Kitchen Nightmares Update

[larry_stewart]

IM watching the kitchen nightmare show , where they go back to all the restaurants from last season to see how they are doing now.

Im only writing this, because the first restaurant they visited was " handlebars" in new york, which is around the block from my house. Gordon is bragging how well it is doing now. But, the truth is that it has went out of business.

Anyone live near any of the other featured restaurants ? and any update on how they are doing now ?

 

[TATTRAT]

They normally close the season with an update type of show. . .that being said, when he is talking about/referring to the place doing well, I think he is just meaning in the short months or so after the visit.

 

[GrillingFool]

I often wonder how long those places last. I know that there are some I wouldn't eat in EVER, even after the Ramsey-izing!
Seems like after the shock of the show goes away, most people are going to return to
their bad habits.......

 

[frozenstar]

Maybe when the show visited the area, it was really doing well and all of a sudden, things didn't went well and they shut down the biz. Just some thoughts.

 

[larry_stewart]

Im not sure, but i know it was filmed this year, and judging by the looks of the leaves on the trees, it was early spring( which was only a few months ago), so Im assuming they had a pretty good idea things were not looking good only a few months ago, but , whatever. Thats reality tv

 

[BreezyCooking]

Sorry Larry, but the "Handlebars Revisited" episode was filmed in 2008, not "this year". Just like print media (magazines), there's a serious lead time. You don't just film a show & it magically appears on tv a few weeks later - lol!! There's a lot that goes into the behind-the-scenes production. Television series film a bare minimum of 6-10 months ahead at least. Many have an even longer lead time.

As for the Handlebars, I don't think Long Island lost a whole lot. I not only remember the place, but my brother worked there for a while. It was always a dumpy dive. I'm surprised Gordon wasted his time - must've been the motorcycle tie in.

 

[Kevin86]

Don't forget the debts that these owners have before Gordon comes out some have dug pretty deep holes that I'm sure would be tough if not impossible to climb out of. Also it's a 1 week crash course on fixing what has been wrecked for years sometimes so I hope every one can remember it is just a tv show.

 

[GLC]

You can get people to temporarily straighten up, if only to get the free makeover, but you just aren't going to change people in any fundamental way in a few days.

Of course, they're not so bad as they are coached to pretend. They're not going to invest all that time with crew and star with truly dreadful people who can't bring themselves to at least pretend to be better for a while.

Slobs will still be slobs. Control freaks will still be control freaks. And an inability to conceive of a proper menu does not magically become a skill, just because an abusive Englishman screams at you for a week and then leaves. The attitude only stays adjusted until you put away the stick. If you could bring about real change that way, we could cure any a-hole by having Gordon Ramsey curse and spit food at him.

And I'm not sure they don't go in ahead of time and plant rotten food and rats. I wouldn't be surprised. I know for sure that the one reality type antique picker show I'm familiar with always planted the "discoveries" to be found. You just can't afford the production costs involved in shooting blind. Not in any kind of reality show.