip away at this.
Chef Ramsay's decision to move Mitch out of the kitchen and replace him with Chef James as the expeditor Guys, I have three tickets in front of me.
We're almost there.
Has completely turned around dinner service.
Customers are now getting their food.
These are really good.
And are thrilled with what they are getting.
Definitely coming back.
I'm out of tickets.
So, guys, that's it.
All right, thank you very much.
Thank you, guys.
As a difficult dinner service finally comes to an end, Chef Ramsay knows he has to have a difficult conversation with the owners.
Okay, I'm gonna be brutally honest.
This restaurant will not succeed unless you make the necessary staff changes.
And you can make it work.
Mitch, I know you weren't Professionally trained.
But it's down to you.
Yes.
I brought you James.
The expertise that you desperately need to get this ship Back on course.
Take advantage of James.
Listen to him.
Do it.
And do it quick.
Good night, guys.
Change is scary.
Good luck.
But we gotta take his advice and make the right decisions.
This has been one of the most toughest Nightmares I've ever done.
Because this restaurant has everything it needs to succeed, except one thing A leader.
I just wish that Chief was 20 years younger because right now, there's no one in there that can fill his shoes.
Mitch, Mitch, Mitch, Mitch, Mitch.
Only days after Chef Ramsay left, Chef Mario was shown the door.
I need a house pasta, shrimp only, no veggies.
The owners convinced Chef James to stay on as a consultant and properly train the kitchen staff.
That came out great.
And in the weeks that followed, Mitch took Chef Ramsay's advice to heart.
That's easy, right? And it's sexy.
Fast and furious.
Learning from Chef James No bun for the turkey burger and just fresh mozzarella! And finally becoming the leader the Grasshopper always needed.
Make it nice or make it twice! I have changed, yes.
My focus is 100% in that kitchen.
Thank you, folks.
Everything was good? Okay, great.
Next time on Kitchen Nightmares, Chef Ramsay heads to Boston's little Italy to help two brothers Anthony! Don't take the wrong stuff--I'll kill you! Who are at war with each other.
You've ruined the business.
I hate his attitude.
I hate workin' with him.
And the family is losing hope.
He feels so defeated.
I can see it.
Now Chef Ramsay faces one of his toughest challenges yet.
It's like a ticking time bomb is about to explode.
It's going to be a battle in Boston Don't come back with it! Come on! I'm not Cooking.
I'm not doing it.
We're screwed.
Next time on Kitchen Nightmares.
I don't even know if I can handle this tonight.
Co-owner Mitch is a broken man.
I don't know if I can make it through this.
He doesn't have the support of his fellow partners-- his father-in-law, Chief I need that now.
Just get it.
And his wife, Maureen.
Out of the kitchen! What are you talking about? I'm getting pissed.
All right? I don't give a Whether you get pissed or not.
Mitch is unable to control his cooks.
What the is going on? And the food they serve What is that? Look how slimy it is.
How can you serve that? With an incompetent staff It's raw.
A disgusting kitchen Where's the standard? And a family that is tearing apart Shut up! Why do you tell me to shut up? I said shut up! I'd like to shut the doors and just say, "you know what? Forget all.
" We are not gonna continue along these lines.
Just stop! Stop, hey! This is the one Kitchen Nightmares Mitch! Do something! Where it could all come crashing down I am not serving food tonight.
Dinner is canceled.
Before it even starts.
I give up.
Close the door.
Carlstadt, New Jersey.
A small, industrial town buried in the shadow of Meadowland Stadium.
Only a mile away sits the Grasshopper Also, a family-owned Irish pub and restaurant.
Hi.
How are you, gals? How you doing? All right? Good.
Mitch and Maureen Sandler purchased the restaurant with Maureen's father, a successful restaurateur with 40 years of experience in the business.
We were excited, 'cause you have dreams, and you say, "okay, let's go for it.
" So that's what we did.
Ready to rock and roll, right? Yeah, let's go.
This is gonna be good.
It took off, and we were booming.
Enjoy your meal.
People were coming in left and right.
All right, this way, please.
And as the years rolled by Things started to change in the business.
Obviously, it's dead tonight.
Just go home, okay? As far as why the restaurant is failing, I don't know.
This place is a nightmare because of Mitch.
I have no idea.
His supervision is not what it should be.
Mitch, you gotta come out here! Yeah.
Mitch is responsible for the kitchen.
What am I doing in here? He's in this restaurant a ridiculous amount of hours.
And a majority of those hours are not productive.
Hey, uh, where's the toilet plunger? Can I get a bar mop, please? How are you? Good.
There's daily operations of the restaurant that he absolutely should not be involved in.
Maybe he could commit more of his time to oversee stuff that is, you know, uh, in the kitchen.
All the other stuff has to be done that you're not taking care of.
You're doing all that other stuff.
Communication between Mitchell and his staff is nonexistent.
Hey, uh, how long does it take to make rice? The guys don't probably think it's a problem.
I'm surprised they didn't make any rice.
And because of that, the food at the Grasshopper Just looks awful.
They didn't like the-- they didn't say there was a lot of flavor in it.
It is so dry.
He doesn't like this! That's perfect, that steak.
It was rare.
Mitch, you call this soup? Get rid of this .
My father-in-law blames me for everything, so I'm the scapegoat.
There's nobody here.
It's horrible.
We need some people.
If we continue this way, we're not gonna make it.
I feel like my life is falling apart.
It's pretty tough.
Every day, I think about the restaurant.
It's all on my shoulders.
And every day, it eats at me.
We cannot afford this.
Well, that's why we need some help.
If Chef Ramsay can't help me, I don't know where else to turn.
Ah, this is the last resort.
Hello.
Hi, Chef Ramsay.
I'm Maureen Sandler.
Nice to meet you.
It's good to see you too.
Okay, this is my dad, Eddie.
They call him Chief.
Chef Ramsay, welcome.
Oh, no, no.
This is my husband Mitch.
Hi, Chef, how are you? Mitch.
We're co-owners.
So the three of you are running the business together? Correct.
Wow.
I should really stand between these two guys, 'cause that's usually the case.
Oh, really? Why do you say that? We butt heads occasionally.
Occasionally? Are you kidding? We almost kill each other.
Yes.
Yeah, okay.
Right.
Wow, you're already refereeing these two.
I mean, who does what? I'm the one that oversees the kitchen.
Okay, so I'd like to get up to speed with you individually, and have a quick chat.
Come on this way.
I'm the one that takes care of the bills, and it's getting tougher and tougher.
So we need Chef Ramsay's help.
The fact that you stood in the middle of those two guys-- is it really that bad, or Business has changed drastically.
And my father has to blame somebody, and he blames my husband.
Where does your allegiance lie? With my husband.
You know, I support him.
How much did it cost to build this? That's crazy.
What do you think is wrong with the business? Mitch is one of the biggest problems.
Do you regret now, giving him part of the business? Yes, I do.
Tell me The biggest issue inside Grasshopper.
My father-in-law blames me for everything.
But is he right or is he wrong? Could be right.
Could be wrong.
Who's running it? I guess I am, right? Let's talk about the food.
Uh, people seem to like it.
Lovely, I can't wait to taste that.
Enjoy.
Our traditional Irish food's good here.
I think he'll like the food.
I hope.
Hello.
Hi, how are you? Good.
And first name is Chef Ramsay.
Annette.
Annette.
Nice to see you, darling.
Very nice to meet you.
And you are The floor manager here.
Floor manager.
How long have you been here? I've worked in this one for 16 years.
You've been here from day one.
Day one.
What's wrong with the restaurant? UmStarts at the top.
Managementor lack of.
Very frustrating.
Well, I love your honesty.
On a scale of one to ten, what would you rate the food? Mm A three.
The cooks are winging it.
I don't think care goes into every dish that they're making.
Okay, have you decided? Let's go for the French onion soup.
Okay.
Shepherd's pie.
And I'll go for the Fisherman's platter.
Fantastic.
Hungry, hey? Oh, yes.
Dying to get my head around what's going on.
All right, what's he having? First thing's first.
He'd like a French onion soup.
Thank you.
How bloody awful.
Lamps from another era.
Those bouquets, they look like my grandmother's luggage.
Unbelievable.
This soup, it takes like tar.
I think it's pretty good.
Yes.
Okay.
Mitch is serving the food, which I told him, completely wrong.
But unfortunately, he doesn't know what he's doing in here.
Okay, enjoy.
Thank you.
Dreadful color.
Eesh.
Ahh.
.
Tastes like somebody's dropped sliced onions into boiling dishwater.
Dreadful.
How's the French onion? You're off to a bad start, unfortunately.
It's like someone's in my soup.
Well, that's not good.
We'll take this away.
All right.
That was dreadful.
All right, um, guys, the French onion, he said it's like .
Flavor, he said, was not good.
We know, I know.
I don't know.
I'll find out.
The kitchen staff will do what they want to do.
And do as little as possible.
Mitch should grab the bull by the horns and be in command.
All right, Shepherd's pie.
Here we go.
Thank you, Gabriel.
He makes a good Shepherd's pie.
All right, Chef.
Thank you.
Shepherd's pie.
Wow, that's a very bizarre-looking Shepherd's pie.
Did someone put gravy on top of my crispy mash? Yes.
That is a shocker.
Like someone's snot all over my mash.
And that gravy is made from Beef.
Beef stock on a Shepherd's pie? Yes.
And Shepherd's pie is made out of This one is actually beef.
So it's a cottage pie.
Not a Shepherd's pie.
'Cause Shepherd stands for the The sheep.
The sheep.
I'll be back to check on you.
Eesh.
Cold, congealed gravy.
Just likeglue.
So how are we doing? Taste that for me.
Ouch.
Yeah.
Just gross.
And it's not hot either.
That's partly the reason why they're not coming back.
It's just waterydamn.
That was two strikes right away.
And I was fairly confident that he would like one of them, at least.
You all right? Fine.
I'm good.
Damn.
There's a, uh, there's a lot of pain on Mitch's face.
We're batting zero.
Yeah, with a big, uh Whiff.
All right, Chef.
This is our broad Fisherman's platter.
Okay.
Founder, scallops, and shrimp.
Thank you.
My God.
Oh, boy.
That is gross.
Not good, Chef? Soft, bland, rubbery.
I didn't realize it could be this bad.
Thank you.
Okay.
Oh, no, this was not good.
This is-- we saved the worst This is the worst of the worst.
Till the end.
You know, you're here 16 years, so you think your food is decent.
To hear otherwise is kind of shocking.
I don't know if I'm gonna make it through this.
Coming up Where's the fridge? A shocking inspection.
Look how slimy it is.
That's what you cooked my scallops from? It's like it's been attacked my cats.
A gruesome discovery.
How can you serve that? And a Kitchen Nightmares first We're screwed! That has Gordon running for the door.
I am not serving that in there.
No way! Dinner is canceled.
I didn't realize it could be this bad.
Thoroughly disgusted with lunch That's gross.
Chef Ramsay wants to meet the Chefs responsible for this supposed authentic Irish cuisine.
Come around this side, please.
So who's the Chef? Mario.
How long have you been here, sir? I would say from 1997.
Did you taste any of the food that came back? Yes, I did.
You did.
What was your thoughts? You thought it was okay? Obviously, 'cause you're smiling.
I'm embarrassed.
You're from Ireland.
Yes.
What I had there today had nothing to do with Ireland.
Shepherd's pie Well, , I mean, that wasn't Shepherd's pie.
If you went to Dublin and you served Shepherd's pie like that, they would shoot you.
The food is embarrassing.
Bland.
Cooked dreadfully.
It has no flavor.
Where's the pot of scallops? Where do you keep those? Right there.
Show it to me, please.
Is that what you used out of mine? SoThat's what you cooked my scallops from, yeah? Are they frozen? They were frozen but they're not frozen now.
Yep.
You've got no chance at cooking that decent.
Oh, my gosh.
I was dying.
I was mortified.
It's not hidden.
It wasn't a secret.
You just have to go in and open a fridge door.
What's that in there? I don't think anybody walked into the refrigerators or the walk-in box to inspect it at all.
Frozen.
Everything's frozen.
That's what he's getting.
Nothing's fresh.
Hold on, hold on a minute.
Maureen, come over.
Mitch, come over, please.
What is that? How old are they? That's two days old? That's a funny two days.
How are you gonna recook that? Help me.
What are we gonna do? You refry it? Yeah.
So it's fried twice? I want to throw up.
There's not enough liquor in that bar to get them inebriated enough to even attempt to eat that.
Is there any control in here, guys? Ugh.
What is that? Can you see that there? Blood.
Blood from where? Blood from the meat on the mozzarella sticks.
Come on, guys.
Thank God I didn't have the mozzarella sticks.
There's like a blood transfusion going on down there.
Mitch, when was the last time you went through the fridge? Uh Talk to me, please.
I have not gone through this fridge, Chef.
I left it up to my staff.
I knew I had a problem with Mitch as far as that supervision was involved.
But I didn't think it was this bad, you know? You've got raw meat here.
Cooked meat.
Salami.
Blood in there.
Come on, please.
Don't do this to yourself, let alone the customers.
Rule number one when learning to cook, you cannot store raw meat and cooked meat on the same shelf in the same fridge! The whole thing has got a cross-contamination.
Chief, give me something.
There's a lack of supervision in here.
Where's the rest of the fridge? This way.
That's what I need to see.
What's in there? Chicken tenders? Why is it all bubbly and slimy? The chicken comes like that? Look how slimy it is.
Look how slimy it is.
Look at it.
My God.
That's horrific.
It's totally embarrassing.
What is this? How can you serve that? It's like it's been left out for days and It's been attacked by cats.
This is where your money's going.
Irrespective of where the customers aren't coming from, but just from the base Damn sweet waste.
I know, 'cause I pay the bills.
Let me just tell you now, I would never, never have put a spoon of anything in my mouth if I knew this was taking place.
Shocking to see just the extent of cross contamination.
There's no one checking it.
Sorry, Chief.
You may be the Chief, but I swear to God there's one thing that Grasshopper hasn't got is a leader! We should all be ashamed of ourselves.
At this point in time, I'd like to shut the doors and just say, "you know what? Forget all.
" Someone's got to help me here a little bit.
I cannot help a situation who are not willing to help themselves.
And you don't need me to come in here and turn your fridge upside down.
Mitch If you're the one with the hands-on role in this business, and you're supporting him, and you're the su-- the mentoring figure, we're screwed! We have people coming tonight.
What are we-- what are we gonna do? I can guarantee you one thing, I am not serving food tonight With that in there.
No way! What is that in there? After a horrifying inspection in the kitchen The whole thing has got a cross-contamination.
Chef Ramsay was left with no choice.
I am not serving that in there.
No way! I'm beyond--beyond embarrassed about this situation.
Shutting down our dinner service, it's a nightmare.
We cannot afford this.
And okay, you want to open.
Fine, of course I want business in here.
But open with what? Take one good look at yourselves and think.
I need some air, guys.
Air and a stomach pump.
We have never closed for dinner, ever.
I mean, we've had 18 inches of snow outside, and we've opened.
Mitch There has to be leadership in the kitchen.
What are you gonna do tonight? Guess what they're throwing out.
They're throwing dollars out.
And guess who's paying for it.
We are.
We're paying for it.
What just happened here tonight was, um, kind of a disaster.
Mitch knows that this whole thing right now, tonight, is his responsibility.
We can't serve any food the way it is.
The dinner is canceled.
I'm shocked.
I'm drained, emotionally.
I hope this does not happen ever again.
Otherwise, we won't be here.
Mitch When I said, okay-- what are you starting to fight with me now? I'm not, I'm just saying, Mitch, I'm just-- that's where my focus is.
Bad news, folks.
Sorry, we're not open tonight.
There wasn't enough supervision in there.
And I guess the has hit the fan today.
I'm sorry about it.
Aww.
Sorry about that.
Definitely I'm embarrassed.
As Chief returns from telling customers the restaurant is closed, inside, a leader has emerged to supervise the cleaning of the kitchen.
Mitch, all of this has to be thrown out.
But it's not Mitch.
Because the blood was coming down.
Throw it out.
Get rid of it.
It's Maureen.
All right? That has to go.
It's very upsetting.
The food that's going into that garbage is our profits.
Throw out.
Gone.
And here we are in a situation where we're not making profits.
Mitch, this has to be thrown out.
This has to go.
All right, Maureen.
All right, all right, all right, all right.
Everything was thrown away.
Disposed of.
Scrubbed, washed.
Cleaned.
And, uh, we'll start again.
We're cleaning.
We're closed.
Everything's gotta be clean.
After an eye-opening first day, Chef Ramsay realizes that it's not just the restaurant that is on the line, but Mitch and Maureen's marriage as well.
Morning.
Hi, Chef.
How are you? Good.
How are you doing? Good.
It's a tough day yesterday.
Yeah, I'll say.
Well, this is my home.
God, who's that? That's Mitch.
Seriously? Seriously? When was that taken? Wow.
Mitch and I, back in the day, were best of friends.
And through the years now, he's not the same person he used to be.
And that's the hard thing.
When you opened that restaurant, you got married at the same time.
Right.
The guy I'm seeing today You saw that picture.
That's not the same person.
You haven't got your breathing space.
Mitch has been suffocated.
And, more importantly, a man's getting destroyed on a daily basis.
Icomplain to my father.
When he does, like, the busting chops, and, like, breaking him down, I'm like, "how dare you?" So there's me in the between.
You know what I mean? Yeah, yeah-- it's fragmented to where there's nothing constructive taking place.
But, in Mitch, I think there's a broken man there.
He's spent.
He works his ass off.
And what does he get? And what's his payoff? And it's not right that we're in this situation.
And it's our doing.
But we have to make a decision on which way to go.
The turnaround's gonna start today.
We need to start getting Mitch back.
Okay.
And help him ascertain some form of pride back in his work.
Honestly, the turnaround will be huge.
But I can't do that without you.
I'm ready, man.
As far as the business is concerned and what is at stake, it's our family life.
I'll see you back at the restaurant.
At the end of the day, this place can't control us.
It's time for us to control it.
So whatever it takes.
Now convinced that Maureen will give Mitch the support he desperately needs, Chef Ramsay heads back to the Grasshopper to see if the restaurant is clean enough to open for dinner.
Can I just have a-- have a look? I hope Chef Ramsay will, uh, see a big change in the way we're running this kitchen today.
It's better than yesterday, yeah.
All right, guys, get set up for service tonight.
I want this set up completely.
Okay? You learn from what went on yesterday, and--and hope we get through it okay today.
I don't even know if I can-- how I'm gonna handle this tonight.
Don't beat yourself up all the time.
Don't--stop beating yourself up.
I'm beating myself up, that's right.
Enough.
Mitch is gung ho.
He'll give it a whirl.
But he has to learn to be a better communicator.
And, um, work together as a team, or else we're not gonna make it.
While Maureen tried to energize Mitch, Chef Ramsay knows that years of disappointing his wife and his father-in-law Mitch, you have two seconds? Take me to the office, please.
Has resulted in a complete loss of confidence for Mitch.
You okay? Am I okay? Yeah.
Yeah, yeah.
Okay, tonight, I want you to really, seriously, yeah, make it work.
You have got to get this right.
Run it.
Let them hear your voice.
You wear your heart on your sleeve here.
You know that? I know, I know.
I get emotional.
I can see that.
I can see that.
I can see that, but relax.
You can do this.
The minute you find that voice Yeah? They'll all back off.
You can do it.
Yeah, let's go.
Let's go.
Thank you.
Let's go.
After hopefully energizing Mitch, Chef Ramsay turns his attention to the menu.
Okay, Mario, let's go.
Adding two appropriate specials: Authentic Irish Shepherd's pie and fish and chips.
Okay, cut up the vegetables nice and fine, so as it starts to cook, it disintegrates in the mince.
Salt, please.
I know you don't use it.
Salt? Salt? Salt.
Not over there.
Thank you.
Seasoned.
Okay, from there, mashed potatoes made with cheese.
It seasons it.
Come on, guys.
I want you to taste it.
The Shepherd's pie was awesome.
I was excited about that.
I enjoyed it.
My staff enjoyed it.
And I hope the customers will too.
Okay, the fish.
Lightly seasoned flour.
You don't want to just drop it in, right? No.
Guys, it's a piece of fish.
Tell me it's not a dish cloth.
Crisp batter.
So season it as it cools down.
Chief, what do you think? Oh, that's it.
We should do this long time ago.
Two specials.
We roll with them.
'Cause I'm with you, you're expediting big time.
I don't know if I'm gonna be the leader, but I'm gonna try.
I'm not confident.
I just wanna-- I just wanna crawl into a hole.
Coming up We cannot serve that.
Chef Ramsay gets to observe a dinner service.
It's raw.
Will Mitch find his confidence? You're not helping any! You're not doing anything here! So what good are you? Will the kitchen staff rise to the occasion? Where's the standard? And will this family finally come together? Get out of the kitchen! Shut up! Why are you telling me to shut up? I said shut up! One thing's for sure, Chef Ramsay has his work cut out for him.
We are not gonna continue along these lines.
Stop, hey! That's all coming up on Kitchen Nightmares.
After refusing to open on night one I am not serving that in there.
Chef Ramsay strengthens the menu with his version of a Shepherd's pie and fish and chips.
Oh, that's it.
Now he is hoping to get some encouraging signs as he watches Mitch and his staff during a dinner service.
Okay, uh Javier.
Excuse me? The fish and chips ? I haven't got a clue what he said.
Is that Spanish, Scottish, Irish--what's he talking about? The fish and chips we make by order? Cheese what? Are you making the fish and chips by order? What do you mean "by order"? You cook it in advance sometimes? No, you're not precookin' nothin'.
No.
They fry fish up in advance? You're kidding me.
A burger takes ten minutes to cook.
You can't cook a burger faster.
When it's cooked, we send it.
Ah, .
Okay, here we go.
Hello, how are you? We have two homemade specials the Shepherd's pie and fish and chips.
I'll have the fish and chips.
I'm gonna get the Shepherd's pie.
I'll have the fish and chips.
Mitch, here we go.
First table's here, yes? Where you going? Stay here.
Where is he going? I don't know where he's going.
Timbuktu or a Island.
I don't know where-- just relax, relax.
Told you to stay there.
I'm not going anywhere! No way are you anybody's bitch tonight.
Come on.
Okay.
I need one fish and chip special and three Shepherd pie specials.
Yes, Mitch.
Mario's the only one that's listening to Mitch! Everybody got me, right? Hello down there? I need beer battered Irish sausage and chips.
"Yes, Mitch!" Yes, Mitch! Listen up! I need a fish and chips, a Shepherd's pie, and a sliced steak.
Yes, Mitch! It appears as though Mitch and the kitchen are now on the same page.
And the cooks are beginning to fill the orders.
What'd she say, 40? Huh? I don't know.
I don't have-- I'll have to wait till she comes back.
Ah, .
But Chef Ramsay notices another potential communication problem.
Don't you have a copy of the tickets? No, I don't have them.
An expediter needs the control of the tickets.
Wow, you haven't even got a decent P.
O.
S.
System.
There's the order.
I need that now.
Just get it! Yeah.
There's confusion with the dupes all the time, 'cause it's all handwritten.
It's so antiquated, it's just It's ridiculous.
Come on, guys, tickets are piling up.
I did, but it's fine.
While the Chefs rush to push food out Just stop.
That was the French onion soup.
Little attention is being paid to quality control.
Just stop for two seconds.
LookWe cannot serve that.
We cannot go to this extent and try to start building a reputation and serve in that.
When you're the expeditor, you're the last point of control.
Control, right.
So your standards are there.
Their standards are there.
You've got to start putting in some structure.
Come on, Mitch, please.
This one here.
We're working on it, Chief.
You wait a long, long time.
Get the out! Fish and chips, 43.
After a slow start Fish and chips.
Food is now making its way out to the diners.
Everything's good? It's okay.
And while the new specials are making a good impression Yeah.
The regular menu That's, like, raw.
Isn't impressing anyone.
That's disgusting! This is gross.
My apologies.
Okay, hon.
That's supposed to be medium well.
And that's medium rare.
Come on, guys.
All right, I need another burger! Medium well! Where's the standard? One burger.
Come on, guys.
How could you up a hamburger? I'm so upset.
Medium, yes? Yes.
Come here.
All of you come re.
Touch it.
It's raw.
Did you check it? No, I didn't.
Come on.
Mario! All I want is a burger! A burger.
Come on.
What the is going on? See if you can go outside and say hi to people.
No, I can't just go out because there's no food.
You're not helping any.
You're not doing anything here, so what good are you? Two hours into dinner service, and the kitchen is beginning to unravel.
It's soft! This is ice cold.
With dish Is that, uh, too rare? Rare.
After dish The penne's raw? Coming back.
Ah, dear.
Sorry.
Could I just-- would you mind if I just take that away? Two seconds.
I'm so sorry.
Excuse me.
Have you got two seconds? Maureen.
What is that? Let me just tell you something.
When I was busting my chops earlier making it for you, I turn my back for five minutes, and you send that out.
Chef Chef Come on, guys.
On the back of 115 customers, in 2 1/2 hours, results in that.
Chef Ramsay was just like, "to hell with all of youse.
"There's no passion, there's no care for any of the food coming out.
" All you get paid! Where's the worry in your faces? If you were my brigade, I would have fired you You, you, you, you, you, you, and you! ! The dinner service is now approaching three hours.
It's raw.
And a steady stream of dishes has been returned to the kitchen.
If you were my brigade, I would have fired you Chef Ramsay is fed up, and he knows he needs to make an unusual move to save this restaurant.
Hi.
James, it's Gordon.
Yeah, listen, uh, buddy, I need some help.
Um, I need it quickly.
Um, can you get, uh, yourself down here? The Grasshopper.
Please.
Ay, yi, yi, yi.
Two more, right? Back inside the restaurant What's going on with the last one? The final orders of the night go out.
Thank you very much.
Have a good night.
That was a disaster.
Brutal.
That was really brutal.
I'm shocked.
I'm drained.
Tired.
Whew, that was rough.
A real frickin' disaster.
In there They turn up, they pick up their check, and they piss off home.
They're not here for you.
I realized I have to do something drastic.
I've called a very talented local Chef, and he just got here.
James, please.
This guy's worked with some of the best restaurants in America.
Hi, Chef.
Good to see you.
You too.
Tomorrow, he's gonna work with me and implement a standard here that needs to be put in place to move forward.
And, by the way, he's not only a Chef He's Irish.
Tomorrow, when we launch, we stick together as a team and we kick ass.
Thank you, Chef.
I'll see you in the morning.
Good night.
Thank you.
Thank you very much.
After the arrival Chef James, Chef Ramsay decided to go ahead with his overnight plan of giving the dreary Grasshopper a much-needed makeover.
Good morning.
Good morning.
Today is the beginning of the new Grasshopper.
Yes, absolutely.
Ready? Let's go.
Come have a look.
Welcome to the new Grasshopper.
Look! Oh, my God.
Chief, look at this.
My God.
Love it, it looks awesome.
Yeah, it's absolutely fabulous.
Gone are the dark, dingy colors.
The green walls have gone.
Very exciting.
Welcome to the new, beautiful, vibrant color.
Awesome.
The mahogany looks much nicer with the champagne wall.
It's incredible.
It's bright, it's cheery.
Everything is beautiful.
Mitch, are you happy? Definitely am.
Yeah? Good.
Maureen, you happy? Yeah? Come on, you guys have got to come together, yes? We replaced the old stained glass.
We've got some modern style lamps.
I love these lamps.
Mitch, you happy? This put an extra spring in your step? It's great.
I love it.
It's a breath of fresh air.
This table, beautiful.
A local artist designed it.
Look how good this looks in here.
This is unbelievable.
It's positioned in the center of the room so it becomes a sort of focal family table.
This whole thing has just got a breath of fresh air to it.
Happy? Oh, good.
There is life back in this place.
I can't wait to see our customers' faces when they first come to see the new, improved Grasshopper.
I did make one more significant change.
Annette, put your hands on that box.
You've been stuck in the dark ages with this horrendous way of taking orders.
This is now gonna make your life so much easier.
Extraordinary.
Oh, my God.
Amazing.
The state of the art.
P.
O.
S.
System by Halo.
I can't imagine how much it's gonna change everything for us.
It's gonna make you so much more efficient.
I'm telling you, this is so unbelievable.
Come here.
Come here, come here, come here.
Ah, you're an amazing guy.
Tonight, we have got to make it happen.
Absolutely.
We have got to be on top of it all tonight.
Mitch looked at me, and he had tears in his eyes, and he said, "maybe this is our opportunity.
" The change in the decor will make the Grasshopper more inviting.
But the most critical makeover has been made to the menu.
Gone are the greasy, tired, uninspired dishes.
And in its place are new, vibrant, Irish-American dishes that are not only pleasing to the eye but rich in taste and flavor.
Welcome to the Grasshopper new menu.
Clearly smaller.
Why is it smaller? Quality, controlling the costs.
You'rerying to get consistent.
Irish potato skins, fresh mozzarella sticks, corned beef with carrots and potatoes.
The house burger with Irish cheddar.
Shepherd's pie with the most amazing mash.
Chief, especially for you, Irish ale stew.
Unbelievable.
When he came along and showed us that Irish menu, the way he had it made up, I said, "this is it.
" It's absolutely gorgeous.
The new menu is fabulous.
I'm really, really excited about it.
Get the staff.
A little taste.
This food has spirit and life to it.
So it'll change this place.
Just like mama used to make.
Chief You need to be honest, firm Firm.
And you can't stop being firm.
No, no, no.
And you call it as you see it.
And they have to listen, 'cause you know why? 'Cause you're wise.
That's right.
You've had success in yourLife.
There's only one Chief, and you're it.
Yeah, okay.
Hi, folks.
Welcome to the Grasshopper.
This is our new menu.
The whole new menu just looks delicious.
I'm gonna have the potato-- the beer potato soup.
Shepherd's pie.
Tonight, Chef James will be behind the line, overseeing the cooks You got all your sauces.
Keep turning.
And Mitch, who is desperate not to repeat last night's disaster, will be expediting.
All right, can I get two beer battered shrimp, lamb sliders.
Give me five.
Give me five soups.
Five potato soups, all day! I got this.
Come on.
Okay, you gotta put more parsley on this.
With Chef James controlling the line You keep that and put it in the window.
Don't worry, he doesn't need to take it.
There you go.
Thank you! That's done? Appetizers are moving out quickly to the customers.
This is really good.
Wow.
Oh, wow.
Thank you very much.
It's good.
Now the pressure shifts to Mitch, to keep the kitchen organized and the momentum going.
All right, just fire the, uh What do you have? I need a beer battered shrimp and a pi--and a ham and pea soup.
Can you--can you call it again, please? When I was watching Mitch expedite, I noticed that he wasn't communicating with the line the way he should have been.
And he was getting himself backed up.
That's gonna be--this is gonna get here.
I don't like this.
Mitch! Come on, you gotta talk them, Mitch.
You--you're--you're it.
Come on, guys, let's go, all right? Do you understand what I'm trying to say? Yes.
Fire the entrees! He's gonna cook what you tell him! Okay, I'm sorry.
I need a poor boy.
I need two poor boys.
Lamb sliders.
Two shrimp.
A battered shrimp.
Three battered shrimp.
The first appetizers went out brilliantly.
But we have a real problem in the kitchen.
And that's Mitch's expediting.
You gotta get a system going.
Just think, you gotta get a system going.
If this guy was an air traffic controller, he'd be landing planes at the wrong frickin' airport.
While customers anxiously wait for the food You got your food yet? Chef Ramsay is still waiting for Mitch to step up and take control of his kitchen.
I have a fish and chips! An Irish stew! Is that a wait or an order? Oh, come on.
Oh, come on.
Come on! Mitch, you cannot do that to us! With the kitchen at a complete standstill Dad, please.
A frustrated Chief tries to help out.
Mitch Out of the kitchen.
But it's not exactly welcomed.
Don't me.
Shut up! Why are you telling me to shut up? Out of the kitchen! I said shut up! That's not right.
Get out of the kitchen! Just stop! Just stop! It's not right! MarioStop! It's relaunch night at the Grasshopper.
Come on! And despite providing Mitch with a new, tasty menu It's good.
And Chef James to supervise the cooks You keep that and put it in the window.
Don't worry, he doesn't need the ticket.
Mitch's failure in the kitchen has resulted in a battle between his wife and his father-in-law.
Shut up! Why are you telling me to shut up? I said shut up! Just stop! Stop, hey! And Chef Ramsay has had enough.
We are not gonna continue along these lines.
James I'm sorry.
Come down, please! Mitch, I want you assisting James.
James, I want you expediting.
All right, guys, let's go.
Regroup! For the first time in 16 years, work together! Yes! Start again! Take over, please.
Chef, I need those five soups right away.
Listen and assist him.
I am.
Potato skins.
You need this first, right now.
Thank you.
All right, that's going.
Well, run it out there, Mitch.
Run it out there.
Yeah.
Finally, I found a job for Mitch.
He's running food out.
Potato skins? What table number? Where you going with them? Where are you going with them? Potato skins? This is 22.
I was going with food.
Every table said, "I didn't order that.
" Hi.
Oh, no, I got pasta.
No, she got pasta.
I was going to all the wrong tables.
Oh, this sucks.
I don't want to do this anymore.
Table 40, runner, please! All right.
Mitch, get out! You! Let's go.
We're making progress.
Let's go.
Chip away at this.
Chef Ramsay's decision to move Mitch out of the kitchen and replace him with Chef James as the expeditor Guys, I have three tickets in front of me.
We're almost there.
Has completely turned around dinner service.
Customers are now getting their food.
These are really good.
And are thrilled with what they are getting.
Definitely coming back.
I'm out of tickets.
So, guys, that's it.
All right, thank you very much.
Thank you, guys.
As a difficult dinner service finally comes to an end, Chef Ramsay knows he has to have a difficult conversation with the owners.
Okay, I'm gonna be brutally honest.
This restaurant will not succeed unless you make the necessary staff changes.
And you can make it work.
Mitch, I know you weren't Professionally trained.
But it's down to you.
Yes.
I brought you James.
The expertise that you desperately need to get this ship Back on course.
Take advantage of James.
Listen to him.
Do it.
And do it quick.
Good night, guys.
Change is scary.
Good luck.
But we gotta take his advice and make the right decisions.
This has been one of the most toughest Nightmares I've ever done.
Because this restaurant has everything it needs to succeed, except one thing A leader.
I just wish that Chief was 20 years younger because right now, there's no one in there that can fill his shoes.
Mitch, Mitch, Mitch, Mitch, Mitch.
Only days after Chef Ramsay left, Chef Mario was shown the door.
I need a house pasta, shrimp only, no veggies.
The owners convinced Chef James to stay on as a consultant and properly train the kitchen staff.
That came out great.
And in the weeks that followed, Mitch took Chef Ramsay's advice to heart.
That's easy, right? And it's sexy.
Fast and furious.
Learning from Chef James No bun for the turkey burger and just fresh mozzarella! And finally becoming the leader the Grasshopper always needed.
Make it nice or make it twice! I have changed, yes.
My focus is 100% in that kitchen.
Thank you, folks.
Everything was good? Okay, great.
Next time on Kitchen Nightmares, Chef Ramsay heads to Boston's little Italy to help two brothers Anthony! Don't take the wrong stuff--I'll kill you! Who are at war with each other.
You've ruined the business.
I hate his attitude.
I hate workin' with him.
And the family is losing hope.
He feels so defeated.
I can see it.
Now Chef Ramsay faces one of his toughest challenges yet.
It's like a ticking time bomb is about to explode.
It's going to be a battle in Boston Don't come back with it! Come on! I'm not Cooking.
I'm not doing it.
We're screwed.
Next time on Kitchen Nightmares.