This programme contains some strong language.
I'm Gordon Ramsay, Michelin-starred chef and CEO of a global business empire.
The food and drink industry has never been more exciting,
but it's never been tougher to succeed.
So I want to catapult someone to the next level
and invest £150,000 of my own cash into their business.
Tonight... Service, please. I've got a plant-based burger.
How long have you been waiting? A long time.
..I send the contenders on their bikes...
BELL RINGS
..to see if they can deliver.
I need to restart this. It's burnt.
Valentina, keep going, please. We need two more tofu, please.
This is vibrant, the colours are great.
No-one really loves food in that kitchen. I'm disappointed.
Who will be my Future Food Star?
This week is all about fast food.
I've asked the contenders to meet me at Mollie's Motel and Diner
here in Oxfordshire.
OK, I can do burgers.
It looks nice, doesn't it? Yay.
Oh, wow. Woohoo!
Because we're halfway through the process,
I've decided to treat the guys to a delicious meal.
I love the way that you can see everything that's going on
in the kitchen.
Wicked, cheers.
Oh, this is really nice.
The food is so good. This is good of Gordon! Yeah!
Yeah, midweek treat.
But, as anyone knows in business, there's no such thing
as a free lunch.
Thank you. That was really, really yummy. Thank you.
I'm on edge right now. He's going to make us pay for this.
Look behind you. Hello.
How are we? ALL: We're good.
Let me tell you, this diner, it's high quality fast food
at its absolute best. Yes.
And the service is amazing.
Yeah, it was really good. And that's all down to this incredible team.
Ladies and gents, come on, come over.
Great job this morning.
But the good news is, you're off for the day.
THEY LAUGH
No! Thank you.
THEY LAUGH
For today's big challenge,
you're going to be running the entire diner -
the kitchen, the front of house, and drive-through.
Oh, my God! Wow!
The good news is, you're going to be working as one dynamic team.
Oh! Oh, nice!
So the doors open in under 60 minutes.
First job - decide who's doing what. Understood?
Yes. Good luck.
SHE LAUGHS
I'm so excited! OK...
For the first time, my contenders will be working together
as one big team.
There's the drive-through, there's the diner, and there's the kitchen.
I want to see if they can work in unity.
Who wants to be in the kitchen?
Me, defo. I think I should definitely be in the kitchen.
I'd like to host. I'd like to host.
OK. I would love to be in the drive-through.
Does anyone else want to do the drive-through?
I'll do drive-through.
My first ever job was a commis chef in a banqueting suite.
And six months in, the grill chef phoned in sick.
And so I was catapulted to work on the grill that night,
and basically it was either sink or swim.
Thankfully, I swam, and that's exactly what I'm doing
to our contenders. I'm throwing them in the deep end
and I expect all of them to swim.
Hi, guys. How are we doing? Hello. How's it going?
I've asked some of the staff to show them the ropes.
Nice to meet you. You all right, yeah?
I'm Jamie. Jamie.
Hi! How you doing? You all right?
Welcome to drive-through. Thank you for having us.
With fast food, it's all about the customer.
They want quality, quickly.
As we greet the guests, a nice warm welcome.
The food should take eight minutes to arrive
if they're going straight to mains.
Sorry, did you say eight minutes for the main?
Eight minutes for the mains, yeah.
I haven't waitressed for about 20 years.
I know that I'm good with people. I know I can do this.
I'm just going to have to really concentrate.
We don't run by ticket form. Right, OK.
All ours comes on KDS screens.
If you don't watch your screens, you're going to fall behind,
you're not going to know where you are.
In the kitchen, consistency is king.
An order must look and taste the same every time.
I'm sort of managing the heartbeat of the kitchen with the grill.
Anticipating a busy service.
So, yeah, I'm just trying to get in the zone.
And at the drive-through, it's all about multitasking,
listening to customers, getting the order to the kitchen
and keeping that queue moving. Everything's all about the guest,
and it's all about not keeping the guest waiting.
People think this might be the easiest part of the business.
It actually isn't. It's kind of like patting your head,
rubbing your tummy. So it's just putting the customer first,
listening to what they've got to say. OK.
I just don't want to get people's orders wrong.
Much as I know that it's a speed challenge,
I want us to be smooth with it.
The main thing is getting people's orders right
and getting them shifted through as quick as possible.
And if we can do that, we can hopefully get through this challenge
as quick as possible.
Training complete - now to put it into practice.
Right. We good? We ready?
This is a fast food outlet, so we need to be fast,
they need to be fast, drive-through pick-up needs to be fast,
so no stalling. Kitchen needs pushing,
push the kitchen. That doesn't just push itself.
Push each other. OK? Yes. Let's go.
Hello. Hi, how are you?
It's midday, and with the customers arriving, it's time for the team
to start their two-hour lunch service.
I'm going to introduce you to... Hello.
..your waiter for today. Good afternoon. How are you?
Matthew's going to look after you. Thank you.
Wonderful.
Please may I take your order?
Just need one single burger, please, mate. OK.
Sweet potato fries as well. Yeah, coming.
Single with fries.
Thank you so much. Thank you.
A single burger, two quarter chickens, two fries,
three coleslaw. Yeah.
Quarter chicken with sweet potato fries.
Chicken burger with sweet potato fries. Yeah.
OK, I'm sending that through. It'll be with you in a moment.
Would you like that with fries or sweet potato fries?
Sweet potato fries, please. Perfect.
15 minutes into service, the diner is starting to fill up
and orders are coming in fast.
I need one piece of bacon, please. Yeah.
In the kitchen, Michelle and Jamie are off to a flying start.
Fries and chicken. That's sweet, defo?
Yeah.
Thank you so much, guys.
Please enjoy.
But at Amit's station, he's already falling behind with the burgers.
How long on that single burger, mate?
Single burger, about three minutes. No, two minutes.
Two minutes. Right, OK.
We've got about 40 tables on, OK?
You've only got two burgers on, so you need to...
Count how many burgers you've got on there.
Two, three, four, five, six, seven.
So, I'm counting eight burgers on there, and you've got two on there.
It's OK. I'll catch up. I'll catch up.
Sorry.
Amit, I'm going to need that plant burger, yeah? Plant burger, yeah.
OK. Jamie, there seems to be a delay with everyone in the front
getting their orders, but not us. How long on that plant burger?
It's going to be about five minutes. Five?
We had the plant burger eight minutes ago.
Plant burger, yeah. I had to start it again, guys, sorry.
Amit, check what's on there and jump back on top of it, please.
Right. So, there's your fries.
Thank you. And there's your chicken. Chicken.
All right.
We've got two fries and your burgers are on the way
and I'll be right back.
Not the strongest of starts. First of all, in that kitchen,
they need to work as a team. Amit's spinning around.
He has a point of sale system in front of him,
he's not even following that, so it's just not good enough.
Service, please.
I've got a plant-based burger.
Halfway through service,
and the backlog of orders is causing inconsistency,
which always leads
to unhappy customers.
Yours is loads bigger than mine! Look at it!
THEY LAUGH
Hi, ladies. How are we?
I got the sparrow and she got the beast.
My apologies. Give me two seconds. It tastes good.
One lady has got, like, a slice of chicken
you cut like a quail, a tiny bit. And the other one's got, like,
you know, a size of a turkey.
So they need to keep these portions straight.
Go back and deal with it, please. Yep. I will do.
Straight to the point, let's go.
The guy still hasn't got his cheeseburger. I know.
I'm waiting for that. OK.
Can I have a chicken burger straight up
and I'll get rid of table 121, please.
And 132 is still waiting for a cheeseburger.
Really sorry about the wait.
They're just having a bit of a mare in the kitchen. That's all right.
Hi, thank you so much for your patience.
Can I take your order, please? Oh, wow. OK, there's a queue.
Amit, where are we with the cheeseburger, please?
He's making yours right now. I know he is, Valentina,
I'm just speaking to him. He's making yours right now.
Let him work, that's what I'm saying.
This is a totally different thing you're involved in.
Excuse me, excuse me. This is an open kitchen.
So I need one single burger and two fries.
Table number. Can you tell me what number?
I'm going with table 132 here. 132. Yeah, OK.
We don't have a 132.
132 is gone before. Jamie, you need to close out the order,
yeah, otherwise we're just getting confused.
With more and more tables waiting for food,
there's only one option left
to get things back on track.
Valentina. Yes?
No more orders for five minutes till we catch up. Yes.
I don't care. Sit them down, give them free drinks.
Yes. Till we catch up, OK? Yes.
It's so embarrassing, isn't it?
I think to wait for food is not good in a fine dining environment,
let alone when you're just doing burger and chicken and chips.
No, it's not good.
Can I get you a drink on the house?
Another one of those? We're both driving. Oh, man!
With just half an hour left of service,
and having seen all I need to from the front of house...
Enjoy, guys, and thank you for waiting.
..I'm going to experience what the service is like
for the drive-through first hand.
Hello?
HE TOOTS HORN
Anybody there? Hello? Hi, can I get your order, please?
May I have the chicken burger, please, with fries and soda?
Perfect. OK, could you come to window two for us, please?
Thank you. Thank you.
Window two.
What the fuck?!
Hi, mate. How are you doing? 1007. OK, that sounds good. Yeah.
Excuse me. How long have you been waiting?
Er... About an hour. A long time. We're quite hungry.
Here's your food. We've got your drinks coming up.
I've got a strawberry shake, a Coke.
A still water? Still water, that's me. Coming up.
Would you want that with ice? No, just a bottle's fine. Just water.
Guys, what are you waiting for now? Your food's going to be cold!
Water. She's putting water in a cup.
I'm so sorry. Here you are.
Thank you so much, guys.
Enjoy.
Did you make them pay, or...? Sorry, guys! Did they pay?
No, did you not charge them? No. Excuse me, please.
Excuse me, guys! Sorry. Have you guys paid?
SHE LAUGHS
They haven't paid. They haven't paid. No.
I'm not going to let them pay. Hey, guys, I'm taking care of that.
Not waiting an hour. My apologies. So sorry.
Ride safely.
Oh, my God!
OK, so they had a huge order... It doesn't matter. I'll pay for it.
After two hours of turning fast food into a food fast,
it's time to call it a day - and give the contenders my feedback.
Oh, boy!
OK, that was a very tough challenge.
Let's get that right. Yeah?
But let's be honest, that first hour was absolute carnage.
Orders going out half-complete,
hour-long waits for food - in a diner!
Jamie, you were leading that kitchen.
How did we get into such a backlog on flipping burgers?
You three behind the scenes were not on the same page.
Just not good enough.
Service was sticky.
Towards the end we actually got on top of it,
but we comped £120 today on drinks.
Moving on to the drive-through.
There was a bunch of cyclists 57 minutes behind that line.
I was sat behind them.
My drive-through turned into a DIVE-thru. What happened?
We were doing the best we could with the situation it was.
We understand that there was a backup of customers all over.
We were trying to communicate with the kitchen
and Jamie's going as fast as he can.
When I set this challenge, I knew that some of you would sink or swim.
A few of you were treading water,
and some of you were literally just drowning.
So, going forward for your next challenge,
I need you all to step up.
Understood? ALL: Yes.
Jesus Christ!
That was really intense.
There was just so much shit going on at once.
It was a bit of a crazy show. Let's call it like that.
We did the best that we could. There's just so much you can do
when you're waiting for food.
Every challenge is totally different,
and I wonder if there's easier ways to win 150K at this point!
That was a tough challenge. It's a diner.
But the beginning was slow, and so they spent the rest of
the service trying to catch up.
And, more importantly, they wouldn't maintain standards.
So, trust me, if they thought THAT was a tough challenge,
wait till you see what's in store for them tomorrow.
This week is all about fast food.
Yesterday was a bit of a false start.
So today, my contenders will really need to deliver.
Woo. The River Building.
What do they do in there? No idea. You know what,
I can't even guess this one.
I've asked the guys to meet me on this beautiful rooftop
in central London.
Up here, you can see these office blocks for miles,
filled with busy workers. Come lunchtime,
those workers will become hungry customers, and,
in the food business, hungry customers means profit.
Oh, isn't this beautiful? Wow!
I'm quite nervous.
Here he is.
Hi!
Right. How are we? ALL: Good.
I've asked you all to meet me up here on the rooftop,
the HQ of Deliveroo.
Ya! Oh, my gosh! Really?!
Now, for your next challenge,
I want you all to run a delivery-only restaurant.
Oh, love that. Cool. Yes.
You'll be in three teams.
Amit, Michelle and Leah together, please.
You are the Red Team, yes?
Jamie, Asher and Matthew,
you are the Green Team.
Which leaves Steph, Victoria and Valentina as the Blue Team.
Right, OK.
So, today each team must devise their own menu. Yeah.
Tomorrow you'll be open for business
feeding hungry customers at lunchtime.
OK. Cool. The team that gets the best overall feedback
wins this challenge.
Now, I have a very, very special guest...
..Deliveroo founder Will Shu.
Wow! Wow!
Nice to see you. Absolute pleasure.
Eight years ago, Will, you were in the same position as these guys
with a brilliant business idea,
and now you've turned it into a global phenomenon.
Yeah, I was the first rider. I did the job every single day
for a year, because we didn't have any funding,
so I've been in your shoes, for sure.
So, for this challenge, what advice would you give our contenders today?
Well, restaurants are an emotional, passion-led business, right?
How do you bring that emotion, that passion,
both to an online context, but also to people's homes?
Put yourself in the shoes of the customer.
What do you think they want? You guys ready? ALL: Yes.
OK, good luck. Off you go.
Thank you. Well done.
We've got this, ladies. THEY SCREAM
I'm setting this challenge because the restaurant delivery market
is absolutely booming. And come lunchtime tomorrow, trust me,
those orders will come in thick and fast. And you have to be good,
quick and really consistent.
Strong team. Very strong team.
Less than 24 hours until their restaurants go live...
I'm really excited about this. I'm really excited.
..the first job they need to do is decide what they'll be serving.
I am very clear on kind of what works with Japanese food,
because that's basically my market.
So, I feel like I can make a really mean katsu curry. OK.
I can make gyozas, I can make sushi.
I'm just worried about the rice, the sauce,
as making the gyoza. You can make those ahead.
I think that most of the food is going to lie on my back,
as in, like, I'm between the two, I'm the chef.
I think, like, a rice dish would be so easy to get out.
And the smells will be delicious.
Yeah, fine. I'm for it for those reasons. Let's go, let's go.
It needs to be something that we can get out quickly.
Absolutely.
I think something nice and colourful for lunch.
Loads of, like, Mediterranean flavours in there or something,
like a Greek salad or something like that.
High protein, low carb main with, like, chicken.
Something like chicken is very easy and quick to cook.
The main thing I want to do
is just get the best out of each and every one of us. Yeah.
But also coming out of our comfort zone
in certain things. Like, Jamie, there's often a reliance on you
for cooking. Yeah, yeah. Maybe we move on from that.
We've got to shine in different areas.
Any area where you're relied on to host, let's move away from that.
We're going to do a Greek salad, but it's going to be the biggest,
sexiest Greek salad you've ever seen.
If we all get on the same page, which I think we are,
there is no reason we can't bring a win home from this.
I've been involved in Indian food in our family house since 1967.
That's what I specialise in, really.
My only concern about the Indian food is, I eat Indian food at night,
and I don't know whether I eat Indian food at lunchtime.
Got any recipes in your head that are more summery?
I've got, like, 147 recipes in my head.
You're going to have to narrow that down, aren't you?
As far as I'm concerned, the other challenges are ancient history.
This is my specialism, and I'm going to prove that to Gordon.
I know it's lunch service. Yeah. But if it's based on quality,
believe me, I can really deliver that for us, honestly.
So the teams can prepare their menus for the app tomorrow,
I've laid on three prep kitchens.
Team Red. Thank you.
I want each team's menus to have two main dishes and at least one side.
I'll be along to taste in two hours.
We've got, like, a couscous base with roasted vegetables.
And the salad, we can just get made. Yeah. Get a big salad made.
Bang, bang, bang.
If we take note of the recipes that we're doing today
so that you can pull off tomorrow. Also, we'll have to learn
what you're doing because you won't be able to make both curries.
So, you're going to have to give... I will, I will. I'll be fine.
So, I'm quite excited that I'm making something
that actually, I want to eat.
Like, you know, miso aubergine
is one of my favourite things in the world.
It's so nice. It's so tasty.
Being an online restaurant, the first thing
that has to grab the customer's attention is the name.
How about Tokyo Crush?
Ooh, I like that.
As in, crush of flavour, crush as in love.
Yeah. So, Tokyo Crush? It's nice, no?
Yeah, Tokyo Crush is cool.
So, what are we going to call our fabulous restaurant?
With it being, you know, the hummus and then the Greek influence,
let's go with something more Mediterranean focused.
I'm thinking Mediterranean Munch. Well, Mediterranean Munch,
it kind of says what we're doing, doesn't it?
Yeah, I'd be happy with that, to be honest.
I like the sort of rickshaw type... I love rickshaws. ..you know?
What does that name represent?
Well, the delivery service is like the rickshaw.
Delhi Rickshaw Club? Yeah! I love that.
While the teams continue to prep their sample menus,
I want to talk to Will Shu.
So, the online delivery phenomenon, how does it work?
The app, it is basically the storefront, but online, right?
So, having the right pictures, having the right descriptions -
that's really, really important. So, what are you looking for
from these contenders? I want to see them tell their story online.
I want to see that passion come through in the presentation as well.
And I want them to pick, you know, a type of food or dishes
that really resonate with them.
Do you need the turmeric? Have you got all your spices?
I'm going to layer them on now. Don't worry. "Don't you worry."
Famous last words.
PAN SIZZLES
It's spicy. Oh, don't worry, I'm going to numb it down.
It's giving me a kick at the back of my throat. Yes.
Genuinely, they want to help.
But if they just moved out of my way, I would just get on,
do what I needed to do.
I'm not happy with that. He keeps saying, "Trust me",
so I'm going to just wait till...
I wish I had recipes that I can follow.
OK, we've probably got maybe 10, 15 minutes.
Are you joking? Yeah.
I'm struggling with the time a little bit.
Like, there is a lot of prep to do.
When we walked in here kind of an hour ago, I was the only person
that knew how to cook Japanese food.
And now Victoria's made a katsu curry
and Valentina's made a bento box, and I've made gyozas,
which I haven't made for a year.
And they actually look OK.
What's burning? Oh, no.
Don't know how that happened.
For fuck's sake, it burnt.
Hmm.
So, what I'm thinking, is for the chicken breast,
if we do thin slices, and three pieces like that in each one,
they'll cook in minutes.
We've really played to the strengths of quick eats, quick bites.
How does it look when it comes out? So, we're putting the chicken
down the side here. I've sampled it myself, and I'd be really happy
to have that at lunch.
Lovely, that. Lovely. Mmmm! It's good, isn't it?
Prep time up, I've come to sample what the teams will be serving
tomorrow on the app.
Gentlemen. Hi, Gordon. How are we doing? Very well, thank you.
Give us the theme, the identity.
We're going for a Mediterranean Munch, and that's the name...
Wow. Mediterranean what? Munch. Munch. Munch? Yeah.
That sounds a little bit juvenile. Mediterranean Munch. Yeah.
And dishes, what're we doing?
So, we're doing a Greek salad for the side, and then either chicken
or halloumi. With that as well, we're serving hummus and pitta
with the main as well. Hummus and pitta? Mm-hm.
Super simple, I get it,
but just make sure those flavours are elevated.
I asked you for an exciting lunch, yes?
Oh, that's so clever.
Well done. Well done.
Mmmm! Hello.
Right. How are we feeling? Good. Concept-wise,
where are we going? So, we're doing Japanese cuisine.
Oh. So, playing to your strengths, obviously.
Is it a traditional Japanese?
Yeah, it's using kind of carrots and sweet potatoes and all things
that you'd find in a Japanese. OK. Name, where are we going?
Right. So, we were thinking Tokyo Crush,
because it's a crush... Tokyo Cra...? Crush. Oh, crush!
Tokyo Crush. OK, right. It's like you love it. Tokyo Crush.
Because it's a crush of flavour... You're attracted to it.
It's a crush of flavour, it's a crush of personality,
coming together, making something beautiful.
No, that's not a crush. That's a clash.
THEY LAUGH
I think it just needs acidity.
It needs a bit of tomato. Shall I add some in?
Ah... I just don't want it to end up being like a tomato...
Oh, you've put tomato in the coconut now? Yeah.
We needed a bit of acidity.
Um, yeah, but...
Mmmm! Something smells good.
Right, let me stand over there. How are we?
Putting our full trust in Amit's ability. Full trust? Semi trust.
What is it? We're going to go down the curry route.
We've got a vegetable and coconut,
and we've got a chicken and tomato-based.
Gotcha. What's the name of this app?
Delhi Rickshaw Club.
Rickshaw as in, like, the delivery that they use to do that in Delhi.
Gotcha. Delhi Rickshaw Club. Exactly. It's lunch, right?
So, just bear that in mind.
That's why we're trying to make it light. OK. Good luck.
Thank you. Yes. Oh, one more thing.
It's a delivery, right? Yeah. Yeah.
Oh! Oh, my God.
Are we going to deliver it?
Oh, boy! Ha-ha!
One of you, pop that on your back, get the helmet on,
and have a spin around the block, and then I'll taste it.
OK, I'll take it round the block, shall I?
Nice!
Here we go!
Out of all the moments to rain.
Oh!
HE RINGS BELL
I want the teams to road-test their food
to check not only how well it travels... Woo!
..but how good it tastes when it's been boxed up for 15 minutes.
This is wonderful.
Who doesn't like cycling in the rain?
Sorry, excuse me. Thank you.
Hats off to delivery drivers, all day doing this.
Oh, Jesus.
Here she is. Lovely day for it!
Right, OK. Let's see the moment.
So, that's the sweet potato. Let's put that on there first.
Taste it, please.
It's... It's bland. Needs a bit more salt.
Yeah, there's just no salt in there whatsoever. Yeah.
And the butter chicken. Yeah.
There's a really strong acidic note in there.
I know what you've done.
Yeah, it's tinned tomatoes. So, that needs to be cooked out,
because it's very acidic.
Listen, it travelled well, it looked appetising.
Just be careful of that sweet potato. Lift it a little bit.
Yeah. Yeah? OK, thank you.
Thank you.
Amit's driving this concept, and his background,
it should be playing to his strengths.
But it's mediocre and it's for lunch.
First of all, do you want to eat curry across a lunch?
And if you do, make sure it's exceptional.
Next to return - Jamie, with his team's Mediterranean Munch.
Here he is, Bradley Wiggins. Jamie, come in. Let's go.
Pass it over here, please.
So, um...
What's in there? Like a lucky dip?
That's the pitta for the hummus.
Wow, fuck me. I mean...
HE LAUGHS
Think of what Will said. Emotion and passion.
I've got a half-bitten pitta.
OK, so, who cooked the couscous?
I did. Couscous is nice.
So, couscous and feta salad, actually quite refreshing.
That's a plain Jane of salads. I can give you 2,000 locations
where you can get that
within a square mile of where you're going to be.
So make that elevated.
Now for the most exciting bit, my three sticks of pitta.
Who made the, er, hummus?
I made the hummus. A little bit too runny, right? Yeah.
Not good? Give it some love. I'm not feeling emotion,
I'm just feeling all this little play safe, play safe.
It's all about the flavour and presentation.
Yeah. Thank you, Gordon. Thank you.
Green Team, Mediterranean Munch - lacklustre.
Listen to the brief. Bring emotion and passion,
and give it some excitement. It's a 30-minute lunch break
to get excited, not a 30 minutes of misery.
Final menu to sample - the Blue Team's Tokyo Crush.
Ah! I'm back.
Man, the weather wasn't too kind, was it? No, it wasn't.
Right. Ladies, come down. I'll get that, don't worry.
So, visually, the katsu looks lovely.
It's vibrant and it looks good.
Very nice breading on there.
OK? Really nice breading.
Valentina, this is your... That's the tofu, yeah.
It just doesn't travel very well, that's all. That goes soggy.
Soggy, yeah. What have you done here?
Pan-fried that with breadcrumb.
The actual tofu's delicious. The eggplant's seasoned well,
but cut down on the eggplant. So, tell me about the stuffing.
What's in there? So, the mushroom gyozas... That is burnt.
Yeah. There's a difference between being coloured,
yeah, and being burnt, OK? So you need less colour on there.
What's in the filling? It's got mushroom hoisin filling.
It's nicely seasoned. They need to be crispy.
Yeah? There's hardly any filling in there. OK.
The idea is to get that filling two thirds up
and the crimp right at the tip. Yeah? So fill it, pack it.
Great potential, slightly miffed with the execution.
OK. Thank you. Thank you.
Blue Team, the Tokyo Crush.
That was a very ambitious effort, um, quite pleasing on the eye,
except for the gyozas. Customers really care
what the food looks like. It's got to taste brilliant
and look delicious.
I like these colours.
I like that there's little seeds on the table as well.
Final task of the day, and just as important as getting the food right,
the online menu. Happy with that pitta? Yeah, yeah, yeah.
My business is actually based on food photography.
I make sales solely on taking photographs of food.
If they want to draw in the lunch crowd tomorrow, they'll need
mouthwatering photos of all their dishes...
I've got up, down, I've got eye level,
I've got everything.
..and engaging descriptions.
Father and son duo sharing over 50 years of Indian food
from the finest Indian kitchens.
20g of protein, vegetarian. Do you need the protein?
Yeah, because we've mentioned a high-protein lunch earlier.
Jamie is not going to be in the kitchen tomorrow.
It's up to Asher and I.
Neither of us have got the experience that Jamie has,
but it's good, this has been put there to test us.
"Have you got a crush on Japanese food?" Yep.
It's like, "We've got you." Perfect.
We had a really successful day today, but the work continues.
What's going to win this task for us is flavour and timing.
So, I'm going to focus on those two things.
This is so exciting. Woo! Done!
Tomorrow's going to be really interesting,
when these restaurant deliveries go live.
This looks beautiful. It looks really nice.
I hope they listen to the brief and cook with passion.
I've got the patience of a saint, dealing with you two. - Ooooh!
But I've got one more big surprise for them.
They've got no idea what's coming.
I'm excited about today, aren't you, Amit? Yeah.
After yesterday's run-through,
today the teams' delivery-only restaurants open for business.
I'm obviously a bit nervous about what is going to come up.
I've given each team a kitchen
in the heart of the design district in Greenwich.
Oh, thank God. Look at this! It's bigger than it was yesterday.
This is SO hot! This is amazing.
Gosh, look at it.
Wow! Look at this, guys. Look at all the space!
Wow. Christ.
I've never cooked in a kitchen like this before, I'll be honest. No.
And, in just over an hour, office workers in the area will be able
to log on and order their lunch.
It looks so good!
OK, so we've got our katsu curry.
We don't have a picture for the panko chicken.
I would have loved to have a picture for that, because they would know
exactly what they're getting. Yeah.
We haven't got the picture for the chicken, but I think people
are smart enough to take out the tofu and put in the chicken. Yeah.
So, let's make our roles really clear,
so when we start from here, we know exactly what we're doing.
Amit, you are head chef focusing on the curry.
If you make the recipes and make sure they're spot on,
and then I'm potting. I might be able to do that.
Yeah. Shall we do it? Let's go. Let's go.
Right. So, I think we need to get a good prep on today. But Jamie,
I really want you handling these orders.
So, Matthew. Yeah. You're going to be doing the colder stuff.
Hummus, couscous, and then you're going to be putting
the chicken on as well and making that look... Fine, OK. Great.
Just hope it tastes good.
With the app going live in under an hour,
the teams need to get organised fast to be ready
for the busy lunchtime rush.
The thing I'm most worried about is the gyozas.
Just because you can make 12 gyozas at home doesn't mean
you should volunteer to make 150 for a delivery service.
OK, we've got 30 minutes, guys.
Argh! Woo!
We're keeping to the recipe that we did yesterday, Amit, yes,
in your head?
Yeah.
My main focus is keeping Amit on track with the recipes
in his head, making sure we don't deviate,
and we just need to keep consistent.
These potatoes are still really hard.
My only concern is, this isn't going to be ready and cooked
in 20 minutes. Just cover it, honestly.
Just let it cook. It will do its thing.
It'll be ready in time.
Matthew, how are you feeling about your hummus?
Well, hopefully all right. Good. You got your veggies done?
So, I prepped all the vegetables at first, seasoned them,
the taste being the main thing. But we've also got how it looks,
being beautiful as well. So I'm really pleased with how we're doing.
We've got ten minutes until we need to open,
till the first orders come through.
It's day two of the restaurant delivery challenge.
Now their kitchens are going live, and, honestly, I can't wait
to see their businesses operate.
But what the teams don't know
is that I've invited a very secret panel of top industry experts
for an amazing lunch.
Helping me judge today alongside Will Shu -
Thomasina Miers, co-founder of Mexican restaurant chain Wahaca -
and Steve Mangleshot, global executive chef
of Japanese-inspired Wagamama.
First of all, thank you so much for coming, all of you.
We set the ground rules yesterday. What are you expecting?
I just want a great lunch, and I'm really excited to see
what the teams are going to do.
I want to see, like, proper flavours on the plate.
It just shows there's a bit of heart and a bit of thought behind it.
Sure. What I'd love to see today, some innovation.
Something new, something different, something cool. Right.
Shall we have a look at the apps?
Let's start off with the Delhi Rickshaw Club.
I mean, it's a bit beige, isn't it?
And I love curry, but that's not really drawing me in.
The name's great, though.
"Delhi Rickshaw Club" totally makes me want to eat it.
Enticing. Steve, appetising or not?
The pictures don't do it justice. Reading it, when they said
the recipes are down the generations of old Delhi culinary arts
and kitchens, and how they've passed that down, you're sort of excited
by actually, the flavour of the food could be amazing.
Mediterranean Munch. It's not much of a name, is it?
But look at the picture. I mean, the picture's enticing.
Lovely, fresh ingredients. It looks great.
"Mediterranean Munch was started
"from a desire to beat the afternoon slump
"with a high-protein and delicious clean meal."
It sounds like I've been sent a diet from my trainer.
I think they've gone into too much detail,
because it is a treat for lunch.
I'm not worried about the calories I'm going to eat,
I just want some food at lunch, some really good, tasty food.
Tokyo Crush. Tommi, what do you think? Yeah, I love it.
I love the fresh ingredients out there,
and also just the way they've talked about it.
"Do you have a crush on Japanese food? We got you."
But no picture of the chicken bento box.
I mean, I'm definitely not going to order that if I'm a customer.
That's essential, Will, right? Yeah, I mean, it helps menu conversion
hugely when you can see what you're going to get.
And these pictures are great, so I don't know why
they're just not putting one in here.
1pm. As the restaurants open for their hour-long lunch service,
hungry office workers nearby are starting to place their orders.
How far are we off that sweet potato?
You need to try it, because it's your curry.
More than just curry, guys. Oh, my God! It's happened, it's happened!
Oh, we got an order. We've got four chickens, four coconuts, please.
ALERT TONE
Yes! Right, OK.
We have got four grilled chicken and four halloumi and four salad.
ALERT TONE
THEY SCREAM
We've got an order! All right, guys. Accept.
Right, all the rice is done.
We just need four chicken, and then this order is done.
I just want to taste it one last time.
Nice? Ah! It's really nice today. Yeah, it's really nice.
Hello! Hello.
So, it's order 7082, and it's all one.
With the orders going out, the kitchens are starting
to feel the pressure.
These are overcooking. What's going on?
OK, Matthew, in a minute, I'm going to need you to take out
some of the bad ones of these. The bad ones? Yeah.
Not being in the kitchen for service was quite hard for me, really.
Yeah, I just wanted to jump in and help out a lot,
and standing around was tough for me, yeah.
Ah, for fuck's sake. I need to restart this halloumi.
It got slightly burnt. My fault.
That's all right, isn't it? Is that not all right?
Jamie, four halloumi. Thank you very much. Cheers.
Thank you very much, buddy.
So, we've got our four katsu curries ready,
gyozas ready.
- We need our... - I'm doing the bento.
Perfect.
I feel like we could be better organised.
I am struggling.
Yeah. We've got three... Guys!
121.
Valentina, keep going, please.
I can't keep going, that's what you don't understand.
So, you need two more tofu.
I need you to put your station somewhere else.
I can't fit here. OK. So, we need two more tofu, please.
Valentina, come on.
We're all working on tight spaces, but let's keep it calm, please.
I got stressed because we didn't have a system in place.
Ah, shit. Oh!
So, we started with no system.
Like, no-one knew who's doing what.
It says order expected. Are we far off?
Five more... Five more? Er, two more minutes.
Two more, OK. I can give you two more.
One tofu box, please. And that's it?
Yeah. And then she can go?
Yes. Right. Here you go.
Perfect.
ALERT TONE Done.
We've got another order. Yeah, let me accept it. Thank you.
As orders come in thick and fast, riders race across the city,
dropping off their lunch deliveries...
Thank you so much. Thank you.
Four chicken makhani!
..which, unbeknownst to our teams, includes our own.
That was beautiful. That was like ballet.
Oh, man. He's got... He's got everything. There we are.
I'll be using the feedback from my panel of experts
to help me work out who's nailed this challenge
and whose food has failed to deliver.
Delhi Rickshaw Club.
OK.
It smells delicious.
It does smell great.
I mean, this looks about 50 times better
than what we saw in the photos. This is vibrant, the colours are great.
Steve, how was the butter chicken? Very delicate. Mm-hm.
Really good flavours to it, the right amount of spice.
Because for lunchtime, you might be looking for something light,
but you want full of flavour. Yeah, I agree.
The butter chicken is creamy, it's aromatic, it's delicious.
I want to eat the whole pot. It feels healthy. It's a curry,
but it feels light and healthy.
Steve, what we saw initially on the app
is the opposite end of the spectrum to what we've just seen.
You'd look at that first and go, "Yeah, I'll go somewhere else."
Quite a major error.
ALERT TONE
New order! Right, OK, cool. Let's have a look.
Next up, the Green Team with their Mediterranean Munch.
Two chicken, two halloumi, four salad it is. Four salads.
Coming up now.
Matthew, if there's any you think need bulking out, let me know.
It's fine, that looks really good.
OK, that other order is seven minutes in.
Right, Mediterranean Munch.
Will, big no-no for sort of burying plastic?
Oh, that doesn't look good.
This sort of looks like there's a lot of stuff jumbled together.
What about that? I mean, I was expecting
some really nice grilled bread with a bit of herbs and olive oil on top,
and just got a kind of dry old pitta.
Tommi, what do you think? I'm not inspired.
The vegetables are a little bit undercooked. I think all of it
is basically a little bit under-seasoned. Steve?
Overall, not blown away by it, I'm afraid.
Will, are you excited by the Mediterranean diet?
You know, the pictures were great. I thought the food was not great.
I'm disappointed, because the pictures drew us in.
I don't need to be lectured about how much protein we're eating.
I just want to eat lunch.
I mean, you feel like no-one really loves food in that kitchen.
I mean, there was no love or taste,
seasoning, dressing. It was all just really underwhelming.
Once I'm done this, I'll help you over there, Valentina.
Just frying off the bottom of the gyozas.
We've got all four portions ready to go. Perfect.
Hello, how are you? Hello!
There you are. Thank you. Amazing. Woo!
So, Tokyo Crush.
Wow. This presentation looks great.
That's the... That's the gyoza.
Wow. Yeah. Tommi, what do you think?
Looks good. It looks kind of crispy.
The colour's good. There's lots of greenery.
I love these little gyoza. I think they're delicious.
Really nice, fiery ginger. Great dipping sauce.
I love these gyoza. I think they've seasoned them so well.
The mushroom in there, there's plenty of filling.
It just delivers for me.
I will be taking some of these home
just to put on our menu at some point. Will?
I think I liked it all. Gyoza, perfect.
I thought the chicken was really, really good.
The tofu, I think, is a little bit big.
I mean, that's a massive chunk. Not that crispy.
So I think that could be delivered a bit better.
Rice is a little bit sticky. Yeah, the rice is kind of very hard.
Mm-hm. They obviously know their food.
I feel they just need to go back and just really tighten up
a few things there.
Having tasted each of the team's food,
time to digest how we think they've all done.
Let's be honest, that was a very tough challenge overall.
The food's got to be exciting and it's got to look great,
it's got to taste great,
and it's got to have a really great brand appeal,
and none of them had all of it.
You take the food from Delhi,
you take the picture from Mediterranean Munch,
and you take the script, the way they've written it, for Tokyo Crush.
If you can figure out a way to combine it, then I think
you have a winning formula.
Thank you so much. This is cold, and then I've got two bags of hot.
Thanks so much. Lunchtime rush over...
Last order, right? Yeah, it's the last one.
Thank you so much.
..the teams' restaurants are no longer open for delivery.
OK, we're officially closed. We did it!
Well done! Fantastic! Well done!
Oh! You did so good!
You guys, thank you so much. Well done.
There was a whole heap of pressure on me, because that's my food.
Do you think we've done enough?
It was all about flavour. It's all about customer feedback.
But if we lost the task, I would be gutted.
Well done. Well done.
I really think that we've done all we can with this challenge.
Like, all three of us have put so much effort into doing this,
and I think Gordon will see that.
I wouldn't change a single thing about working with you two.
I take full responsibility as leader for anything that goes wrong.
I feel we've done enough, though, individually to stay,
and I think it would be a massive, massive mistake on Gordon's part
if he let us three go.
Because I think all three of us could win this.
Amazing feedback by my panel of experts.
Now, I'm going to digest all that, sleep on it, and tomorrow
I'm going to deliver the three teams my verdict.
Halfway - four weeks in. What a journey.
This week was all about fast food.
Your first challenge was to run an amazing diner.
Let's be honest. Not the smoothest of services, right? Yeah.
- But we learnt a lot, didn't we? - Yeah.
For your second challenge, I asked you all to create
your very own delivery-only restaurants.
Will Shu told you all he wanted to see emotion and passion.
Remember that? Mm-hm.
Shall we have a look at your efforts?
THEY LAUGH NERVOUSLY Right.
Let's start with the Blue Team -
Steph, Victoria and Valentina.
Tokyo Crush. Yeah.
"Do you have a crush on Japanese food? We've got you."
Really impressive. It draws you in.
It's modern, and like you said, "Give it a go."
Panko chicken bento box. No photo? Yes. Yeah.
How do you expect to sell food online with no photo?
I definitely gave direction.
Valentina was in charge of the photography.
So what happened? Like, like... There is no excuse.
We should have had a picture that we didn't. Yeah.
Right. Green Team - Jamie, Asher and Matthew.
"Mediterranean Munch was started from a desire to beat
"the afternoon slump with a high protein and delicious clean meal.
"Grilled chicken, 50g of protein."
It all feels very fitness-led, as if we've had instructions
from our instructor to eat 70g of protein a day.
Why? I disagree.
You said that you wanted something that was passion,
that invoked what we did, and we wanted to go with a lean lunch,
and I feel very comfortable in that being our narrative.
So your plan, Asher, was to go simple, right?
It was to have stuff that we could just bang out. Bang out?
Just to get it... Yeah.
That wasn't the essence I got from Will Shu, "bang food out".
Photographs.
Who designed these?
Myself and Jamie did the photographs.
We did the photographs.
Beautiful. Well styled, lots of fresh ingredients,
and it looks like a cover of a book.
Very appetising.
Red Team, Leah, Michelle and Amit,
the Delhi Rickshaw Club.
Amit, you finally got your wish to cook a curry.
A bold choice for lunch.
I just thought we collectively made the right choice
because it was lunch and it was fresh,
and I think we all played to our strengths, so...
We had to extract from his brains.
All the recipes were in his head.
But Will was asking for passion and emotion.
Is that what you felt you gave?
Absolutely. 100%. 100%. Right. 100%. Yes.
Wow, what a mess.
Who was responsible for these?
Because that looks dull as dishwater.
We didn't want distractions. We were using the table.
It was essentially meant to be more zoomed in.
The issue you've got here, we've got no colour.
Yeah. Even just a bunch of coriander,
something that would lighten that up.
It's just a beige mess.
Right, the most important, the results.
Now, I told you that this challenge will be based on customer feedback.
What I didn't tell you is I also ordered all of your menus myself...
..and to help me test your food,
we had Wagamama's executive chef, Steve Mangleshot.
And the co-founder of Wahaca, Thomasina Miers.
Oh, my God! Wow! Oh, my God!
OK, that's a big deal.
And Mr Will Shu himself popped in for lunch.
Oh, wow.
The good news is, overall, they were impressed.
But each team did make fundamental errors.
So, there was no clear winner this week,
but we all felt there was one definite losing team.
So this week's losing team is...
..the Green Team.
Red and Blue,
it was too close to call between you two.
Amit, Leah and Michelle, Delhi Rickshaw Club.
They loved that name.
And whilst the pictures were somewhat lacklustre
when they got the food, Amit,
they said the curries were so good,
they wanted to take it home with them.
Well done! APPLAUSE
Well done. Blue Team...
..another great name, Tokyo Crush. Thank you.
Text was great. Drew you in.
Missing images - a huge no-no.
But, Steph, your gyozas were a knockout.
In fact, the Japanese restaurant chain said
he'd put them on his menu tomorrow.
Wow!
Well done, Steph! Well done. Well done.
Asher... Yeah. Matthew and Jamie,
Mediterranean Munch, shocking name.
Your photos were amazing,
but it didn't taste anywhere near as good as it looked.
And that's the massive problem.
So, Matthew, Jamie and Asher,
at least one of you will be leaving today,
and before I decide who that is,
I'd like to give you all a chance to tell me why you shouldn't.
Understood?
Understood. Yes.
I'll see you in the restaurant.
I've been in the grilling twice already.
This is my third time in four weeks,
but I wouldn't have changed working with those boys at all,
and I wouldn't have changed what we served.
I just feel...
..gutted.
It's a tough day.
I'm not surprised by the comments, but, no, very disappointed.
Being in the grilling again, I feel shit.
It knocks your confidence down.
I've just got to let Gordon know why I'm here, really,
why he needs to invest in me and to keep me in.
Asher, sit down, please.
Thank you.
Good afternoon, Gordon.
Sit down, please, Matthew.
Jamie, take a seat. Thank you.
Take me from the top.
How do we end up in this mess with an app
that looked incredibly delicious
and then it falls flat on the most important part - the flavour?
Why? Yeah.
Obviously, I presented them dishes for the photographs,
and I feel like if I was in the forefront of the kitchen,
they would have tasted as good as the pictures, definitely.
You had nothing to do with the food. Why?
Because I wanted to take myself away a little bit
to show that I was good at other things
rather than just in the kitchen as well.
The way we worked around it, where we've decided
to take different roles,
that was a bad decision, doing that, like, really, and...
Stop right there.
Sorry. I understand why you wanted to shine.
I get that.
But then you stood by and watched that food go out -
under-seasoned, overcooked.
I thought that they had it
and they wanted to prove themselves as well.
I know now that I need to be there at the end of the process
to make sure that everything's all right,
that this won't happen again.
So let's just go back to the beginning.
I have nothing against a healthy, inspired lunch.
Healthy food can do really well on those apps.
OK? But what you need to put out is a delicious, healthy lunch.
I feel that the food we made was delicious.
The pitta bread was hard.
The halloumi cheese was grilled so much
that it was curling like my grandad's toes.
The chicken was dry.
Yeah. Dry.
And you're saying to me now it was delicious?
Your palates are all fucked.
I do not eat that food often, I'm not...
It's not something that's my forte.
I hadn't cooked on those ovens before,
so I was, you know, trying to get out of my comfort zone.
But I take responsibility for that.
Customer experience, you know better than anybody,
is so important. Yeah.
I've built a career on it.
How that food turns up
needs to mirror what it's like sat in a restaurant.
Yes.
We had pots hidden in the couscous.
We were scraping off couscous and coming across plastic pots.
Why weren't you serving those condiments separate?
In hind... Who was doing all that packaging?
We... I was doing it.
We, who's we? Myself and Jamie.
So I was packaging the food in there,
and then Jamie was putting the lids on
and making sure it all went out.
Who was tasting that food before it went in the box?
Well, that was something that was clearly missed
by all of us. We put... The most important thing!
Exactly.
You know the essence of customer service. Yes.
You understand quality control.
You had a chef in there and then you had a leader.
None of you played to your strengths.
Will Shu said, "Cook with emotion. Give us your passion."
Was that your most passionate lunch?
I'm so passionate about what I do, like, so I take everything 100%.
I know that I should have stepped up more and I will do.
Like, I'm not going to let myself get to this position again.
Although we didn't win, something that I have loved
is getting myself out of my comfort zone
and trying to excel in an area of the industry
that I have very little knowledge of.
This process is not sending you on a two-week package holiday to India
to find yourself. It's a competition!
I get that. Get that in there.
I get that and I am committed to this competition.
To see how you are in business!
The criticism of not being passionate about it,
I disagree with. My aim as being a leader in that group
was to get the best out of the boys that I had with me.
I felt like I got the best out of them.
Asher, I relish criticism.
I don't want arse-kissing bullshit compliments.
I just want the negatives.
That's what makes me better.
And I'm struggling to sort of understand
why you can't take criticism...
Because I don't want it against my team...
You're not listening to me, though.
Why are you so defensive?
I'm... Because I've been here twice.
I tried to show improvement.
I don't want those two to leave.
I don't.
I take full responsibility for it.
This is not a reflection on why I came here,
and the reason I'm defensive is because I really back them.
You're not here as a martyr. You're here as a competitor.
Who dropped the ball in that team?
With regarding going down, like, a healthy style, probably Asher.
And then I'd probably say me as well
for not putting me in the kitchen fully.
I don't blame those boys for anything.
I take full responsibility for what happened
as I was the leader.
Asher was the leader, he wanted to take that.
He'd not led in a challenge before.
We went too far off-piste.
There's lots of things I would have done differently.
Whoever's leading, it doesn't matter,
the other two need to step up equally.
Yes. And I felt that all three of you... We failed.
We all failed. Yeah. Just danced around.
Yeah, it was an embarrassing week.
Thank you, Jamie.
Thanks, Gordon.
Thank you for your time.
Thank you, Matthew.
Here come the boys.
OK.
You three, thank you
for being so honest and open.
Asher, Jamie and Matthew,
the thing that I can't stomach here
is that if your food had tasted as good as it looked,
you wouldn't be in this position right now.
One person made too many mistakes to ignore.
Jamie, from a chef's point of view... Hm-mm.
..you let that food leave that kitchen,
and it was below standards.
As a chef, that's criminal.
Matthew, for someone that prides himself on customer experience...
..well, it was non-existent on this challenge,
but the person I will not be investing in...
..is Asher.
Young man, I love your passion and I love your drive.
I love the determination.
But you've got to learn from your mistakes. Will do.
And I just want to thank you for this experience.
Thank you, Gordon. Thank you. Thank you.
I don't think Jamie and Matthew really understood
how close they were to going tonight,
but, for me, Ashley was so tunnel vision,
he couldn't see all the mistakes he was making around him.
He was obviously a very smart, driven kid,
but this week, he was way out of his depth.
I'm gutted to be leaving.
I've loved every second of this and to think
that tomorrow I'm not going be able to do that - heartbreaking.
But I feel I can walk away with my head held high.
Seeing Asher go, yeah, it's proper sad
because he's such a top lad.
You know, Gordon said it at the end,
like, you know, you know, his passion is there as well,
and to keep going,
he strongly believes in himself and other people as well.
I'm devastated to see Asher go.
I didn't think it was going to be quite so emotional.
The ups and downs of absolutely everything,
it's every single emotion imaginable.
I'm exhausted, but I'm motivated.
I know I've got more in me and that has lit a spark in me.
There's a fire in my belly that I didn't even know was there,
that Gordon has lit and I cannot wait to push forward for success.
Hello!
Next time...
It's like all my phobias all in one.
..the contenders have to dig deep...
Are you sure we can fit through that hole?
..as they head down to the farm...
Have you got potatoes?
..to create a healthy kids' product range.
Oh, my gosh. OK, well, now we know that that doesn't work.
So much chocolate.
Don't get upset, you don't need to get upset.
You are ALL at fault in this challenge.
Stick to your convictions!