"Male announcer:" "Tonight on Kitchen Nightmares," "Chef Ramsay heads to Brooklyn..." "Oh, my God." "(Announcer) To tackle the many problems of a 55-year-old restaurant." "I've just had one of the most disgusting lunches" "I've ever had." "(Announcer) Owner John is not only clinging to the past..." "It worked before." "Why can't it work now?" "(Announcer) He is no longer running his restaurant." "Do you have any idea that this is going on?" "(Announcer) He works primarily at the pizza oven." "They weren't a fan of the eggplant." "I don't know what they're doing over there." "(Announcer) And he's unaware of what's happening..." "Where's John?" "Oh, my God." "(Announcer) In the kitchen..." "I'm embarrassed to do some of the things that we do here." "(Announcer)" " In the dining room..." " Look at this mess." "(Announcer) Or in the storage." " They're frozen and moldy." "(Announcer)" " And as a result, the restaurant is a disaster." "There's a man vomiting in the toilet now." "(Announcer) It's a Kitchen Nightmares inspection that will have you in shock." "It's gone!" "It's off!" "(Announcer) Conditions are so bad..." " We can possibly kill them." " Kill someone." "(Announcer) ...a customer pays the price." " Call an ambulance." " Oh, my God." "(Announcer) Get ready for an emotional roller coaster as Chef Ramsay tries to save a defiant owner..." "If I needed you to tell me put the key to the door," "I would have done that without you coming here." "(Announcer) ...from destroying his parents' legacy." "I don't wanna be here no more." "(Gordon) What is that?" "You're serving rotten food!" " It could possibly kill them." " Then wake up!" "You wake up!" "Shut the place down." "Get out of here!" "(Gordon) That is amazing." "I can't take any more." "Thank you, Chef!" "(Announcer) In Brooklyn, New York, lies the historic neighborhood of Cobble Hill, a hip, thriving area, and home to Sal's Pizzeria, run by John Esposito my parents came here from Italy," "and they took over this pizzeria in 1970." "And at the age of 14, I left high school to help my mom and dad run the business." "This has become my life ever since." "Hello, Sal's." "How can I help you?" "We ran the place very successfully." "Thank you." "By the '90s, we were able to purchase the restaurant next door." " Hello." "How we doing?" "Welcome to Maria's." " Thank you." "My mom became sick." "She got diagnosed with cancer." "We thought the right thing to do was to name the room after my mom." "That's why you have Sal's pizza and Mama Maria's." "His father passed away, and his mom passed away." "He was the only one in charge of everything." "And as the years passed, it started to go down." "We don't have that kind of volume of sales that we once had." "And I can't figure out the reason why it dropped off." "Where's the people?" "I've stayed the same." "I haven't changed." "They weren't a fan of the eggplant." "I don't know what they're doing over there." "John, as the owner, is supposed to be in charge of this whole place, including the kitchen." "But he's usually up front making pizzas, covered in flour." "It is a fucking nightmare." "A pizzeria and a restaurant are two different animals." "That's like the accountant that thought it'd be cool to open a wine bar." "Start paying attention over here for a minute." "Get in the kitchen." "Really look at what's going on." "John treats this place like his second home." "He's got four kids that are always here running around the restaurant." " Bang, bang, bang." "It doesn't really look good for the restaurant." "John is an extremely stubborn owner." "(Fabio) All right, so this is the way we're gonna set up the tables." "Listen..." "In his mind, the system has worked, but it really stopped working, like, 20 years ago." "Cobble Hill used to be a very old-school Italian neighborhood." "But now we have much, much younger people moving in." "A lot of people like to call them hipsters." "Hey, sorry, uh, the spaghetti doesn't taste quite right." "I don't know what to tell you." "It's fresh tomato sauce." "Throw this out." "Am I gonna put on plastic glasses, get a funky haircut, put an earring in my ear just to accommodate the new people?" "No, I'm not gonna do that." " How are things on this side?" " Bad." "Horrible." " Really?" " Yeah." "John is holding on to the past and to the way things were done when his parents ran the business." "We didn't do anything today." "We didn't even do 1/4 of what we used to do." "Any businessman would have said enough is enough, pull the plug." "But how do you pull the plug on family history?" " Pretty tough." " Yeah." "We gotta do something to boost these checks." "This place was mom and dad." "Losing one is like losing a parent again." "I'm not prepared to handle that." "Mama Maria's." "What is that?" "That's ghastly." "Holes everywhere." "That is not a good sign." "Damn." "My goodness me." "Hello." "How are you?" "Good." "How are you?" " First name is?" " Fabio." "Yeah?" "Good to see you." "I'm the manager here." "That outside looks like an eyesore." " Whose idea was that?" " The owner." "He actually cut the letters out." " Why?" " I guess 'cause it was tearing, and he just completed the whole thing." "And the owner is..." "John." " And he is where?" " Next door." "He's responsible for, like, the pizzeria." " So two restaurants." " Right." "Mama Maria's I'm standing in?" "Right." "And then there's Sal's Pizzeria next door." "Um, right." "I'm gonna go meet the owner." " Okay." "No problem." " Thank you." "Wow." "So Sal's Pizzeria." " John?" "There he is there." " How are you?" " Very well." "How are you?" " Good, thank you." "(Gordon) Excellent." "So..." "Are you filling in today?" "Someone phone in sick?" "I pretty much make the pizzas, yeah." "I always work the front of the counter." " So you're behind there constantly?" " Yeah." "Wow." "How long have you been making pizzas?" "Since I'm ten years old." "That's incredible." "I got confused with that hideous canopy outside." "Was that you who cut holes in the canopy?" "Uh, actually, the wind did that." " The wind did that?" " Yeah." "Anyway, come around." "Let's have a catch-up." "Okay, first of all, give me a little insight-- the history." "My mom and dad had a pizzeria, and my father-- my mother did all the cooking in the back." " Sure." " By the '90s, my mom got sick." "She came down with cancer." "She passed first." "I'm sorry." "She's no longer with-- wow." " So that's why it has two different names." " Right." " Mom and dad" " Sal and Maria." " Right." "Combined restaurants, what is the number one problem here?" " We're not busy." " You're not busy?" "There's more competition in the neighborhood, and we're struggling." "We're struggling to keep the doors open." "It's a hard pill to swallow." "Yeah, I can see that." "Um, I'd like to meet to find out what's going on here." "It's very uncomfortable for me to sit here right now and ask for help." "Thank you." "I'm not feeling who I am." "I feel weak." " Oh, hello." " Hello." " How are you?" " Good." "How are you?" " And this is..." " Lori." " Lori, nice to see you." " Nice to meet you." " What do you do?" " I'm a waitress." "Excellent." "What's wrong with the restaurants?" "Lack of leadership." "John's a little frantic, chaotic... usually very busy in the pizzeria." "John has been here forever." "So you would think John would know how to run this place, but he doesn't want to change anything because this is what his parents knew before they passed away." "Homemade pastas." "Pasta made daily on the premises." " All the pasta's made fresh on a daily basis?" " Yep." " Okay, start off with the Tortellini di Patate." " Okay." "I've gotta try the spaghetti and meatballs." "Spaghetti and meatballs." "(Gordon) Margherita, please." " Okay." " Thank you." "Wow." "Vongole Oregenata." "Second course." "You got the Tortellini Patate?" "The food is not food here, but it's not my food." " I'm serving it the same way we always serve it." " Oh, boy." "I think that Chef Ramsay's gonna have a heart attack when he sees what goes on around here." "Oh, my God." " Oh, hello." " Hi." "How are you?" " I'm good." "How are you?" " Good." " I'm Fran." "Nice to meet you." " Fran, nice to see you." "What do you do?" "I just show the desserts to the table." "Okay, let's have a look." "Show me." "Wow." "So they showcase the desserts." "Mmm." "So this is all the desserts." "Everything's made here fresh on the premises." "Right." "So..." "Jeez." "What is that?" "It's butter." "Oh, it's butter." "Yeah, just for display as the ice cream." "And that, uh-- that mold on there-- you show that?" "No, the butter's on top, so it covers that." " And that bit there?" " Yeah." " Fabio, you're the general manager, right?" " Yeah." "So you've got no idea you're presenting-- there is moldy bits." "And it's stuck with butter on top?" " Well, those are just for display, not for" " Hold on." "Because they're for display, you've got the right to cake them in mold, and serve customers a display that's full of mold?" "So are we supposed to, like, put a fresh one every day" " so we can throw it out?" " Are you kidding me?" "What do you think?" "I think that, you know, as long as," "I mean, it's fresh, it's good." "I wouldn't-- but I wouldn't" "Are you" " I mean, have you lost the plot?" " No, I haven't." " No." "It's changed colors four times, and it absolutely reeks." "All I'm saying is that this is for display." " We're not serving it." " So do the customers deserve a display that's full of fucking shit." "Oh, my God, he's ripping into him." "He's ripping into him, man." "Look at this mess." "Oh, my God." "That, it must be two months old." " It's probably a few days old." " A few days?" " Uh..." " We don't serve it." "It's for presentation." "I'm aware you're not serving." "Thank fuck, gold star." "Congratulations on that one." "That's a big breakthrough with you." "That's why you're here." " Excuse me?" " That's why you're here." "I'm here to tell you that that's shit, and you shouldn't be presenting it." "You don't know the difference between mold and fresh?" "It's for presentation only." "Give me two seconds." "I need to clean my hands." "I'm caked in mold." "I've got disgusting butter, and I've got my fucking hands full of pus." "Oh, my God." "Oh, fucking Almighty." "You got tylenol with codeine?" "No." "[Chuckles]" "[Bell rings]" "He's gonna come throw it at us." "I'd rather him throw it at us than me serve it to him." "The Patate." " Thank you." " You're welcome." "I don't know, it's bland." "I mean, really bland." "Visually, it looks like someone has just eaten that whole dessert try, and it shot out twice as quick as it went in." "Lori... this is bland." "I mean, really bland." " I'll let them know." " And is this frozen?" "'Cause there's a grainy potato flavor inside." "I don't think anything's frozen here." "No?" "So the tortellinis aren't frozen?" "I'll double-check." "Thank you." "Uh-oh." "He said it was very, very bland." "He asked if the tortellini were frozen." "I wasn't sure if they were frozen or not." "He's right." "All our pasta is fresh-frozen." "That's the most mind-boggling thing in this place." "We make everything and then freeze it." "[Whistles]" "Chef, the tortellinis are frozen." " Ah, the are frozen." " They are." "So you advertise you're making it daily." "But you freeze it daily." "Something's wrong big time." "Thank you." "Wow." "They said the tortellini is frozen." "I--I can't-- I didn't even know that shit." "Me either." "I thought everything was, like fresh." "It makes no sense." "What, to make it fresh and then freeze it?" "And then freeze it." "It makes no sense." "What's that there?" "Does anyone clean here?" "Fabio, how often is this place cleaned?" "I have no idea." "You've got no idea when this place was last cleaned?" "They don't have a cleaning crew." "No leaves?" "I'm not sure." "I'll have to ask John." "What's that smell in here?" "Ah, fuck." "Fuck." "[Spits] That's the smell." "Oh, my God." "What in the fuck--- Damn!" "It's a little bit of a payback because he just finished tearing me apart." "I thought that was a little bit of karma." "(Gordon)" " Did I get you?" " Yeah." " Yeah." "Where in the fuck did all that come from?" "(Fabio) We over-flooded it." "Who watered the plants this morning?" "John, they're full of water." "Somebody watered the plants." "(Gordon) Someone's doing a great job at watering plants, but not changing desserts." "Man!" "Wow." "I'll pay for any dry cleaning." "All right?" "Okay?" "Fuck me." "[Bell rings] The spaghetti and meatballs." "I would say enjoy, but I know better." "Spaghetti and meatballs." "Spaghetti and meatballs." "Fresh meatballs or frozen?" "Frozen." "Aw, come on." "Everything is frozen?" "Look at that now inside, how rubbery it looks even before tasting it." "Man, look at that, how dry that is." "Dry, disgusting frozen meatballs." "Uh-oh." "The meatballs are frozen, rubbery, and dry." " He's right." " Okay." "Every product we use in here is frozen." "When I first started here, we cut up a leg of veal, and I'm still waiting to use it." "And here's your pizza." "For a margherita pizza, it's very greasy." "[Exhales]" "The oil sticks in here." "(John) He doesn't like the pizza either." "It's too greasy." "It's just full of grease." "Lori." "The pizza's as greasy as anything." "But what concerns me is John's behind the bar." "All this fucking food's coming out, and I want him to taste what he's sending me, because I'm a little bit miffed to why I'm here if no one's caring." " Okay." "Sure." " Please." "Wow." "He said the pizza is greasy, and that you should be tasting everything before it gets sent out to him." "I fucking had enough." "Oh, boy." "Oh, my God." "I know." "I don't know." "I don't know." "I don't know." "(Announcer) After being disappointed by bland, frozen food and greasy pizza at Brooklyn's Mama Maria's," " Fucking joke..." " Chef Ramsay heads to the kitchen, looking for an explanation." "I don't want to talk to this guy when he comes in here." "Come on, everybody outside." "Introduce me to who's who?" " This is Joe." " Joe?" "This is Oscar." " How are you?" "Come through." " Hi, how are you?" " Valentino." " Valentino, how are you?" " Good to meet you." " Likewise." "Good to see you too." "I don't know where to start." "I've just had one of the most disgusting lunches" "I've ever had." "I stopped a dessert tray full of moldy desserts." "And the tortellini-- grainy, bland." "And the potato was just dreadful!" "The meatballs-- frozen, dry, solid." "Yes, they're disgusting." "I don't eat them." "But you can't make meatballs every day." "You get 20 pounds of chopped meat." "You make the meatballs, you freeze the rest." "Do you know how long it takes to make five pounds of meatballs?" "Ten minutes." "It's what we've done all our lifetime." "I haven't just started this yesterday." "The meatballs are always done" "You could get away with it in 1967." "It's 2012, John." "Does anyone have standards here?" "We're not in control of the menu." " Whose menu is it?" " It's my menu." "I'm embarrassed to do some of the things we do here." "Are you kidding me?" "We make pasta fresh, and we freeze it." "Like, are you crazy?" "But why are you doing it?" " I don't have a choice." " Who's stopping you?" "The menu." "My menu." "Why don't you listen to this man?" "He's spoken more sense in the last five minutes than anybody has since I've been here." "Do you listen to your staff?" "They're not paying my bills." "I'm the guy paying the bills." "'Cause you make the pizza, so they can't have a voice." "You should be nowhere near this business." "I don't agree with you." "I think we should close the doors." "I don't think this man actually gives a fuck." "I didn't call you because I wanted to put the key to the door." "If I needed you to tell me to put the key to the door," "I would have done that without you coming here." "It worked before." "Why can't it work now?" "But you're running on nostalgia." "It's stood still." "And yet, outside these four walls, the whole neighborhood has overtaken you!" "You're in love with the memories, John." "I don't know what to say." "Thank you for your honesty." "I need a shower." "I fucking stink of plant juice." "I'm not gonna close the doors just because he said-- he said so." "I don't agree with him." "(John) 100% game on, all right?" "(Announcer) Within a short time of his arrival," "Chef Ramsay has discovered that the staff may actually know more than the owner." "What are we supposed to do?" "We have to fucking make these recipes." "(Announcer) And now he's eager to see how the team functions in a dinner service." "Oh, my God." " Hello." "How are you doing?" "Welcome to Mama Maria's." " Thank you." "Second course, Papa del Tomato sauce." "Boxes." "Pizza boxes." "Grande." "Rapido." "(Gordon) What's going on down here?" "Hello." " Business is running as normal, John?" " Yes, this is." "If I wasn't here, you'd be doing exactly the same?" "Exactly the same." "No difference." "Gimme that Portobello and clam" " I need that first." "So that's what John would normally do?" " Just all night on the pizzas out there?" " Yeah." "(Gordon) I mean, he doesn't come in here?" "He just stays out there all night?" "He's afraid." "I think he's afraid of the kitchen." " He's afraid of the kitchen?" " I think so." " He owns the place." " I know." " It's crazy." " No, it's insane." "(Announcer) As John seems content to pound away at the pizza oven..." "Margherita sauce." "Margherita." "(Announcer) The kitchen, led by Joe, is pushing out food at a steady pace." "Picking up." "[Bell rings]" "Here is your pasta." "(Announcer) But that doesn't mean the fast-arriving food... is pleasing the customers." "How's everything?" "The shells are, like, frozen." " Okay." " It look like it's freezer-burned." "All I got was Rosemary." "All I taste is Rosemary." "I don't taste any of the sauce." "What's that?" "A bone?" "(Gordon) Fucking shit." "Joe, two seconds." "There's a bone in the Rigatini, and she's a vegetarian." "In the tomato sauce, they put pork bones in it." "What the fuck." "She's vegetarian." " That's how we do it every day." " Fuck." "John is responsible for the methods that we use to produce the food." "Get me John, urgently." "He says, "if you don't like it, leave."" "John, this is urgent, now." "A lady has just found a pork bone in the Rigatini." "We use-- to give the sauce flavor, we always added sausage, pork" "So you're serving pork bones in the sauce to a vegetarian?" "Oh, fuck." "(John) That's how we prepared food for the last 40 years, and I don't see that being a problem." "A pork sauce to a fucking vegetarian?" "That's the way we've always done our business." "But you can't serve a vegetarian a pork sauce." "What the fuck is going on here?" "I don't know what-- what" "Do you want me to orde you a coffe, will that make it better?" "Are you okay?" "'Cause I can't hear you." "Are you waiting for the bathroom, darling?" "Is he a vegetarian?" "No." "No." "What did he have?" "An lobster tail." "Damn." "And the lobster, he said, tasted, um... funny." "Damn." "John, I need you here." "A gentleman is sick in the bathroom." "Yeah." "He had lobster." "I had the mushrooms." " And then..." " Would you like medical assistance?" "Would you like for me to call 911?" "Joe, pass me a lobster tail, please." "I need one lobster tail." "It's tough, right?" "Well, a guy's throwing up." "He's in the bathroom, and he's sick." "Please show me exactly what you served that customer." "Yeah?" "Please." "Thank you." "(Gordon) Fuck." "Oh." " You all right?" " Okay?" "Chef, your lobster's ready." "John." "Come here." "Smell it." "Seriously." "It's fishy." "I can smell the ammonia." "Yeah, you smell that?" "And that's what that man's just eaten." "That's ammonia." "That's what releases." "When a body starts to decompose, it's being pulled apart," " and then decomposed." " That's what makes it bad." "And, Joe, just clarify something for me." "It could possibly kill them." "Kill someone." "And whilst we're discussing this, there's a man vomiting in the toilet now." "(Joe) I can't believe this is happening right now." "It feels like shit to know that you got somebody sick." "And it's the first time that you've got your head out the dough." "But it's John's responsibility, no matter what because John buys all the product that we use." " Yeah, please." "(Gordon)" " He does not look well." "Should we call an ambulance?" "(Gordon) He does not look well." "Call an ambulance." "Hi, this is Sal's Pizzeria." "I need an ambulance." "A customer's not feeling well." "(Woman) Your face is really flush." "Oh, my God." "My worst fear is for anybody to get sick in my restaurant." "Where's a shot of something?" "I need a shot." "I need a shot of something." "I got a guy vomiting." "I don't know, give me something." " Whiskey?" " Vodka." "Vodka." "If somebody came to your house, and you cooked 'em a dinner, how would you feel if he started puking all over the place?" "[Siren blaring]" "(John) A guy had some lobster, and he has a reaction to it." "The gentleman sitting down." " Oh, my God." " We just saw an ambulance come up." " Yes." " Oh, my God." "(John) Oh, my God." "We need to kill the cameras." "Kill the cameras." "(Announcer) It's dinner service at Mama Maria's." " You all right?" " Okay?" "(Announcer) One of the diners is feeling ill after eating a questionable lobster." "Smell it." "Seriously." " Fishy." " And that's what that man's just eaten." "(Announcer) And the paramedics have just arrived on the scene." "A guy had some lobster, and he has a reaction to it." "The gentleman sitting down." "It's terrible for anybody to get sick on anything that you serve." "You-- you, I want you to stop everything." "Just close the fucking place down now." "(John) Okay, so whatever's been served has been served?" " I do not want to serve anything else." "Joe..." " I don't want to shut it down." "Pork to fucking vegetarians, now this." "I've had it-- just stop." "Everybody stop, okay?" "Nothing else leaves this kitchen, unless it's going in a garbage bag." "Okay, so when I shut it down, do I just kick everybody out?" "Just apologize." "No check." ""Deeply sorry." "And we have an issue that I have to deal with." " My apologies."" " Okay." "We need to close." "Go to the tables, tell everybody they need to go." "No checks, just go." "Um, I'm so sorry, but we're gonna close the restaurant down soon." " So should we not eat this?" " Yes, don't eat it." " Don't eat it, just" " We're shutting down." " I'm starving." "We are shutting down." "I'm sorry." "Am I gonna get sick from the appetizer we ate?" " Is it that kinda thing?" " No, no." "Just, they're not gonna serve anything else." "It's embarrassing to have paramedics walk into your restaurant, and to have to shut down your restaurant because of that." "Should we take his contact information or any kind of information like that?" "John, can I have a word?" "Outside." "John, tonight was beyond a disaster." "I never expected this." "Never in my wildest dreams." "Total humiliation." "But it's not just about food, John, it's about practices." "I mean, you're so detached from your business." "You don't look like an owner." "You don't sound like an owner." "You're like a member of staff back there." "You-- you're right." " But why?" " I don't know why." "I don't know why." "Just because I think I've been beat up too much." "There's gotta be some fight inside." " There's gonna be some" " Listen, I am a fighter." "I've been a fighter my entire life." "I was thrown into this place because they needed-- they needed a horse, a donkey to run the place 'cause they couldn't afford to hire people." "They sacrificed my education to throw me in here." "But you've given up." "Come on." "You're destroying yourself." "Listen..." "I will help you, but you have to understand you cannot be a member of staff pounding dough." "That's not right." "You shouldn't be doing that." "I do it because I love my family." "And I want to provide for them... the best way I know how." "Do you think they get enjoyment watching you kill yourself in there?" "John, come on." "You have to take a big long step back and stop running this place from a fucking pizza oven." "[Clears throat] I can't." "I mean, emotionally, I can't." "Why?" "I need to take a break." "[Exhales]" "Oh, yeah, okay." "I want you to get some rest, okay?" "I will as soon as I close these registers." "No, no, no." "Listen." "You're an owner." "Hey, I can see the pain." "I feel it." "Let me tell you, I've got four kids of my own, and I know how hard it is, but I'm here for you." "And I want you to win." "Understand that." "Man to man." "I'm telling you, I want you to win." "But you've got to listen." "Okay?" "We can do this, right?" " I wanna do it." " You do not" "Good." "We're gonna start." "Not for me." "For my kids." "Let's do it for them, okay?" "See you in the morning." "[Sniffles]" "(Announcer) Chef Ramsay may have pledge d his help to John, but he needs to get a handle on everything before he can implement changes." "So early this morning, he does a little research." "What is this?" "Bloody hell." "Time to see how much frozen food there really is." "My God." "This..." "Bloody hell, Fettuccine." "Penne." "They said they had frozen food, but I certainly wasn't aware there was this much." "Oh, my God." "It just goes on." "It's endless." "How much pasta's in here?" "Look at the colors." "It's frozen badly." "No date, no name." "Look at it." "Oh, you're kidding me." "What is that?" "Sausage skin." "I mean, honestly." "Look at this." "Buckets of them." "What's that?" "That's just out of two freezers." "And look, there's more freezers down there." "Oh, my God, you are kidding me." "Chicken, freezer burned." "Oh, man, look at this." "This must be five years old, this stuff." "It's ruined." "You can't cook that." "Oh, my God." "Oh, fuck." "This is a joke." "Look at that." "Oh, come on." "Meatballs." "This is ridiculous." "They're frozen, moldy." "What's that?" "Oh, God." "No dates, no labels." "Another freezer." "Frozen vegetables, frozen pasta." "My God, I don't even know what it is." "An ice cream container." "Some are filled with pasta shells." "Look at this stuff." "Freezing tiramisu?" "You are kidding me." "Ugh!" "That's eggplant." "How many portions of food is here?" "I mean, it's just endless." "Oh, my God." "(Announcer) Horrified by the amount of frozen food..." "Wow." "Chef Ramsay is determined to give John and his staff..." "Unbelievable." "A much needed wake up call." " How are you today?" " Good." " Fucking day yesterday." " Yep." "I've just spoken to Charles." "The diner from last night." "He got checked out this morning at the hospital." "Totally fine." "Okay?" "Big breath of fresh air there." "Let me tell you." "I was really nervous." " No, we all were." " Today we start fresh." "Unfortunately, we are still a little frozen in the past." " Come with me." " Oh, boy." "Let's go." "Let me show you something." "Come in." "Wow!" "What the fuck is this?" "It's our menu, what do you think it is?" "This is our stuff." "[Whistles]" "John!" "I've never ever encountered anything like this in my entire cooking career." "Ever!" "Never!" "If we had to not touch anything else in this kitchen and cook what we've got, you'd be open for the next 12 months and still not run out." " Oh, my God." " Wow." "Come on!" "(Joe) We have 40 stacks." "That's like 400 pounds of chicken." "Kentucky Fried Chicken probably doesn't have that much chicken on hand." "John, did you have any idea that this is going on?" "Yes." "It is-- it's amazing when you look at it." "But I knew it was going on." "Look at the meatballs." "(Joe) Frickin' turned color." "Hey, don't throw it at me." "Come on, guys." " There's more, Joe." " I know." "There's more downstairs." "There's more." "It pains me." "(John) You're right." "There's no-- there's no way around it." "This is my-- this is my fault." "It's a sad truth." "It is." "It lies with me." "This is my fault." "I let this get out of-- out of my grasp." "Past glory, we used to do ten cases of chicken in two weeks." "I'm still buying like we were busy at that-- at that level, and we're not." "The restaurant is struggling as it is." "But you're losing money twice as fast." "Is that true?" "He's trying to change, you're saying no?" "Yes." "It is resistance to change." "Yes." "So that's another of my big problems, like I told you..." "I mean, look at this." "How long do you think those have been special?" "When's this from?" "I-it" " I-- listen..." "I'm just asking." "How long has that been here?" "Since my parents died." "I don't want to take it down." "I don't post the specials." "It's just something-- a memory to me." "But that's the really important issue." "And you mustn't take this personally." "You're still treating this business as if mom and dad are here." "We have to let go." "Throw it out." "It's holding me onto the past." "Throw it out." "No, I'm not asking to throw that out." "Take it home." "No, John, I don't want to get upset, but you've got to understand." "You gotta let go of the past." " Okay?" " Yup." "Guys, get the fuck out of here." "John, let's go." "[Thunder crashes]" "(Gordon) I am here to help you." "But I can just see the pressure." "I can feel the frustration." "No, it's not me." "I don't wanna be here no more." "Not that I don't want to be here," "I don't want to be in this position no more." "It's just sad." "Just being here every day, working seven days a week." "I don't know if I told you." "I wasn't educated." "My mom and dad threw me in here." "I would come home from school, not to eat lunch, to serve lunch." "How old?" "I was a kid." "Eight." "Ten." "This has been my life ever since." "It's just sad to sit here every day knowing what we used to do." "And not be able to do what I used to do anymore." "Just-- you're holding onto the wrong things." "And I think deep down inside, you're just running scared." "I don't want to be scared no more." "Or send my kids to camp." "They were so happy that you were coming." "My third child said to me," ""daddy, Ramsay's gonna fix everything." "And we can spend more time together."" "Hey, you will." "But you have got to let go of the past." "It's your turn now." "I am here to help you." "Do you understand?" "But, it's on one condition." "You step away from that pizza oven." "I want a commitment that you are not gonna jump behind there." " I will." "I will." " And the safety there." "That's gonna be hard." "I just want a commitment from you that you'll get your head out the dough." "Yes, I will." "Yes." "Yes." "Yeah?" "I want you to start making it, not pounding it." "All right." "Yeah." "Let's do it." "Let's do it." "[Thunder rumbling]" "Can you hear what's going on out there?" "I hear it." "I heard it." "That's for a reason." "I hope they're listening." "(John) It's gonna be extremely hard not to fall back into old habits." "But I'm ready to m-- from today on, change my ways and move forward." "And not let that ever happen again." "(Announcer) Chef Ramsay clearly feels for this owner, and is now ready to reveal the first important change." "First of all, good morning." " Good morning, sir." " Good morning." "Where are you?" "We hear you, but I don't see you." "Don't worry about at." "We are re-launching Mama Maria's." "Excited?" " Very." " Yeah." "Good." "Remove your blindfolds." " Oh, my God." " Wow." "(Lori) Oh, that awning's gone." "(Gordon) That's right." "The awning has gone." "Let me welcome you to the new sign." "Mama Maria's." "When I first arrived here," "I saw a disgusting awning." "Letters cut out, just hideous." "This now is your first statement." "It says a lot." "First impressions, let me tell you." " Oh, yeah." " I like it." "(Joe) Looks modern." "I made some minor changes inside." "Minor?" "Trust me, when you walk through those doors," "I think you're gonna shit yourself." "Let's go in." "Come in, please." " Oh, wow." " Holy crap." "(John) Wow." "Wow." " Oh, my God." "This is totally good." " Oh, my God." "(Gordon) First of all, welcome to the new, bright, vibrant Mama Maria's, and, my goodness, does it scream Brooklyn." "(Woman) Oh, wow." "This is totally different." "When I first came in here, it was resembling a restaurant that hadn't been touched in years." "It was dark, it was grimy, and it had no life." "We got stunning turquoise walls that gives that nice, vibrant pop." "The custom artwork, done by a very talented artist, painting the beautiful, historic Brooklyn Bridge above your fireplace." "I like that." "I think this is what Brooklyn wants, needs." "We got rid of all the clutter that John just was holding onto." "We have, on the wall, your parents in full-blown, stunning photographs, which is an amazing memory to hold onto." "Oh, have a look at the paper." " It's your mom." " Oh." " You didn't see that." " No." "That's me serving the dog." "I didn't notice the pictures." "Never forget this day moving forward." "A new beginning in the history of the stunning, family-run Mama Maria's," " let me tell you." " This is my family." "This is me." "It was here in front of my eyes, and I didn't see it." "It's amazing." "It's changing from old to new without letting go of the past." "The past is still here with us." "And I got a new lease on life." "(Announcer) Chef Ramsay's remodel of the restaurant is only part of his master." "Come through, please." "(Announcer) The overhaul of the menu is the real key to turning this Brooklyn eatery around." "First of all, just take a look at the vibrancy." "(Woman)" " Looks great." " Fresh." "Yeah, that's what I want too." "That's what I need." "Right, menu." "Starting off with a delicious Bruschetta." "It's done with a really nice chopped-up mozzarella served with marinated tomatoes." "Earthy, rustic, and charming." "Brilliant and fresh." "The mussels are just incredible." "A great little appetizer to get the palate, the juices flowing." "The specialities of the house-- the pizzas." "Margherita, stunning, simple, delicious." "You hit it on the head." "Next to that, you've got the ossobuco served in its cooking juices over mashed potato, gremolata, and a really nice, rich Demi-glace." " I'm hungry." " You're hungry." "That's a great sign." "Boss John, what do you think?" " I'm excited." " Are you excited?" " Yup." " Here's the scenario." "We have some very, very influential journalists and bloggers coming in." " Everybody on their game." " Yes." " Yes." "One more thing needs a little sprucing up." "Got this for you especially." " Nice..." " Hey!" "Beautiful shirt." "After 40 years, I got to take my colors off?" "That's right." "'Cause you're no longer a pizza boy." "You are the owner." "If I catch your head inside that pizza oven," "I'll put it in permanently." "[Laughter]" "And, as I look at you now, right over your shoulder," "I see your father looking down." "(Man) Look at him." "See?" "(Gordon) That's right." "And you are gonna run this business just like they did when they brought you into this world." "You've got it." "(Announcer) Coming up..." "[Bell ringing] Let's go." "(Announcer) It's the most important night in 20 years for Mama Maria's." "One mistake and we fall apart." "(Announcer) Will John be able to lead his team to a successful relaunch?" "I ain't got time for this." "Where is John?" "(Announcer) Or will he collapse under the pressure and take the restaurant with him?" "Son of a bitch." "I'm not letting you sink the dining room." "(Announcer) It's relaunch night." "We got some big hitters in tonight, yeah." "(Announcer) And Chef Ramsay is determined to let everyone know that Mama Maria's is the new cool place to dine in Brooklyn." "First off, Eat It:" "Brooklyn, a blogging web site, dynamic." "Blackboard Eats, blog." " Great." " We're gonna impress 'em." "Eat To Blog are also joining us, followed by The New York Observer." "Big one." "Absolutely big one." "(John) Getting nervous." "You have got a powerhouse full of critics." " Look how smart you are." " Wow." "Turn around." "Give us a spin." " Whoo!" " Amazing, amazing." " Amazing." "Let's go." " Yeah." "(Lori) Welcome to Mama Maria's." "This is our brand-new menu." "Welcome to Mama Maria's, our relaunch, and I'm very proud of what we're doing now." " Can we have the Cioppino?" " Psst." "That two-top that's coming in, just recognize them." "The New York Observer." "The guy with the note pad." " Oh, okay." " He's the man." "2.4 million readers." "Don't tell me who they are 'cause I'll get nervous." "No, I've just told you." "You need to know who they are." "Let's go." "You can do it." "It's tough taking on this new role." "You know, it's not my makeup." " I'll grab 'em." " Two?" " Yes." " All right." "I need to step away from that pizza counter and be more hands on to make sure everybody's doing their job and doing it correctly." "Table four, New York Observer." " Yes." " Okay?" "Okay, listen up, first course," "Minestrone and a Caesar." "You got it." "I need this Risotto Cavatelli, please." " 30 seconds in the window." " Good." "(Announcer) While John may be in the unfamiliar role of leading his staff..." "How are we doing over here?" "Is the pizzas all done?" "There's another one coming." "(Announcer) Mama Maria is off to a good start." "Pick up lasagna, gnocchi, spaghetti meatballs." "(Announcer) And customers are thoroughly enjoying the food." "The gnocchi's delicious." "I think the sauce is spot-on, delicious." "(Announcer) But while chef Joe continues to push dishes out in a timely manner..." "Mussels in the window." "Bruschetta in the window." "Let's go." "It was a typical Southern Italian red sauce joint, yeah." "(Announcer) John seems to have forgot that he is still needed in his new role as leader." "I'm so hungry." "Yeah, I'm really hungry now too." "Table four in the window, let's go." "It's a blogger's table, guys." "[Rings bell] Let's go." "Rapido." "It's very frustrating when I see dishes not leaving the window." "There's no time for mistakes." "I ain't got time for this." "Where is John?" "[Rings bell] Let's go!" "Get me John." "Let me get him." "Are you serious right now?" "Son of a bitch." "There's a guy walking around here with a white jacket, blonde hair." "Oh, fuck's sake." "John?" "Yes, sir?" "So you can't just favor two guys at the bar." " You've gotta be everywhere." " Right." " In and out." "We're in the middle of service." " Yeah." " I'm not letting you sink the dining room." " No." "This place is full of some of the most influential bloggers." " I hear you." " Step up, period." " End of story." " I'm trying I'm trying." "Well, you have to encourage." "Don't stop." "You cannot stop." "We're gonna communicate with our team." "We still got VIP tables out there." " Okay, the stuff is right over here." " I'll take it out to 'em." "Let's not drop our heads." "Let's bounce back, okay?" "Here you guys, guys." "Thank you." "Oh, I'm so happy." "Sorry about this service." "We're trying out best." "We're trying to keep up, and we're trying to do whatever we can." "This is the first time John was acting like the owner he is tonight." " You're doing great." "You're doing great." " All right." "Keep it up." "And that's exactly what Mama Maria needs." "This looks awesome and smells awesome." "Yum." "This is delicious." "Let me know when that margherita is ready, please." "I need that margherita." "So, guys, how did everything go?" "The spaghetti and meatballs were delicious." " It was awesome." "Totally awesome." " Absolutely spectacular." "Thank you." " Good place." " We'll definitely be coming here again." " Great job." "Well done." " Thank you." "(Fabio) Have a good night." "Thank you." "Thank you." "(Woman) Bye, thank you." "Good night, guys." "John, listen, you are one hardworking," " honest guy." " Thank you." "I feel I was living in a shell." "I'm coming out of that shell." " That shell is broken." " Good." "And now I gotta be honest with you." "You hit, man." "You hit it right on the head." "Here's my memories." " Mom and dad are here." " Yeah, they're here." "They're still here." "And so they are looking down" " and they, right now, are proud." " Oh, they're very proud." " You have got the door open." " Thank you." " Grab it." "Just go forward." " I will." " Don't go backwards." " No, no, no, no." "I'm not going backwards." " I refuse to go backwards." " Good." "One thing I remember of my father was his leadership." "And that's what I'm gonna continue doing." "Thank you so much." "Take care of yourself." "I know what I need to do." "And there's more to come of Mama Maria's in the future." "[Exhales]" "For the last 55 years, this restaurant has belonged to John's parents." "And even after they suddenly passed away, he remained a pizza maker." "But, tonight he was an owner." "This restaurant now belongs to John and John only." "And I'm truly-- and I mean truly rooting for this Brooklyn underdog." "How much water could be put in one plant pot?" "Aah, fuck." "Fuck." "God bless pizzas." "(Announcer) After Chef Ramsay left..." "Welcome to Mama Maria." "(Announcer) John has kept his promise of running his business away from the pizza counter." "I need a bowl of grated cheese please." "A bowl of grated cheese." "(Announcer) Mama Maria's has already generated a ton of positive buzz from bloggers and websites." " It's really good." " Thank you." "With help from Chef Ramsay, we've come a long way." "(Announcer) And this 55-year-old restaurant is on its way back to being a fixture in Brooklyn once again." "(Male announcer) Next time on Kitchen Nightmares..." "[Horn honking] Chef Ramsay, Chef Ramsay." "(Announcer) Chef Ramsay travels to Pittsburgh..." " Oh, my God." "(Announcer)" " And meets Miss Jean, who's also known as Miss Mean." "Look at this shit." "How can somebody mishandle bread?" "(Announcer) She yells at her staff..." "Everybody always late!" "And the staff yells back." "You told me I had to leave my post!" "Bye." " Can Chef Ramsay save Miss Jean?" " Stop!" "Everybody stop!" "Or has the restaurant gone too far south?" "It's killing me!" "I can't go with what you're doing no more!"