Kitchen Nightmares, Season 3, Episode 2: Flamangos

Welcome to Kitchen Nightmares. This is the show where professional chef and entertainer Gordon Ramsay drops in on various failing restaurants across the United States and shows them how to shape up and fix all their problems. He often leaves them with a high class menu, better cooks, and hopefully a new legacy of success.

Tonight we start off on the Jersey shore at a restaurant called Flamangos. It is owned by Bill and Adele, a recently retired couple. Previous to their retirement they had own several successful diners and had cashed out for over a million dollars. Bill was looking forward to a peaceful retirement on the farm, tending livestock and watching the grass grow.

Adele, on the other hand, went stir crazy after the third day of retirement. She needed the constant excitement and hectic pace of a restaurant. So, in 2006 they opened a fine dining establishment called Flamangos Roadhouse with their daughter Cheryl. It is loosely themed on Florida and the Caribbean. We are shown an endless array of tiki torches and bamboo. I’m sure Gordon Ramsay will hate that.

Their server, Jodi, tells us that the décor is hideous. We are treated to more footage of thatched huts and drinks served in coconuts. The other servers, Christine and Isabella, tell us that the real problem is that Adele is a shrill taskmaster. We are treated to much footage of Adele screaming and abusing the employees. She does seem like a horrible witch. She has a foul mouth worse than Chef Ramsay himself.

But the last straw is that she treats her husband Bill as a slave. She tells him what to do and when and how. He has to do all the repairs to the place and serve the food and generally every other thankless job in the restaurant.

Cheryl says that the saving grace is that the food is fabulous. Bryan, the head chef, disagrees. He says that the menu is less than mediocre and that he has some great ideas on how to fix it up. But the owners (mainly Adele) refuse to let Bryan change a thing. She will do what she wants when she wants. Period.

Despite these obvious problems, Adele tells us that she has no idea why the restaurant is doing so lousy. She worries that they are spending their whole retirement and getting almost nothing in return. She says that Gordon Ramsay is their only chance because he cuts right to the bone and can figure out the problems in an instant.

Right on cue we cut to Gordon Ramsay, driving an old pick-up truck. He tells us that since it is so early in the day he will visit the family on their farm rather than at the restaurant like he usually does.

Ramsay talks to farmer Bill and we find that Bill is not really all that keen on this new restaurant. He built this farm for his retirement and wasn’t expecting to open another restaurant.

Ramsay then chats with Adele and asks her why she came out of retirement. She says that she wanted to do this as a family, just her and Cheryl. Note that she didn’t actually mention Bill as being part of her family. He’s just a slave, you know.

Cheryl joins them and Ramsay asks if she just popped ‘round for a cup of tea. She admits that she still lives at home and she’s 42 years old. Ramsay looks stunned and says that he’s also 42 and he left his family home 24 years ago. Cheryl laughs nervously.

Adele says that it is okay if Cheryl lives at home as long as she doesn’t bring any guys home. Yowsers! This family is pretty screwed up already.

Without much further ado, we move on to meet the family at the restaurant. Ramsay’s first problem is with the name of the restaurant. Cheryl tells us that the name is a contraction of the words “Florida” and “Mangos.” Ramsay can’t quite digest that and shakes his head sadly.

We also find out that Cheryl designed and decorated the whole place herself. Chef Ramsay is aghast at the tacky decorations. Adele defends it and says that she likes the tropics.

Ramsay sits down and orders a few bizarre items off of the menu, such as tsunami steak and a flaming tiki platter. The food is delivered and Ramsay tastes it. The tuna is way over-seasoned and he sends it back. Jodi confides to us that the owners seem to like extra hot and spicy food. In the kitchen, Cheryl says that she likes spicy food and there is not a problem with it. Bryan notes that he has had many complaints about the spice but is not allowed to change the recipe.

The tiki platter is terrible and he awaits the tsunami filet mignon. He is surprised to find Bill delivering it on a trolley cart. The steak is in an old roof tile over a flame. He douses it with garlic butter and then serves it. Ramsay is confused as to why all the theatrics are needed to serve a simple steak.

And, unfortunately, the performance fails to deliver. The steak is very tough and chewy. Gordon sends it away without finishing it.