Has anyone else seen this show yet? I just discovered it last week.
You might have already seen Hell's Kitchen, a chefs-in-training contest with the cranky and demanding chef Gordon Ramsey. This show has a different premise, though he's still a tough coach with unwaiverly high standards.
Kitchen Nighmares (originally a UK show, now on Fox in the US) is a small business turnaround reality show. Failing restaurants sign up for a one-week business turnaround, allowing the camera crew to see all the ugly realities behind the scenes. The brutally honest consultant (Gordon Ramsey) proceeds to tear apart all the things that the business owners are doing wrong, then gets them back on track. He yells and swears a blue streak, yet the wake-up call is what the restaurant owners want and need. By the end of the episode I watched, the entire staff was crying tears of gratitude.
It's sensationalistic television, but there is so much to learn from it. Restaurants are not all that different from spas and wellness clinics in many ways. Both are service businesses. Both rely heavily on good management and staffing from a workforce of creative-types. You'll definitely laugh when you see how much worse some of these restaurants are compared to your own oasis of health and healing, yet I can all but guarantee you might be making some of the same mistakes. As a consultant, I watched with bemused recognition, especially when Gordon nearly fired the discount-obsessed general manager of one business, and pointed an angry finger at the owner of another saying, "You're the biggest problem here." He doesn't pull any punches with his tough-love approach. Because chef Ramsey needs to get the place turned around fast, he goes straight to the problems without sugar-coating it. Similarly, the people who are his "clients" take immediate action on his recommendations. It's impressive how quickly everyone works to get it done in one week. I'm sure the film crews add to the sense of urgency.
Here is the link to the show's summary page online:
Kitchen Nightmares.
Here is the link where you can watch past episodes online:
Kitchen Nightmares Streaming Video
Regular broadcast time is Wednesdays at 9pm on Fox.
Here's a short video snippet from You Tube showing chef Ramsey sampling a meal at one of the restaurants he turns around. The manager is completely embarrassed to hear the truth about their food.
What do you think about his approach? Is he too tough? Or do you see some value in the way he calls it like he sees it?
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