In his previous appearance, Gordon Ramsay was seen enjoying himself on the Aran Islands and exploring local seaweed varieties for his series, Uncharted. Now, he has returned with the revived series of Kitchen Nightmares USA(Channel 4, Thursday), where he swiftly takes control of struggling restaurants and revitalises them using his signature approach of frustration and stern words directed towards the sous chefs.
There’s been a gap of nine years since the last Kitchen Nightmares – a concept that he transported to the United States after it gained popularity on Channel 4. Since then, the challenges faced by restaurant operators have amplified. This complication is the driving force behind the comeback of the series, the host elaborates in the first of 10 fresh episodes. The famous chef, who has a net worth of €60 million, states, “The food service industry has been confronting serious difficulties and it has become increasingly tough to retain customers and distinguish ourselves.”
Ramsay is heading towards Bel Air, a diner situated in Queens, New York. The diner grapples with an overstuffed menu that includes dishes even the staff are unfamiliar with. (“Coco veen?” is the puzzled response from a waitress when Ramsay orders coq au vin.) There is also a tug-of-war going on between siblings Peter, who handles the public area, and Kal, who oversees the kitchen, with both claiming to be the glue holding the restaurant together.
The renowned chef faces even greater surprises as he journeys to a strip mall in New Jersey and the Bask 46 gastropub. Despite being open for less than a year, it is already sinking due to the incompetency of the head chef, Bobby, who earns $100,000 annually and refers to himself as a “culinary gangsta”.
Indeed, he runs a shockingly poor kitchen. Ramsay is horrified to be offered a mac and cheese that doesn’t meet expectations – Ramsay lets off a sarcastic “Good effing luck”. Alongside this, there’s a complaint about oversized portions, suggesting that patrons often leave with more leftovers than particularly eaten. Furthermore, QR code “menus” that malfunction add to the issues.
Ramsay barrels through the kitchen, horrified by the food storage conditions. He advises the beleaguered owner, Steve, that his business plan needs an overhaul, particularly his dedication to troublemaker Bobby.
Surprisingly, Bobby does eventually accept the changes dictated by Ramsay: a more methodically-arranged kitchen and the removal of a “special” cheese dish made with externally sourced ingredients. Amid all of this is plenty of yelling, curse words, and tears – with Steve, taking refuge in his self-created man cave in the restaurant’s loft, providing the majority.
Gourmet lovers will be stunned by the spectacle, but for those that savour their reality TV hot and really intense, there’s much delight. Despite the slightly fabricated feeling, one cannot deny the sheer entertainment in watching Ramsay lose his cool upon finding a chicken drumstick discarded in the ice cream. As far as TV junk food goes, Kitchen Nightmares remains a temptation to relish.