Last night’s “Kitchen Nightmares” featured Gordon Ramsey visiting Finn McCool’s, an Irish Pub in Westhampton, Long Island. A place like this can thrive in the summertime when everyone goes to the Hamptons, but struggle in the winter when it’s just the locals. In addition, this place was not being run properly and, as with every restaurant on this show, was losing money fast.

Owner Buddy had his two sons, Brian (chef) and Jason (bartender) doing the bulk of the work. Jason’s wife, Janet, was also employed there as a server.

When Ramsey arrived, a middle aged waitress named Carol announced that she had the hots for him. This is another pattern with this show. In fact, as you’ll see, the whole show format is one big pattern.

Ramsey sits down for lunch to sample the menu, and orders spring rolls, salmon, and shepherd’s pie.
He barely touches the spring rolls, the salmon is drenched in balsamic vinegar sauce, and the shepherd’s pie is so greasy it literally makes Gordon run for the bathroom and puke. Or maybe that was the producers getting cute.

Still, Ramsey knew the food quality was a big problem. He also visits a local firehouse to see what the locals think of Finn McCool’s. They all say the food is too greasy, and Ramsey is not surprised. But he invites them back to try out his new menu. Then, Ramsey goes back and inpsects the kitchen, to find out that Brian is not keeping it very clean. Some of the food is rotting, the raw food is kept with the cooked food….ugh, it’s making me sick just thinking about it. To make matters worse, Ramsey witnesses sous chef Francis picking a chicken wing up off the floor and putting it back in the deep fryer. Yuck!

Ramsey then attempts to work with Brian and show him that you don’t have to make shepherd’s pie so greasy and offers other tips. Brian wants none of it, and storms out. Buddy says he would fire Brian if he weren’t his son. So with Brian gone, Buddy attempts to be the head chef, something he’s obviously not good at. He and Ramsey realize that Brian really is up against a lot, and when Brian returns four days later they tell him that. So Ramsey’s design team makes the place look more appealing, and he also has changed the menu to reflect the same items but fresher and with no fried food at all.

The re-launch is a crazy busy night, and everyone is having a hard time keeping up with the orders, especially Brian. But Ramsey keeps them going and holds it all together. Customers are waiting, some for more than an hour, and some even leave. But one that stays is food critic Sabrina Mashburn. Luckily, she announces that the food has been “worth the wait.” Everyone seems to love the new menu.

Ramsey takes them all outside after the dinner service and commends them for working together as a family and as a team. They show that two months later, the restaurant is going strong and the place is finally making money, and everyone has a renewed passion. Another feel good ending.

I like this show, but I’m getting just a bit tired of the patterns: older server having the hots for Gordon, at least one hot head storming out after feeling threatened by Ramsey, a disgusting kitchen, miraculous turnaround, and happy ending. But I guess that’s what this is about, and you can’t argue with the fact that Ramsey really does know what he’s doing.

Anyway, as always, they claim that next week is the best episode yet, so we’ll see. And I’ll see you all then….