Kitchen Nightmares, Season 2, Episode 4: The Black Pearl

Welcome to the fourth episode in the second season of Kitchen Nightmares, which Fox aired on the same night as the third episode. 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 of their problems. He leaves them with a high class menu, better cooks, and hopefully a legacy of success.

Tonight we find ourselves once again in New York. This time it is New York City. This restaurant is The Black Pearl, which started as a small lobster shack and then moved downtown into fancier digs. They hope to become the premier lobster restaurant in the city.

David and Brian owned the place when it was small. When they wanted to expand they put an ad in the paper looking for an investor – they didn’t want to spend their own money. Greg answered the ad and thought it sounded like a money-making opportunity.

Unfortunately, things didn’t work out so rosy. When money got tight, the co-owners stopped talking to each other and now only send text messages and email to try to resolve any issues. That didn’t work and now they fight all the time.

The servers complain that the three partners lack cohesiveness and each one tells them to do something different. So they just do whatever they want instead since they know that whatever they do will be violating somebody’s wishes. Apparently, David is the toughest one to work for because, as one server puts it, his ego gets in the way.

One of the servers tells us that everything would be fine if there was just someone around who could make the three owners work together. But alas, there is no one to do that and the restaurant is doomed.

But wait! Here comes Gordon Ramsay to save the day and offer some sage advice to the bickering owners. Ramsay tells the camera that he personally knows how hard it is to run a restaurant in New York City as he opened one himself 14 months ago and it has been difficult.

Ramsay finds the place and soon engages in a discussion with the staff. Steven, a server, tells Ramsay that the owners are never here at the same time. A moment later, David strolls in and introduces himself. He walks off and mutters that Ramsay seems quite confrontational and unpleasant.

Meanwhile, Ramsay sits down and orders up some food. He starts with clam chowder and then orders mussels Bangkok, mac-and-cheese lobster, and a lobster roll. Steven asks whether he wants a Maine, New York City, or Connecticut lobster roll and Ramsay tells him to bring all three.

Ramsay then flirts shameless with Steven and Steven loves every minute of it. He bounces away with a skip in his step.

The food arrives and Ramsay tastes it. The chowder is watery, which is his only complaint and is relatively high praise from the man. “Watery” soup can be easily fixed.

Greg delivers the mussels and introduces himself as another owner. Ramsay tastes the mussels and declares them to be too hot. Again, that is another easily solvable problem.

The lobster macaroni and cheese arrives next. Brian, the third and final owner, appears and introduces himself. Ramsay tastes the dish and declares it to be “complicated.”

The three lobster rolls are brought out (lobster rolls are basically submarine sandwiches with lobster meat). He declares the Connecticut one to be wet and soggy, like eating a dirty diaper. He declares the Maine one to be piss poor because it is bland and unseasoned. We never hear what he thinks of the New York City one. But again, these are easily solved problems.

He gathers the three owners together to give them his report. David, the food manager, takes offense at Ramsay’s complaints, especially the bland Maine lobster roll. He says that is the way they make them in Maine. Ramsay says that he lived in Maine for a long time – three whole months – and he knows that they season their rolls better than this.

Phil, the chef, says that David is arrogant and stubborn and when he says to make the rolls a certain way, that just what he has to do.

Ramsay asks the owners if it is hard for three people to work together like this. They agree that it is and admit that the three of them have actually never sat down together and had a meeting. Ramsay concludes that none of them are actually committed to making this restaurant work.

He notes that Brian works only two days a week, Greg doesn’t know how to run things, and David is grouchy. He calls them Sleepy, Dopey, and Grumpy.

We skip ahead to the evening’s dinner service. David is trying to run the kitchen. Phil confesses to the camera that it was unusual to have David actually helping out and that the kitchen has always needed someone to manage it. Unfortunately, David is not very experienced and customers are soon complaining about the quality of the food. Mostly it is undercooked because David is rushing the orders.

Steven summarizes the problem and notes that when all three owners are present, they each try to outdo the others to impress Chef Ramsay and they end up stumbling over each other and everyone else.

A few moments later, one of the servers brings back a nearly full plate of food. Ramsay asks what is wrong and the server says, “Nothing. They didn’t want any more.” Ramsay doesn’t believe it and grabs the food and sniffs it. It is old and has gone bad. David sniffs and says that there is no problem. Everyone else disagrees. Ramsay says that David simply doesn’t give a fish about the food he serves (Ramsay didn’t say “fish,” however). David disagrees.

Ramsay distrusts David and asks Phil to give him a tour of the kitchen. He finds Canadian lobsters in the cooler instead of good Maine lobsters. He doesn’t find any of the nasty cleanliness problems that he normally finds in other restaurants.

So all in all, this restaurant is in pretty good shape. The only real problem is that the owners don’t work together. And specifically it is David who doesn’t work well with anybody.

Ramsay gathers them all together and tells them that. David, of course, disagrees and feels that he does a good job.

As they are leaving, Ramsay pins David down on his bragging about the Maine lobsters they serve and asks him if he realizes that they are actually Canadian lobsters. David responds, “It’s all the same water.” Ramsay is shocked and explains that there is a big difference between them. David continues to argue and Ramsay gets more and more exasperated. Ramsay finally storms out.

The next morning, Ramsay gathers all the staff together and has them write all their complaints about the owners on sheets of paper, which he reads at random.

The first note complains that Greg waffles too much. Greg says that he tries to keep everyone happy so that they won’t quit. One server says that things would be better if he were more strict and he says that he will be.

The next note is that David never insists that they wear aprons. David replies that the staff know where they are and can go get them themselves. Ramsay is not pleased with that answer and tells him that he is so full of ship that he could be a politician (he didn’t say “ship,” however).

The last ticket is addressed to everyone and asks why they don’t have one single general manager. Ramsay echoes that comment. He insists that they need one of the owners to step up and be the leader. All three just look down at the floor.

Finally, Greg steps up and volunteers, despite the comment that he doesn’t know what he is doing. After all, it is his money that he is protecting. But no one really confirms that just yet.

Ramsay then changes gear and tells them that they will now be serving a new special that seems to be fried potatoes and lobster served inside the lobster shell. It looks yummy. Ramsay says that they can charge $40 for that meal.

Before dinner service, Chef Ramsay announces that the owners will rotate jobs during the service. Each will take a turn at being the general manager. Unfortunately, Brian will not be taking a turn. Ramsay points out that Brian is a nice guy and all, but he has no business running a restaurant.