Tonight on Kitchen Nightmares...
Chef Ramsay heads to California's Sushi Ko...
Where the fish isn't the only thing...
This is a Japanese health hazard.
That doesn't smell right.
You could kill somebody.
Blah!
Owner Akira is a broken man...
Talk to me!
A mere shadow of the star chef he once was.
And that's not all.
This once-proud father...
Has your father given up?
Is dragging his family down with him.
My family is hanging by a thread.
His two grown children long to see their father
happy again.
I can't remember the last time I saw him
actually happy.
While the suffering wife Lisa...
Do you think you work really hard all the time?
Gets more resentful every day.
He doesn't know how to get off of his little,
skinny ass and work.
Her constant criticism...
Uhh! That's a nightmare.
May just push Akira...
I can't believe it!
And Chef Ramsay...
I need you to shut up.
Over the edge.
I'm not around.
In one of the most emotional Kitchen Nightmares ever...
I don't think I ever tell you how much I love you.
It's just hard.
I just want to see you happy.
Chef Ramsay pulls out all the stops...
You've forgotten how talented you are.
To not only save the restaurant...
We need to bring him back.
But the family as well.
My family is really suffering.
Thousand Oaks, California--
an affluent suburb outside of Los Angeles.
Akira and Lisa were a young married couple
when they moved here more than 20 years ago
from the bay area.
While Lisa raised their young family,
Akira worked at a popular and trendy Japanese restaurant
called Sushi Ko
in the wealthy suburb of Bel-Air.
In the beginning, I was a sous chef.
Akira learned the art of sushi making in Japan.
He was good at his skill, and so we started working
at Sushi Ko in Bel-Air,
and the restaurant just took off
and just became super successful.
My dad was a great chef.
He was so excited when he was cooking.
We decided it was time to venture
into our own bigger and better and nicer Sushi Ko.
Hello! Welcome to Sushi Ko!
We decided to open our restaurant
in this beautiful shopping center
in Thousand Oaks.
In the beginning, business was booming.
Then it just slowed down...
Like somebody put the brakes on.
It's pretty devastating to him.
It broke him.
It's tough, yeah.
Anybody walking around out there?
Even if there's nobody in here,
Akira will scramble to find somebody
to do a job for him.
And that irritates the crap out of me.
Most of the time now,
my dad just kind of walks around.
He doesn't, like, do anything.
They're gonna turn off the electric.
You have to pay that one.
We are losing, like, $15,000 to $20,000 a month.
Credit-card debt is hundreds of thousands.
We're as deep as you could ever imagine.
We still are, like, $9,000 behind.
Living with financial stress is pretty bad.
I gave it to them.
My parents are always, like, fighting and arguing and...
That's a nightmare.
Never used to be like that.
Over the past four years,
Akira and I have grown apart.
We work together, and we live together,
but we don't speak to each other.
It just isn't worth it.
My dad doesn't spend enough time with us.
He's just less approachable.
Dad. How many did you order? Just one?
I don't really ever talk to him anymore, and...
Dad!
Akira's spirits are broken down,
And he just doesn't know what to do anymore.
Life has been like hell since we opened the restaurant.
If Sushi Ko closed tomorrow,
I think we could lose everything--
our house, restaurant,
and our hope and our dreams.
I can't remember the last time I slept through a night,
just always worried about what's gonna happen next.
Chef Ramsay's our last hope.
Hello.
Hi, welcome to Sushi Ko.
How are you? I'm Lisa.
Lisa, nice to see you, my darling.
And... Akira.
What's the connection?
Business partners?
27 years.
Oh, you're married to each other?
Yes. And you're the chef?
Okay. And, Lisa, you run the...
I'm kind of the front-of-the-house lady,
greet the guests... Right.
Serve tables, if needed.
What is the problem with Sushi Ko?
Clearly there's no guests.
But what's the problem...
The main problem? Which I do not know.
You know, we stand in the window and do this,
trying to get people to come in.
You lift up the-- Hey, come on in!
Lift up the blinds?
Does that-- We're here, whoo!
And that--that hasn't worked around here?
So tell me about Sushi Ko.
So then you bought out the other partners
and bought the name?
Pretty much so, yes.
And they decided to sort of move Sushi Ko
from Bel-Air to your hometown here in Thousand Oaks?
Exactly. So how long ago did it open here?
Four years.
Um, I can't do anything unless I find out
what the problems are.
So...I'd like to eat.
What would you recommend? Um...
A what?
Japanese pizza?
I don't-- I don't like it.
Wow.
I'm not a big fan of any of our food.
There's just, like, no flavor anymore,
because Akira is not involved enough in the kitchen.
Okay.
Why don't we sit down and have lunch?
I'll look forward to catching up
with both of you after lunch, thank you.
Enjoy. Lovely, thank you.
Come on in.
Some strange fixtures on the wall.
Are you ready? Yes, please.
Okay. Thank you.
Uh, right.
Let's start with a little bowl of miso.
Okay. And Akira mentioned the sushi pizza.
He recommended that? Yeah.
I wouldn't recommend it.
No? No.
I would not recommend the sushi pizza
to anybody.
Uh, I think it's vile.
Gotta try the sushi pizza.
Just out of curiosity.
Good luck. Plea--"Good luck."
Um, the green tower-- that sounds nice.
And then let's end up with...
A little bit of the salmon sashimi.
I think that'll be enough.
You've got some of the best and some of the worst.
Thank you. Thank you.
Good. Excellent.
Some of the best and some of the worst.
No one's afraid to show their opinion here.
Well, here you are.
Your soup. Thank you.
Here we go.
Miso soup doesn't taste very fresh.
It's not actually very hot either.
Thank you. Chef, your green tower.
Thank you.
It's very salty, though, isn't it?
It is. Yeah. Is that normal?
Yeah, that's normal.
Thank you. Thank you.
What is that?
Someone's gray hair.
Ohh....
Um...
Are you finished with the green tower?
Oh, there's just--
I pulled out this disgusting hair.
Ee. Yeah, I'm definitely finished with that.
Oh, sorry.
I just wanted to...
Just die, bury my head in the sand
when that happened.
Um...guys.
There's...a hair
in the green tower.
You gotta be kidding me.
It's always, like, a running joke.
Like, "Oh, my God,
there's a lot of things going wrong."
So Akira disappears.
Your sashimi.
Thank you. You're welcome.
Lovely. And is the salmon fresh?
Yes, it is.
Thank you.
John...
Frozen.
It just tastes like it's frozen.
How is your sashimi?
That's definitely frozen. It's very, very chewy.
My mistake. I was just informed.
They are frozen. They tasted frozen.
Is that normally... The way--
they freeze all the fish?
I guess we get lazy with our food.
Sushi pizza.
Yeah.
I've never been to a Japanese restaurant
where I can have a pizza, sushi-style,
and a chef-owner that's no longer in the kitchen.
I'm nervous.
Just go with it.
Okay.
Um...that's the sushi pizza?
It sure is.
It's rice, salmon, crab,
and mayonnaise, some cheese. Wow.
Thank you, love.
Japanese pizza.
Sorry.
That...
is rancid.
You were right.
That is an insult to pizza, yeah?
And Japanese food.
Chef had fair warning
that it was gonna be terrible.
I told him not to get it.
Where's the chef?
The old Sushi Ko
always stood for the finest in Japanese food.
But today's disappointing lunch
proved to Gordon that the only thing this Sushi Ko
has in common with the former one is the name.
Did you know there's a hair in the crab?
No? No one told you?
Are they wearing hats back here?
You're askingme? Yeah, I'm...
Are you guys wearing hats for service?
Uh, no, sir.
Nothing at all? No.
If you're telling them what to do,
why can't they wear a hat?
Oh,.
Let's go back to the beginning.
When was the miso soup made?
It was made yesterday. Yesterday.
And just tell me, why was the taste salty?
It's probably been sitting in there reducing overnight.
What do you mean "reducing overnight"?
You keep stuff in the banbury overnight?
Correct.
What?
The sushi pizza was a joke.
- Right. - Okay.
Hideous, disgusting,
and an insult to Japanese culture
and an insult to a pizza house.
You don't need me to come in here and tell you
you look stupid selling a sushi pizza
that tastes like gunk!
What were you doing serving frozen fish to me
at lunchtime?
I would like to order proper, fresh fish,
and it doesn't actually happen.
I've never known a Japanese restaurant
to freeze so much stuff.
I'm not here to make you look stupid.
But I can smell Okay.
Can you say something?
Seriously. Talk to me.
Coming up...
This is a Japanese health hazard.
A shocking inspection...
You could kill somebody.
Has Gordon wondering if Akira and Sushi Ko
can be saved.
Has your father given up?
Then...
My family is hanging by a thread.
It's a Kitchen Nightmares intervention.
We need to bring him back.
As Chef Ramsay works with Lisa...
I want to be more emotionally supportive.
Sammy...
I want to do as much as I can. It's just hard.
And Hana...
I don't think I ever tell you how much I love you.
To get Akira back on track.
My family's really suffering.
You don't want to miss what's coming up
on Kitchen Nightmares.
After getting very little out of Akira,
Chef Ramsay decides to sit down with the owners' children,
22-year-old Sammy and 20-year-old Hana.
Was it always the plan to have both of you
so involved from day one?
It was an idea for us to come help
and give them a break if they needed to.
But not to be here...
every weekend. 24-7.
I, most of the time, don't even want to be here,
'cause I'm here so much.
But gotta do what you gotta do...
Yeah. To help out the family, so...
And here's my worry, honestly.
It's the level of shortcuts that are currently going on
in this restaurant. right.
Has your father given up?
Yeah, I think he definitely has on the inside,
but he doesn't want to show it.
Do you ever tell him to just stop,
take stock,
rethink?
He doesn't really listen.
Please don't get upset.
I'm sorry, I just-- No, no, come on.
I--you know. I know, I know.
It's hard for me to think about. I know it is, darling.
I totally get it.
I'm almost 21.
I should be living my own life, but...
I can't, because I have to help out my family,
and I can't leave them.
You're both incredibly committed,
and I, you know, totally respect that level of loyalty.
What I'm more nervous about than anything
is the state of the business.
Where do you see the business?
Pretty much as far down as you can go.
I've also recently, like, in the past year,
given money also.
And is it mum that comes and asks or--
It was my dad that asked.
So initially, I gave $10,000,
and then half a year ago, he asked for $5,000.
And I was like, "Of course," you know?
How?
Um, from working my photography,
my own personal income.
If your family's asking you for help,
I would help them right away.
I have probably given my parents
above $20,000--
a decent chunk of change...
for a 22-year-old, I think.
There's a level of... unfairness,
because you've both been dragged into this
through no choice of your own.
You've got my help.
I'm supporting every one of you.
My family is hanging by a thread.
There's only so much I can do.
In the short time that Gordon has been at Sushi Ko,
he has not only learned that the restaurant is in shambles,
but that this once tight-knit family
is suffering badly.
Hi, welcome to Sushi Ko.
I'll take you back to your table.
Enjoy your dinner, guys.
What can I get for you?
Spicy tuna rice cake okay?
Okay.
Bust it out, man.
Why do all these sticks got burns on them?
Y-you don't buy them like that, do you?
Why are they burnt?
You what?
I can't believe this is happening.
Where's Lisa?
No, Akira, don't run away like a snake.
Okay.
I've just scraped dried chicken off these.
We're cutting our costs.
There's bits of food on there.
Do you think this is right?
Um...
Just feel how sticky that is on the end.
That's food being wiped off it.
It's 45 minutes into service,
And Sushi Ko is doing what, unfortunately,
it does best--
disappointing its customers.
Okay, guys, they say they don't like the tempura.
They said it's way overcooked
and that that is just really doughy.
Thank you.
Lisa...
It's coming back.
It's doughy and...
That's not tempura broccoli.
It's mushy, yeah.
Blah!
Stop the broccoli. Take it off.
Yeah, don't even, like, do tempura anymore.
Why cause more damage?
Is that fryer hot enough?
Does it work properly, the fryer--temperature?
Actually, that's a great question.
It doesn't look like it's hot enough.
It's not blasting it. No.
Uh, that's scary.
That's a nightmare piece of equipment
that probably isn't holding the temperature
'cause it's getting old...
Just like me.
Uh, Lisa, here.
Look at all this. Oh, the spicy mayo.
So you don't keep mayonnaise in the fridge? No.
What?
"Refrigerate after opening."
Feel how warm that is.
And how long has that been staying outside for?
Truthfully?
For four years? Yes.
This is a Japanese health hazard.
This is about you
running your restaurant properly.
And you're not.
Oh, my God. What's this fridge for?
It's warm in here.
This fridge is on 50.
This--is this working, this fridge?
When did it break down?
So we've got big containers of ice...
Yes.
To keep the ingredients cold?
Vegetable? We got dairy.
You've got eggs here.
Never chicken, beef here? Look at me.
Why are you lying to me?
Akira, you could kill somebody.
Bad food, a family in ruins,
and unsanitary conditions...
You could kill somebody.
It's been quite a first day.
And as dinner service ends...
Thank you.
Chef Ramsay realizes
That Sushi Ko is in much worse shape than he thought.
Right... How was that for you?
I think our kitchen
could have run a little smoother.
I don't think you're taking it seriously enough.
The rice, the soup, the fridge,
the broccoli.
Talk to me.
I think that
Akira, you know, could do a lot more.
There's so many
bad practices,
and you don't seem to give a.
Have you given up?
I think he's given up.
How many of your customers would order kushiyaki
if they knew they were eating it or feeling it
off of wooden sticks that have been used three weeks ago?
None of them.
It's almost like you're a man in denial.
Anything to say or...?
He doesn't know how to fix it, though.
He opened this place on the assumption
that he was the delegator.
He's lost.
I think that the restaurant's
burnt him out.
He thought that
we were gonna be living la vida loca,
and when the business
didn't go the way it was supposed to,
he didn't know what to do.
But you don't really think
that you're lazy, right? you think you work--
do you think you work really hard all the time?
I said, "I think you should go cook."
You go, "I don't want to cook anymore."
That's the way Akira feels.
"If I can pay you to do it, why should I do it?"
But you're not really paying them.
Your kids are paying them.
He doesn't know how to get off of his little skinny ass
and really getting to work.
Right, I want you--
I-I need you to shut up for two minutes,
and I need you to talk.
This is part of the reason
why you've lost your voice.
Not only is your wife wearing the trousers,
but she's speaking for you.
What is it?
Talk to me.
Come on.
Talk to me.
Come on, Akira.
Me.
I'm angry that Akira's lost his ability
to communicate with people.
And it was good to get it out.
Akira, once a proud chef,
Has lost his way.
And unfortunately,
his family is being dragged down with him.
Chef Ramsay knows that in order for this restaurant
to have any chance of surviving,
he must find a way to bring them together.
Tough day yesterday, uh, really tough.
I'm outside the family home now,
and it's clear that Akira is a broken man,
and in order to get this restaurant fixed,
I need the old Akira back.
So I can't do that without the family's help.
I just wanted to talk
to all three of you, um, about Akira.
He's a broken man,
a man with a tremendous weight on his shoulders.
This is a man that is not just on the edge.
The whole family's involved in this.
You can feel the divide,
just in terms of the friction
that's built between you.
Every day, every second.
Take me back when you first met.
Um, he was really funny and cute.
He had a lot of energy,
and he used to think of goofy things to say,
even though he didn't speak English very well and...
He never smiles anymore now.
So sad. Yeah, it's so sad.
Dad is just kind of
away from everybody, I think.
He's removed now.
He's not like a part of the family, really.
It's just always just me and the kids,
and he's just gone.
He'll just, like, stand and just stare,
'cause he doesn't know what to do.
He's... He's lost.
I miss, like...
When he was just smiling when I walked in the door,
you know?
We need to bring him back.
If that restaurant's got any chance
of really, seriously turning around,
it can't be done without him.
No, I know that.
I agree. We can't do it without him.
He's the heartbeat.
I need each and every one of you
to give him a--phuh! A lift,
in a way that his self-esteem rises,
the confidence starts to shine,
and more importantly, we start to get him back.
I think my dad, he's checked out.
I can't remember the last time I saw him, like...
Actually happy,
like, waking up happy, going to bed happy.
I wish he could come back and make it all right.
Where have you been, on the lake?
Sit down.
Yeah, I know. Well, "A," I wanted to--I wanted to come
and, uh, see where it all started.
There's a level of distance that we've grown apart.
We need to narrow the gap.
Sammy, you go first.
What inspires you most about dad?
Working up from dishwasher to...
Restaurant owner.
He's always the one that tells me
to get it right the first time.
I learned all my hard work from him, so...
Yeah, it's just tough, you know.
Like, I want to do as much as I can.
It's just hard.
Okay?
I believe him.
Thank you, Sammy.
Hana...
If there was one thing that you would want to say
that you've never had the chance to do
over the last four years,
what would it be?
I don't think I ever tell you
How much I love you.
I, like--I say I love you, but...
I never really express it.
I just want to see you happy.
I want to try to be more emotionally supportive.
We want to support you,
and we want to do everything we can.
It would be a dream just to...
be our old selves again.
Let's pretend that we...
We're starting out,
and, like, let's try to find each other again
and be friends.
Today we are gonna start it fresh.
We wipe the slate clean.
We start the day with a family hug.
Group hug! Yes?
Coming up...
Chef Ramsay puts his plan for Sushi Ko
into effect.
Tonight is a comeback service.
But Lisa is not supportive.
I still don't think he's working very hard.
It's clear the restaurant
is not the only thing that's on the line.
Akira-san!
So is their marriage.
Cut him some slack.
The wounds run deep, and no one is backing down...
- Bang! - Not Lisa...
I'm not gonna take all the blame.
And not Akira.
I can't believe this!
The emotional family meeting really touched Chef Ramsay,
and he made arrangements to give Akira and the restaurant
some much-needed help. Hello!
I decided that this family
needs a little lift, a little leg up.
I've never been to any Japanese restaurant
and seen a fridge with a block of ice in there
that broke down four months ago.
So I made a few phone calls
and managed to get hold
of seven brand-new
counter traulsen refrigeration units.
Top of the line, yeah. Come here and have a look.
Come round. Yeah, that's right.
Yeah, trust me. Number one.
Come round.
Look, come round, Lisa.
Open them up.
He's smiling.
The fridges, to me, are amazing.
They're beautiful. They're great.
But to see Akira's face when he heard out about it
was the best,
because that's the only time I've seen him smile
in four years.
I didn't stop there.
Come with me.
Yes.
Have a look at
two stunning Vulcan deep fat fryers.
Oh, my God!
That's so amazing.
The most amazing
eight-ring gas burner.
The most amazing walk-in freezer.
Temperature is visual.
No more ice bucket.
Now we have no excuses.
Great.
New equipment is just part of Chef Ramsay's plan.
He knows there's another critical change
that has to be made at Sushi Ko.
It's an asset they should have taken advantage of
a long time ago.
Tonight you're gonna cook.
Okay. It's a comeback service.
Okay. Okay?
But I want you to grab it and run with it.
All right. How you feeling?
Excellent.
Okay.
Good.
Akira, today's gonna help
oversee tonight's launch of the sushi bar.
Okay?
Please, welcome the man himself back.
Look at you!
You little pocket rocket.
Look at you!
Whoo-hoo! Welcome back!
Yes!
Seeing my dad in his chef's suit
was really exciting.
The sushi bar is where my dad belongs.
It's where he started off,
and he was a great chef before.
And he's getting back in it, so that's great.
Okay, Lisa, open the door.
Hello. Welcome to Sushi Ko.
It's gonna be you two?
For dinner service,
Not only will they be serving fresh fish,
Chef Ramsay prepares with Akira two new salmon dishes
that will be featured on tonight's menu.
Are you folks ready to order?
We'll try the Sushi Ko crunch.
Okay.
All right.
I don't think Akira's taking it seriously.
Even though we are starting to see a glimpse
of the old Akira shining behind the sushi bar...
Chef Ramsay notices that his wife Lisa
is not supporting him.
Have some food for you guys right here.
It's excellent. It's good.
I like it.
I still don't think he's working very hard.
Okay, yeah.
Okay, thanks for double-checking on everything.
Is he working hard? I don't think so.
He's still just walking around.
I'm worried that Akira's not gonna ever be the chef
That he should be.
I don't think he'll really follow through with it.
All right.
Here's some share plates and soy dishes.
Wasn't there supposed to be avocado in it?
Yeah, did they put avocado? No?
They didn't.
Okay, I'll be right back.
Lisa, these are wrong.
Eel roll is supposed to have avocado in it.
Okay.
And this is supposed to be a Hawaiian roll
with the shrimp on top instead,
but it's a California roll.
That's a nightmare.
Akira-san!
The eel roll's supposed to have avocado inside,
and that needs Hawaiian sauce.
Okay, all right. Ugh! Really pisses me off.
Lisa's really tough with Akira.
When she gets going, just get out of the way.
It's like a tornado.
No, 205 is me.
Thank you.
And the roll.
Yay! Thank you!
I'm so glad to have Akira back behind the bar.
It makes everything go so much smoother.
Done, done, done, done, done.
This is incredible.
With Akira standing behind the bar,
dressed as a chef, running his restaurant,
already there's a completely different feel
to last night's service.
Watching my dad working the kitchen
and smiling almost the whole time,
it was just a great feeling.
Thank you.
Everything's getting better.
As dinner service comes to an end,
It's clear that Sushi Ko has a long way to go.
But the new equipment,
Akira's new attitude,
and a couple of new dishes
have Chef Ramsay feeling better about its chances.
First of all,
Let me be really blunt, uh, with you.
And something you-- you need to hear.
Okay. Yeah?
Honestly... Yes?
Tonight you were a different man.
The change is night and day.
Not only did you look good,
but you seemed to look like
you were enjoying what you were doing.
I've got total respect for you today.
Good job. Thanks.
I need a quick chat with your wife.
Now, he may have changed,
but unfortunately, you haven't.
The difference in that man in 24 hours
is night and day.
And not once tonight
did you mention anything to him.
And you can't be that cold.
You're acting like a block of ice.
He's not your head chef.
He's your husband.
Yeah.
And here's the thing.
You're tough. You've been through a lot.
And over the last four or five years,
you've become stronger than he has.
Coming from the outside in,
it's so evident.
You're , bang, bang, bang.
Back off.
I'm not around.
I'm not gonna take all the blame,
But I agree that I am a bitch to Akira
and I'm--I agree that it's not a good way to be.
I think, between you and I,
that man needs you more than ever before.
Oh, totally, yeah.
What you need to do
is cut him some slack,
not just for him, but for the family's sake...
before it's too late.
After Chef Ramsay's conversation with Lisa...
That man needs you more than ever before.
And with Akira's commitment to change...
Gordon and his team went ahead
with a much-needed makeover of Sushi Ko.
Chef Ramsay! Good morning.
Look at you two holding hands and cuddling as well.
Chef Ramsay pleaded with me
to embrace Akira and try to give him
the support he needs.
So this is a really crucial point in our lives.
It's like being reborn again.
Okay, today we're relaunching the new Sushi Ko.
So we have to bring Sushi Ko into the modern era.
The decor has to stand out as something
not just cutting edge,
but fresh with a wonderful appeal.
Are you ready?
Yeah. Yeah? Let's go.
Let's go, baby. Let's go.
Come in!
Look at that.
Oh, my God!
Contemporary,
And it's got that really fresh appeal to it.
Oh, my God. Oh, I'm shaking!
Good-bye, samurai warrior.
The minute you step in this door,
great colors, it's fresh and modern.
Oh, my God!
When I first arrived,
It was like sitting inside a prison.
Now it's beautiful. Look at the color.
Dark, moody red.
That's my picture!
Ohh!
You have a serious artist in the family,
but no one's ever, ever shown him off.
They're cool, they're sophisticated.
Lisa, are you happy?
I'm...So happy.
It's just amazing.
The color is just perfect.
Group hug! Group hug.
Hey, sexy, come over here.
Akira, go in the middle.
Whoo! Everybody hug Akira!
Chef Ramsay is bringing us together as a family.
My parents are, like,
more happy than I've seen them in forever.
It's awesome.
He's a new man.
He's smiling. Yay!
After revamping Sushi Ko
into a stylish, contemporary Japanese restaurant,
Chef Ramsay moves on to the menu...
Welcome to the new food!
Whoa! Have a look.
By modernizing the traditional sushi dishes.
Albacore tartare with avocado,
crispy salmon cake, seared tuna with a salsa,
uh, japanese-style curried mussels,
teriyaki chicken.
The rolls, we've got the fire roll--
clean, modern, great execution.
Okay, so...
Word of the relaunch has spread through the community,
and Chef Ramsay has surprised the owners
with traditional taiko drummers
to officially kick off the evening.
Amazing.
All right!
- Thank you. - Oh, my God.
All right, ladies and gentlemen, thank you so much for coming.
Akira, the official welcoming and the opening
of this restaurant.
Excellent.
Hello. Welcome to Sushi Ko.
As the first orders make their way into the kitchen...
You make sure-- back him up, okay?
An energized Akira pumps up the cooks
for the big night.
Help each other. Talk to each other, okay?
Sure. All right.
First one of the night.
Sushi Ko crunch. Let's bust one out.
They just got two more.
Lettuce wrap in the window.
Okay, give it to me.
The yellowtail roll.
Akira, at his rightful place in the kitchen,
pushes the first orders out.
Oh, my gosh, that's really good.
And customers are satisfied
with what the new Sushi Ko has to offer.
The beef is very tender.
But soon after, old habits return,
and Akira is doing everything
except what he needs to do most--cook.
Thank you.
All right, thank you very much.
I've been waiting for a special for a half an hour.
Lisa, the food's hanging around
too long in the window.
Okay.
Without a leader,
the kitchen is falling behind.
It's dying in the window.
And the impact is starting to be felt
in the dining room.
No.
There's more tickets there.
Earlier tonight, Akira was doing really well
Behind the sushi bar,
but now he's falling back into his old ways already.
He's out bussing tables,
and he's not paying attention to what's happening.
We need him to be back behind the bar again.
What are you doing carrying that thing?
"They need the help."
All right.
Honestly, I'm worried.
You went back to your old ways.
You didn't cook anything.
You bussed tables, you served food.
You delegated.
Why weren't you cooking? Why weren't you...
Can you not do it?
You're not a manager.
You're not a busboy.
You're the chef.
Come on.
Finally, towards the end of dinner service,
Akira took Chef Ramsay's advice...
Okay.
And jumped back into cooking in the kitchen.
210. Yeah, thank you.
But, for the most part,
it was his staff who pulled together
and made tonight's relaunch a success.
Thank you!
The good news about tonight
is the customers loved the food.
Yeah. Yes?
This restaurant took a huge leap forward...
Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah.
In terms of spreading the message out there.
But I just want to know what you're gonna do.
What's gonna happen when I'm gone?
You are a talented man!
You've just forgotten how talented you are.
What are you talented for, picking up plates?
No. Why are you a talented man?
Cooking. That's right.
So if you're gonna dress the part,
look the part,
cook your socks off. you got it.
If I catch your skinny little ass
that side of the table, I swear to God...
But, Lisa, you've got to support each other.
I came in, I first arrived, the whole family,
not just the restaurant, was just fragmented--
four different individuals seeking different ambitions
with different attitudes,
and no one singing off the same page.
But there's a reconnect that's taken place.
There's a level of clarity, proper understanding,
and we all know what we've got to do.
Please.
Having Chef Ramsay come into our lives is...
It's meant the world.
Yeah, we have to start over,
and I'm nervous as
that it's not gonna go smoothly.
And I just am thankful for this new chance.
Take care. Thank you.
Yes. Good night.
Thank you so much.
Arigato. Domo arigato.
Thank you. Been an absolute pleasure.
All right, give me a hug.
They never hug in Japan.
He's gonna pick you up.
Okay.
Bye.
It was really cool to see my parents
Give each other kisses and stuff.
I haven't seen that in a while.
Group hug.
Working with each other
and supporting each other,
it's gonna give us more hope than we had before.
What a week. We made a lot of changes.
We changed the equipment, we changed the menu,
and we changed the decor.
But what this family failed to realize
is that their greatest asset
was something I could never have given them,
because it was themselves.
And it's that that will make this place successful.
Whew, what a week.
Sayonara, Thousand Oaks.
In the days that followed,
Sushi Ko saw a boost in business,
and Lisa and Akira were working as a team once again.
Yeah, let's clean this space up here.
Recently, they decided
that in order to maximize profits,
they would search out a new location
where the rents weren't as high.
Regardless of the location,
the most valuable lesson this family may have learned
was not how to run their business,
but how to appreciate each other.