Welcome to the world of Gordon Ramsay; where chefs get their *rear ends* handed to them and restaurant owners realize they have no idea how to run a business. And we all loved to watch with bated breath, wondering if they would break under the pressure before Gordon could turn their kitchen around. So, after years of kitchens hoping for daydreams, who ended back where Ramsey found them… in a nightmare. And let’s see who still has their doors open as of 2023.
Amy’s Baking Company – Season 6, Episode 16
Starting off strong we have Amy’s Baking Company. Shockingly, this was the only kitchen Gordon Ramsay ever walked out of, failing to intervene in the chaos. This episode was incredibly popular due to the intense conflict and bizarre behavior of the restaurant owners.
To jog your memory, Amy claimed to be able to speak cat language, meowing during the episode. Ramsay’s experience was so horrendous, with Samy and Amy staying combative the entire time, he walked out on them. Following the episode the restaurant was bombarded with people wanting to see how crazy Amy and Samy really were. They were soon bombarded with negative reviews, social media posts, and comments that went viral. Amy and Samy began to fight back on social media and it was not surprising when Amy’s criminal past was brought into the spotlight. A screenshot of one of their Facebook interactions is below for you to enjoy.
After all of this, which also included an appearance on Dr. Phil, it was not surprising that Amy’s Baking Company closed its doors. Samy and Amy eventually moved to Israel. Bet you weren’t expecting that ending!
Fiesta Sunrise – Season 2, Episode 10
This Mexican-style restaurant located in New York made viewers queasy, to say the least. Vic, Patty, and Yolanda were the trio that owned this establishment. As you have probably discerned from my use of the past tense, the Fiesta Sunrise kitchen has since closed down.
This was an episode that was awful right off the bat. The owners hadn’t bothered to change the sign from the previous restaurant, so Gordon was unsure what to make of the place. Not to mention the immense amount of debt the group had gotten themselves into; a sum of over $850k. Then, of course, the food was terrible which prompted a kitchen investigation. It was terrifying. Gordon found rotten food filling the kitchen, including slimy, smelly, bloody meat. The green chicken made Gordon gag. He hadn’t even found the cockroach infestation yet.
Fiesta Sunrise was closed before the episode even aired. Between the horrendous kitchen, tax violations, and a stabbing at the restaurant, Fiesta Sunrise had no chance of survival.
Oceana – Season 4, Episode 12
One of the most disgusting kitchens we’ve seen on the show, Oceana in New Orleans, made a shocking recovery with Gordan’s help. Moe and Rami, the sibling owners, seemed wildly unstable, which can logically be assumed to be the cause of the near downfall of the kitchen.
After Gordon tasted some of the cooking, the horrendous state of the kitchen was revealed. The worst of it was dead mice, crabs wasting away in tepid water, and shrimp that had gone so bad Gordon vomited after seeing them.
After Gordon’s touch, the restaurant was still having issues because of the owners. However, it is still open to this day. While almost no one from the original staff is working there now, that seems to have been the saving grace. Without Moe and Rami, the business seems to be more successful.
Casa Roma – Season 3, Episode 7
Oh, this was a good one, I mean a bad one…? Casa Roma in California, owned and run by Nylah and her son Jeremy, had too many troubles to count. Their finances were in the hole and they were not even making $100 a night. Then there’s the chef turnover rate; 20 chefs in two years. Three for three, the food was worse than expected. Not to mention the terrible appearance of the restaurant.
Then Gordon gets to the kitchen. There was rotten, moldy food and meat that had gone sour and hard. How long does it have to be out to end up bloody, sour, and hard? I’m nauseous just writing about it. We can’t forget the 3-month-old rack of ribs that had Gordon throwing up. I’m not sure the restrooms were really talked about in any other restaurant, but let’s just say, they were just as gross and dangerous as the kitchen.
Even though during a re-visit episode, Casa Roma seemed to be doing well, the kitchen ultimately shut down. Sadly, this couldn’t be another great comeback like Oceana.
Dillon’s – Season 1, Episode 2
Starting the show off strong, Dillon’s in Manhattan, was a complete disaster. Owned by Mohammad and run by managers, Martin, Andrew, and Khan created the complex staff hierarchy at the lounge. Losing an average of $20k a month, the Irish-American-Indian restaurant looks past saving. Gordon was served rotten tomatoes and beef that was actually lamb. When Gordon starts to feel unwell, the chef admits he may have served him old lamb.
Beyond the terrible customer service and disorganization, there was so much worse to be seen. In the kitchen, there was the spoiled salad that had been served the day before, green chicken wings, and rat droppings. Oh wait there’s more: fly papers covered in dead flies, a pot of sauce covered in mold, thousands of cockroaches, and half of a rotten tomato that has just been served.
During the turnaround, the restaurant was renamed Purnima Kitchen. Before the episode aired there were lawsuits from one of the managers trying to cash in. After a revisit episode that showed Purnima doing well, it only took two years and they closed their doors for good. Maybe it’s for the best.
Spanish Pavilion – Season 4, Episode 1
This is a particularly shocking success story. Spanish Pavillion in New Jersey run by Balbina, Michael, and Jerry was struggling terribly. The restaurant was in debt, customers hated the food and service, and the trio didn’t seem like they cared about the business anymore.
It didn’t take long for Gordon to realize something was off about the food, specifically the lobster. When he went to look into his suspicions, they were proved correct. There were lobsters in the tank that had already died and were decaying. This meant the live lobsters had been eating the dead ones and disease was likely spreading amongst them. It didn’t stop there. after he watched the first dinner service, Gordon inspected the kitchen finding horrors. Seafood had been sitting, unlabeled, surrounded by other meats and produce, also unlabeled. There were even more dead lobsters in the fridge, one even soaking in sauce, and chicken soaking in water. Best of all, a pigeon was in the kitchen flapping around.
In the end, even after a revisit, Spanish Pavillion was doing well due to Gordon’s intervention. As of today, the kitchen is still doing well. Another rare success story for Kitchen Nightmares.
Shockingly, the show has a 16% success rate, which is, well, low. In all honesty, Gordon Ramsay is worth watching either way. And I wish the best to those kitchens still open after their time on the show Kitchen Nightmares.
