For the last three years Chef Ramsay
has whipped aspiring chefs
into shape on Hell's Kitchen.
this is painful! Get out!
Out!
Now Gordon Ramsay,
the most successful restaurateur
on the planet
with critically-acclaimed restaurants
in London, Dubai, Tokyo, and New York,
is criss-crossing America
for the most difficult assignment of his career.
This is disgusting!
I am gob-smacked.
Turning around America's
Kitchen Nightmares.
Please help me!
Each week he will go
to restaurants on the brink of disaster.
There is no more money.
He's not doing his job!
This place is a disaster zone!
I put so much into it.
But to get these restaurants back on track,
Chef Ramsay will hold nothing back.
Never, ever, ever,
ever met someone I believe in as little as you.
It will be intense.
you all, you dirty pigs!
Do we need a death in the restaurant
before some gets a grip?
I thought your food was crap.
I'd rather have this conversation downstairs.
You!
It will be emotional.
You're a!
That's it!
Seriously, I'm pissed off!
It's not my fault!
Why did you keep eating
if it was that bad?
Go! Just go!
And it will be shocking.
Fire them on the spot.
Oh, my God. Look at them.
It's rancid! It's rotten!
I've eaten it!
I feel like spitting on both of them.
I think this place is run better without you.
Can you go tell them that the kitchen is closed?
We're shut!
It's the luckiest day of their lives!
We're shut for the night?
We're shut for the night!
We will make this a success.
Put your hand up and swear to God.
In the end you will see dramatic turnarounds.
Are they horrible?
And not just the restaurants...
Whoo!
Ooh, I like this.
Oh, it's fantastic.
but the people who work in them.
I'll never forget you, man, the rest of my life.
You're the best, man.
And while most appreciate his help...
God bless you.
You are a wonderful person.
others aren't so grateful.
It's my!
Chef, I know you can hear me! Don't run!
Why is this guy here?!
Who the are you
to turn around and tell me
when you work like a pig?
You pig!
Good-bye, Chef. Good luck...loser.
Get ready as Chef Ramsay turns America's kitchen nightmares...
Thank you, God, for what we're about to receive.
May the Lord not kill me with food poisoning.
back into dreams.
Please. Do not screw it up.
Tonight Gordon faces an overwhelming challenge.
Time to walk away.
There's nothing else to do.
The Mixing Bowl's business is dwindling,
and relationships are crumbling.
You can't get so overwhelmed!
I wasn't told!
Why do you keep saying that?
I'm pissed off!
The manager is desperate.
I've tried everything.
The owner has lost his passion.
You look like a man that's dyin' to be put out of his misery.
And his wife wants him to shut the place down.
I can't sacrifice myself for The Mixing bowl anymore.
Now Gordon must turn The Mixing Bowl upside down.
I'm fighting for my life here.
It's the last chance for this dying restaurant.
Do not talk to me like that!
That's coming up on Kitchen Nightmares.
Bellmore, New York,
a busy commuter town about 30 minutes
from New York City and home
to a wide variety of restaurants.
For ten years The Mixing Bowl has managed to survive.
But now with increased competition,
it's only months away from closing.
He said Cajun, not Asian.
My name is Billy Galetti.
I'm the Chef/Owner of The Mixing Bowl.
Pick it up!
I'm the chef, the delivery guy, Mr. Fix it.
I'm doing bills, picking up supplies.
I mop the floors if I have to.
That's what I have to do to keep the place alive.
The Mixing Bowl Eatery has been here for ten years.
Lisa.
Is this order right? You know what?
You should talk to your manager, not your wife.
If it was up to Billy's wife
the restaurant would be closed next week.
It says two mussels.
It should say one.
My hope is really gone for this place.
How bad was it yesterday?
Disaster.
Six people came in the restaurant all night last night.
Everyone just knows me as "Mixing Bowl Mike."
Right this way, young ladies.
Yes, he's the manager.
But it's impossible to work with him.
You get five times more pay than the servers!
What the hell is your problem?
Kinda like one big, happy family.
What you just said makes absolutely no sense.
And you got 100, you got 100, you get over 100--
That doesn't make sense.
I'm thinkin'-- Shut up
Aye yai yai.
Mike, what are you doin'?
I'm taking a drink 'cause I'm parched.
He is the manager.
Oh, my God.
What does Mike do now.
I see him schmooze a lot.
People come in here, and they think I'm the owner.
They call me, like, the mayor of Bellmore.
Do they do that because they respect me, they fear me?
I don't know.
Do whatever-- Shut up.
Let me finish talking. Don't tell me to shut up.
You respect me.
Nobody's gonna listen to someone who's yelling
at them like a mad man.
Talking to you is like talking to a brick wall.
All right, all right, all right.
When The Mixing Bowl first opened
it was busy every week, you know,
it was really doing well.
Now it's just a slow...
Everybody's, like, depressed.
We tried everything that we can.
There is no more money.
There--there's nothing-- there's nothing else to do.
If something doesn't change and someone doesn't help us out,
the restaurant could be closed next week.
Now it's at the end of the road.
I'm so stubborn about keeping it alive.
But am I hurting myself? Am I hurting my family?
You're holding everything up now with all this crap.
I'm sorry. That's what I pulled.
Our marriage gets effected by his business.
Go. Go out, go out.
We're struggling seven days a week.
That puts a damper on our relationship.
I can't sacrifice myself
and our children for The Mixing Bowl anymore.
If it's not gonna work, it's time to walk away.
Gordon Ramsay has just one week
to uncover the restaurant's problems,
devise a plan, and find a way
for this restaurant to stand out
in this competitive market.
I'm nervous 'cause this looks dreadful.
Oh, my God.
It's a pleasure to have you here.
Gordon. First name?
Mike Landsberg.
Mike. Nice to see you.
It's exciting.
Just, like, "Oh, my God.
I'm meeting Gordon Ramsay," you know.
To me he's a God in the restaurant industry.
Good to see you. Hi. Lisa.
Lisa, nice to see you.
Go on.
Oh, this is quiet.
Yeah. This is the lunch crowd, us.
All these staff? One, two, three, four?
How many is booked for lunch?
Nobody.
No?
When Gordon first came in I was nervous.
And I hope he's just not too hard on all of us.
I'm gonna sit here? Yes.
This is the lunch menu.
What style of restaurant is it?
It's new American-type cuisine,
salads, some wraps...
Sounds like a health spa.
Um...
When was the last time you went to a spa?
The gym?
What are you saying? Are you trying to say something?
I asked when was the last time you went to a gym.
Uh, not for a long time.
When was the last time you had a salad?
Not for a long time.
Right.
Okay.
If you have any questions, please feel free to ask.
Okay. Great.
When you look at the way the restaurant is put together,
you can identify instantly from the paper cloths
to the drapes to the plants, to the ceiling, to the color,
that this restaurant really is on its last legs.
There's not long to go here.
Hmm, award-winning Maryland lump crab cakes.
North Atlantic salmon, sun-dried tomato basil.
For such a small restaurant the menu's huge.
You need a couple of minutes, or--
I'm dying to taste
the award-winning Maryland crab cakes.
They are excellent.
Award-winning? What did they win?
You could ask Billy. He knows more about it.
I thought you'd know about it
if you're the manager, and it's on the menu.
Well, I...
Anyway. I...
I'll have a zucchini pancake. Okay.
And I'll go for the North Atlantic salmon, I think.
Okay. Thank you.
God, that guy needs some spark.
Bean bag.
And these are the Maryland crab cakes.
Thank you.
And the zucchini pancakes with chive sour cream.
Lovely. Thank you.
Enjoy.
Thank you.
May I ask what you think of the crab cakes?
May I ask you not to stare at me?
Absolutely. It makes me feel really uncomfortable.
No problem.
You know, this cockroach on your back.
You like to shake off.
I'd like to just sit and enjoy my lunch.
Absolutely. Thank you so much.
Mmm, award-winning? Maybe not.
In terms of freshness, yeah.
I wouldn't expect to find something so fresh
in such a dreary, dreadful dining room.
Zucchini pancakes, stodgy, bland, and zucchini thick.
It's like having a mouth full of glue.
Oh, my God. What's that on top?
Tomato-basil balsamic sauce.
Mm-hmm.
I smell garlic. Where's the garlic from?
Is that on the green beans?
The shallots. There's--
No garlic? No garlic in any of the ingredients.
And then on the beans?
Looks like there's garlic on there.
Why don't you just check with him?
I can smell it anyway.
I will. That looks like garlic.
Thank you.
Billy. What?
The string beans, you cook them in garlic?
Yeah.
Is there any shallots in there at all?
No shallots.
The salmon was very bland, and the sauce,
just heavy, soggy, and vinegary.
Garlic everywhere.
No one wants to come out to lunch and stink of garlic.
That's for sure.
Billy's getting a little nervous.
Like, am I about to get reamed by that--you know.
I don't know what to expect to be honest.
When you first walk in that dining room
you get this depressing manager
jumping on you, which is a great shame.
I'm sure five years ago you had some form of spark.
The food...
The crab cakes were good.
Thanks.
Yes? That was the high point.
Everything else unfortunately for me
was just too bland.
Really?
The pancakes were soggy
and the fish was dry.
The salmon just--
it just looked old-fashioned.
Can I ask you an honest question?
Yes. It was our ten-year anniversary.
And we said for our ten-year anniversary everybody
gets complimentary zucchini pancakes.
Yes. Now, everybody tells me they love 'em.
If you give something away,
and it's free, who's gonna complain about it?
That never happens.
So either he's crazy,
or every customer that comes in here is lying to me.
I wanna come back with a plan.
And bang. It didn't blow me away today.
I wasn't that excited about it. It's very average.
Very dreary.
And it's very sad. End of story.
Okay?
See you later, yes?
It makes me feel terrible when Gordon says
he doesn't like my husband's food.
You know, of course I'm gonna take offense to that.
Gordon is wrong about the restaurant.
My position is the manager,
so I am not intimidated by anybody.
Bring it on.
Coming up:
Gordon sees a sign of the times.
Now accepting dinner reservations?
We thought maybe because we're not taking reservations, so--
It's empty.
Lisa and Billy must face the truth.
Maybe we should close this place down.
And later as Gordon turns up the heat...
Can you wake up?
Manager Mike loses it.
I was told at 7:00 this morning. That's it!
Seriously, I'm pissed off!
Do not talk to me like that.
- Hey. - outside now.
He's a freakin' lunatic.
Coming up on Kitchen Nightmares.
Later that night after meeting the staff and sampling the food,
Gordon wants to observe a dinner service,
so he can evaluate Billy in the kitchen,
and Mike in the front of the house.
Two or three people.
Bloody hell..
This is not very good right now.
It is 7:00, and there's a lot
of open tables in the restaurant.
To me, I would have shut the doors a year ago.
Wherever you feel like it. It's your choice.
How about this one?
Why not?
It's an hour into the dinner service,
and it's starting to become clear to Gordon
why The Mixing Bowl is losing so much money.
This coupon, you can use it this evening.
50% off.
Your check is all adjusted. Thank you very much. Okay.
We hand somebody a check.
You put this 50% off coupon in it.
15?
Fif--no, no, 5-0, 50.
In here?
Yeah. 50% off.
Holy smoke.
My goodness me.
Mike just told me about the coupon that he tried.
How long have you been doing it?
Um, a long time. Eight years.
Eight years?
That doesn't make sense now, does it?
No, it doesn't.
Do you ever go out there?
Um, yeah, when I--when it dies down I'll walk around.
While Billy spends the entire dinner service in the kitchen,
the responsibility of running the restaurant
is in Mike's hands.
Any more coupons? Anywhere else?
No, no, that's it. You sure?
Nothing at all?
There is more.
I have about ten signs that I had made up.
Go and get them.
Someone grab the door for me, please.
Sorry.
Okay.
All of 'em go in the window at some point.
Where did you get all these from?
I have a place. They make 'em up for me.
It was expensive.
Holy mackerel.
As you can see, I've tried everything.
Clearly.
Now accepting reservations?
We thought maybe because we're not taking reservations,
maybe people aren't coming in here.
It's empty.
Yes. But we--
It's empty.
Tuesday night dinner specials. Select three.
Three what?
That was--that was one of the worst things we've ever done.
Um, so what we did, uh, select three was--it was a while ago.
We did, um...
And that's a pumpkin.
Can I--can I-- can I tell you what
because-- Listen to this.
Order your Thanksgiving desserts early.
Yes. In case we're closed by the time we come round to November.
What I do is I-- I'll put up a sign
a month ahead of time
because maybe people will drive by and say, "Oh, look--"
Which sign was the most successful?
None. None.
Is there anything else that I should know?
That's, uh, that's it.
That is it?
Well, there's-- well--
Oh, no.
There was--there was... Oh, no.
It's not really that big of a deal.
Gordon! Can you come here?
It's a little big.
What in the?
Free appetizer with dinner.
Oh,. Man, get me out of here.
Jesus Christ.
Where in the--
Here--here, it's--
It went over the-- it went over the--
These other little signs weren't working.
And how long do the signs go up for?
Well, it would have still been up, but there was, uh,
a bad windstorm a few months ago,
and it ripped it down.
It blew the signs down?
Yes. So we--
Thank for that.
Doesn't this catch your eye though, from the street?
Catch my eye?
Isn't that the point?
It's worse than a dumb shop.
You're incredible.
Okay, get the signs and put them back round here.
I don't want any customers to see it.
I've got a restaurateur who's just a cook--
a simple cook--
a manager totally obsessed by his signs,
and a wife that'd rather close the place down tonight.
This is a real nightmare. My God.
After a day of observation,
Gordon is ready to confront Billy and Lisa
with the harsh reality.
I've got to be brutally honest with you, you know that.
I've seen a lot today.
Watched the service.
Unfortunately I spent a lot of time talking to Mike.
And, uh, yeah, he's, uh--
He's out there that one, huh?
You seriously have to start thinking as a businessman.
Not leaving it to someone like Michael
to sort of focus on the bologna and bull.
And then watching you cooking.
I've never ever seen a chef
so quiet in all my life.
You look like a man that's dying to be put out of his misery.
Lisa, you may be right.
To put you out of your misery,
maybe we should close this place down.
tonight.
Up next:
There is mutiny at The Mixing Bowl.
I think he's lazy.
The rest of us bust our butts
to get your tables and our tables done,
and then you take a half, like, of our tips.
Do you think we would have those tips if I wasn't here?
And later before Billy steps up:
I was told at 7:00 this morning! That's it!
Seriously, I'm pissed off!
I don't want him to talk to my wife that way.
Do not talk to me like that.
Gordon steps in.
- Hey. - Take your outside now.
Coming up on Kitchen Nightmares.
After the dinner service,
Gordon decides to test Billy and Lisa's commitment
to the restaurant.
Lisa, you may be right.
To put you out of your misery
maybe you should close this place down
tonight.
The stress and the pressure relieved, bang.
You'd be gone within 12 hours.
I don't want him to give up his dream.
But I don't see why we keep going with it.
Billy's a good person.
He doesn't want to just walk away.
But if he has to close the doors,
it needs to be closed then, and let's move on already.
I wanna live a normal life.
This is where you really seriously dig deep.
If the restaurant dies,
it'll be like a death in the family.
We have to go forward.
Seriously? Yeah.
If you seriously, seriously want to continue,
you have got to find your passion
with your support.
And truthfully, unless you change,
you'll be gone in six weeks time.
It's day two and time for Gordon to start implementing his plan.
He hopes to get through to manager Mike
about his destructive promotions
with the help of a somewhat destructive measure.
It looks like a wood chipper to me.
That's right.
It's time to say good-bye to the past.
It's time to say good-bye to Valentine's Day.
Bloody hell.
Yeah, I am mad.
Working with guys like you makes me mad.
With Gordon struggling to get through to Mike,
he now turns his attention
to The Mixing Bowl's greatest challenge.
Let's have a look at 1997 first.
One, two, three, four restaurants.
Wow.
Ten years ago,
let me show you something.
2007.
Holy.
Look how built up this neighborhood has become
over the last ten years.
41 restaurants.
From a Chinese to a deli to a pizza to a diner.
Right now we need
to re-position The Mixing Bowl
smack bang in the middle of all that competition.
Gordon's right. 41 restaurants.
Of course you're gonna kinda get lost in the shuffle.
What else is around this area?
You go to every day?
Oh, the gym.
Gyms, beauty parlors, tanning salon.
What isn't on there?
A healthier?
Healthy is something
that's not even listed anywhere near here.
One way we can help turn this around is
by installing something to do with health.
It's exciting to realize you can do things healthy.
And it just opened my eyes to a whole new world.
Give the neighborhood what they want.
With the mixing bowl now embracing
being the healthy, high-quality restaurant
of Bellmore, Gordon also realizes he needs
to ignite Billy's passion.
Time to be competitive.
Creative. Yeah?
Our list of 15 ingredients. Okay?
Half an hour.
You work there. I'll work there.
Keep it fresh and healthy.
Think about the direction of the restaurant,
the way it's going, yes?
Okay?
Gordon Ramsay teaching Billy.
He's being trained by one of the top chefs in the world.
I was totally into what I was doing.
But then you realize that's Gordon Ramsay
working next to you.
It was great.
I was so excited
because I haven't seen Billy this fired up
about something in so long.
You're very quiet there, my man.
Now what is it with you?
You must drive Lisa around the bend, you know that.
How do you communicate? Through email?
I wasn't paying attention to what he was doing at all.
I was more involved in just making my dish.
Up, up, up and away.
Billy finished first.
Okay good. So yours is a--?
Seared salmon with ginger-balsamic drizzle.
This is a poached salmon,
and I've just poached with vegetable stock.
Top with a, uh, walnut pesto.
Everything looked really nice,
just fresh and lively and vibrant
and the food kinda, like, jumped out at you.
It looked great.
This is the kind of food
that The Mixing Bowl should be serving.
I like that.
Both dishes are good enough to go on the menu tonight.
I like the food, but I really don't know
if Gordon can change this place around.
With word that world-class Chef Ramsay is in town,
The Mixing Bowl is busier than normal
for tonight's dinner service.
Do you have reservations this evening?
But can the staff at The Mixing Bowl
actually cope with a busy restaurant?
Push the salmon, please. Yeah?
Okay. Okay.
Push the salmon special, yeah?
I think that the customers are absolutely gonna love
the new salmon dish.
Push the salmon.
Table of four-- don't point.
Don't point at customers.
We're running a restaurant, not a zoo.
Did you get the salmon special?
Yeah. Okay, good.
Let's take 12 out. Let's take 12 out.
Do you like salmon? I would try salmon.
Three salmon specials.
Good. They're selling the salmon.
Good.
Hey, Yvonne. How you doing, sweetie?
I don't particularly care about the kitchen.
Your main focus should be the customers.
The water is complimentary.
Salmon special is really going well.
But Michael, what the is he doing?
This guy is just using this restaurant to feed his ego.
I'm glad you guys are enjoying everything.
You want your friends to come in, that's great,
but you should be out working.
Answer the phone, please.
It's impossible to work with him.
And every time you work with him,
he takes half of your tips.
Kimmy, you gotta work the tips, baby.
I get very large tips.
Give 'em some more water on table 18, please.
I mean, 20-25%
Could you do it? Put on another round of drinks.
Another Bud--another Bud and another Diet Coke also.
I am tired of Mike taking half the money from the tip cup.
It's not fair.
Good-bye. Thank you.
Despite the success of the new specials,
the staff is unhappy with their tips.
And all fingers are pointing toward Mike.
You find a table, you latch on and then the rest of us
bust our butts to get your tables and our tables done,
and then you take a half, like, of our tips.
Can I--can I say something?
Do you think you'd have those tips if I wasn't here?
When people come in here, everybody knows me.
The customers know me. All you guys know that.
People know me the best
because I make it a point to making friends
with the customers, and that's what customers want.
They wanna feel special.
Mike thinks this is his restaurant.
He is an employee here.
unbelievable.
Okay, time to get real.
When I ask you to wake up
in terms of running the business,
sometimes you run it as if you own the place.
And the reason why
you do that is because,
Billy, you are too weak.
And Lisa, if it sounds crap, open up and say it.
He's nervous that everybody's sitting out there
with their thumbs up their
not doing what they're supposed to be doing.
See, I don't think right now that's the right attitude.
I think we should have a positive attitude.
But I mean, be realistic.
When I'm bussing my own tables,
and everybody else is running around crazy.
We are aware of what the problems were.
And I think that we should move forward
and put the damn past behind us.
You're kinda talkin' to yourself right now.
I'm talking--this is how I feel.
I'm not even-- These are things you need to do.
I'm fighting for my life here.
You right now need
to step up to the plate
and make the changes
every frickin' day, every minute of the day.
That's it.
Billy, that's the first time you've sounded like a boss.
"Cause it's your life on the line.
Don't ever forget that.
Hey, he's laughing again.
If you're carrying the weight that this guy and his wife
has on their shoulders,
you wouldn't smirk.
Tomorrow, the most important day in ten years.
We're gonna implement changes
to help get this business turned around.
If this doesn't work after tomorrow,
the blame is on your shoulders, Mike.
Still to come...
Let's get it, boys.
The Mixing Bowl is busier than ever.
Pick up this plate! Let's go!
Can I get the three soups?
The order. Now!
It's coming now, you.
I was just fed up.
But nobody's in the mood for celebrating.
I was told 7:00 this morning!
That's it!
It's the dinner service
you have to see to believe.
Seriously, I'm pissed off.
Do not talk to me like that.
It's done!
Coming up on Kitchen Nightmares.
Day three.
Gordon's design team works overnight.
and transforms The Mixing Bowl
from a non-descript diner
into a contemporary, sleek restaurant.
And now it's time to be revealed.
All right. Ready?
Yes? Mike?
Ready?
I'm so excited to see, like, what--you know.
I'm psyched.
The place needs a facelift,
so I'm very excited to see it.
Let's go.
Lovely.
Here we go.
Oh, my goodness.
Oh, my God.
Oh, wow.
It's gorgeous.
Oh, my God, I--oh.
Genius. Yes?
It looks nice, huh?
Beautiful. This is gorgeous.
I feel like I wanna spend money in here.
It's exciting to walk out into the dining room
and just see what it looks like.
The decor was terrible.
Now I think the decor works. It fits with the food.
It fits with the name.
Lisa, what do you think of the chairs?
Oh, my God. I love them.
Have a seat in one of them.
Lisa.
Oh, my God.
It's amazing.
It just was like a gift.
It was just like a period of grace.
It really touched me deeply.
It looks like a restaurant now, doesn't it?
Yes.
Are you seriously gonna start spending time
in your own restaurant now?
Say hello to customers? Yep.
Kim, how do you feel, darlin'?
It looks completely different.
I feel so much better about coming here,
knowing that they're not looking around thinking,
"Why am I sitting here with this gross paper on my table?"
It's gorgeous.
I can't wait for customers to come.
Sorry.
I can't wait for customers to come in and see the place.
Lisa, do you have any tissues?
Hey.
This is our new start.
So hopefully it's what we needed.
It's unbelievable.
With the new decor as the inspiration
it's time for Gordon to overhaul the menu.
Okay, first salad.
Apple and endive, um, salad, yes?
And it's done with walnuts and a honey-dijon dressing.
It's very fresh, very good, very citrus-y, very tangy.
Gordon woke me up.
He got me back to what's now and just trying
to put that together.
Under Gordon's direction, The Mixing Bowl
has removed heavily-sauced entrees
and replaced them with healthy, vibrant items.
Roasted vine tomato soup, slow-roasted in the oven,
overnight.
Blended and finished
with fresh basil and drizzled olive oil.
Tuna Nicoise that's been addressed
with an olive tapenade.
Green beans, olives, eggs, and roasted new potatoes.
We got to see the way all the new dishes looked.
They looked beautiful.
Smaller portions, lighter foods.
All of it made sense.
Good--right, are we ready?
Yeah.
Good luck.
I love the menu because I was eating all the food in here,
so now I'm eating a little bit healthier.
It may, uh--it may have an impact on my, uh, belly.
With a healthy new menu and the restaurant redesigned,
it's time to utilize the staff's new energy
and spread the word about The new Mixing Bowl.
We'll go out to a spa or a gym, just put the word out.
A fresh outlook. A fresh appeal.
My God, look at these. Hi, guys.
You all know where The Mixing Bowl is, right?
That's the restaurant there, The Mixing Bowl.
We're gonna be kicking off
our new, light, vibrant, healthy menu.
Exciting new food.
It'd be great to see you.
At The Mixing Bowl Eatery in Bellmore.
New decor. New menu.
New style.
Gordon.
Gordon, I'm burning 1700 calories per hour.
If Billy could see you right now--
Not bad for a fat guy, huh?
I brought you here for a wake-up call, yeah.
Let's go. Holy...
In keeping with the healthy direction of the restaurant,
Gordon has reached out to the New York Dragons'
arena football team to create
some buzz in the community.
It's a big day for us tomorrow.
So, um, we wanna help celebrate that
and, uh, maybe getting you down to the restaurant and, uh,
come in and have a bite to eat.
I think it's an amazing idea.
I just hope it works.
Day four.
Only a short time before re-launch.
And Mike is already feeling the heat.
There's a couple of little, tiny things that bother me
'cause I want--I want the place to look perfect.
Mixing Bowl, Mike speaking. Can I help you?
How many people are you gonna be?
There was a lot of confusion with the reservations.
And it was a lot of things I really had to do myself.
Disgusting..
He was having a hard time today,
which we all were, you know,
but he really lost it.
Actually takes some thought!
See, this is why
we need Xanax.
Mike seemed so stressed.
And I was definitely concerned
that it wasn't going to help us
when we open the doors.
That's it.
With the re-launch only minutes away,
everything seems to be in place for the big night.
It looks like we have 47.
And the restaurant is fully-booked.
Okay.
Good luck. Yes?
Let's go, big boy.
The customers are cuing up to get in here.
In his panic Mike has booked too many people
to arrive at the same time.
Oh, no.
Even I'm getting a little bit dolally.
There will be a van
picking me up in a minute with a straight-jacket.
I was not--
This is huge.
madness.
It's The Mixing Bowl's biggest night.
And because of Mike's reservation mix-up,
many of the customers have arrived at the same time.
How you doing? How's everything?
As soon as those doors opened, the floodgates opened up,
and everybody kind of came at once.
It was a little bit stressful.
Mike. Yes.
Mike, come over.
Coming.
Okay, reservations.
What's the hiccup?
I handed over the reservation list to Kim.
And then I'm not exactly sure what transpired since then.
Mike tried to blame the reservation mix-up on me.
I've never been the one in charge of the reservations.
It's not fair.
Mike up this whole seating thing.
This is a big night.
I cannot tell you how big this night is.
And you've gotta know what's coming in.
That's your job.
It's not solely my fault.
And I don't think that it's right
to put blame on any one person.
Can we get on? Yes.
And work as a team.
Yes.
God!
After Gordon's pep talk, Lynn, Kim, and Lisa
all stepped in to help get everyone seated.
It's a totally different menu.
What would you like?
Seared tuna.
Okay.
With the dining room now completely full
for the first time in years, the pressure was turned up
on The Mixing Bowl staff.
Mike, you had table five?
Lynn, are you telling him to bring a bus pan?
Madame, let me take that for you, please.
Thank you very much indeed.
Can you wake up? Wake up.
This is our one shot
to make our lasting impression.
We're gonna blow it.
How long on the appetizers on table five?
I'm coming.
Honestly I think that Mike's job is not that hard.
He just gets sidetracked
and stops, stops being a manager.
While each waiter is covering three to four tables...
All right, so let me go ask.
You can try ours.
Mike is looking after his friends.
Can I get the three soups? I need soups.
Soup bowls.
Yeah, it's coming now, you.
Watch your back. Watch your back.
I was definitely concerned Mike was gonna crumble.
He's not used to running
a busy dining room out there, you know that.
Yeah. My God!
Ooh!
Oh, my God.
It's two hours into dinner service,
and The Mixing Bowl has weathered the first storm.
But they are about to be faced with another challenge.
The New York Dragons.
Hi. How are you?
You're gonna have a nice dinner?
Sure hope so.
Okay.
So we're just gonna get your tables together.
Sounds good. Okay?
All right, we'll be right with you.
You wanna get that?
Wait a minute. I thought that
that table was gonna be with them.
Can I see this?
You forgot the biggest thing to put on the list,
the Dragon's reservation.
The Dragons were supposed to be on that list.
And somehow Mike just forgot.
How is that missed? How is that overlooked?
They just--someone just-- the Dragons just came in--
Mike, that's not what I'm saying.
I'm not exactly sure what transpired.
It's beyond upsetting.
There was no Dragons on there.
My God, that table for me
is the most important table.
That's embarrassing.
You're overlooking extremely important things.
I was not told about the Dragons.
I found out at se--
Mike, why do you keep saying that?
Because I wasn't! I wasn't told!
Excuse me, do not talk to me like that.
I was told at 7:00 this morning!
That's it!
Seriously, I'm pissed off!
Dragons on the paper!
I'm pissed off!
Not my fault!
Dragons right over here! I put 'em on at 7:00!
Can we please move on?
That's it!
Not my fault!
It's re-launch night for The Mixing Bowl.
And Mike's reservation mishap with the New York Dragons
has caused him to go over the edge.
I wasn't told!
Do not talk to me like that.
I'm pissed off!
That's it!
I was told at 7:00 this morning!
Not my fault!
Dragons on the paper!
I mean-- Can we please move on?!
That's it!
We were all in shock and speechless.
I've seen him blow up before,
but that was a new--
that was a new level right there.
Hey. Yes.
You off outside now.
This is like The Twilight Zone.
I really think something
in his brain has snapped.
He's a freakin' lunatic.
Mike was raising his voice.
I mean, I don't want him to talk to my wife that way.
I don't go for that.
Mike's conduct has everyone rattled.
And Gordon has some concerns for the restaurant owners.
Okay.
Let me just tell you something.
And I've got to be brutally honest.
You've got one problem here.
Mike.
I don't know why Billy and Lisa were talking to Gordon.
I don't know what they possibly could have said about me.
You need a manager,
and that is not your man.
Business is business.
If something's gotta be done to change
this place, we gotta change it.
That's the restaurant business.
Freakin' fire him.
If I would go home right now,
life goes on.
I'd get another job.
But my life would be different.
Um, I just gotta re-evaluate the situation.
Mike's gonna have to change like the place has changed.
Everybody else in the place is gonna get a second chance,
so Mike should get a second chance.
We're gonna move forward together.
For now Billy has decided to keep Mike on as manager.
Move on.
Yeah.
That was embarrassing. Yeah?
Can we put an end to this?
I feel like I'm reborn again.
And we're gonna build the best damn restaurant
that--that ever existed...
or at least in a 25-mile radius.
All right, table two's getting up.
We're gonna push 'em together for a table of four.
Mike managed to find a place to seat the Dragons.
And it looks like Gordon has finally gotten through to him.
Ready...
set, hike--no.
I have a new--a new look, new restaurant, new me.
Thank you so much for coming. I appreciate it.
Gonna get your dinner out real quick.
Good job. Good job.
For the first time he said thank you to me.
So that was, like, wow.
All of a sudden... Mike...
You know, like, "Was that him?"
He was great.
The service has been excellent. I give the service a A.
Definitely.
Although The Mixing Bowl's re-launch
had some growing pains,
it's clear the restaurant is headed in the right direction.
Whoo!
Cheers, doll.
As the week progressed,
Mike's management skills kept improving.
One and two is crucial that we get out of here.
It's really good.
The customers raved about the vibrant food.
We got some amazing feedback from the food, Billy.
Everybody's really loving the food.
Holy moly.
The profits were soaring.
What each person spends on average went up,
like--like, double.
In the spirit of the new healthy menu,
Gordon sponsored the first-ever Mixing Bowl Mile run.
Come on, Mike!
Come on, Mike. An eight-year-old is beatin' ya!
And with the restaurant thriving,
Billy even found some time to hang out
with his new friends, the Dragons.
This journey was unbelievable.
I'm psyched to go forward.
That's what I wanna see, that passion, yes?
Yeah.
And on Gordon's last day he even got shy Billy
to finally come out of the kitchen.
I want you to stop what you're doing
for two minutes and go and say hello to your customers.
I'm so proud of him.
I couldn't be more proud of him.
I want him to get a little recognition
for all that he does.
Thank you so much.
Yeah, thank you.
The difference tonight from when I first arrived
was extraordinary.
I would seriously eat here.
You're talented, big boy.
You've got to make that transition
from a chef to a restaurateur.
I got the message on how I have
to change to make this place the best it could be.
Start thinkin' and cookin' up there,
not with your back.
Yes. Lovely.
Thank you so much.
The black cloud has definitely been lifted off this restaurant.
We can't blame anyone but ourselves now
because there's no excuses left.
Ladies-- Oh, me.
Thank you..
Oh, no.
It all came together.
And I just can't wait to go forward.
Good night.
Thank you.
Two months have gone by,
and the restaurant is continuing to prosper.
Gordon, he just let everything out on me.
It was, like, rip on Mike week.
But he definitely did teach me some things.
We had fun with it.
As for Billy and Lisa,
their marriage is as strong as the restaurant itself.
The changes I've seen in our relationship is amazing.
So for that, Gordon, I thank you.
That means so much to me.