Kitchen Nightmares was one of the best shows until it was canceled in 2014. However, the show remains familiar and memorable six years down the line. From hotel managers who participated in people who watched to enjoy the profanity ridden show, each one has a take on the former Gordon Ramsay’s TV show. But did you ever ask yourself if the things happening in the show were for real, or the editors just cooked some? We know that is not the only mystery about the show, and today we will be showing you ten facts you never knew about Kitchen Nightmares.
Table of Contents
1. Gordon Ramsay Was Sued Several Times
This celebrity chef, who once started a journey to give struggling restaurants a makeover and help them get back on their feet, was not liked by many. There are reports in the public domain and the courtrooms that Ramsay was sued several times by owners and hotel managers. His outbursts on live camera landed him in a courtroom in 2008 when a hotel manager sued him for ruining his career. Martin Hyde, the then manager of Dillon’s restaurant in NYC, claimed that Ramsay’s live TV ridicule hurt his career, and nobody would hire him. On a different incident, Ramsay and his crew were taken to court for damaging a hotel ceiling. In 2011 Oceana restaurant felt misrepresented and requested the episode not to air on live TV. However, the show still aired regardless of the concern, and the owners had to go to court. Surprisingly, the same restaurant sued the show again in 2018 after posting the video with some negative remarks.
2. It’s a Sad Success Story
While the mission of Kitchen Nightmares can be thought was to help out failing restaurants, it seems like the show was a sad success story. The case is so because most of the restaurants that participated in the show have since shut the doors. Also, there are claims that one of the restaurants’ owners tragic death was associated with the TV show’s outcome. We are also aware that Ramsay personally fired a hotel manager on live TV, which was undoubtedly a big blow. However, despite the negatives, Ramsay continued to rise in his career. There was no stop until he canceled the show. Would it, therefore, be true to say the show was a sad success story?
3. One Restaurant Closed Before the Show Aired
In some of the restaurants featured in the show, the Kitchen Nightmares were so real. Perhaps that is why most of the restaurants closed after featuring on the show. What is more shocking is that one restaurant–The Black Pear in New York–closed in less than a week after their show aired on TV. But if that is shocking, what would you say about Lela’s in Pomona, a restaurant from California which didn’t live to see their show? That was an unlucky turn of events, but Ramsay did not blame this specific restaurant’s woes. According to a blogger who was there during Lela’s filming in the Pomona episode, the restaurant was in too much debt even before the Kitchen Nightmares crew came in. The TV show also flashed a message at the end of the episode indicating the joint had closed down.
How to Avoid Your Own Kitchen Nightmares?
As much as we love this show, we don’t want to replay kitchen disasters seen on this tv show. And let’s be honest, anyone can create a kitchen screw-up and can turn anyone into a raging psychopath like Gordon Ramsay. That’s why we recommend buying a blender that won’t mess things up. Make your kitchen a happier place by checking out KitchenAid Mixers and you’ll be happy you did.
4. 70% of the Restaurants Are Shut
Yes, you are reading it right, 70 % of the restaurants featured in the seven-season show have since shut down. In June 2014, the daily mail reported that 50 of the 77 restaurants that Ramsay set foot in had already closed. And while some were already struggling to remain afloat, others collapsed due to the show’s outcomes.
5. Amy’s Baking Company Episode Was Real
One of the most surprising things about the Kitchen Nightmares is that the episode featuring Amy’s baking company was 100% real. For so long, many people believed that the show was doctored to misrepresent the owners. However, unlike what you may have seen on TV, the joint’s food was ok as one Medium blogger would confess later. But on the part of the owners, the blogger was present during the filming of the show says that everything was just real.
6. Ramsay May Have Helped a Gangster
In 2007, Ramsay and his crew took the Kitchen Nightmares show to Peter’s, a restaurant said to have ties with gang stars. An expose by the Gang Land News revealed that the restaurant owner was linked to the Bonanno crime family and that perhaps explains his extravagant spending. However, the expose relied on information from a 2003 FBI report. By the time Peter Pasta came to the Kitchen Nightmares, he had already been cut off from the family, but the fact wouldn’t go away.
7. Ramsay May Have Used Paid Actors to Pose as Customers
This is a serious allegation to a celebrity of Ramsay’s caliber, and he did take the accusations with weight when one newspaper published sensitive details about the show. The said paper accused Ramsay and his crew of faking things, including planting rotten food in restaurants. Ramsay won the liberal case against the paper. Besides the newspaper case, there were claims that some customers appearing in the restaurants featured in the show were paid and not ordinary guests. The disclaimers on the show put it straightforward that the producers may have partially catered to the cost of the meals customers were taking.
8. One Restaurant Was Purposely Featured
While you would think that all restaurants were featured in the popular show because they were failing, it may surprise you that some may have been picked for other reasons. For instance, one particular restaurant was picked because Ramsay wanted to give the chef a chance in his show. The said chef had auditioned in Hell’s Kitchen that is affiliated to Kitchen Nightmares but could not leave his five-year-old kid behind to participate in the six-week show shooting. In 2007, Ramsay decided to have the chef in the sister show, and that’s how his hotel came to the Kitchen Nightmares.
What Do You Think?
Out of all of these Kitchen Nightmares facts, which one caught your eye and why? Were there any other Kitchen Nightmares facts we’re missing? If so, please comment below with your best ones. We’d like to know!