Gordon Ramsays magic touch !

bendix

Gordon Ramsey's Kitchen Nightmare my !!!!. Has there ever been a more formulaic tv program in history. A typical episode:

1) Ramsey arrives and criticise decor
2) Orders food from nice waitress. Hates the food.
3) Meeting in which he attacks everyone.
4) Witnesses typical evening. Always a shambles. Attacks everyone again.
5) Inspects kitchen. Always a mess.
6) Attacks everyone, and fights with owner. Gets close to walking out, until heart to heart turns it all around, and they all help clean the kitchen.
7) Overnight makeover - opened in the morning. Everyone cries. Ramsey punches his palm and looks smug.
8) Introduce new menu. Usually boring and bland, and he calls it keeping it simple.
9) First serving. Chef gives it a real go and people like it, then problems occur. Owner interferes, and tried to bring back old menu
10) Ramsey almost quits again.
11) Owner sees error of his ways, proclaims Ramsey a genius and everyone lives happily ever after.
12) three months later, the return. It's a disaster again.

Repeat ad nauseum with next episode.


Here's the question - if Ramsey is such a genius why is his own chain doing so badly and the banks are considering freezing his £10m debt?

brightonman123

I havent been to wither Love or Mama (old or new one, just along the road..)

The Love guy seemed to be stuck in the past, and old habits die hard i guess.

Mama seemed to be the mos talented(?) cook, but popularity & skills may not have rubbed off on the other staff.

One place i do miss is Blind Lemon Alley (Middle Street), which closed when the lease ran out, and freeholders apprantly wouldnt renew..

McD's it is then.

piggeh

He normally comes into these places and they're already saddled with debt, poor management, etc. I guess it doesnt help when they go through the kitchen and find it an unhygienic mess - maybe they should have had a tidy up before asking a TV crew to visit!

Laughing_man

piggeh wrote: »

He normally comes into these places and they're already saddled with debt, poor management, etc. I guess it doesnt help when they go through the kitchen and find it an unhygienic mess - maybe they should have had a tidy up before asking a TV crew to visit!

I'm always slightly surprised they don't clean the kitchen before he turns up- but then if the chefs on this show were good they wouldn't need Ramsey.

I worked in Kitchens when I was younger so watching Ramsey bollock crap chefs is quite entertaining. It's clear in almost every show that the resteraunts have very little potential for becoming viable businesses.

Given what he starts with I would say he has a excellent track record keeping a third of places open- because every single one would go broke without his intervention. I thin industry average is 85% failing in the first two years or something.

ninky_2

bendix wrote: »

A typical episode:

1) Ramsey arrives and criticise decor
2) Orders food from nice waitress. Hates the food.
3) Meeting in which he attacks everyone.
4) Witnesses typical evening. Always a shambles. Attacks everyone again.
5) Inspects kitchen. Always a mess.
6) Attacks everyone, and fights with owner. Gets close to walking out, until heart to heart turns it all around, and they all help clean the kitchen.
7) Overnight makeover - opened in the morning. Everyone cries. Ramsey punches his palm and looks smug.
8) Introduce new menu. Usually boring and bland, and he calls it keeping it simple.
9) First serving. Chef gives it a real go and people like it, then problems occur. Owner interferes, and tried to bring back old menu
10) Ramsey almost quits again.
11) Owner sees error of his ways, proclaims Ramsey a genius and everyone lives happily ever after.
12) three months later, the return. It's a disaster again.

Repeat ad nauseum with next episode.

bendix have you been having dinner with commissioning editors? this looks like a typical running order for the majority of shows i work on.

money for old ropey.

the scary thing is this stuff is paid for from the "factual budget" broadcasters were supposed to maintain when they won their channels.

the fourth estate function has been entirely swallowed by commodified dross.

fortunately (?) for me the powers that be consider me a talent in the world of reality telly making so the mortgage continues to be paid even if the creative function remains hollow.

ninky_2

piggeh wrote: »

maybe they should have had a tidy up before asking a TV crew to visit!

but then the tv crew wouldn't visit and they wouldn't get the promised knock-on publicity.

swiss69

Bendix - Funniest thing Ive read on here in ages. It couldn't have been more accurate if he had written it himself!

People here seem to have given up inviting him as every series now is USA.

pizzaboy

bendix wrote: »

Gordon Ramsey's Kitchen Nightmare my !!!!. Has there ever been a more formulaic tv program in history. A typical episode:

1) Ramsey arrives and criticise decor
2) Orders food from nice waitress. Hates the food.
3) Meeting in which he attacks everyone.
4) Witnesses typical evening. Always a shambles. Attacks everyone again.
5) Inspects kitchen. Always a mess.
6) Attacks everyone, and fights with owner. Gets close to walking out, until heart to heart turns it all around, and they all help clean the kitchen.
7) Overnight makeover - opened in the morning. Everyone cries. Ramsey punches his palm and looks smug.
8) Introduce new menu. Usually boring and bland, and he calls it keeping it simple.
9) First serving. Chef gives it a real go and people like it, then problems occur. Owner interferes, and tried to bring back old menu
10) Ramsey almost quits again.
11) Owner sees error of his ways, proclaims Ramsey a genius and everyone lives happily ever after.
12) three months later, the return. It's a disaster again.

Repeat ad nauseum with next episode.


Here's the question - if Ramsey is such a genius why is his own chain doing so badly and the banks are considering freezing his £10m debt?

This is vey typical of the american show,ive watched about 3 episodes and each one is almost identical,at times i thought these chef/owners were actors its that cheesy.Good entertainment if you like that sort of thing i suppose,but the english version is far better in my opinion.

I worked first hand in places like this for years,and one the whole things are getting better,gordon has made a difference,to educate the customers and not just the owners more than anything.

Conrad

I firmly believe you cannot train or teach someone to do business well. You either can or you can't. Tis the same with music production, which I'm in to. We have people comming on forums saying they've been trying to produce to get a quality result, and no matter what they do they just cannot deliver a polished professional sound.

For me it comes down to whether you have an eye for detail or not.

Conrad

bendix wrote: »

Gordon Ramsey's Kitchen Nightmare my !!!!. Has there ever been a more formulaic tv program in history. A typical episode:

1) Ramsey arrives and criticise decor
2) Orders food from nice waitress. Hates the food.
3) Meeting in which he attacks everyone.
4) Witnesses typical evening. Always a shambles. Attacks everyone again.
5) Inspects kitchen. Always a mess.
6) Attacks everyone, and fights with owner. Gets close to walking out, until heart to heart turns it all around, and they all help clean the kitchen.
7) Overnight makeover - opened in the morning. Everyone cries. Ramsey punches his palm and looks smug.
8) Introduce new menu. Usually boring and bland, and he calls it keeping it simple.
9) First serving. Chef gives it a real go and people like it, then problems occur. Owner interferes, and tried to bring back old menu
10) Ramsey almost quits again.
11) Owner sees error of his ways, proclaims Ramsey a genius and everyone lives happily ever after.
12) three months later, the return. It's a disaster again.

Repeat ad nauseum with next episode.


Here's the question - if Ramsey is such a genius why is his own chain doing so badly and the banks are considering freezing his £10m debt?

Bendix, I find you to be incredibly insightful and lucid. Jealous I am!