Kitchen Nightmares or Kitchen Heaven?

Everybody has a favorite restaurant that they go to every now and then to get out of the house and avoid doing the dishes. People naturally have a high standard for quality of food and service wherever they decide to go. When the dining experience is not up to par or the management is in complete disarray, a restaurant is doomed to go out of business and close their doors for good. But fear not- Chef Ramsay is here to save the day and more often than not reunite families that are at each other's throats. 


The newest television goldmine I discovered is Kitchen Nightmares, a show that focuses on saving failing restaurants that are on the brink of bankruptcy and shutting down. It is similar in structure to other shows such as Restaurant Impossible or Bar Rescue. Gordon Ramsay travels around the United States and helps them improve food, management, and relaunches the restaurants with an upgraded interior and energy. Ramsay is known for his fiery temper, strict demeanor, and constant cursing like nobody else. He often makes blunt and controversial comments, including insults to staff or the quality of the food he is testing. Chef Ramsay has dozens of his own restaurants in the United Kingdom, North America, (rest of) Europe, Hong Kong, and Dubai. Gordon rose to television stardom after his first show Hells Kitchen became a wild success. Only two years later, he got his second show Kitchen Nightmares to help struggling owners across the pond. Needless to say, if he flew across the country to help you turn your business around, it would be a good idea to listen to his advice.


From an objective standpoint, I think the purpose and structure of the show are well formed. I enjoy shows that involve helping people get back on their feet. Kitchen Nightmares also can be an effective educational tool. Through the filming process, the viewers can see what goes on in restaurants in the front and back of the house. The often clueless staff show you exactly how not to run a business but by the time Ramsay is done with his renovation, they have improved dramatically. In addition, the show sheds light on something I think is extremely important- sanitation. When you go out to eat somewhere, you don't necessarily think about the cleanliness of the kitchen or if the chefs making your food are cross contaminating. In every episode, Chef Ramsay performs a deep and thorough inspection of the kitchen and food storages. Unfortunately, he always finds something rotten or potentially hazardous to the customers. Hopefully after watching an episode, you will realize that being successful in the restaurant industry requires much more than a little flair in the kitchen; otherwise millions of culinary school grads would have their own restaurant empires too.



My favorite subjective aspect is Ramsay's extraordinary temper and assertive presence on the show. People can argue that he is too mean or hurtful and that his words cut like knives. To anybody who is a critic of his, please cry me a river because his no nonsense approach got him 16 Michelin stars and a restaurant / television empire. There isn't a chef in the world that can go into a failing restaurant, show often stubborn or ungrateful owners that they have to get their acts together, and successfully relaunch the place in less than a week. If you watch the show, you will see that Ramsay is truly a cordial guy. He is always very kind to the waitresses and customers and by the end of the episode, the staff are exchanging tears and hugging him for saving them from financial disaster. 

Final Rating- Good & Good

WARNING: EXTREMELY VULGAR AND AWESOME CLIPS. COULD NOT FIND ANY GOOD CENSORED ONES