[0:00]Gordon Ramsey has saved dozens of restaurants, but not everyone listened. Some owners threw his advice out the window the moment he left. From Sandra D's BBQ to Sebastian's, here's what happened to the restaurants that ignored Gordon Ramsey's advice. Starting with Amy's Baking Company. Before Ramsey showed up, restaurant owners Amy and Sammy were already notorious for arguing with customers and critics. Fuck yourself! You are a bitch! You are a bitch! You are a bitch! You are a bitch! You are a bitch! Their behavior had once led to a bad review, and their business never fully recovered from it. Approximately two years ago, these reviewers and these bloggers decided to make up lies and say that they ate the food and it was disgusting. When Gordon pointed out problems of the restaurant, including the food, you'd think that would have been enough to cause some quick changes. But Amy wouldn't hear it and kept insisting her food was perfectly fine. These are still born, crap, frozen ravioli. They're not crap, and they're delicious! And I, the first time I've ever, okay. Did you taste it? You didn't taste that one! I didn't because you didn't get the feedback. I said they were disgusting! The next day when Gordon tried to talk things out and find some common ground, things only got worse. You're attacking my business and my life. This is all I do is live this life every day. You're not telling me the problems. You are saying I'm delusional, I'm this, I'm this, I'm this. When advice only met anger, Ramsey decided further work would be useless, and he left the project unfinished for the first time in the show's history. You have the right to run the business the way you want to run your business. I have the right to do the right thing. And the right thing for me is to get out of here. Good luck. After the episode aired, it gained massive attention online, and it only exposed even more problems. Sammy and Amy fired back at critics with heated posts, hurling insults at everyone who complained, writing things like, "We will not bend to the will of these haters and sinners." And, "I'm not stupid all of you are. You just do not know good food." To save face, they later claimed their social media accounts had been hacked, insisting that the outbursts weren't really them. Soon after, people started digging and discovered that Sammy had a criminal record overseas, which brought immigration scrutiny and legal trouble. It was during the court cases that Amy's own hidden past came to light. Meanwhile, they did everything they could to save the restaurant, but the reputation kept getting worse and customers stopped coming. Eventually, the company confirmed that they were suspending operations in 2015. Sammy was eventually deported to Israel in 2018, and the couple tried to start a new life together there. But after years of stress and fallout, Amy filed for divorce in April 2020. And she later returned to the United States and now shares baking videos on Instagram. Amy's meltdown might have been unforgettable, but Ramsey's next visit proved that strong personalities weren't the only problem he had to deal with. Sandra D's barbecue and seafood had once been a local favorite, but over time, the spark faded. The kitchen had started relying on shortcuts and canned ingredients, which left the food bland. And when Ramsey arrived to inspect the kitchen, he saw how messy it was, with food poorly stored and hygiene completely ignored. This was cleaned. Last week. Last week? Oh! What is that? Oil. That's oil. Smell that! That's gone! Yeah, it's not good. Do you use that today? Yeah, I think we did, yeah. Oh my God! Jill, But It is stinking! And what's this thing? Uh, the chicken there. Come on, guys! The owner, Sandra D Johnson was very aggressive, and that was one of the main issues Ramsey noticed right away. The staff complained about it, but Sandra refused to listen. I sometime feel like maybe we need to just start the fuck over. Everybody get the fuck out! That's what I am right now! If y'all ain't got my back, then I ain't got your back. Period! Ramsey spent the entire night overhauling everything. He and his team repaired what they could, cleaned the whole place from top to bottom, and by the end, it looked better than ever. He also revamped the menu and gave the kitchen staff some much needed training. But are here to help one on one, and we're going to absolutely master this menu. It should have been a turning point, but by the end of the episode, Ramsey revealed some shocking details. We reached out to Sandra D's, but sadly, received no response, that although Sandra has kept the new renovation, she has gone back to her old menu. One Yelp review confirmed that nothing had really changed. It read, "Still the same sad Sandra from before. Same rude staff up front, same nasty tea, same bland food, same cafeteria Mac and cheese." Soon after, Sandra admitted to discarding Ramsey's changes. In a 2018 interview, she told The Sacramento Bee, "My customers don't want me to change the menu." "As to changing to his menu, I will not be doing that. I'm Creole and I don't know how to cook without spice." Once customers realized the food and service hadn't changed, the reviews went downhill. People said the ribs were dry, the beans tasted canned, and the staff still had an attitude. One customer ended a long review about their terrible experience by writing, "Bad service, mediocre food. Not worth the time, money, or effort." Competition in Sacramento grew stronger, and newer barbecue spots took Sandra's old customers. One customer on Reddit pointed out how the restaurant's attitude no longer matched the growing competition. They said, "It just seemed like morale at the place was low. You can get away with it when you're the only barbecue spot in town but now not so much since they're everywhere." Just a year after the episode aired, Sandra announced that the restaurant was shutting down. She posted a statement on her Facebook page saying, "Our last official day will be July 20, 2019." She then turned to catering full-time and kept the same name for that business. And Sandra still tries to keep the brand alive, but a restaurant that once filled a whole block with the smell of barbecue now sits empty. If Sandra's story showed how pride can keep a restaurant from moving forward, the next one reveals what happens when doubt and insecurity slowly pull it apart. The Seascape Inn in Islip, New York was a long-standing family restaurant that had fallen on hard times by the time Ramsey arrived. Owned by Irene and her son Peter, the place was deep in debt and in desperate need of help. The rug is being pulled out from under me, and I gotta do something about it. I need 800 to a million dollars to save the seascape. When Ramsey did his inspection, he couldn't believe how filthy the kitchen was or how badly the food had gone bad. This is disgusting. Look at that. You didn't see that? One major thing Ramsey focused on was boosting Peter's confidence. Often seen as too soft and lacking leadership, he needed to toughen up to run the restaurant effectively. Or whether you wake up, get a grip and be the boss. And when Ramsey eventually gave the restaurant a complete makeover, its classic charm was restored. Then he brought in a new chef to help bring consistency back to the kitchen. It finally seemed like the restaurant had found its footing. The kitchen was clean, the food was fresh, and for the first time in years, the place was full of happy customers. Peter promised to take charge and keep the restaurant on track, but that didn't last long. He eventually realized he wasn't cut out for the business and took what seemed like his only way out, which was revealed at the end of the episode. Even though Gordon successfully restored the seascape to its former glory, Peter accepted an offer that he couldn't refuse and sold the restaurant. The old seascape building didn't stay empty for long. It was sold again and turned into J&R's Islip Steakhouse. A place with a completely different look and crowd. The red walls and wood trim from Ramsey's renovation have since been replaced with a completely new look. There isn't much known about Peter or his mother today. The only clear thing is that the Seascape name is gone. Ramsey moved on once again, this time to a business that seemed full of promise but was already weighed down by old habits and debt. When this episode of Kitchen Nightmares aired in March 2010, Mama Rita's restaurant was packed with customers thanks to Ramsey's intervention. Reviews from that period showed that his changes were making a real difference. One Yelp user wrote, "Gordon worked hard to get this place back on track and from our visit, it looks to have paid off." The owner, Laura seemed to be getting a fresh start, but that short burst of success couldn't fix the deeper problems lurking beneath. On the show, Ramsey had introduced a new menu with the restaurant's head chef, Perla, struggled to keep up. Perla, I need you to step up the mark now, please. Take control! Perla, listen to me, please. Let's get 34 out. Whatever that is. I need that for the tacos. Send me up the plate so I can just put the fish on there. You slowly sinking. Perla, we need to get organized. This is not, this is not working. After a rough night of service, filled with kitchen problems, Ramsey had to sit Laura down and tell her the hard truth. That is not head chef material. We're not looking for a super duper fine dining chef. I'm just looking for a cook that can cook from start to finish. He saw that Perla wasn't ready to lead a kitchen that needed rebuilding from the ground up. Laura agreed that the time, and even reassigned her to focus on catering, which was the part of the business that had once made her successful. Moving forward now, there's definitely gonna be a split between my catering and the restaurant. They are going to be two different businesses. But not long after Ramsey left, Laura put Perla back in charge of the kitchen. In an interview with a Ventura County Star, Laura explained that Perla had undergone extra training and said, "Perla now rules that kitchen with an iron fist." However, that decision slowly pulled the restaurant back into the same old pattern of frozen food, weak leadership, and dishes that didn't match what Ramsey had taught them. Reviews soon appeared online, saying things like, "My enchilada sauce tasted like it came out of a can." And, "My burrito came out cold and had to have it re-made." Then there was debt hanging over Laura's head, which didn't help either. Nearly 2 million dollars in costs and loans had built up, and even full tables couldn't fix that. By December 2010, less than two years after Ramsey's visit, Mama Rita's shut its doors for good. People online began pointing to Laura's decision to keep Perla as head chef as one of the main reasons the restaurant failed. One comment pointed out, "Perla had no business being a head chef and Laura did not have the business sense to make the right moves." Another added, "Even though it was hard to come back from being down almost two million dollars, the decision to keep Perla on as head chef, definitely insured the demise of Mama Rita's Mexican Cantina." After the restaurant closed, the building was taken over by a new restaurant called The Local Table. Laura, however, didn't give up on the food business entirely. She went back to catering, which is what she knew best. It worked for a while, and she eventually managed another spot called Mission Oaks Cafe. Replying to a comment online from someone who thought she owned the cafe, Laura clarified, "I don't own Mission Oaks Cafe. I worked there." It closed years after I left. I was able to help the owners and start a catering department as well. They were later able to sell the restaurant after I left. These days, Laura manages the catering at the Thousand Oaks Inn and according to her Instagram, also performs standup comedy on the side. Ramsey had given Mama Rita's a lifeline, but Laura pulled it right back under. His next challenge, however, involved owners who weren't stubborn or reckless, just afraid of change. Fleming started as a busy Danish spot that people fought to get into. The owners, Andy and Suzanne, kept everything the same because they feared losing regulars. And that fear stopped them from trying new things. But that hesitation backfired, which led to a shrinking customer base, putting the restaurant deep into debt. The huge amount of debt that we're under right now it, it puts a strain on the restaurant, it puts a strain on the relationship I have with, with employees, it it puts a strain on my relationship in home with Suzanne. When Gordon stepped in, one of the first things he did was give the place a fresh new look. He also introduced a modern menu with desserts that were a lot different from before. That change brought in new customers and a brief surge of hope, proving that a few updates could actually make a difference. But the regulars pushed back, insisting they wanted the old dishes back. So, the owners gave in to avoid more complaints, and he himself said, "We ran with the menu for about two months and quickly found out that our clients still wanted many of the traditional favorites." But that decision pulled the restaurant away from the new path and pushed it back towards the old menu and old habits. As the menu shifted back, younger diners stopped coming. The continued focus on pleasing the older crowd meant that the restaurant never built a new following, and that failure to attract fresh business made the debt worse and the cash flow tighter. With money problems mounting and no steady rise in customers, selling the place became the only sensible move. The restaurant eventually closed in 2010, only a few months after the episode aired. One comment online said that the owner likely bent over for the consistent old patrons, not willing to sacrifice for more benefits down the line, eventually leading to the failure of the revamped restaurant. The building later changed hands, and the space where Fleming was located became a gym franchise called Orange Theory Fitness by Incrass. The owners of Fleming may have held on to the past too tightly, but the next entry on this list barely understood what they were holding at all. Casa Roma had a long run, but the real trouble began after Nylah and her son, who had no restaurant experience, bought the place and tried to keep a bar running as a dining room. Two and a half years ago, I was in real estate, I was sitting around looking at business opportunities and I found Casa Roma. I talked my oldest son into getting in with me, and had we have known the restaurant business very well, we probably wouldn't have done it. And my mom thought we were buying a restaurant with a bar attached to it. But really, it just was a bar with a restaurant attached to it. This meant sloppy operations, and to make matters worse, the kitchen was in horrible condition. Oh God!
[15:48]The first thing Gordon focused on was making sure they cleaned the place up. Before we go any further, I want the fucking place clean up.
[15:58]Then he did what he does best, transforming the restaurant for the better with a much improved decor. Gordon also introduced a simple pizza menu that both the staff and owners agreed was a huge improvement. I mean, I like this one. Good. Jeremy, try one as well. It all seemed like a clear path forward, but as you might have guessed, the changes didn't last. When Ramsey visited a year later, he found out that the restaurant's chef, Drew, had already left, and even Laura's son was no longer working there. True. He's no longer with us. I love my son to death. You know, I love all my kids, but we just couldn't work together. Everything seemed fine at first, but not long after that second visit, the restaurant scrapped Ramsey's menu and went back to their old one. Yelp reviews soon worsened, with one saying, "Since Gordon Ramsey gave them a boost, decided to try spaghetti and meatballs. What a mistake! After waiting over 1/2 hour it finally arrived. The meatballs were dry and lacking any traditional Italian flavor. Looked like they were previously frozen. Business eventually went downhill, and Nylah decided to take a different route by selling part of the business due to family health issues. She then renamed the place C R Roadhouse, with a Mexican focus, and each change moved the business farther from the clear, focused idea Gordon had put in place. But a continuous drop in customers made the business unsustainable, so Nylah announced to close the restaurant on the first of July, 2017. The building later became an entertainment venue called Garibaldi around 2022. If Casa Roma showed how abandoning Ramsey's plan can lead to disaster, the next case proved that sometimes doing the exact same thing has a completely different outcome. Diwan had been a town staple for decades, but by the time Gordon arrived, the place was bleeding customers and cash. In our heyday, Diwan was very vibrant. I mean, it was the place to be seen and one would go out through the parking lot. To keep Diwan afloat, we have dipped into our retirement savings. Since COVID, we're putting in about 100,000 dollars a year. The owners, Bobby and Margaret, were desperate and had been trying risky ideas, which only caused more confusion and didn't help at all. Ramsey came in, and after inspecting the state of the restaurant, he made his message clear. Just for your own sanity so we can focus on running an authentic Indian restaurant. Soon after, Ramsey had his team revamp the restaurant with much better decor. Wow, it's just beautiful! Gone is the mixed messaging from the previous restaurant ideas. They've been replaced with authentic Indian vibrancy. As soon as you enter the restaurant, it talks to you, "Welcome to India Restaurant." This is a beautiful change that has come our way. Amazing! I did not imagine to have such a warm and inviting Indian feel. You're done. Next came a complete menu upgrade that was simpler, fresher, and gave the restaurant a new focus. All the changes paid off as the service ran smoothly, and customers quickly noticed the fresher food and more welcoming atmosphere. But before Ramsey left, he gave one final warning. You abandon these old and the restaurant concept, honestly, who knows what Diwan might become? For a while, it seemed like the new plan was working, but almost immediately, after the crew left, Bobby went back to the old menu. This was confirmed in a Reddit post where a regular said, "I went to Diwan two weeks after Gordon left and found that they had returned to the old menu." Bobby claimed that his return customers weren't loving Gordon's recipes and were requesting old favorites. This quick reversal sent mixed signals to diners, but surprisingly, things still worked out for the restaurant. It remains open to this day with a 4.1 star rating on Yelp. Recent reviews still say things like, "Food was delicious. Service was quick. Beautiful restaurant. If you can't take the heat, ask for mild." Others wrote, "Great food here! Great atmosphere and roomy seating. We keep coming back and are never disappointed." In the end, some people even started saying Ramsey was being too picky about their menu. One Redditor commented, "Genuinely not surprised they went back to their old menu. Gordon seemed to be the only one having issues with how the food was made or tasted. Another added, "I was so annoyed at Gordon acting all hoity toity about Indian fusion.
[20:36]Ultimately, it seems not following Ramsey's advice actually paid off this time for this restaurant. But the next stop would remind everyone that most aren't that lucky.
