Kitchen Nightmares heads to Yonkers to help El Cantito

El Cantito was hit hard by the pandemic and now they are struggling to get back on track, especially with broken equipment and no money to fix the problems that have built up. They need Kitchen Nightmares and Gordon Ramsay.

Of course, there are more issues than just broken equipment. It is clear that quality control has gone downhill as they struggle to recover from closing during the pandemic.

One of the complaints that seems to prevail is that things are very greasy. And this is something that chef Ramsay points out as well as he is tasting the menu for the first time. It also would not be Kitchen Nightmares if something didn’t get spit out and as soon as he tries the ceviche, he immediately needs a napkin to get the bite out of his mouth.

However, the worst part of the visit early on is that one of the customers has to go to the bathroom in order to throw up. And why is that? Because the chicken that he ate was bloody.

Kitchen Nightmares heads to Yonkers to help a Puerto Rican restaurant that is struggling following the pandemic

After a customer throws up from undercooked food, it is Gordon Ramsay who closes down the entire restaurant. And we can’t blame him. Things had no seasoning, things were greasy, and clearly food came out of the kitchen that wasn’t even cooked.

It was a rough start to this particular episode of Kitchen Nightmares, but now it is time for the dinner service. This is Chef Ramsay’s chance to see what’s happening behind the scenes.

Pretty quickly it’s clear that this restaurant is in trouble. They are taking short cuts and it looks like they don’t love what they’re doing. And in order to wake everyone up, Gordon Ramsay calls in one of his Next Level Chef competitors, Omallys “Omi” Hopper, who was known for her Puerto Rican food and came in number 4 during Season 2.

Her order comes out greasy, and it is clear that she is not excited by the food that she has been served. Things go from bad to worse for El Cantito as Chef Ramsay goes to do his normal check of the walk-in cooler. And what he finds is beyond tragic because there is so much rotten food and it is clear that people have in this restaurant have obviously given up.

After a rough dinner service, Ramsay calls Omi back in to tell them what she thought. And perhaps it is the wake up call they need to turn things around at El Cantito.

As we expect from Kitchen Nightmares, Gordon Ramsay and his team give this restaurant the kind of makeover it needs. They give it character and life that it was missing. And they do it in a way that represents not only this family, but also Puerto Rico. At the same time, they have also done a major refresh of the kitchen. They have given this family and restaurant everything they need to not only survive, but also to thrive. It is now up to them to prove that, they have the passion for this work.

The menu also gets a bit of a tweak, as the dishes have been changed just a little. The recipes have also been written down. And things have been made to look like art on a plate.

While the relaunch dinner service starts off strong, things do take a turn as they get busy. The problem is that our chef gets overwhelmed, and he starts to shut down. It’s a problem that needs to be addressed if the restaurant wants to succeed down the road.

Luckily, Chef Ramsay is able to help calm him down, and it gives the chef a chance to breathe. It also reminds him that he’s got this. Clearly, there has been a shift in this restaurant thanks to Kitchen Nightmares, and the customers seem to be very happy with what is coming out of the kitchen now.

According to the 2 month check in, the customers have returned alongside the chef’s passion. It sounds like El Cantito has what it takes to survive.