Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares

This possibly the best , most watchable reality series that came out of Britain at the turn of the century . It came late to the party but actually brought a lot to television and one that has a high rewatchability . The premise is simple: a restaurant business is failing and Gordon Ramsay arrives as a troubleshooter and get the business back on its feet

I have some professional kitchen experience myself and the three golden rules to a successful kitchen are

1 ) Team work

2 ) Communication

3 ) No skiving

Obey these three golden rules and things should work out . Watching the series it becomes very clear that the problems of the failing business are often caused by a lack of team work and communication and an excess of skiving or lassie faire attitude by the management who leave everything to the head chef who is as passionate as a week old rice pudding

The very first episode sums this up with Tim a head chef who is 21 years old and in charge of Bonaparte's restaurant . " He's either a great chef or he's a bullsh*tter " and you don't need multiple choice to find out the answer . As someone who has worked in a kitchen I was actually shocked at the state of the kitchen with mouldy food clogging up the fridges

" What do you do with mouldy food ? " asks Ramsay

" Throw it in the bin ? "replies Tim nice but dim as if he's asked a question on quantum physics

Long pause from Ramsay " So you're going to put it back in the fridge for two days then throw it out ? Can you see the point I'm making "

Tim starts nodding as the penny finally drops " Yeah yeah "

Ramsay goes out of his way to get the business back on its feet and what the programme does very well is show how much dire straits the owner is in . If the business goes under that's it - they lose everything , their restaurant , their home and possibly their marriage which comes as a shock when Ramsay returns a few months later unannounced only to find things were as bad as they were mainly down to the manager not sacking the head chef and employing competent professionals who have a pride in their work and a loyalty to their employer

There is a danger of the show becoming repetitive but a short season of four or five episodes is probably the most effective length and an angry Ramsay is always good television . Anyone with any military experience will recognise how similar Ramsay is to a sadistic drill instructor carrying out a kit inspection as tries to separate the men from the boys . It's also a superior show to the American spin off as the focus is very much on Ramsay rather than the slightly larger than life American managers

I'm tired of reality TV, I'm tired of Emeril, give us reality in our reality TV. This show delivers. This is not a show about some chef in a sanitized kitchen studio making meals he has prepared and rehearsed 10 times prior to airing, this is about a man who loves food and wants to see good food on your plate. The drama from the series comes from the people whose restaurants are failing and Gordon's expertise in rectifying their calamities. He addresses this in a direct assault the failings of the business end and back kitchen. More often then not, you find the star in the kitchen with his hands up to elbow in work ensuring his plan comes through. I find his hands on approach refreshing and exciting.

If you enjoy food programming this is a must, if you enjoy reality TV and can appreciate dialog then it is required viewing.

A reality TV show which delivers and rewards the viewer.

Every, (mostly) episode is the same. We see a restaurant in chaos, Ramsay turns up, orders, some slip arrives as his criticises everything and sends it back.

Then he goes into the kitchen, shouting and swearing at everyone. Looking for dirt, mouldy food etc.

Quite often someone gets fired, he observes a service and the chaos, exasperated by the pressure of him being in the kitchen, one again raising his voice causing more mistakes and anxiety.

He normally then shuts the place down, giving the restaurant a free makeover worth thousands - is that the hidden motive of these restaurants?

It's always the same, simplify the menu as he slaps his palm on his hand, "Simple, beautiful food". I think I've only seen one that he walked away from?

I'm sure he's got into a proper fight and been knocked out, or at least a bloodied nose. Shouting through his hands at owners, he bullies and abuses the owners of failing restaurants before turning into the nice guy, only occasionally being called out like Amy in the bakery

It's an hour of guilty pleasures, but if you have seen one, you have mainly seen them all.

Chefs running kitchen especially big high end restaurants, are domineering. so I don't think Gordon is more than usual, and the demanding & yelling is the way it is, if you don't perform.

He is a hard worker; and has demanding standards, probably since he started as a very young man. He ran Marathons for charity. Fit I went back to the beginning, as I didn't remember. It says he stopped the show in 2014 bec he was tired of Restaurants reverting to their old ways. it say 39% are still in business; one sold the Restaurant 5 months after the remake. He had debts and it was probably for the best. but it wouldn't have been worth anything without Gordon & the show.

Gordon is genuinely respects woman, whether it is 20-30s waitresses, chefs, or 40, or 50-60 y.o. waitresses. or the mothers and grandmothers. He is really nice with all the woman.

the decor is so terrible and old and dirty in most cases. He redoes the restaurant- overnight. beside the materials, the designer & the work, would cost $50K, depending on the size. so this is a big gift. the kitchens are so filthy; I am surprised all the diners don't get sick. and often Gordon redoes the kitchen getting new appliances. sometimes new computer systems, for checks, ordering etc. So the owners get value for their participation.

It is shocking to see some of the Owners or managers. they must hunt for the most disfunctional. 2007-8 there was a n economic crash. everyone doesn't have $30 to eat out- 75 for a couple. more for a family. But all these Restaurants fail for reasons. It's nice to go out, and have someone serve you. so atmosphere as well as food counts.

Peter's Restaurant Season#1 #1, the brother Peter was like someone out of GoodFellas. and draining the family restaurant while stroking his ego. A Parasite/ Never working & taking money for his lifestyle. He seemed to come round overnight, which was hard to believe, anyone that narcissistic and delusional, I don't think so. so I had a problem with that. Peter's closed within a few months, and reports were it went back to the old way. the 2nd one, Dillions,renamed Purnima, in a great location, West 54th st. Broadway in Manhattan. a great location. they don't dicuss rent, overhead or what is the break even a day a week, a month. not cheap in the heart of Manhattan. It would be impossible or run down place with bad food to get customers. there have been some suicides. One when I say it, I was really surprised. One was the night the show aired. I have to think there was mental illenss. even if you lose your house, your car and your restaurant. file bankruptcy and move on.

Trobiano's- 25 y.o talks his in laws into backing a restaurant out of cooking school with no experience. cocky & unduly arrogant. doesn't taste his own food which is terrible. He can't cook. Says it's not my fault if the restaurant is failing. oh yes it is. Gordon has to give him cooking lessons. and again the filthy kitchen. they had early bird, with large portions, 4:30-7pm get older. Look, if you can have brunch, you can have "supper" - late lunch early dinner. Gordon on screen criticizes the "tired old" clientele. I was surprised. bec it was very UNKIND. iT was the only business they had all night. Cordon stops the early bird. Really, creating a few dishes, early bird, with smaller portions, would it have been so bad. And serving a community with reasonable profits. If I paid 75 for dinner for 2, which is nominal by today's standards, I'd expect something really good, not diner food I can cook myself.

one I liked best, was a small restaurant in Paris, no outside tables I love outdoor bistro, looked charming left bank, and a street without cars. Vegetarian. the woman was a flake funded by her father. she was impossible and ungrateful. she disappeared bec her cat was having kittens. Cats don't need help. I think Gordon was VERY PATIENT. Also her "friend" who was a waitress walked off. & she had an incompetent & angry Brazilian who couldn't cook & had NO work ethical. Gordon get a young woman chef from Ireland. she moved to Paris, and Gordon wound up placing her in one of his London places under his mentorship. Gordon opened cooked & served for lunch & on a 6 EURO tomato SOUP and CHEESE SANDWICH (not GLUTEN free or VEGAN, but nice. tourist lunch too in 450 euros- and than did 1K euros in one night, and still she walked away.an was really nasty. I woul have loved to have a business like that in Paris.

Gordon when he remakes the menus (tries to do something different) but it's all "fresh" simple. Steak House, I guess people will eat steak out. Unless you are traveling, I never eat out what I can make easily at home. he likes steak houses. He could just as easily do a nice vegetable soup, and stew, etc. with brown rice, quoina, potatoes.

Only weeks before the more mainstream 'Hell's Kitchen' came along, this one-hour, 4-part documentary series on Channel 4 was a real unexpected treat for viewers, particularly for jaded ones such as myself, tired at the whole cringe worthy "celebrity chef" genre.

Grizzly chef Gordon Ramsey travelled around Britain, each week visiting a different restaurant that was struggling to make money, serve decent food etc. In his now-famous way, Gordon would shout, swear & threaten the incompetent chefs at the restaurants, warn the restaurant owners that they will go out of business if they don't put their foot down & try & turn their fortunes around, help out in the kitchen, & promptly criticise anyone who had the guts to disagree with him on any sort of decision he made.

Seeing Mr. Ramsay tear into young upstarts, arrogant owners & generally anyone who got in his way, made for fascinating television, but it was also pleasant to see that, more often than not, the help Gordon had provided made a lot of difference, & that the restaurant began attracting more customers & serving better food.

No doubt there will be a second series of 'Hell's Kitchen' on ITV1 next year, but I would also like to see this show recommissioned as well. Not as glamorous as seeing celebrity chefs whinge at each other in a glorified TV studio, but 'Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares' was the best cookery-related show to come out in a long, long time