Kitchen Nightmares returns with a trip to Queens, New York

Kitchen Nightmares is back on FOX! And that means Gordon Ramsay is once again traveling across the country, trying to help restaurants that are struggling.

For his very first mission back in action, Ramsay finds himself in Queens, New York at the Bel Aire diner. (It’s a place that I actually know, which makes this particular episode even more terrifying than it normally would be.) And right away, you know it’s going to be a challenging episode.

The coffee doesn’t hit and well there are over 270 items on the menu, so things aren’t doing well for the diner. Of course, we should probably not even go into the actual tasting portion of the chef’s intro to the diner. It was pretty much as you would expect on Kitchen Nightmares, with raw lobster, fried tortellini that had no stuffing, and dry chicken on a French dish that shouldn’t even be on the menu.

For the son of the owners, who runs the diner, his entire life is wrapped up in this place. And it’s clear that he is not getting the support that he needs in a lot of ways, including from his own brother who is on the payroll. Luckily for him, Gordon Ramsay is here.

If there’s one thing we can count on in every episode of Kitchen Nightmares, it is the inspection of the kitchen/freezers/coolers by Chef Ramsay. And you know it’s a bad inspection when not only does one of the behind the scenes crew man ends up gagging, but it looks like the chef has to throw up in a corner. It is really just that bad.

Can Gordon Ramsay help the Bel Aire diner on Kitchen Nightmares?

Obviously a lot of us tune in to Kitchen Nightmares for the drama of a kitchen in chaos, however, we also want to see a complete turnaround for these restaurants. We want to see them succeed in the end.

And if anyone can bring together a family at odds, it feels like it would be Gordon Ramsay. After all, we’ve seen him do it before. And I’m sure will see him do it again. In order for this particular diner to succeed, this family needs to figure out their drama and set it aside.

To really show the brothers what a proper restaurant looks like, Ramsay takes them to his own fish and chips restaurant in Manhattan. He is showing them how to make a plate of fish and chips, and he is showing them how he keeps his restaurant in perfect working order.

His crew not only gives the diner a refresh with new decor and a new countertop, but they also do a deep clean of the kitchen as well. And yes, there is a fresh menu, which even includes Gordon Ramsay’s own fish and chips recipe!

While their relaunch starts off strong, it feels like the wheels fall off pretty quickly. Dishes aren’t going out together, a burger is undercooked, and fish and chips comes back because the batter is raw. There is a lot on the line, and even with a smaller menu, the kitchen is struggling.

But slowly, the kitchen battles back and the front of house steps up.

Will this diner continue to grow now that Gordon Ramsay has stepped in with his brand of kitchen magic?  According to the two month check in, it does look like things are changing at the Bel Aire diner. And we can only hope that those changes are permanent.