- I'm here in the affluent area
Of dumont, new jersey,
Home to da mimmo,
A family-run italian restaurant
Started six months ago by mother of five
And retired police officer melissa.
- Hi, how are you? Welcome.
My husband and I own da mimmo with our three sons,
Antonio, vito, and vincent.
I was a police officer in hoboken for 26 years,
And I retired as a police lieutenant.
My husband's late uncle, he was a chef for many years.
Everybody agreed that it would be
A really great idea to pay respect to him
And open up a restaurant together.
- Usually--
- That's a great question.
But I don't know anything about restaurants.
- Um--oh.
The person that's keeping this business afloat is antonio.
- Coming out right now. Table 10.
- He became the pizza guy, so he learned how
To make the pizza on his own.
- Before da mimmo opened, I was working construction.
But it was my dream to open up a restaurant,
And I'm very passionate about what I do.
I'm right here. I'm right here.
I'm doing waiting and bussing. I got it.
- He also is the manager of the two kitchens.
And if it wasn't for him,
It probably wouldn't stay afloat.
- I got you. I got you. I'm here.
It's just me and my mother over here doing everything.
- Let's get through it like we always do.
- I can't let my family down, so I gotta carry that up.
- So you let me know how I could make it up to you.
- I can give you guys-- if--I wish I could.
What happened with that?
- No good?
- Something wrong with this.
I don't know what the hell she's doing tonight,
But she's having a off night.
- Francesca is the head chef in the kitchen.
- Can you guys tell me what they want, table 17?
- To work with her, definitely not easy.
Francha, the lady said that this was bland.
- I went to culinary school in sicily.
Okay.
I'm working in this business for 21 years.
[bell dinging]
- The kitchen isn't fully working properly here.
When it comes to communication,
It's definitely not the best.
- We really need help.
It was supposed to be me, antonio, vito, vincent,
All kind of working together.
But really, vito and vincent?
Forget about it.
Wait, 'cause antonio's stressed out.
Hold on.
- All right, you ready?
I'm vito. - I'm vincent.
- And we're here to [bleep] up.
- Instead of being here, I do social media.
We're in there like swimwear.
- Yeah, we don't--
[laughs]
- How about you guys help me out?
- But what? - Anything.
- [laughs] - you know what?
I can't stand the two of you.
Hi, guys.
- I'm a police detective,
And I've been taking double shifts
Just to cover, you know, the--
The expenses here at da mimmo.
I'm still constantly putting money into the place.
And it's been-- it's been tough.
- Overall, we're close to $500,000 in the hole.
I come into this restaurant every day, and I'm like,
Today is the day that I'm not gonna be able to pay my staff,
And I'm gonna lose everything.
- You don't like it? - I don't.
- Can't cover payroll, can't buy food.
Something definitely has to change.
I don't know if it's a miracle or if it's gordon ramsay.
- Okay, throw it out.
- If nothing changes,
These doors are definitely closing soon.
[dramatic music]
- This place is a death trap.
I can't help you if you can't help yourself.
Rot has set in!
Smell it!
Shut it down!
♪ ♪
[dramatic music]
- I'm in beautiful dumont, new jersey,
To visit a restaurant called da mimmo.
And the mom is desperate to have a word with me
Before I step inside.
So I'm dying to find out, what's that all about?
♪ ♪
[line ringing]
- Hello? - Hey, good morning, melissa.
It's gordon. How are you? - Hi. Good morning, gordon.
How are you? - Yeah, all good, indeed.
I'm just outside parked up.
- Perfect. I'll be right out.
- Okay, look forward to seeing you.
♪ ♪
Melissa?
- Hey, gordon. - Hey. You good?
- Good. How you doing? - Come in.
- Let me get in here. Yes.
- Great neighborhood, by the way.
There's some definite money over here.
- Uh-huh. Yeah.
Well, I wish they'd just come my way, for sure.
- You've got this restaurant.
Tell me about it.
- It was supposed to be a family restaurant.
So my three older ones were like,
"don't worry, we're gonna do this.
We're gonna do that."
Antonio is the oldest. He's 22.
Antonio taught himself how to make the pizza.
Then we couldn't find a manager.
- Right. - So antonio doubles as both.
But I feel like antonio is so stressed
That he's overwhelmed.
- And the other two? - [laughs]
Vito and vincent, they literally just come in
To cause chaos.
And that puts a lot of stress on antonio.
It puts stress on me.
They're on social media.
Vincent has got 2.6 million followers on social media.
- So are they not helping?
- No. - No.
- I want them to take over da mimmo's social media,
And they won't even do that.
I'm in charge of stuff that I've never done before, right?
- Sure. - And people don't come.
I don't have any money.
I've been paying payroll for the past, like,
2 1/2 to 3 weeks out of my pocket.
And overall, we're close to $500,000 in the hole.
- [bleep].
- It hurts me, because I'm a fixer.
- Sure. - And I--I don't know
How to fix it. - Okay.
Here. - Thanks. [laughs]
That's why I'm here with you, crying my eyes out,
Asking for you, for your expertise.
- I'm here to help,
But it's not gonna be a smooth journey.
- I'm willing to listen.
I'm willing to learn.
- I need to see what I've got to work with.
- Okay. All right.
All right, I'm going back in. - Give me two minutes.
She can't even make payroll.
Her son's been sandbagged.
- She's on the verge of a breakdown.
[dramatic music]
I need to get in there
And see these issues for myself.
- Hi. - Good to see you.
You good? - Yeah.
- [bleep], look at that monstrosity.
- The boys wanted to make it
A little bit more social-media friendly.
- Someone puked on the wall.
Uh, here? - Yeah.
- Yeah? - Right here.
- My god.
There's only 12 customers in here, barely 12.
- Get ready for the storm.
- I'm nervous.
Gordon being here watching us
Is definitely intimidating.
- Okay.
[quirky music]
This is supposed to be
An italian restaurant.
The key to italian food is simple,
High-quality ingredients.
- Hello, how are you doing, sir?
- Hello, young man.
How are you? - Good. How are you, man?
- Very well, thank you. - Nice.
- And what's your name? - Giuseppe.
- I'll be your server
For tonight. - Excellent.
- I'm just my typical italian server,
So I make people enjoy themselves
And break the ice, make them feel comfortable,
Make them feel home.
- Giuseppe? - Yes?
- A little pirouette there. I love that.
Dinner and a show. Uh, let's order, shall we?
- I'm italian.
The passion, the feeling,
That's what it is, the facts.
- I'm gonna start with the minestrone.
- Beautiful.
- Main courses. So pizza.
And then I'll try the calamari.
- Yes. - Okay, let's do the meatballs.
- The ragu? - Homemade, right?
- They're homemade meatballs.
We also have this option
Which is a bread bowl,
Put your appetizer in a bread bowl.
It's our signature dish over here.
- Wh--so I stick my meatballs in a bowl?
- Balls in a bowl.
- Balls in a bowl? - Yeah.
♪ ♪
- If it's your signature, then--
- If you like to play with food.
- I don't like playing with food.
I like eating food.
Let's take it. Thanks a million.
- [speaking italian]
- Thank you. Si.
[bleep] hell.
- All right, what did gordon order?
- Okay.
- Okay, so I'm gonna have antonio hold off on the pizza.
He wants his soup first. You're making it from scratch.
- Yeah. - Is that what I'm hearing?
- Yes.
- Let's just put this all together, guys.
Babe, hold off on the pizza,
Because francesca is making a minestrone soup fresh.
We're gonna bring them out.
She'll let you know when to go with it, okay?
- Francesca is--it's her way or the highway type of thing.
- All right, francha, I told antonio to hold off
On the pizza till you give him the go ahead, okay?
- Man, it's slow.
It is very, very slow.
Giuseppe, why is it so slow?
- Probably a little bit, the communication
Between the two kitchen and...
I know you're very important,
But I'm--
- [bleep] hell.
Oh, my god.
30 minutes in, and all I get is a kiss from giuseppe.
- Okay, so, francha, should I have antonio
Go with the pizza first?
- Yeah, I'm ready. - Okay.
Babe, go with the pizza for table 14.
That's gordon's table.
- Gotcha. - Okay.
[bell dinging]
- You got it.
[suspenseful music]
- How you doing? - And this is?
- Antonio. - Antonio, gordon.
Good to see you, bud. Thank you.
- Buon appetito.
- Okay, finally.
- I'm just dropping this to you, sir.
- Thank you. - You're welcome.
- Thank you.
♪ ♪
It's actually quite nice, the minestrone.
Now this thing.
♪ ♪
The mozzarella tastes terrible.
It's almost like it's synthetic.
Giuseppe, the mozzarella tastes weird.
Is it fresh mozzarella?
- Uh, no. - Then take it away.
I'll go to the next course.
And may I have some more water, please?
Thank you. - Yes, sir.
- Yeah, when I think about italian cuisine,
It's all about the investment at the beginning.
You've got to start off with really good,
Strong ingredients.
Here, it's almost like
They're just going through the motions.
- Did he like the taste of it,
Or he didn't like the taste of it?
- No, he got a bite, and that's it.
He-- - okay, throw it out.
♪ ♪
- Okay, guys.
[bell dinging]
Calamari al guazzetto, table 14 too.
- Calamari al guazzetto.
- Si. Yes, thank you.
- Thank you so much.
♪ ♪
- The calamari tastes like elastic bands.
Cherry tomatoes, not even cooked.
There's just no flavor.
Giuseppe.
- Also bad news again, yes?
- Are you sure that calamari is fresh?
- Oh, they're frozen. Right, okay.
There's just-- there's no flavor in there.
Thank you.
♪ ♪
- Ay-yi-yi.
- What else is gordon waiting on?
- Okay.
- Yo?
- Yeah, how many?
- All right. Got you.
- Yo.
- Okay, can you guys take this? Table 14.
And meatballs in bread bowl.
- Thank you.
$22 for that?
It looks like an implant gone wrong.
Wowza.
♪ ♪
The meatballs taste cold.
Giuseppe.
- What?
- Touch that. It's ice cold.
- With my finger? - Well, yeah.
- Yeah, not what I was expecting.
- Normally, when you sear a meatball,
You put it back in the sauce to cook.
- I'm sorry again.
Beautiful.
- Honestly.
Wow.
- So the meatballs are cold inside.
I put my finger in it, and they're actually cold.
- The meatball is cold?
- Yeah. - I'm embarrassed.
- Francha, francha.
[dramatic music]
- I'm so upset right now.
Everything around is frozen.
I want a more high quality of food,
And this is not happening.
- I need you to just get through it.
I know your food is good.
- Francha. No, no, no, no, no, no, no.
- I just need you to tell me that we're gonna
Get through this together.
Can you do it?
♪ ♪
- I've come to dumont, new jersey,
Home to italian restaurant da mimmo,
And it's clear to see this family-run business
Is on a knife edge.
[dramatic music]
Can I just--can you bring... - Absolutely.
- All the team out? - Everybody?
- Yeah, everyone. Thank you. - You got it.
Antonio, francha, outside now for gordon.
♪ ♪
- So, chef...
- Nice to meet you. - Francesca.
Wow.
Man, this place is a [bleep] nightmare.
[dramatic music]
There are ridiculous waits for food.
I don't know how we get meatballs served
In that silly bowl, ice cold.
♪ ♪
Pizzas--the middle was soggy.
The outside was crispy.
And the mozzarella was just processed.
♪ ♪
Do you like the food you cook?
- No.
- Honestly, the freshest thing I've eaten all day
Was that minestrone soup,
Because you used fresh ingredients.
And then after that, man, we absolutely plummeted.
♪ ♪
Melissa, why aren't we getting fresh ingredients?
- I'm paying out of my pocket for everything
Because we don't have enough credit,
And then we have bad credit
Because of all the checks that bounced.
We don't have the money.
- Customers aren't that stupid.
They know better.
It's killing the place.
You buy your own ingredients, right?
- Antonio go buy whatever he gotta buy.
- You buy the ingredients?
And so you manage, you run the pizzas,
And you buy all the stock.
How does that make you feel?
- Like I'm drowning, I guess.
- And I know you're not trained as a pizza chef, are you?
- No.
- Have you had an expert show you how to execute a pizza?
- No. - How old are you now?
- 22. - 22.
As if the kid needs any more pressure.
Melissa, what the [bleep] are you doing?
♪ ♪
We're half a million dollars in debt.
♪ ♪
We haven't got a dollar in the cash register,
A chef cooking frozen ingredients,
And a young kid at 22 is shouldering
The responsibility of the entire family.
- I am overwhelmed.
I know nothing about this,
I'm in charge of things I've never been in charge of,
And so I don't even know the starting point.
♪ ♪
- Can I have a word with mom and son?
Can you guys give me two minutes, please,
In the kitchen?
Sit down.
Boy, we got our [bleep] work cut out.
♪ ♪
What the hell is going on?
♪ ♪
Help me out.
- I don't know.
I just--I sit here, and I literally go in circles
And say, what are we doing?
What are my options?
What do I do?
Do I just stop in my tracks
And just close the doors and go, we're done?
There's not a light at the end of the tunnel.
This stresses me out more than going in the line of duty.
♪ ♪
We don't have enough people coming in here.
♪ ♪
- Are you doing outreach to the community?
How are we tapping into the locals?
- Word of mouth, I guess, is the top.
- But you've got brothers on social media.
One of them's got millions of followers.
What does he do to support the restaurant socially?
- Every once in a while, he'll--
- He'll post once. - Once a week?
- No, in a blue moon.
- Vincent's a little selfish because it's all--
It's always about what vincent wants to do
And vincent's timing.
So it's almost like he'll throw us a bone sometimes.
So I stop asking.
- Does he understand the jeopardy?
- Yeah, but I don't know if he really cares about it.
I'm not sure.
- He's your brother, for god's sake.
- Yeah.
- Vito and vincent, I want to meet them later.
- Okay. - Yeah.
- Yep.
- And antonio, you're here six days a week?
- Yes, sir.
- When is the last time you had a break?
[somber music]
- I don't know.
- Wow.
- Antonio is the pizza maker
Slash manager slash anything else
That has to be taken care of.
But he's so stressed that he's overwhelmed,
By no fault of his own.
- And you want to do this, right?
- I do. I like it.
I mean, it's just that I don't know where to--
You know, how to get to where it needs to be, I guess.
- You got a lot on your shoulders, young man.
- Yeah, I know. - Yeah.
- Can I catch up with mom for two minutes?
- Yeah.
♪ ♪
- I didn't know he was under that amount of pressure.
♪ ♪
He's not your pizza boy.
He's your son. He's 22.
You're doing it to him.
[tense music]
- Yeah.
♪ ♪
Sorry. [laughs, sniffs]
Let me put on my lieutenant face.
Hold on.
[somber music]
♪ ♪
- I'm here to help.
- Police work, I could fix it.
In the middle of chaos, I am able to fix it.
Here, it's failing.
- I need to see where the cracks are.
I need to see how this place functions tonight.
Right now, melissa's got the weight
Of her family and this business on her shoulders.
And so she's desperate.
We're gonna have to dig deep, okay?
- Let's go. I'm ready.
I'm ready to dig deep.
♪ ♪
- Come on, man.
Yeah, stop.
It'll be all right.
- It's all right.
- No, it's-- - I got it.
- It's not.
- I know.
♪ ♪
[upbeat music]
- Hi, how are you?
Do you guys have a reservation? - Yes.
- I'm back at da mimmo
In dumont, new jersey,
To see what I can do to help.
Hello.
I need to see how this restaurant
Copes in rush hour,
So I persuaded some locals
To come on by.
Do what you normally do tonight.
I just want to see how it's functioning, yeah?
- Thanks for coming in. You're welcome.
♪ ♪
- Okay.
- We have a one mozzarella and carozza.
- Table seven.
- Get that pizza as quick as you can.
Let's go.
[line ringing]
- Vince?
- Are you with vito?
- I need youse to make your way to the restaurant.
- Okay, so what you do is you don't go to the mall now.
You stop being a [bleep] moron, and you come here.
Understand?
- Vito and vincent,
It's a pain in the ass with them.
And everything is like pulling teeth
To get them to come in here and help.
Your brothers are coming. - All right.
- Gordon said before he wants them to be up here.
So they're gonna meet the big guy.
What do you think he's gonna say to them?
[laughs] - well, we'll see, I guess.
[dramatic music]
♪ ♪
- You really hungry or...
- [mouthing words] - okay.
We'll be okay.
- Oh, look at this place.
[bleep] hell.
It's like [bleep] snoop dogg's kitchen in here.
What's going on?
- [bleep] hell.
Boy, oh, boy.
- Table 12? - It's coming up.
It's coming up right now.
Oh, my god.
- Come on, guys.
Is it always like this?
[bleep] going on in here?
- Where is the octopus?
You have it? Or they forgot that?
- How come that didn't go when it's ready?
Francesca?
Chef, talk to me.
- [bleep].
Oh, my god.
- Better late than never.
Melissa's other two sons, vito and vincent,
Arrive mid-service.
- What's up, ma?
- We're here maybe two times a week.
- Couple times--yeah, a couple of times a week.
- Bust balls around here, bro, make jokes.
- Come in, make them cook us [bleep] when it's packed.
We don't give a [bleep]. - Oh, yeah.
Especially when it's busy, we gotta get in there.
I'm starving, bro.
I haven't [bleep] ate all day.
- Table 10. You have it?
[speaking italian]
- Okay, I need those right now, please.
- We need espresso and then a pizza, a pizza.
Yeah. - Oh, duh, pizza.
- What table is that?
- Put that down. That's way more important.
- If gordon yells at me,
I'm busting his balls right back.
I'm not--I'm not taking [bleep] from that [bleep] guy.
- No, yeah, I'm gonna take the loafs of bread
And have an... Both: Idiot sandwich.
[laughs]
- Vito, vincent... - An extra piece.
- Gordon wanted to meet you guys.
- What's up? How are you? - Very well, thank you.
How are you? You good? - Introduce yourself.
- Vincent. Nice to meet you.
- I'll leave you guys to it, right?
- How's your day gone? What you been doing?
- 'cause I--I'm doing social media.
- Right, okay, and how many followers you got now?
- Just got 800,000.
- Wow.
- I got 2.6 million.
- 2.6 million? - Yep.
- Do you know how many followers
The restaurant's got?
800 followers on social media, this restaurant.
- Yeah. - Yeah.
- And you [bleep] got 3 1/2 million between you?
- Yeah.
- It's just hard to promote.
It's hard to promote.
- It's hard to promote your mother's restaurant?
- Yeah. - Yeah.
- It is-- - sit down.
Sit down. Sit down.
Your brother is working his ass off.
- Yeah.
- And this place is desperate,
Desperate for footfall.
So it just feels a little bit [bleep] weird
That you don't want to get creative
For the sake of your brother and your mom.
All this restaurant needs is 5% of your followers,
And this place is full for the next six months.
- Yeah. - Yes.
- But what you can't come in here and do
Is [bleep] around. - Yeah.
And that's what we do.
[dramatic music]
- Show me the watch.
- Like-- - yeah, take it off.
How much was that?
- Uh, 35,000.
- 35,000.
[bleep] hell.
Do you know we don't even take that in sales here in a month?
You know that?
- Yeah, no, no, I know that for a fact.
- I know.
I know we definitely don't.
- Well, let me--let me give you a little secret,
A [bleep] important secret.
- Yeah, let's go.
♪ ♪
- Your mom and dad are backed up
To the tune of half a [bleep] million dollars in debt.
- Oh, [bleep].
- Yeah, let that [bleep] sink in for two seconds, okay?
And I'm not [bleep] around.
[laughing] [bleep] out of here, bro.
- I just don't know at this point.
I don't know.
I don't know what the [bleep]--
What else could I really do?
- Okay, let's go with the chicken.
- It's clear to see this family needs a wake-up call.
And if I'm gonna save this restaurant,
I'm leaving no stone unturned.
[bleep]. What is in here?
♪ ♪
My god.
What a [bleep] mess.
♪ ♪
When are these fridges tidied up?
- Every day?
♪ ♪
But when mussels float, what does that mean?
- Yeah.
How often is this cleaned?
- Every day?
[bleep]. Get me melissa. Quickly.
Now.
♪ ♪
What in the [bleep] is going on here?
- Wow. - Come here, you.
Don't run away.
How do we--how do we leave this stuff down here?
How is this stuff not watched?
Just touch that.
Touch that.
Do you have any idea how long that needs to be in the fridge?
- I'm gonna say at least-- - weeks.
We are talking weeks.
What the [bleep] is this?
Oh, no.
That's the smell.
How long have these been in here?
Oh, my god.
[bleep].
How long have they been in there?
- How long? - [coughing]
Smell it!
Did you serve that [bleep] today?
- No.
- It's [bleep] slimy.
What happens when mussels are floating?
What does it mean?
- They're no good.
- They're dead. - They're dead.
- They're open, and they're [bleep] dead.
They're dead.
With vegetables that are [bleep]
Absolutely [bleep] trollied.
Why?
- I guess it sit in there a couple of days.
- This is not days.
This is weeks.
Rot has set in!
We're lazy!
I honestly have never seen a new business
So dysfunctional so early.
Have you given up? - No.
- You cook and you operate a kitchen like it,
And you don't care.
♪ ♪
'cause if you did, you'd [bleep] step up.
Get the customers out of here, please.
We're shutting this [bleep] place down now.
♪ ♪
- Dumont, new jersey.
Italian restaurant da mimmo is on the brink of closure.
Rot has set in!
Get the customers out of here, please.
We're shutting this place down now.
And with so much at stake right now,
I need to get this family to turn things around
Before it's too late.
[dramatic music]
That was embarrassing.
And boys, just wipe the smirk off your faces.
♪ ♪
And I just want you two to get real for--
For five minutes, yeah? - We're serious.
- Right now, we're on course
For a absolute [bleep] collision.
♪ ♪
Did you have any idea, melissa, it was operating that bad?
- I had no idea.
I honestly had no idea.
I thought that that was under control.
- Can you not see the pain on her face?
♪ ♪
- She's crying over here.
- But this is not funny. - No, I know, it's serious.
I know. - And mom,
You need to understand the difference between
Running a business and wiping your son's ass.
That's gotta stop.
And when the boys walk in,
It's either to help,
Talk about posts, or get out of here.
♪ ♪
Now, antonio, you want to learn, right?
I can see it in your eyes.
You should be like a sponge right now,
Learning to be the manager,
Learning to be the face of this place,
Supported by these two.
You two, get some [bleep] integrity.
You've got some great followers,
And you're making waves on that social media.
Get creative.
It's about having some fun and reminding this area
How cool this place is
And, more importantly,
Supporting the place
'cause it's taking your family down.
♪ ♪
Now, I got a culinary team,
And they're coming in tonight.
I'm gonna devise a new menu.
We're gonna revamp this place.
And we'll get that kitchen up to speed.
You and I are gonna train and train and train and train.
But you've got to absorb,
Forget everything you've learned,
And we're starting again.
Melissa, I need 30 seconds with these three.
Thank you. - Thank you. Thank you.
♪ ♪
- I am [bleep] off.
[dramatic music]
I am [bleep] [bleep] off, you know that?
♪ ♪
This [bleep] has got so [bleep] real that we are in trouble.
♪ ♪
We are in over our heads.
And your mom needs some help.
She's been taking care of you guys her whole life.
We're in the [bleep], guys.
- I know. I-- - not totally yet, though.
♪ ♪
- What are you talking about? - I didn't--
They don't even inform me... - What's wrong with you, bro?
- About what's even going on. - You don't hear?
- It's deep!
♪ ♪
I grew up watching my mom having three jobs.
It [bleep] killed me. What did it do?
Gave me a [bleep] work ethic,
A work ethic like no other.
You love your mom, right?
Both: Yes. - Of course. Yeah.
- Is this what makes you [bleep] laugh at night
When you see her struggling like this?
- No. No way. - No, absolutely not.
- I don't--I don't even want her stressed out,
To be honest with you, but--
- Vinny, stressing out?
We're in the [bleep].
- I didn't know it was that bad.
Like, that's [bleep] up.
- And antonio,
Twenty-[bleep]-two years of age.
♪ ♪
I gotta give you some credit
[bleep] walking in here every day.
♪ ♪
But you need help.
- I do need help, a lot of help.
♪ ♪
- Now I just need a change of attitude
And all of you pulling on the rope.
Have I got that? - Yes.
- Yes, sir. - I'm not [bleep] asking you.
I'm telling you.
- Yeah. - Right.
- Seeing my mom cry really hit home,
Just to see how much stress she's going through.
- How am I supposed to ask?
- Yeah.
If antonio really needs our help,
We're definitely gonna step up to the plate.
You agree, right?
I mean... - Most definitely.
- That's it.
- All right.
- Love you too.
♪ ♪
- After last night's terrible dinner service
At family-run italian restaurant da mimmo,
I'm bringing owner antonio
And his assistant, tyler, to meet
One of the country's best pizza makers, dan richer.
In you go.
This man is a genius.
- Hey. How are you?
- He's gonna show him how it's done.
[indistinct chatter]
- Guys.
- Antonio. - Antonio.
Nice to meet you. - Tyler.
- So dan set this amazing restaurant up
Over 10 years ago and is the inspiration
For everyone running pizzerias across the country.
And this man is now gonna give you a personal master class.
This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
- For sure.
- I'm gonna leave you guys with this maestro.
I've got work to do.
I'll see you back at the restaurant.
- With pizza-making ingredients
Are building blocks.
I want the best tomato that I can find.
- You want to use the best, but I'm not in a position
To use the best ingredients.
- The price difference between a really bad tomato
And a really good tomato is pennies.
Try this one.
You're talking a difference of one to two cents
Per pizza price difference between these.
- Wow. Yeah, that's crazy. Yeah.
- Yeah, so we try to do that with every single ingredient
That you bring into your restaurant.
- Being there with dan was a very valuable
And knowledgeable experience.
- Elevate the pizza
So that it caramelizes nice and evenly.
What do you guys think?
- That's beautiful.
- We always land on a screen...
- To let it-- - to let the steam escape.
- Yeah. - Yeah, let's check the bottom.
Look at that. - Very nice.
- Deep caramelization.
Look at that, boom.
Cheers. - Cheers.
- It's good to meet you guys. - Likewise.
- This is definitely an elevation
For pizza at da mimmo.
♪ ♪
- Bellissimo. - That was amazing.
[bright music]
- Back in dumont, me and my team
Have been working through the night
To revamp this restaurant.
Meanwhile, my team have been taking the kitchen staff
Through the new recipes before we relaunch with the new menu.
We invited the whole family, including vito, sr.,
To see the improvements we've made.
Welcome, guys, to the new da mimmo.
- Oh... - Come on in.
- Oh, my god, bro. - Holy...
♪ ♪
- Get the [bleep] out of here, bro.
- [laughing] oh, my god.
I want to cry.
I want to--I want to celebrate
Because I'm so excited about it.
This is amazing.
- You must be vito, sr. How are you, captain?
Come here. You good?
Say goodbye to the graffiti wall.
Not only have we improved this restaurant
And made it so much more inviting,
Come and have a look at the new menu
That we are launching with tonight.
Take a look at that food.
- Oh, my god.
- The biggest issue when I arrived here
Was the lack of fresh ingredients.
I've slimmed down your menu in favor of quality ingredients
Over quantity of dishes.
We'll start with the antipasti.
It hits the table within seconds.
And then we've got a beautiful arancini.
Pizzas--you've just had one of the most
Amazing master classes.
The ingredients need to shine.
A chicken caprese, again with the heirloom tomato,
Fresh mozzarella salad.
And that's what tomatoes should be looking and tasting like.
- Oh, my gosh. - This is so amazing.
- You okay? - I'm good.
- Good. - Thank you. [laughs]
- And then I want to have a couple of minutes
With you guys.
I want you to use your skills and create a fun post
Between you three, okay?
- Okay. - Nice.
- And help get customers through those doors.
Dig in, get a taste.
[upbeat music]
- Oh, that's really good.
- Yo, everything is [bleep] banging.
- Maybe you're gonna come eat here now
Instead of just going, I can't, I'm busy, mom.
That's the true meaning of family style.
My family is back.
And now I feel like I got some money to make,
But I have my boys.
I have my husband.
- The pizza's excellent.
The pizza's-- - it's great.
- Yeah, [bleep] crazy.
Excuse my language, but--
[laughter] - that's all right.
♪ ♪
- I'm hoping the new look in the restaurant
Will inspire vito and vincent
To finally step up and help the family.
- Wait a second. What's going on here?
What is this? What's going on?
What, did we change everything?
We got 'em going over there.
What, is antonio making a pizza like--
- Hell, yeah. - [laughs]
- Look at this thing.
- Vito started eating it already.
- Yeah, okay. You got me good.
Re-grand opening coming soon, dumont, new jersey.
We're here.
All right, posted.
- All right, yeah, we just posted it.
- Posted it.
♪ ♪
- As da mimmo prepares to open its doors with its new menu,
It's time to put this restaurant back on the map.
Word is out on the street.
I don't know if you saw the boys' post,
But they posted something pretty exciting.
- I heard. They finally did something.
- Uh, we good? - Yeah.
- All good. - Good.
- My mother and father,
They put everything into this place.
So you know, if this goes down, that's it.
It's time to, you know, get serious.
♪ ♪
- Right, how are you feeling?
The kitchen looks good, yes?
Tonight... - Okay.
- I want to hear your voice.
- Okay. - You gotta make things happen.
- Yeah. - And coordinate.
Let's go.
Tonight--a strong one tonight from you.
- I love it.
[dramatic music]
- Hello.
Welcome to da mimmo. - Hi.
- We're on the clock. Let's go.
It looks like vito and vincent's
Social media shout out has done the trick.
People are flooding in.
And I've even persuaded some former customers
To give it another try.
- Nice to meet you too.
- So you got two pizzas on there, yeah?
- Gotcha. - Arancini is two minutes away.
Let's go. - Yes, sir.
- Let's do it.
[bell dinging]
- Let's go, 14.
Place it down, tell them what it is.
Pizza's good? - Yes, sir.
- Excellent.
- Okay.
- Antonio, you have table 11?
- It's coming out right now. - Okay.
- Everything's running smooth.
Everything's working properly.
We have a good system, a great menu,
And everybody's on their a-game.
♪ ♪
- Hey. It's good.
The difference is night and day.
And we've just started, so keep it up.
- Enjoy.
- Look at the difference.
And they've had their entrees. - It is--
- At this stage, I could barely get a slice of bread.
- Table seven, table seven.
- Gents, how are the pizzas?
- Yeah? - Yeah.
- I mean, it's pretty exciting, having them made
And rolled and cooked in front of you, right?
- On a scale of 1 to 10, is it--is it 7?
Is it-- - 10.
- Te--what?
♪ ♪
Young man, come here.
- Yeah?
- They are loving the pizzas.
The whole feel, the whole atmosphere is just--
It's a 360.
Well done. - Yeah, for sure.
[dramatic music]
- Tank, what is table 11 waiting on?
- They've been waiting over 10 minutes.
What have you-- what have you guys ordered?
[bell dinging] - I need somebody here.
♪ ♪
[bell dinging]
- What's coming next, please?
You have to control the situation.
- Okay. - Francesca, you need to talk.
- Okay.
- Go outside with the tickets and sort it out, please.
Let's go. Like a proper chef.
- You gotta listen to me. - What happened?
- Over here, this one is go to the bar.
- Yes, but I have them first.
So I'm gonna get them first. - It's already done.
Just listen--listen to what francesca is saying.
- Listen to what she's saying.
♪ ♪
- Da mimmo, dumont, new jersey.
- Welcome to da mimmo. You guys have a reservation?
- I reno'd the restaurant
And created a new menu in a bid
To turn this family-run restaurant around.
[bell dinging]
Giuseppe don't pick--
You know, never pick it up.
I need somebody here!
- We were off to a strong start,
But the communication is failing again.
What they've gotta do now is stick together
And communicate as a team, as a family.
Young man, come here.
- Yeah.
- Okay? It doesn't-- it doesn't--
Do me a favor.
Go in the kitchen, go behind the line
And just have a look at things. - Yeah.
- How we doing back here?
All good?
- The two arancinis coming out right now.
- Yeah. - Yeah, we're ready.
[bell dinging]
- Okay, table 12 is ready, guys.
Giuseppe, table 12.
- Buon appetito. - Appreciate it. Thank you.
- Just tell her the arancini can come out.
- Antonio really stepped up to the plate.
- Three.
- Table three.
I got you.
- And also, gordon taught me
How to do something that
Never in my wildest dreams thought that I could do.
How was everything?
- So good. - Good, good.
You want any dessert to go?
I could be a restaurant owner now.
We're doing good.
So far, we turned over a few tables.
Let's keep it going.
I can understand
When I'm actually saying the words.
I'm not just regurgitating them.
Now I know what I'm talking about.
- We're just circulating, that's all.
So we're all in it together, but we need each other,
Like any family restaurant. - Yeah. Yes.
- Yeah?
- Did you enjoy the tomatoes,
The salad with the fresh mozzarella?
- Mm-hmm.
- I love that. Love that. - [laughs]
- This is antonia.
Now she's gonna make the pizza.
We'll show you how to make the pizza.
- You gonna make a pizza with me?
- [giggles]
[laughter] - that'd be awesome.
- At last, melissa and antonio are getting the help
They so desperately needed.
Hey, you good? - Good.
- Yeah, excellent.
Good. Great post earlier. Well done.
It made a massive difference. - Yeah.
- I don't know if you're aware,
But there was a line outside the door.
So thank you.
- Vito and vincent are gonna stop being [bleep].
They're gonna come in here and post on social media.
You know, bus tables, help me out, whatever I need.
And that's that.
- Thank you. Thank you.
Bye-bye. Have a good night.
- With da mimmo finally reaching its full potential,
It's time for me to say goodbye.
Come here, you. Are you gonna miss me?
- No, you're the best. - I will miss you.
I will miss you. [laughs]
We ready to run the business better.
- Good luck, girl. Both: Thank you.
- I feel validated that I needed fresh ingredients.
- My time is done.
When I first met you,
I found a lady that was in despair.
But the response tonight from the community
Is off the charts.
- Gordon saved me, my restaurant,
And my family.
That doesn't happen every day,
And I'm ready for the new journey,
The new beginning in this beautiful space.
- You good? - I'm good.
Thank you so much. - Good luck, darling.
- Thank you. - Yeah?
Chef. - They're gonna be coming in.
- Thank you, chef.
- Well done. - Thank you.
- Seriously, well done.
- I've definitely grown as a person.
You know, my head's clear.
I'm thinking straight.
Having gordon here definitely helped my mother a lot,
And she's feeling good again.
- Take care.
- Thank you. - Pleasure.
Thank you so much.
- We did it, babe. Mm.
- Yeah.
- [sighs]
Wow. What a turnaround.
Honestly, when I first got here,
I found a restaurant that was appealing to no one,
Including the family running it.
How sad is that?
The community had abandoned them.
They were on the brink of closure,
And melissa and antonio were out of their depth.
But I promise you, if antonio can use the lessons
I've taught him and these brothers commit
To supporting him, then maybe da mimmo
Can turn things around and start making a profit.
Three brothers.
[bleep] me.
What a threesome.
Two months later...
- Welcome to da mimmo. - Hi!
- With the community returning to da mimmo,
The restaurant is busier than ever.
Antonio is growing into his role as a leader...
- And his brothers are doing their part
Bringing new customers through the door...
- It's amazing.
- I can't get enough of this [bleep].
- Giving melissa more time
To be with her younger sons.
Next time on "kitchen nightmares"...
- How's everything over here?
- Not cooked enough.
- When q took over juicy box,
Everything started going downhill.
- Let's get some shots going,
'cause I need a shot right now.
- Shot o'clock! Shot o'clock!
- My son, he wants to hang out and party.
- Cheers. - Cheers.
- I asked you to take out food.
- Are you enjoying the party more than you are working?
- Yeah. - We can't pay the bills.
We gotta shut it down.
- The average fridge runs around 40 degrees.
It's running at 73.
This is a joke. - Yeah, it's a joke.
- And you two should be embarrassed.
♪ ♪