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  • Tonight, on Kitchen Nightmares Revisited...

  • Chef Ramsay is back in Baltimore,

  • Philadelphia, and New Jersey...

  • Holy crap.

  • Where he checks in

  • on some of his biggest challenges he has ever faced.

  • Smell it! Oh!

  • They were the most disgusting...

  • That's fucking older than me!

  • Dysfunctional...

  • Eighty-six the French fries!

  • And most distraught restaurants

  • in Kitchen Nightmare's history.

  • It ain't her fault. It's my fucking fault.

  • First, we return to Cafe Hon in Hampden, Maryland.

  • Could I have everybody's attention?

  • The owner was caught in a nasty battle with the community.

  • I was afraid for my life.

  • What? Death threats?

  • And her staff was ready to revolt.

  • You're a rude bitch.

  • Then we'll visit Chiarella's in Philadelphia...

  • Put it up! Let's go!

  • Where the family business was so bad,

  • that one owner had completely lost his confidence...

  • I just stay in bed 'cause I'm afraid to get up.

  • While his wife had completely lost her patience.

  • All right, now I'm getting mad!

  • And lastly, Chef Ramsay travels

  • to Montclair, New Jersey, to get an update on Leone's...

  • Under no circumstances can we continue

  • to serve food.

  • I'm sad to say

  • that we're closing down Leone's for the night.

  • Where a lazy owner...

  • The major problem here is there's no manager,

  • nobody in control of this restaurant.

  • It's hard for me to really show passion.

  • Was ruining a restaurant that his mother

  • had worked so hard to build.

  • We've already drowned.

  • Get ready for a night of surprising updates...

  • Can I talk about that?

  • As we find out who stayed

  • on the road to success and who veered off,

  • turning a restaurant back into a nightmare.

  • Oh, I'm pissed off.

  • What is that? You're serving rotten food!

  • We could possibly kill them.

  • - Then wake up! - You wake up!

  • Shut the place down!

  • Get out of here!

  • That is amazing!

  • I can't take anymore.

  • Thank you, Chef.

  • Sync and corrections by n17t01 www.addic7ed.com

  • As soon as I leave a restaurant, I'm always wondering

  • whether or not they stuck to the plan,

  • and I know you do, also.

  • Tonight, I'm going to show you three restaurants

  • I visited last year, and you're going to be surprised

  • at what I found out.

  • First up, Cafe Hon, in Baltimore.

  • Hampden, Maryland, a suburb of Baltimore.

  • When I first arrived, I visited a local radio station

  • to find out restaurant owner

  • Denise Whiting was at war with the community.

  • She had trademarked the term "hon,"

  • which is a cultural icon of Baltimore.

  • She was threatening businesses with lawsuits.

  • The lawsuits? I mean, it went that far?

  • She demanded legal fees from somebody

  • that was making tourist stuff with just the word "hon" on it.

  • After finding out what I was in for...

  • I mean, she's almost become the anti-hon.

  • Yes.

  • It was time to go to Cafe Hon and actually meet the owner.

  • All right. I want everybody's attention.

  • Can I have everybody's attention?

  • But, before I made it inside, I was faced with a giant--

  • and I mean a giant-- pink flamingo.

  • Holy mackerel. Wow, wow, wow, wow, wow.

  • I'd hoped that the restaurant wasn't on its last leg as well.

  • I desperately needed to hear Denise's side of the story.

  • The problem is, I federally registered

  • "The Hon" as a-- as a trademark.

  • People scream at me from across the street.

  • Just horrible things.

  • It's got that bad?

  • I mean, I was afraid for my life.

  • Did you not sue anyone?

  • I never sued anybody.

  • You didn't sue anybody?

  • No.

  • Did you threaten to sue anybody?

  • No.

  • But Denise wasn't telling me the truth.

  • I've done my homework before I got here.

  • I did-- I-- you know what--

  • See, you're not being fair now.

  • After setting her straight,

  • the next step for me was to taste the food.

  • Then I met my lovely server, Amanda.

  • Amanda, love the hair. Beautiful.

  • Thank you.

  • And, oh, boy. Her hair was hon-derful.

  • Wow. Look at you.

  • They sure do love their hairspray in Baltimore.

  • The batter's soggy.

  • It doesn't stick to the fish.

  • Sadly, the food was atrocious.

  • It's like a flamingo turd just landed on my plate.

  • It's dreadful.

  • And then these stone cold shrimp.

  • Horrible.

  • He said the shrimp tastes--

  • had, like, a weird aftertaste to it,

  • like, almost tasted like the refrigerator.

  • Really? I don't understand.

  • This is perfect.

  • Perfect?

  • Trust me, they were far from perfect.

  • And I could tell already I was gonna have my hands full

  • with Denise.

  • That night, at dinner service...

  • This is asparagus. All right?

  • I'm tired of seeing the asparagus

  • different kinds of ways.

  • - You cut off the ends... - Oh, my God.

  • ...and you blanche them.

  • I could not believe how Denise ran her restaurant.

  • Any turkey on the board, eighty-six the turkey.

  • She was eighty-sixing the whole fricking menu.

  • Eighty-six biscuits, you guys.

  • Item...

  • Eighty-six the pot pie.

  • After item...

  • Eighty-six the catfish.

  • After item.

  • Eighty-six the French fries.

  • I thought she was going to eighty-six me next.

  • Eighty-six the steak.

  • We don't have steak.

  • Oh, my God. I'm going to die.

  • That was a disaster.

  • How could you let it go this far?

  • After seeing how bad a leader Denise was,

  • I decided to talk to her staff about her behavior.

  • She goes up to one-- to the girls,

  • and tells them they're stupid,

  • or she gets up to my face,

  • "tell her to fix her hair."

  • She focuses on a lot of the superficial things.

  • She micromanages.

  • It was clear that

  • her very loyal staff were deeply affected by her actions.

  • It was time to confront Denise.

  • Denise, you, um...

  • You're a rude bitch.

  • Ouch.

  • And I'm tired of it.

  • Denise, you're the negative in the restaurant.

  • People don't like you.

  • They did not hold back,

  • but that is exactly what Denise needed to hear.

  • I'm sorry that I've been

  • a bit overbearing.

  • To lose this business

  • would be for me to lose my soul.

  • And I can only say

  • that this is the beginning of a new day.

  • Denise's apology was a step in the right direction.

  • But the bigger issue was her relationship

  • with her community.

  • So I hatched a plan.

  • I put together a select group of people

  • that I'd like you to hear from.

  • Okay.

  • Okay?

  • Please, jump in the car. Put these on.

  • Denise was forced to listen.

  • She pushes everyone around.

  • She's focused on Denise Whiting.

  • And if you don't like it, you're going to be sorry.

  • What would it take for this community

  • to embrace Cafe Hon again?

  • She has to walk away from the trademark.

  • She has to abandon it.

  • She has to abandon it?

  • Give up all claim to it, say it was a mistake.

  • She does not own it.

  • Denise had a big decision to make.

  • Give up the hon trademark, or lose your restaurant.

  • Would she do the right thing?

  • I am so sorry for the animosity and the hatred

  • and everything that

  • trademarking a word,

  • just a word, has done.

  • Please forgive me.

  • That must have taken

  • a lot of courage, to say that.

  • But you never said

  • you were going to give the trademark back.

  • Yes.

  • Wow. This is amazing.

  • That's kind of stunning.

  • After getting Denise's commitment to change,

  • we were ready to relaunch Cafe Hon with a new decor...

  • Oh, my God.

  • A new menu...

  • - Mm. - That's delicious.

  • Really good.

  • And an owner

  • with a new attitude.

  • Great job. You're doing awesome.

  • John, thank you. Johnny, beautiful.

  • Cafe Hon was well on its way

  • to becoming a fixture in the community once again.

  • These are fantastic.

  • I've been given a great gift, and an amazing opportunity,

  • and I will be forever grateful.

  • Last year, if you wanted to see an angry owner

  • at war with the community, then trust me,

  • Cafe Hon in Baltimore was guaranteed fireworks.

  • Personally, I felt like I was negotiating a treaty

  • as opposed to fixing a restaurant.

  • I'm now back to find out, is there peace?

  • Coming up,

  • has Denise repaired her relationship with her staff

  • and her community?

  • Have we got good news, bad news?

  • She wasn't sincere when she apologized.

  • Oh, no.

  • Or has she gone back

  • to being the tyrant of Baltimore?

  • You know, we've had some issues,

  • and it's not a surprise to anybody.

  • I'm on my way to meet Reagan and Jojo.

  • They're DJs at the local radio station.

  • These guys really do have their fingers

  • on the pulse of the community.

  • And they're going to give me an update

  • to find out how the locals have responded

  • since Denise went and gave up that trademark "hon,"

  • and what's really happening in that restaurant.

  • Baltimore's Mix 106.5.

  • It's Jojo and Reagan on The Mix Morning Show.

  • And we've got a special guest this morning.

  • As you may have been reading in the papers,

  • Gordon Ramsay's back in town.

  • Yeah, we're going to see what Baltimore thinks

  • about Cafe Hon now.

  • Hi, guys.

  • Welcome back to Baltimore.

  • Thank you so much. Likewise, good to see you guys.

  • Good to see you again.

  • I'm so happy to be back.

  • Now, the word on the street, Cafe Hon.

  • Have we got good news, bad news, in between?

  • Good news.

  • Good news.

  • The good news is, there's not a lot of news.

  • Okay.

  • Which is really good for Denise.

  • So it's not people just violently angry at her anymore.

  • Right, great.

  • There are still people who say

  • she wasn't sincere when she apologized.

  • Right.

  • There are still people who say,

  • "oh, she didn't give up the trademark."

  • She did give up the trademark. We know that for a fact.

  • 100%.

  • So there are people that just aren't going to be won over.

  • But I think the majority of people have come around.

  • Things are back to normal

  • in that neighborhood, and everything's going okay.

  • And just as importantly, the restaurant.

  • Has anyone been? Any feedback?

  • My wife and I were there a couple of days ago.

  • Oh, good.

  • We had the crab cake.

  • We had the chicken pot pie.

  • It was good.

  • Right.

  • I saw Denise.

  • There was a resurgence in her that I hadn't seen.

  • That was nice to see.

  • Good.

  • So you're going to head over and talk to her?

  • Yep. Good to see you both.

  • Good to see you.

  • Chef Gordon Ramsay, thanks for joining us

  • this morning on the Jojo and Reagan show.

  • - Excellent, good to see you both. - Absolutely.

  • That pink flamingo.

  • They haven't gotten rid of that.

  • Look at you two.

  • Welcome back, Gordon.

  • Nice to see you. Are you well?

  • How are you, my darling?

  • I'm great.

  • Whoa, dear.

  • Thank you. Thank you.

  • First of all, this place is heaving.

  • It's wonderful.

  • Let's have a couple of minutes

  • together somewhere quieter.

  • Let's go over there at the bar

  • in the corner. Wow.

  • That is crazy in there.

  • You look great, by the way.

  • Thank you.

  • I brought you a little present.

  • Can I open it?

  • Please.

  • I'm dying to see what you think.

  • I thought,

  • because you kept the big one on the outside--

  • I'd bring you something a little bit more intimate.

  • Thank you.

  • It's good to see you, darling.

  • It just seemed so special.

  • Made me think he was thinking about me

  • other than when he's here.

  • How are you personally?

  • Wonderful.

  • Don't get upset.

  • I know.

  • Come on.

  • I know. I'm just so grateful.

  • Last time, you cried for a different reason.

  • I have people scream at me from across the street,

  • just horrible things.

  • It's got that bad?

  • I mean, I was afraid for my life.

  • This time, you know--

  • It's happy cry.

  • It's a happy cry.

  • I felt like, for a whole year and a half,

  • I couldn't be part of the community.

  • Sure.

  • And as soon as we did the relaunch,

  • I went right to a community meeting

  • that Monday.

  • And then I just started getting more involved in the community.

  • Which is music to my ears.

  • You know, it's like the restaurant is one thing,

  • but--

  • I know. Come here.

  • Come here, come here, you.

  • Honestly.

  • As soon as I rejoined the community,

  • I really felt like the weight of the world

  • had been lifted off my shoulders,

  • and I could be me again.

  • Business in general,

  • since I last saw you-- where are we?

  • Since the relaunch, business picked up about 20%.

  • Good.

  • We're still working to regain people's trust

  • and get them coming back again.

  • But we've gotten a lot of new people in the door.

  • And that's-- and people that said,

  • "oh, we stopped coming, and now we're coming again."

  • Good.

  • The food, the service. How are you feeling there?

  • I've been kind of overseeing things a little bit more.

  • Oh, no.

  • But I've been really good.

  • 'Cause, remember, last time, it was interference.

  • It was just negative.

  • Oh, come on, really?

  • What's this, Dottie?

  • Why is it sitting there?

  • Is this for something?

  • Listen, you look great. The restaurant sounds amazing.

  • Thank you.

  • I'd like you to do something special for me now.

  • Go and cook me a special.

  • I'm dying to taste the food.

  • Okay.

  • Go to it. Surprise me.

  • Okay.

  • - How are you, my darling? - Hi.

  • Oh, good to see you.

  • Let's sit down, have a catch up.

  • How are you, my darling?

  • Hi.

  • You look great. Good to see you.

  • Thank you.

  • Your hair looks amazing.

  • Thanks for the compliment, Chef Ramsay.

  • I'm dying to ask. How's she been?

  • This is real?

  • It's the truth.

  • Good. And she's not coming in, nitpicking--

  • No, she's not picking on us.

  • Bitch festing?

  • No.

  • Giving asparagus lessons in the middle of service?

  • Could I have everybody's attention?

  • This is asparagus, all right?

  • You cut off the ends--

  • Oh, my God.

  • ...and you blanche them.

  • That's happened again, I'll have you know.

  • Oh, you're kidding me.

  • But she walked away, Gordon. She walked away.

  • She walked away.

  • Is she still eighty-sixing things?

  • Eighty-six the turkey.

  • Eighty-six the French fries.

  • Eighty-six the catfish.

  • No.

  • Now it's not like that.

  • Now they don't have a reason to hate her.

  • It's-- it is a lot easier for us.

  • Good. How much has she changed?

  • A lot.

  • Is she supporting you more?

  • She is, and she's also staying home more.

  • She cooked for us, she waited on us.

  • Good.

  • The management got invited home for dinner?

  • Yeah, yes. To her house.

  • Wow.

  • To her house?

  • Denise is a lot easier to talk to.

  • She's more receptive to our comments.

  • She's turned it around.

  • She really has.

  • Now, what is that?

  • It's a guacamole burger.

  • A guacamole burger. Nice.

  • Look at that.

  • They love the burgers.

  • Wow.

  • That's delicious.

  • Is it good?

  • I get the opportunity to cook for Chef Ramsay

  • and he really likes it?

  • That makes me feel really good.

  • Ladies and gentlemen, I'm so pleased to see

  • the delight on Denise Whiting's face,

  • the fact that, not only is she a part of the community again,

  • but you as the locals feel part of this restaurant, as well.

  • Incredible. Thank you.

  • I'd like to introduce a very special guest.

  • Give a warm welcome, please,

  • to Baltimore City Councilman Nick Mosby.

  • Good to see you.

  • On this day, I would like to present you

  • with an official Baltimore City resolution

  • in recognition of your selfless dedication

  • and continued support to the community

  • and the city of Baltimore.

  • Wow.

  • Crazy.

  • Thank you.

  • Nick, thank you so much.

  • Thank you.

  • I appreciate the recognition, really and truly.

  • And I know that-- you know, we've had some issues.

  • And I really appreciate the fact that I've been

  • given a second chance,

  • because not everybody gets a second chance

  • in this lifetime.

  • And I'm very grateful to have had the opportunity

  • to work with Gordon Ramsay.

  • And I feel like you've given me my life back

  • and my restaurant back,

  • and I will be forever grateful to you.

  • Well done, my darling. Thank you.

  • Nick, you're a star. They really appreciate it.

  • Thank you.

  • Well done, darling.

  • I feel like I've earned

  • the right to be happy again.

  • I might be crying right now, but I'm really happy inside.

  • I'm very proud of what you're doing.

  • - Thank you. - Again, well done.

  • Thank you.

  • Take care. Good to see you.

  • - Okay. Best wishes. - Thank you.

  • Bye-bye. Bye, guys.

  • Bye.

  • Let me tell you what really happened here.

  • This was a PR nightmare that became a PR miracle.

  • And if only Denise could always remember

  • to be part of the solution and not the problem,

  • then trust me,

  • Cafe Hon has a very, very bright future in Baltimore.

  • That is the biggest fucking flamingo

  • I've ever seen in my entire life.

  • What a monster.

  • Next, Chef Ramsay returns to Philly

  • where Tommy Defino was a broken man,

  • completely depressed.

  • I stay in bed 'cause I'm afraid to get up.

  • I'm afraid of who's going to come after me,

  • who's going to shut my gas off.

  • Has Tommy remained

  • the confident man that Chef Ramsay built up...

  • Has Tommy personally made any changes?

  • Or has he let Chiarella's fall apart?

  • Come on, look.

  • That wasn't me.

  • Find out next

  • when Kitchen Nightmares Revisited returns.

  • South Philadelphia,

  • home to Chiarella's,

  • owned by husband and wife Tommy and Dina Defino.

  • Shortly after meeting the couple...

  • But what's missing from the restaurant?

  • We don't know what's missing.

  • Customers.

  • I think our food is better

  • than the area's food around here.

  • It's quality, it's fresh.

  • Right. And I stand behind our food.

  • I could tell they were really in love

  • with their food.

  • So what's wrong with the restaurant?

  • I don't agree with the way he runs the kitchen.

  • There's not enough business. This is--

  • That's not the issue.

  • And his wife was so frustrated

  • with him and their business.

  • The issue is,

  • you can't better your business the way you're running it.

  • I'm trying.

  • Right away, I could tell this man was broken.

  • But now, I wanted to get to tasting this "amazing food."

  • Thank you.

  • - Thank you. - Wow.

  • There's so much veal on here.

  • Veal Cutlet Johnny, Veal Parmigiana,

  • Veal Cutlet with Roasted Peppers,

  • Veal Scallopino, Veal Saltimbocca,

  • Veal Chiarella, Veal Sinatra.

  • Why not add a Veal Madonna or a Veal Bocelli?

  • I mean, come on.

  • While waiting for my lunch,

  • I decided to have a little walk around.

  • What's that?

  • You're kidding me.

  • And what did I discover?

  • A full-blown gym.

  • Oh, fuck!

  • Man!

  • What is this guy doing?

  • - Tommy? - He's in your office.

  • Oh, God.

  • - Do you work out in here? - Yeah.

  • So what's this?

  • That wasn't me. It wasn't me.

  • There's holes in the wall.

  • He's punched some holes in the walls.

  • He'll say it wasn't him. It was.

  • - That wasn't me. - Man!

  • - That wasn't me. - And that on the wall there?

  • - That's my golf wall. - Fuck.

  • Not only was it a gym, it was a driving range as well.

  • Fore!

  • That's a shank.

  • Okay. Back to the food.

  • - Veal Sinatra. - Thank you, darling.

  • Man. That's dreadful.

  • - It's just chewy. - Okay.

  • Let's get one thing straight.

  • The food was not good.

  • That's ghastly.

  • What a disgusting combination.

  • It's like someone's thrown up on my plate.

  • Tommy and Dina failed to see that.

  • - I still stand by my food. - I still stand by our food.

  • The food was disgusting.

  • Well, I-I disagree with that.

  • - That's your opinion. - Come on!

  • Uh, hello?

  • Can somebody say denial?

  • No. I'm not in denial.

  • You are gonna have to get your head out of your ass.

  • And it went downhill from there.

  • Philippe, hello?

  • It's just all swimming in oil.

  • And you weren't going to say anything.

  • But hey, Tommy!

  • Throughout dinner, Tommy avoided the problems.

  • All right.

  • Tommy, I think you need to go back in the back

  • and check on your cooks.

  • He literally ran away from the problems...

  • All right, now I'm getting mad.

  • And Dina had no choice but to step in.

  • Put it up, let's go!

  • I don't know what you are doing!

  • Give me table ten and give me the pasta special.

  • All right. Here you go.

  • Dysfunctional owners and a dysfunctional kitchen.

  • I knew if there was any hope of saving Tommy,

  • I needed the help of his family--

  • The double Ds, Dina and Denay.

  • I came by here this morning to talk about Tommy.

  • We need to get him back.

  • - Hey, good morning. - Ah.

  • Take a seat.

  • Listen, I love you.

  • I know you love me, babe.

  • - I want you back. - I want me back, too.

  • I'm not the same person I was.

  • - In my whole life I've been-- - You have to get that person.

  • You gotta reach inside, Tommy, and pull it out.

  • We want you to be happy.

  • We love you.

  • We can make great changes, but unless you're back--

  • It ain't gonna work, I know.

  • I want to fight, yeah.

  • Okay, good.

  • Dina and Denay were able to build up his confidence,

  • and finally we were getting somewhere.

  • Tommy was ready for change.

  • The next day, we relaunched Chiarella's.

  • Come on, come on.

  • Let's go tonight, guys. Let's go. Come on.

  • It was now up to Tommy to prove to everyone

  • he can run his restaurant...

  • How we lookin' here? How we lookin' here?

  • Coming right now, table 20.

  • You follow me. Table 20, Ariel.

  • And he did just that.

  • Good in here. We're good in there.

  • We're good in there. We're good.

  • - Nice, nice. - Good, good, good.

  • Lasagna, baby.

  • Good job tonight, great job.

  • I'm the boss!

  • Last year when I came to Chiarella's in South Philly,

  • I met a husband and wife team that were about to

  • literally give up on their own restaurant.

  • And let me tell you,

  • things couldn't have got any worse.

  • We had a phenomenal week

  • and made some unbelievable changes.

  • We're about to find out if any of them are lasting.

  • - Coming up... - Aah!

  • Has the rebuilding of Chiarella's

  • destroyed the marriage?

  • How's the relationship between you and Tommy?

  • And later, it's an unexpected revisit

  • not to be missed.

  • Why is he lying to me?

  • Oh, I'm pissed off.

  • It's great to be back in South Philly.

  • I'm on my way to Chiarella's,

  • an Italian restaurant run by Tommy and Dina Defino.

  • Now, last time I was here Tommy was so depressed.

  • And Dina, she was just a nervous wreck.

  • We made some substantial changes,

  • not just to the restaurant but to the owners as well.

  • I'm back to check in, and hopefully

  • they've kept up that momentum.

  • - Hello. - Hello!

  • - Wow! How are you? - Wonderful.

  • - Good to see you. - Wonderful.

  • - Good to see you. - Are you well?

  • - Yeah, I'm well. You well? - Look at this place.

  • Yeah, it's been bumping.

  • The atmosphere is amazing.

  • - How have you been? - Good.

  • - Yeah? - Yeah.

  • You're quiet. You seem calm.

  • Last time I saw you, you were a nervous wreck.

  • And it was almost like you hated being here.

  • Yeah. It was very stressful.

  • - How's the business been? - 20% better.

  • Wow. So 20% up, which is great news, positive.

  • How do we take it to another level.

  • How do you get up 40%?

  • Um, I think a liquor license.

  • That's what we're working on.

  • - Oh, you've been saving? - Yeah.

  • Just imagine what the business could do

  • if it did have that liquor license.

  • We're getting there.

  • Once we get that liquor license, we'll be able

  • to be open later, have a happy hour.

  • We'll be, like, set.

  • And how's the relationship between you and Tommy?

  • I don't agree with the way he runs the kitchen.

  • You can't better your business

  • the way you're running it.

  • I didn't think she felt like that.

  • - On a scale of one to ten. - Ten.

  • - Ten, seriously? - Ten. Seriously.

  • Good. And his confidence is back?

  • Yeah. Thank God.

  • - Where is he? - I think he's down this way.

  • Once we changed in here...

  • Let me get him.

  • Tommy transitioned into a new person.

  • All right, Bobby.

  • Table five, we need five and six.

  • Make the salads up, all right?

  • - How many soups you need? - Tommy!

  • - How many soups? - I need 15.

  • Whoa, Chef.

  • How are you?

  • - Good to see you. - Ow!

  • Good to see you. Let's go have a chat.

  • Come here. How are are you?

  • - Which way? Where we going? - Down to the office.

  • What's this?

  • That wasn't me. That wasn't me.

  • - Man! - That wasn't me.

  • - Watch your head. - Okay. Wow.

  • - Looks a lot better, right? - Look at this.

  • They're the old marks.

  • - Are they? - They're the old ones--

  • Oh, no, no, no. Promise me?

  • I haven't hit nothin'.

  • And walk me through-- oh, damn.

  • - Oh, oh-- - That wasn't me.

  • Can I talk about that?

  • For fuck's sake. That ain't a fist!

  • It's a ball. I swear to God.

  • - A ball? - It's in there.

  • I swear to God.

  • Come on, look!

  • - It's perfect. - I promise you.

  • You put me-- I'll take a liar detector test.

  • - Honestly? - That's a shank.

  • You're not bench pressing now.

  • I could do it a couple times, but I'm hurt.

  • Okay. Let me see.

  • All right. I'm gonna do it easy for you.

  • - Look at that. - Okay, good.

  • - Is that good enough? - You're still in great shape.

  • I'm telling you.

  • I walk in, the place is buzzing.

  • Last time I was here, it was more than 20% down.

  • You're now 20% up, saving for a liquor license.

  • - Yes. - So you're putting enough money away

  • each month to save for that?

  • I am starting.

  • We were still-- we're still behind.

  • I mean, you know, the electric and the gas

  • and all that goes first.

  • But we were up from last year, and that's what I look at.

  • - Just as long as we're up, it's positive. - Exactly.

  • There seems more control, less anger.

  • Are you happier inside?

  • Definitely.

  • Can't you see?

  • I'm definitely-- from before, I'm emotionally

  • in a way better place, way better.

  • You need to get back to work. That place is full up there.

  • I miss you, man.

  • It's not easy to find your manhood when things

  • are going bad, and he put it back for me.

  • - Come on. - Ahh!

  • Hi!

  • - It's so good to see you. - I know, me too.

  • - Are you well? - I'm well.

  • I'm real well.

  • - The place is busy. - Yeah, it's been good.

  • I actually like coming to work now.

  • - You do? - Yeah.

  • - I'm so pleased to hear that. - Yeah.

  • Tommy looks less stressed. Is he better?

  • - Yeah. He's a lot better. - Is he?

  • Oh, my God, yeah.

  • He learned how to take control of his business

  • without letting the business take control of him.

  • And that's the biggest change in Tommy.

  • - Thank you, my darling. - You're welcome.

  • - Lasagna. - That looks amazing.

  • - And your chicken piccata. - Wow.

  • Tommy, sit down. That looks fantastic.

  • Dina, take a seat, my darling.

  • I'm dying to taste this.

  • - When was this made? - Today.

  • - Today? - It's fresh, fresh, fresh.

  • That is delicious-- really, really good indeed.

  • Last time I was here, he was walking around

  • with his head in the sand.

  • You were still giving your food ten out of ten.

  • And I stand behind our food.

  • The food was disgusting.

  • How are you feeling now?

  • I feel that now it's ten out of ten.

  • And I'm happy now.

  • And I'm happy because he's happy.

  • With Tommy and I working together,

  • running a business together, raising a family together,

  • we were more confident together.

  • This is the happiest that Tommy and I have been,

  • because we're able to communicate better.

  • And I'm not, um, sugarcoatin' anything.

  • Coming back and seeing exactly where both of you are now,

  • it makes me really proud.

  • I want you to really succeed.

  • So I'm personally going to make a contribution...

  • Get out of here.

  • To you both to help get that liquor license.

  • Seriously.

  • We can be 20% up now without the liquor license,

  • get that liquor license-- we're on the road.

  • Chef Ramsay is a great guy,

  • and he couldn't have helped us any more,

  • I couldn't possibly have thought.

  • But for him to make a contribution

  • towards a liquor license is, like, just awesome.

  • It really is.

  • Brilliant. Well, good to see you both.

  • - Thank you. - Yeah, thank you.

  • Chef Ramsay coming in here has been

  • more than a life-changing experience.

  • It's been unbelievable.

  • And he really is 100% behind me, which is a great feeling.

  • It's a great feeling.

  • All right, listen. Keep it up, will you?

  • - Yes, definitely. - Yeah? Seriously?

  • - Yes. - Well done.

  • - Thank you. - Okay, bud, look after yourself.

  • - Thank you from here, seriously. - Take care.

  • - Easy one. - And listen--

  • and stop putting those holes in the wall.

  • - Ah, man. - Okay. Take care.

  • Thank you, Chef. I love you.

  • Wow. I am so surprised.

  • I mean, I had my doubts about Tommy,

  • but he has really stepped up

  • and taken the bull by the horns.

  • And now he's in control of his business.

  • And Dina, she is completely transformed.

  • And as a couple, they're united stronger than ever before.

  • And I really believe that Chiarella's now

  • is on its way to being back on top where it belongs.

  • Coming up, Chef Ramsay goes back to New Jersey,

  • where Michael went from the laziest owner

  • to a hard-working manager.

  • I need one cod and one orecchiette.

  • Find out if he's still leading his restaurant...

  • That's so sad.

  • I'm so disappointed.

  • Or has his old habit resurfaced?

  • That's coming up on Kitchen Nightmares Revisited.

  • Montclair, New Jersey,

  • home to Italian restaurant Leone's,

  • run by a mother and son, Michael and Rose Leone.

  • We owe 1,400 for the meat, overdue for the past month.

  • What are you gonna do, Michael?

  • You tell me. What do you want me to do?

  • When I first walked into the restaurant..

  • And what's that thing there?

  • That's my old television that I watch all the games on.

  • - You watch games on there? - Yes, sir.

  • I was absolutely stunned by what I saw.

  • Do you think that's a good impression

  • when the customers walk in for the first time?

  • Michael just seemed clueless-- a lazy owner.

  • Watching telly was bad enough,

  • but the decor was just as hideous.

  • - Oh, my God. Is that a baby? - Yes.

  • I mean, they say that there's never an ugly baby.

  • I think I just found one.

  • - But that's not you, is it? - No, sir.

  • - How are you? - How are you?

  • It's good to see you, sweet.

  • But then there was Mama Rose.

  • Likewise-- oh, yeah, nice.

  • Chef Ramsay's hot.

  • I've been married three times.

  • I need number four.

  • She was quite a character.

  • I can't start to even think

  • about turning this place around

  • until I get to the bottom of the issues.

  • The major problem here is there's no manager,

  • there are no-- nobody in control of this restaurant.

  • I take care of payroll, I take care of receiving...

  • - Payroll? - Doing the menus.

  • Wow. Poor Mama Rose.

  • She depended on Michael to run the restaurant.

  • Basically the staff is running this restaurant right now.

  • I-I disagree.

  • He wasn't running anything, except maybe his mouth.

  • Are you here every day?

  • Except Monday, yeah, I'm here every day.

  • So you're here six days a week,

  • across those six days a week you're in here,

  • you're here what, 12, 14 hours a day?

  • - No, no, no. - How many?

  • I work the dinner shift--

  • from like 5:00 to 10:00, 5:00 to 11:00.

  • So five hours a day?

  • How many of them do you sit down?

  • - Depending on the situation? - Roughly.

  • Three.

  • So you're on your feet for two hours a day?

  • - Yes. - Holy crap.

  • In order to get the whole picture,

  • I decided to order the whole menu.

  • Oh, my God. Holy crap.

  • - How many items on the menu? - Over a hundred.

  • A hundred?

  • I mean physically, the appearance--

  • oh, come on, guys.

  • Could I have a knife and fork, please?

  • And maybe a bag-- a fucking sick bag.

  • And while the dishes looked awful...

  • There's no seasoning in there.

  • Everything's bland-- bland.

  • It's bland. The pasta's bland.

  • They tasted even worse.

  • Aah.

  • Dirt. It's like a fucking flip-flop.

  • - Now, are you crunching grits? - Yes, yes.

  • You think it's good?

  • I had heard enough.

  • Michael was clearly delusional.

  • I'll be back later, yeah?

  • I'd like to catch a plane out of here right now.

  • Even though I wanted to leave for good,

  • I came back for dinner.

  • What is that?

  • Big mistake.

  • - I think it's veal, chef. - You think it's veal?

  • - Pretty sure it's veal. - You didn't put it in there?

  • It looks like meat thrown in a pan.

  • But what is it, though?

  • I don't know. And it's not labeled.

  • How could you not know?

  • - Stuffed what? - Mushrooms.

  • Smell that. Smell it!

  • That's fucking older than me.

  • Smell it! Go on!

  • I'd seen enough.

  • The kitchen was so disgusting, I had no choice

  • but to... Shut the place down!

  • Under no circumstances can we continue to serve food.

  • I'm fucking embarrassed.

  • Everybody, I'm sad to say, and embarrassed to say,

  • that we're closing down Leone's for the night.

  • Leone's never been shut down.

  • I'm very embarrassed by it.

  • Probably won't sleep tonight over this.

  • I'm angry at myself.

  • I think as the boss of the restaurant,

  • it was just irresponsible.

  • We're gonna turn this ship around.

  • My mother put in almost 20 years of her life into this place--

  • her spirit, her money.

  • I'm crushed that I let her down.

  • And I want to make good, but the truth is,

  • I don't know if I can turn it around.

  • And it's a scary feeling, it really is.

  • Come on.

  • So, with Michael's eyes finally open,

  • we spent some valuable time in the kitchen together.

  • A touch olive oil on there, salt and pepper.

  • Cooked on the bone. Why do we cook it on the bone?

  • - More flavor. - Right.

  • Get that pan nice and hot.

  • How do you know when the oil is ready, chef?

  • A light smoke coming off there.

  • It's got the sear in there.

  • Wow. Mmm.

  • That is unbelievable, huh?

  • It just melts in your mouth.

  • I think it's time for a change.

  • And I want to be the best Italian restaurant in town.

  • For the first time, I saw this lazy owner

  • making a positive change.

  • Then I knew he was ready to run his restaurant.

  • You may recognize him

  • from sitting on his ass outside watching television.

  • But that guy's gone now.

  • We have a new Michael. Let's go.

  • With a new, modern look, a concise menu...

  • Are we ready to order?

  • Michael stepped up and not only surprised his staff...

  • Right now listen.

  • I need one pork belly, one cod, and one orecchiette.

  • And then we'll worry about everything else.

  • - But that I need now. - Yes, sir.

  • But his mother too.

  • Mama Rose, are you happy?

  • Yeah, I'm very happy.

  • - Look after your son. - I will.

  • Michael proved with hard work he can run Leone's.

  • Three important words that I need you to remember,

  • - stay the course. - Stay the course, Chef.

  • I can't hear you.

  • Chef, in my restaurant I'm gonna stay the course.

  • Good.

  • I'm back in New Jersey hoping that he's kept his promise,

  • or has reverted back to his old lazy ways.

  • Next, Chef Ramsay gets to the bottom

  • of what's going on at Leone's.

  • Truly, honestly?

  • You don't want to miss what's coming up.

  • Unfortunately, here's the bad news.

  • I'm back in Montclair, New Jersey

  • to check on the Italian restaurant Leone's,

  • run by owner Mama Rose, and her son Michael.

  • Last time I was here, all Mama Rose wanted

  • was for her son to step up and actually run the business.

  • It almost didn't happen, but we finally

  • turned him into a leader.

  • Time to check in if he's continued

  • to make his mother proud.

  • - How are you? - Hey! Welcome back.

  • - Good to see you. - Good to see you, sir.

  • - Wow, this place is busy. - Yes, sir.

  • Love the buzz. That's good.

  • Well, let's step through there and have a little catch up.

  • I'm very excited to see Chef Ramsay today,

  • and tell him about the progress we've made in the restaurant,

  • and all the beautiful changes we have here at Leone's.

  • First things first. Where's the television?

  • That's my old television that I watch all the games on.

  • Seriously?

  • I promise you the day you left,

  • - there was no television here. - No television?

  • In the entire restaurant, my word.

  • - How have you been? - I've been doing well.

  • As soon as you left, the buzz around the neighborhood

  • - and the food was fantastic. - Right.

  • - The new dishes flew off the menu. - Good.

  • I wake up energized.

  • I'm going to restaurant supply houses,

  • buying all the fresh ingredients.

  • Looking up new recipes,

  • trying new things with me and my cooks.

  • - There's a better, stronger relationship there. - That's fantastic.

  • I started a delivery campaign.

  • - You started a campaign? - Yes, sir.

  • I did a menu, mailed 'em out to the surrounding towns,

  • and it's been very beneficial.

  • You have been busy.

  • So this is a complete revolution.

  • You are so much more hands-on now

  • than you ever were before, right?

  • Oh, huge. Big difference, night and day.

  • - Dina, is he lazy? - Yes.

  • - John, is he lazy? - Yes, chef.

  • I feel like it's finally my business,

  • and I'm not running my mother's business.

  • That's fantastic. That's absolutely fantastic.

  • And where's the business sitting now?

  • It's probably up 40% since last time.

  • 40%?

  • You are working hard.

  • Yes, sir. I gave you my word.

  • - This is a new Michael. - Energized Michael.

  • - Unbelievable. - Yeah, energized.

  • - I mean, you are seriously energized. - Yeah.

  • Ah, what a lovely surprise.

  • - Hello, my darling. - Hi.

  • - How are you-- you look great! - Thank you.

  • Look at you. Oh, my goodness me.

  • Come over. I've missed you.

  • - I've missed you. - You've lost weight.

  • 75 pounds. That's incredible.

  • Well done.

  • - Stop, come on. I'm a year older. - Hot!

  • You don't want to go chasing men at 45 years of age.

  • Michael, I'm hungry.

  • - I shall make you something. - Good.

  • - Welcome back to Leone's. - How are you?

  • - Good to see you. Are you well? - Good to see you again.

  • - You look great. - Yes, I'm great. Thank you.

  • - Have you got two minutes? - Yes, absolutely.

  • Mama Rose looks amazing.

  • - She looks fabulous. - God bless her.

  • Michael, he told me he's here first thing in the morning,

  • he's here last thing at night.

  • Is he really working that hard?

  • He still shows up at his usual time, 5:30-6:00.

  • Oh, no.

  • Oh, no. Back to the beginning?

  • Why is he lying to me?

  • Maybe he's scared.

  • Unreal. Hello, my darling.

  • - How are you? - Hi. How are you?

  • I was good, until I just heard that.

  • - What? - Take a seat, please.

  • I had a chat with Michael around the corner,

  • and he told me he's working so hard.

  • What time's he coming in?

  • He comes in at 6:00-6:30.

  • Wow. Wow. 6:30.

  • - Yeah. - I mean, crazy.

  • You can't run a business by coming in at 6:30.

  • You have to set that example to the staff.

  • - Is he helping with payroll? - No. He doesn't do any of it.

  • Damn.

  • - Inventory? - No, nothing. No.

  • What the fuck.

  • So he's not stepping up?

  • We're here at 9:00 today.

  • We swept the floor, we mopped the floors.

  • We set it up.

  • Bloody hell. It's so annoying.

  • And he-- he was physically the last one in here.

  • Honestly?

  • And he found TVs across the street.

  • He found TVs across the street? What do you mean?

  • - Yeah, at the bar-- - In the bar.

  • Oh, shit.

  • So he goes across to the sports bar

  • - to watch TV? - Yeah, yeah.

  • - Oh, no. - Oh, yes.

  • - He's still Michael. - He's still Michael?

  • Oh, Trudy, honestly?

  • - Yeah. - That's so sad.

  • You can paint stripes on a horse,

  • but that doesn't make it a zebra.

  • Like, just because you gave us a little face lift--

  • he's still the same person underneath.

  • I mean, we all love Michael.

  • But unless he steps up, he could destroy it.

  • I'm so disappointed.

  • - He did not stay the course. - He detoured the day you left.

  • Oh, my God.

  • Oh, I'm pissed off.

  • He needs somebody to tell him what to do.

  • Right. Leave it to me.

  • Thank you. I appreciate the catch-up.

  • I'm hoping Gordon Ramsay will be able to help Michael

  • and maybe give Michael another kick.

  • Because Michael needs another kick.

  • Okay, Chef.

  • Today we have a Mozzarella Caprese.

  • Nice.

  • And our homemade eggplant parmesan.

  • - Wow. Thank you. - Enjoy, sir.

  • Thank you.

  • What a difference. What a difference.

  • What the fuck is that?

  • Oh, my God. The chilis--

  • Modern, clean, tasty.

  • - Are you that involved in the kitchen now? - Yes.

  • These are both my dishes, so hope you enjoy them, yeah.

  • That is delicious.

  • That's good news.

  • Unfortunately, here's some bad news.

  • Whilst I'm excited about the buzz,

  • business being up 40%,

  • delivery is working brilliantly...

  • I've just heard from John and Trudy.

  • Everything you told me about working so much harder

  • is not what they think.

  • My question to you is why bullshit me through there?

  • I didn't bullshit, chef.

  • Listen, you're not manning up.

  • You changed course the day I left.

  • - What time do you come in every day? - 4:30-5:00.

  • Trudy's saying sometimes it's 6:30.

  • On certain days, Chef, not every day.

  • - On any day... - Mm-hmm.

  • You've got to be here before the staff.

  • How many times have I said that?

  • Are you scheduling the payroll? Are you helping out with those?

  • No. I kept that as it is.

  • Right now, Chef, I'm just more concentrating

  • on the food, the atmosphere--

  • You cannot concentrate on the food

  • when you walk in at 6:30 in the evening.

  • Mama Rose, I'm sorry, but I'm disappointed.

  • You have to be tough.

  • You need to be a leader.

  • You need to be in here before your staff.

  • You need to show that commitment.

  • They're loyal members that have been here for a long time.

  • They don't hate you, they just want a commitment from you.

  • I'm sorry, Mama Rose.

  • I'm sure you've got work to do.

  • I'm not impressed, Michael.

  • Up to now I haven't been staying the course.

  • It's very hard to admit that in front of my mom.

  • I should be more hands-on with the food, with the specials,

  • with the servers, and the overall business.

  • Chef, I just wanted to tell you that I'm sorry.

  • There is areas I could really concentrate

  • and put more time in.

  • I didn't want to say it in front of my mother.

  • I don't want to make her any more nervous than she is.

  • But I really want to tell you that you are right.

  • I could put definitely more commitment

  • into this restaurant and do a better job.

  • I feel like I'm letting you down.

  • I know, but there's--

  • there's a lazy streak in you when things are going well.

  • That's when you've gotta work harder.

  • I set an example that I've gotta work harder than my staff.

  • - Jump back in there, and nail it. - Yes, sir.

  • - Please? - You have my word.

  • - I want to make you proud. - Don't let me down.

  • And don't let yourself down, and don't let your mother down.

  • - You got it. - Okay. Take care.

  • - Thank you for coming back, Chef. - Excellent.

  • I believe that Chef Ramsay gave me

  • a little bit of tough love today 'cause

  • he really does want me to succeed.

  • He doesn't want to coddle me.

  • He wants me to keep on driving and going forward.

  • Damn. I'm a little surprised to hear

  • Michael slipped back to some of these old habits.

  • And his staff clearly need more help.

  • And with that mall opening up shortly,

  • business is going to continue to grow.

  • So my only hope now, he steps up

  • and leads Leone's on a path to success.

  • But more importantly, God bless Mama Rose.

  • In the days that followed,

  • Michael kept his promise to Chef Ramsay,

  • and is putting in more hours at the restaurant.

  • Now, only time will tell if he will stick to his word.

  • If Chef Ramsay visits again,

  • he's gonna see a more committed Michael

  • that's more in tune with his staff.

  • I'm gonna make him proud and make this business succeed.

  • Three restaurants, three different stories,

  • but so far, all on the road to success.

  • In the restaurant business, you're never out of the woods.

  • The good news is they are all heading in the right direction.

  • Good night.

  • Sync and corrections by n17t01 www.addic7ed.com

Tonight, on Kitchen Nightmares Revisited...

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