Kitchen Nightmares

[Hocky]

Anyone watch this show?  I like Gordon Ramsey.  He is NUTS!  Love Hell's Kitchen too but its already over with so I am ready for the new season of Kitchen Nightmares!

[les]

 :/\ It's a great show gordon really squares them away. The new season just started,he revisited places he went into fix up. what a turn around for them places. I still think he needs to come to my town to help us out to 

[Homer]

I have my own kitchen nightmare 

[Tara]

I have my own kitchen nightmare 

:%#

[Homer]

:%#

:o0

[CindyLouWho]

This is for tonight, 9 pm :  Chef Ramsay heads to Philadelphia to try and help the owners of the Hot Potato Cafe.

You ever been there Homer?

[Homer]

This is for tonight, 9 pm :  Chef Ramsay heads to Philadelphia to try and help the owners of the Hot Potato Cafe.

You ever been there Homer?

No, but I know where it is. It's in a section of the city called Fishtown which isn't exactly known as the culinary capital of the city. There are a few little restaurants up there which were previously row homes. The food in that area is generally overpriced and poor quality. One of the reviews I read on the place suggests buying Imodium because you are guaranteed to get sick.

[CindyLouWho]

LOL I thought the show was a little boring myself, not as raunchy etc as it usually is

[Homer]

They interviewed the owners on the local news last night and apparently the business is still struggling even after Gordon's help. It was very apparent to me the women opened the restaurant with no real plan. To lose $250,000 in the two years it was open is scary. The location of this restaurant is bad. The Fishtown section is a low income residential neighborhood where people are more inclined to go to McDonalds than the Hot Potato Cafe and spend $10-$20 a person. BTW, McDonalds is 3 blocks from this restaurant.

The fact that the place is called Hot Potato Cafe and not one of them recommended a potato dish to Gordon tells me they are clueless. You can't name your restaurant that and not feature potatoes. It's like opening a steakhouse and recommending the chicken.

Restaurants are risky business. A very high number of them fail especially in this economy.

[CindyLouWho]

Being in an area like that, maybe they should try making it like a family diner serving reg foods at reasonable prices that people could afford.   

[Homer]

Being in an area like that, maybe they should try making it like a family diner serving reg foods at reasonable prices that people could afford.  

Already a couple of those firmly entrenched. Places that you can get breakfast for about $5 and lunch and dinner under $10. I get the feeling that they opened a restaurant because it would be cool. They certainly didn't seem to do any research beforehand or have any previous culinary experience. To open a business like that in the middle of the worst recession in decades is a bad business decision. I read an article once that said 60% of all restaurants fail in the first 3 years and that is in good economic times. Those are terrible odds when you are putting your life savings into a business like these women did. People do not travel to that section of the city to eat so they are relying entirely on the community to support their business and that neighborhood is somewhere just above poor but below middle class.

Here is a sample of their dinner entrees


Potato Rosti With Smoked Salmon with sour cream, chives and arugula      12.00

Chorizo Hash sautéed fingerling potatoes, chorizo and topped with a fried egg      10.00

Grilled Fish + Chips with tartar sauce and lemon      14.00

Shepherd's Pie minced lamb and rosemary baked with parmesan mash      13.00

Roast Chicken Dinner roast chicken, mashed potato, vegetable du jour and gravy      15.00

Steak Frites 10 ounce flat iron steak, topped with herb butter, with parmesan fries      17.00

Crabcakes two pan-seared crabcakes, with remoulade sauce, mashed potatoes and vegetable du jour      18.00

Potato Encrusted Salmon 6 ounce filet surrounded by crispy potatoes, topped with citrus butter, served with vegetable du jour      16.00


People in that neighborhood just aren't going to pay those prices for dinner.

[CindyLouWho]

Only 3 things on that list I'd eat & I make them myself at a lot less price.  Yep, I bet that place will close in the near future, lol. 

[Homer]

This is for tonight, 9 pm :  Chef Ramsay heads to Philadelphia to try and help the owners of the Hot Potato Cafe.

You ever been there Homer?

Even the great Gordon Ramsey couldn't save this place. It has gone out of business.