I'm Gordon Ramsay
and I'm hitting the road once again,
heading to struggling restaurants
all across America.
Mouse droppings that look like couscous.
With so many restaurants on the brink of collapse...
Smell that [bleep]!
Look at all that [bleep] blood in there.
The most disgusting kitchen ever!
I know that I need to work quickly,
so I've given myself just 24 hours...
Oh, my God.
To try and save each of them.
That is [bleep] rancid!
But when people know I'm coming,
they tend to hide what's really going on.
So I'll be covert, hiding cameras in the restaurants
and myself in plain sight...
Hello.
To catch them all red-handed.
Oh, my God.
I want to show you something that isn't very pleasant.
There are mice.
If I have any hope of saving them...
In case you're sick,
I've got some ready-made [bleep] penicillin.
I have to go to hell and back in 24 hours.
I'm here to help you,
but clearly you can't help yourself!
I've just arrived in New Orleans, Louisiana,
an epicenter of music, culture,
and of course, brilliant food.
I'm in the Lower Garden District,
an area that's enjoyed
a huge revitalization post-Katrina.
But while many of us associate New Orleans with Mardi Gras,
there's been very little reason to party
for the Trolley Stop Café.
A mom-and-pop staple since 1995,
the Trolley Stop Café sits on busy Saint Charles Avenue
and it's serviced by the longest running
trolley route in the world.
It's a really popular place for tourists
and New Orleans' younger crowd.
But all of these factors haven't kept
the Trolley Stop Café from going off the rails.
My name is Ragnar Karlsson and I'm the owner
of the Trolley Stop Café.
The Trolley Stop Café was founded in 1995
by my grandfather Hans Karlsson.
Before I owned the Trolley Stop,
I was an energy consultant,
but my grandfather was getting older.
I like your shirt.
And I wanted this place to stay in the family.
When I purchased the Trolley Stop Café,
business started to, uh, decline fast.
I bought the restaurant for all of my life savings.
And then some.
Ragnar has a Masters in Business Administration,
but he's not a master at administrating business.
- Ragnar called me. - He called me too.
I just didn't answer it.
Ragnar is a hands-off owner.
He's here maybe once or twice a week.
When it's check time, that's the only time I see Ragnar.
If you got an owner that doesn't want to be in here,
it's going to trickle all the way down,
all the way down to the busboys, and it does.
I was calling to see if you were on the way to work.
Aaron and Charlie.
I work out of my home office because the work that I do
for the restaurant mainly is paperwork.
You don't understand 'cause you're not looking at
these customers and listening them [bleep] rail you.
My name is Darren Bartman and I am
the kitchen manager at Trolley Stop Café.
People are afraid of Darren. I'm afraid of Darren.
Don't buy a restaurant with a menu you can't afford.
I grew up dirt [bleep] poor. I grew up in a trailer park.
So I worked really [bleep] hard.
I'm here on merit.
Grilled chicken and eggs.
- You got scrambled, Daddy? - Yup.
Ragnar's here because of a family.
Ordering bacon, um...
Having an MBA,
none of it could've prepared me
for being a restaurant owner.
He can't answer right now.
He's so busy at the home office.
In terms of Ragnar,
he believes that they made text messages
so you could manage a restaurant
you don't want to show up to.
Every month, sales continue to decrease,
but we're spending the same amount of money
on food costs and on payroll.
I'm out of runway. This is... I'm out of time.
If I cannot make this restaurant work,
I know the family legacy ended with me.
With only 24 hours to try to make sure this isn't
the Trolley Stop Café's last stop,
I needed to find out what they were doing wrong.
So my team told the restaurant that they were trying out
for a traditional renovation show.
Whilst they were being interviewed,
we installed hidden cameras throughout the restaurant
and have been secretly recording
surveillance footage ever since we left.
It's obvious that without a swift kick in the caboose,
the Trolley Stop Café could be closed in a matter of months.
As you know, when people know I'm coming,
they'll tend to be on their best bloody behavior,
so I'm going undercover.
Deputy Connor reporting for duty.
- Morning. - Good morning.
- How are we? - How are you?
- Jerry, right? - Yes.
Good to see you. Oscar.
Good to see you.
- Still? - Still.
Nice to see you. Thank you so much.
So I pass as an officer?
- Yes. - Do you want me to drive?
- No, I'll drive. - Oh, [bleep].
Well, let's go.
So this restaurant had a great reputation.
- Oh, yeah, definitely. - Mm-hmm.
Is it on your list now or have you crossed that off?
Crossed it off.
Well, let's hope it looks better
on the inside than the outside.
At the Trolley Stop Café,
sheriff's deputies eat at a discount.
But as I look around at the mismatched tables
and filthy décor,
I would hope that "discount" means "free."
You can tell that there's no manager present.
- How you guys doing? - All right.
My name is Lupita. I'll be y'all's server.
- Y'all ready to order? - I am ready to order.
We're ordering classic diner dishes...
I'ma get a seafood omelet.
That any New Orleans restaurant
should consider a big easy.
And can I add a... um, pecan waffle to it too?
Yeah, yeah.
I'm gonna get the fried chicken sandwich.
The nacho cheese?
Classic po' boy.
- Which one? - Uh, fried oysters.
Thank you.
We got a waffle down.
So we've been here 20 minutes now.
Okay? The owner is nowhere to be seen.
Jerry, would you do me a favor?
- Mm-hmm. - Would you, uh,
jump in the vehicle and go get him for me?
- Okay. - Do you mind? Yeah?
- Not at all. - Yeah, I'll keep the food warm.
- All right, thanks. - And don't get caught speeding.
Seafood omelet, cheese grits, white toast.
Yup.
- Oyster po' boy. - Thank you.
And nachos.
- Ooh, man. - The smell... do you smell that?
- It smells horrible. - [bleep].
It has a smell.
- [bleep]. - Ugh.
That cheese is sour.
- Oh, boy. - Oh, wow.
Look at my oysters. Crusty oyster there.
Oh, [bleep] me.
That's not good.
Whoa.
Guys, this is some of the most disgusting food I've ever seen.
Uh, please don't eat anything else, okay?
- Yes, sir. - I'll go sort this out.
I'll be back in a minute. Okay?
Thank you.
That cheese on the nachos.
[bleep].
Time to sort this [bleep] thing out.
It's Gordon. It's Gordon Ramsay.
Uh, ladies and gentlemen,
I'm so sorry, could I just have your attention
for 30 seconds, please?
Gordon Ramsay.
You, could you get everybody
from the kitchen in here now?
Gordon Ramsay is here.
Everybody in the front.
Over here, please, so I can see you, thank you.
I don't know where to start.
- The owner's not here. - No, Chef.
Any idea why?
He's a sheltered boy who lives with his parents,
who manages us through cell phones and...
That's about it.
Who's in charge of that kitchen?
Me, Chef.
The smell just from the cheese
on the nachos was shocking.
Have you tasted that cheese?
That [bleep] is from a can.
It's almost like you don't care.
It's a joke.
- Thank you. - You're welcome.
I'm sorry,
but I don't want anyone else eating anything.
Forget the check.
I want all of you to follow me outside.
Now.
Let's go.
File in, please. Thank you.
This is Hell on Wheels,
one of the best equipped kitchens
anywhere in the country
and, more importantly, this is my epicenter
staffed with the most extraordinary team.
Oh, man, their kitchen on wheels
is better than our kitchen, dude.
I don't run my business remotely.
I'm hands on.
No sign of Ragnar yet.
What is this guy on? Part-time?
I see him about five hours a week, Chef.
And you're related because it's your brother-in-law.
- 'Cause you married his sister. - Yes, Chef.
Why would the owner open a restaurant
if he's not committed to it? Any idea?
His grandfather sold it to him
and told him that the job entailed him to staying at home
and collecting the deposits and doing the paperwork.
His exact words were,
"This is the easiest job you'll ever have."
- Running a restaurant? - Yes, Chef.
Oh, [bleep].
Oh, my God.
This is gonna be ugly.
Will you put the briefcase down?
Your expertise is in energy.
- Yes. - That's what you studied?
Is that right?
Yes, I was an energy consultant.
What energy have you put into your restaurant?
When was the last time you stood behind the line?
I've never stood behind the line.
What about cleaning?
What about serving tables?
No, I've never served tables.
[bleep] hell. You're clueless.
And let me show you how clueless you are.
My team has been coming to this restaurant undercover
for quite some time.
Watch carefully.
- I got it. - [bleep] move.
I have to tell my kids [bleep] once.
I should only tell you once.
Ew.
- Oh, my gosh. - Oh, that's so gross.
Oh, no.
Talk to me.
I think it's embarrassing.
Yeah.
The place is filthy, madame.
You'd never come here again?
Me?
We do care. We do care.
That's your customers telling you.
I'm... I'm so sorry.
Oh, my God.
You'd never come here again?
That's your customers telling you.
I'm... I'm so sorry.
Oh, my God.
I've never seen or heard anything like this.
To all the customers, I want to apologize.
There's no check today.
You're not paying for that crap.
But give me 24 hours.
I'd like to see you all back tomorrow night.
Please?
- Yes. - Thank you.
Now, I've got 24 hours
to turn this business around.
And the clock starts now.
Go on your phones
and explain to the loved ones that you're going nowhere
and they can find you in that restaurant.
Yes, Chef.
With only 24 hours,
we're in a race against the clock.
My team has installed monitors around the restaurant
to track our time.
Don't worry about picking me up tonight, okay?
I'm happy because everything about Gordon Ramsay,
I absolutely adore.
So I think he's going to give me
the wake-up call I need.
I've tried to save a lot of restaurants in my career,
but I've never seen a [bleep] bunch of customers so pissed.
This place was one of the best restaurants to work at.
After seeing what I saw today, I don't know...
I don't know what to say.
I want to know who you all think
is the biggest problem here.
Is anybody honest here? Or am I... am I on my own?
It's Ragnar.
- Ragnar. - Yeah, it's [bleep] Ragnar.
It's Ragnar, man. Let's just say it.
And a lot of people can't afford to sour
that relationship and risk a lot of [bleep].
A lot of people here have families.
They're scared to say it,
including myself.
I'm not a member of his family.
Suppose the place went [bleep] bust.
Suppose I'm the only one that doesn't have Karlsson
in my [bleep] name.
I can't sit here and pretend that
I can openly bad-mouth the guy or criticize him.
And that's the reason why you serve [bleep]?
He feeds my [bleep] family.
What is wrong with you, young man?
Just man up, 'cause if you are a good chef,
get some pride and dignity.
Or don't call yourself a [bleep] chef.
Shame on you.
Kat, why are we failing?
There's no communication.
I just quit caring.
Like if this person's doing it and this person's doing it,
why do I have to uphold these standards anymore?
Like, I just don't care anymore.
And you're his brother-in-law, so...
Yes, Chef.
You don't want to tell him the truth.
It's hard. Yes, Chef.
If... If I don't feel like the owner cares,
it's hard for me to care.
Owner,
you just heard it straight from the horse's mouth.
A chef has given up that he's scared to tell you the truth
'cause he's worried about his family.
A brother-in-law/manager that doesn't give a [bleep].
You have a degree, right?
MBA.
You have a Master's degree in Business?
I... I didn't know that it was getting
that bad for the customers.
You don't need a Harvard degree
to walk in here and start pinpointing cleanliness,
standards, service.
I tried to not give into despair.
How can you honestly expect this place to function
without a presence?
How are you still opened?
I guess I'm just surviving on the...
The history that my grandfather made for this place.
Let me ask you all a question right now.
Are you in or are you out?
That's not 98%, that's 100%.
'Cause that is what it's going to take to get this place
back on the map.
Are you in or are you out?
- We're in. - I'm in.
I'm going to bring in my renovation team.
Bryan, Theresa, welcome. Good to see you, bud.
- You good? - Absolutely.
Theresa and the team, good to see you.
They know their stuff.
They understand
how to renovate a restaurant in 24 hours.
Let's go.
All right, guys, we got a lot to do and we got no time.
Let's do it, let's move all this crap out of here now.
We're going to take it right outside.
It's not 1995
or granddad's restaurant anymore,
which means the Trolley Stop Café
is long overdue for a change.
Got it.
This family restaurant
looks more like an ugly stepchild.
So let me give it some love
by replacing the bland décor,
mismatched tables, and updating its color scheme.
And so how do we recreate that concept with having a...
A trolley that looks inviting from the outside
and holds that warmth on the inside?
The idea is that you walk in and you're now...
You're inundated with trolley.
You're in the trolley station. There's tickets.
Now you're sitting in the trolley restaurant
and then you turn and now you're looking at a trolley.
There's a lot to do in just 24 hours.
Basically we wanna... this, everything clear.
Okay, so we're going to take down everything?
Take everything off.
So with my design team
putting the staff to work in the dining room,
I need to turn my attention to the kitchen.
- Darren... - Yes, Chef.
When was the last time you cleaned this place?
Personally, uh, around the time old management left.
I don't really nitpick 'em at the end of a hard shift
because, you know, I'm not the one busting my ass all day.
What is this in here?
They didn't build a drain into this,
so that's all mineral deposit and food and...
- That's food? - Yeah.
When was the last time this was emptied?
Two years, three years, four years. I don't know.
When was the last time this was cleaned?
What is that in there?
It's probably a whole pork chop.
Chicken bones and eggshells.
When was this cleaned?
Months ago.
Darren, are you kidding me?
That was not a month ago. That's been years.
When was the last time this was cleaned?
The six-burner itself, I detailed a week ago.
A week ago?
Yeah, the whole six-burner...
That's [bleep]. This was cleaned a week ago?
That was detail cleaned a week ago by myself.
That has not been cleaned in years.
Whoa!
Oh, boy.
Shameful. Come on.
That just falls into people's food as it gets [bleep] hot.
Look at that under there.
Cut the [bleep], Darren,
that was not cleaned a week ago.
It's like a warzone.
What is that smell?
That's your nacho cheese.
Oh, my God. Look at that!
What's wrong with you?
You served [bleep] mold to me out there?
Darren, go get me Aaron, would you, please?
Yes, Chef.
Aaron, Chef wants you.
Ragnar!
- Stand here! - Yes, Chef.
Let me give you a [bleep] degree
in 60 seconds in hygiene.
What can you see there?
- That's mold. - It's [bleep] mold.
Will, get Darren, Ragnar, and Aaron each a spoon.
Have a taste.
Go on. Eat it.
What can you see there?
That's mold.
We ate this today.
Will, get Darren, Ragnar, and Aaron each a spoon.
Have a taste!
Go on. Eat it.
Do you have any idea how long that has to fester
in the fridge before it gets [bleep] mold?
- A very long time. - How many [bleep] scoops
do you need to take before you realize [bleep]?
Or do you want to go down as the most famous restaurant
in New Orleans for [bleep] killing people?
You're charging [bleep] money for that!
Oh, my God.
What's all the blood down here?
Stinking.
You should thank yourselves you haven't killed anybody.
Smell that [bleep]!
That is so [bleep] rancid!
The most disgusting kitchen ever!
Get it [bleep] clean.
- Yes, Chef. - Yes, Chef.
That is a [bleep] nightmare.
Just clean it from top to bottom.
But the big shame for me: everybody's given up.
My biggest challenge right now
is getting those three idiots
to commit to running a business.
It's been a year since that fire even moved.
It's probably [bleep] crusted to the wall.
- It is. Look at it. - I mean, [bleep] look at it.
Someone's whose career I've been watching
is telling me "You're doing [bleep] yours."
This is [bleep] grease.
I respect where it's coming from
and it's hitting home with me.
We're cleaning everything!
'Cause he's right, man. I [bleep] let it slip.
I don't know, it's looking good.
It's looking better.
You're always sweeping, you're always cleaning,
you're always doing something.
We're staying busy or we're staying out of the way.
Because this floor's disgusting!
Welcome to the Trolley.
So what we got going on here
is we're going to start building our ticket booth sign.
This is a beast of a project. It's a beast, so...
But do you know how important this is?
This is the first thing you see when you walk through the door.
- I know. - So, you know, it's cluttered.
It was badly run with a set of bits of [bleep] everywhere.
Everywhere.
It's the most disgusting place I've ever been.
While the physical transformation
of Trolley's kitchen is long overdue...
Uh, Darren, meet me over at Hell on Wheels
in 20 minutes, please.
Yes, Chef.
A clean kitchen and new equipment
will mean nothing without
a guiding force behind them.
Let's go, let's go, let's go.
Right out of the kitchen for five minutes,
let's spend some quality time. Yes, Chef.
This is a menu that we're going to use to relaunch.
So oysters open, knob of butter in there, beautifully grilled.
Creamed spinach topped with ham
and some breadcrumbs.
Next, frittata.
Roasted bisque potatoes next to it.
Fried chicken, buttermilk, marinated.
Beautifully dipped, dredged once, and crispy fried.
Nice chicken and waffles.
Green tomato BLT.
Corn meal crusted, beautifully seasoned,
slightly marinated first.
And a smothered porkchop.
That's beautiful, Chef.
We're going to cook all these now.
We're not going to reheat. Wer're going to cook.
No, we're going to [bleep] cook.
How'd you get into this? How did food first start?
Uh, I grew up very poor.
Never got to eat anything good. Grew up in the mid-west.
- What did dad do? - Uh, he's a criminal.
- He's a criminal. - He's dead now, yeah.
And how long ago did you lose him?
- Uh, when I was 12 years old. - Right.
- It taught me a lot though. - What did it teach you?
Don't [bleep] end up like him.
There's a reason why I wanted to spend quality time with you.
I was in your [bleep] shoes once.
I know that you just think that I [bleep]
Got straight to the top.
But you have no idea you have a chance of making it here.
And you don't get that second chance...
Second opportunity in your life.
It doesn't come along often.
So I wanted to make sure that you grab a hold of something
that's coming out of you, into that food,
and that's what's going to be
your shining light going forward.
I want you to watch everything I'm doing.
I want to ask as many questions as possible.
We need to open up a little bit.
And this is just me, you, and the pan.
What's the most exciting thing about a porkchop?
The bone. Get it nice and sexy.
And that's why we cook it on the bone.
Pan lightly smoking.
Pan gets hot first before you put the oil in
and then get it in.
A gentle sear because it's not a robust cut.
Overdo it and you're going to dry the outside out.
And then put the herbs and the garlic in there.
Right, as that's going in there,
we turn it around. [bleep].
From there, a bit of butter.
So we baste and that goes in the oven.
Eight minutes.
But this is where it goes up a level.
We're going to make an amazing sauce.
Garlic. Keep the flavor in there.
Working with someone who I greatly revere
is pretty [bleep] cool if you ask me.
From there, that is a little bourbon.
Watch your hair.
Oh, you haven't got any hair. Watch your eyebrows. Huh?
I think he knows I have that passion.
So it's nice to have someone so powerful
get me back into the groove of it.
You know, those final touches.
Super, super important
and that sits and it steeps.
- Over to you. - Oh.
- Let's go. - All right.
I really took in a lot.
So I was kind of shell-shocked with a lot of it
because I was just flabbergasted
I was even up there with him.
What do we start with on it?
On the pan we start with just oil?
Ah, [bleep]. Yeah, I gotcha, I gotcha.
Hey... hey, listen. Wait, wait.
The more questions, the better.
Okay, think back to the beginning.
If you put the oil into the cold pan,
the oil will burn.
So get the pan nice and hot. Oil in, sear.
Relax yourself.
Come on. Relax, relax, relax.
- How is that chop? - Almost there, Chef.
You got this. Let's go.
Nice.
Tip it over. Good, good.
Nice color, excellent. Into the oven.
There you go. See, you know this.
Yeah?
Burn off the alcohol.
Be my guest. Dig in.
Here's where I am. Yeah, I got upset with you.
When you let go of something as precious as this,
you're absolutely doing yourself no favors.
- Yes, Chef. - Can you do this?
And, more importantly, do you want it?
I want it. I-I want
to be proud of the Trolley
and proud of myself
for what I give to the Trolley.
I want to be happy at work again
and I'm not.
- I can see that. - Yeah.
- Hey. - Yeah?
I can see that. Hey, I can see that.
Do you want it?
I want to be happy at work again and I'm not.
- I can see that. - Yeah.
- Hey. - Yeah?
I can see that. Hey, I can see that.
Yeah.
That's why I'm still [bleep] here.
- Do you understand? - Yes, Chef.
- You got this. - I got it.
Good man. Finish your chop. I'm gonna get the boys.
- All right. - Come on.
♪ ♪
Wow, that's a frustrated young man.
No one's ever shown him love. No one's ever shown him skills.
So, yes, he's part of that failure,
but he's got that tiny flicker of hope.
- Hi, guys. - How you doing?
- I'm Mary. - Will.
So I'm hoping that opens the gate
and he starts to fall in love with cooking.
Look at these nice, beautiful sauté pans.
Huh? Look at these gorgeous things.
With these cooks getting to know
the new Darren,
I still don't know what to think of Ragnar.
Ragnar, are you... you're cleaning this as well?
I'm cleaning it... yes.
I'm cleaning it right now. Yes, sir.
All right, so give me 1 x 10 1/2.
- Like that? - Yes, sir.
Ready? One, two, three, straight up.
Here we go! All right.
For a guy who normally spends
only five hours a week at his own restaurant,
I'm not convinced these 24 hours
will make the difference.
Uh, young man, let's have two minutes upstairs.
Okay.
Sit down.
Oh, boy.
I want to get back to the beginning.
Smart kid, Masters degree.
Why did you even contemplate leaving the energy business?
I thought this was a great chance
to continue the family legacy.
I'm not a self-made man like my grandfather and my father
that worked their way up from the bottom.
Now it's my turn to do something.
Did you buy it to compete with dad and granddad
- as a status? - Absolutely.
My father... I love him so much
and I want him to be so proud of me.
He's given me everything
and then I still fail?
I know that I'm not capable of answering all these problems
and they just keep mounting and it's just nonstop.
And I'm just letting so many people down.
My wife, she had a job and a career
and, um, I can't give her the house that she wants.
What's being pretty evident here is that
you haven't found your passion.
You tried to buy it.
If you want to run a restaurant,
you need to work in it.
- Right. - Be part of this team.
Daily. Not remotely.
That's the only way this is going to work.
My saving grace was watching you on your hands and knees,
sweating like a [bleep] pig, scraping [bleep] off the walls.
When you walk back down those stairs,
lead like a boss.
♪ ♪
Yeah, Ragnar's got some issues.
You can't buy success. You can't inherit that success.
You need to make success,
and so he has to become an employee
and show each and every member of staff
how important he is in the business.
As New Orleans sleeps...
there's no rest for the Trolley team.
I think that's it.
I'm so tired and delirious.
My arms are shot, my legs are shot.
I'm hungry. My wife wants me home.
As dawn breaks on the Crescent City,
there's still much to do.
Great job. Really good.
Man, the ticket booth. That looks great, huh?
♪ ♪
Okay, welcome to the Trolley Stop Café's new kitchen.
♪ ♪
Take a look at what's here!
We got everything, dawg. We got everything.
The most amazing blender there.
That Vitamix is top of the range.
These brittle pans, they're...
We use these across all the restaurants.
- Yeah. - Uh, Creuset. Uh, incredible.
Just installed the most amazing toaster.
It's beautiful, Chef.
We have a brand new steam table.
I like it.
A brand new refrigeration unit
with windows!
Darren, how are you feeling?
Awesome, incredible, proud.
Get used to it. Fall back in love with it, please.
- Yes, Chef. - Yeah?
- We got spatulas! - Get to work.
I'll be back shortly.
This new equipment doesn't guarantee success.
If Darren and his Trolley team
don't use the skills I've taught them,
tonight could be a train wreck.
And with minutes ticking away...
We're truly fighting the clock.
- Kinda cool, huh? - Oh, brilliant.
Guys, come over so I can talk to you.
- How are you? Good to see you. - How are you?
- Good to see you. - Is everyone doing well?
- Yes, Chef. - Uh, thank you for coming.
My partner-in-crime Aaron Sanchez, everybody.
Great. How's everyone doing? Aaron, pleasure.
He's a judge on "Masterchef" with me.
A chef of incredible talent.
Uh, he lives two blocks away from here.
He's a local... seven restaurants in New Orleans.
And he'll help put this place on the map.
Well, you know, you guys represent our city.
You represent our food, culture, and history here.
So the incentive is on you guys
to lift that game up.
Cook two of everything on the menu.
Present it to Aaron and I now on order.
- Yes, Chef. - Two of everything.
The first person needs... "How y'all doing?
We about to take care of y'all."
Silverware and sit them down,
greet them, say how... How you doing?
Come on, guys, let's put it in second gear.
Pay respect and homage to our city, guys.
We have a beautiful food history and culture.
Porkchops, show me.
- Look. - Good.
- There you go. - Yeah.
I'm good. You're good?
Calvin, good man. Up you go.
We're five minutes away from opening.
- Yes, Chef. - Five minutes away.
Right, all of you come over here.
Stand here in a line.
Oysters are a little bit sloppy.
Way too much garnish. Take your time.
Cook on the pork, lovely.
Really good, indeed.
I love the seasoning on the potatoes, guys.
You're spot on with that, okay?
Who cooked the chicken with [bleep]?
Oh, God.
Fried chicken, a staple here in New Orleans.
Who cooked it? Tell me!
Who cooked the chicken with [bleep]?
Oh, God.
Right here. Will.
Fried chicken, a staple
here in New Orleans.
We're five minutes away from opening, guys, yeah?
Let's remedy that chicken, guys.
That's paramount.
We're far away from that being done.
- Let's go. - Yes, Chef.
All right, no more mishaps. Now let's [bleep] do this.
I need Darren and his team to bounce back,
because I pulled out all the stops to celebrate
the reopening of this iconic New Orleans restaurant.
♪ ♪
VIPs and customers have arrived
via the trolley out front.
Biggest night of your life is about to kick off.
- Yeah. - Yeah?
But if the Trolley team can't finish in time,
the party will be over.
The bigger ones is what we roll with the knives.
This half is going to be one section.
It's the same number of chairs between each row.
♪ ♪
That sounded fantastic!
This is an historic evening
as we relaunch this incredible, local restaurant
and I couldn't do this without your support.
So join me in counting down
and getting this restaurant back on the map.
Ten, nine, eight...
Both: Look at this.
Seven...
We're about to get bum rushed.
Five, four, three, two, one... let's go!
Thank you.
Let's go. This is it.
While our guests are excited,
it's too early for the Trolley team to celebrate.
- We're good? - Yes, Chef.
They still need to win back their customers.
Hit your stations, check your tables,
straighten up everything, yes?
And Ragnar needs to prove himself to his team.
Get you some menus, you're about to get a table.
Get you some menus from right there.
First customer's here, you guys.
First customer's here.
- Guests are on their way, yes? - Yes, Chef.
Good to see you, everybody.
My name is Ragnar; I'm going to be your server tonight.
Welcome to the brand new Trolley Stop Café.
Please follow me.
In just 24 hours,
my team and the Trolley Stop Café staff
have gotten this beloved restaurant back on the tracks.
Oh, my Lord. Am I happy to see you.
Good to see you. Welcome back.
This time you're going to stay for a bite to eat.
Thanks to some coats of paint
and trolley-inspired décor...
So do you recognize a difference?
- Immediately. - It's like a huge difference.
They've given this restaurant new life
and its own identity.
- Are the booths new? - The booths are new.
The interior is new.
Gone are the mismatched tables,
broken sign, and broken management.
The décor... first impressions.
I feel like I'm riding a street car. I like it.
Customers are no longer greeted by
a cluttered, unwelcoming bar.
Instead they're promised a ticket
to the best café in town.
Let's hope this ride is a good one.
What would y'all like to drink to start off with?
Get ready to enjoy the new food too.
You've noticed a difference, right?
- Yes, sir. - First impressions.
- Great. Yeah. - Great.
It's going to be a hard night.
But like I said, just remember,
our night's not going to be as hard as Ragnar's.
- Sure won't. - Okay?
- Are any drinking coming? - Yes, I have...
I have, uh, two white wine chardonnay and a red.
All right, so you need to write that down. Did you?
Yes, sir, right here.
No, you needed to write that down.
Next time you go to a [bleep] three-top,
don't write anything down.
Degree. Master's, right?
- Let's go. - Yes, sir.
Yeah, we were all here all night.
Dinner's ready?
I'll have the fried chicken and waffles, please.
Chicken and waffles, chicken and waffles,
chicken and waffles!
Here we go. All right.
Let's get one chop on and one fried chicken out.
- Don't let me down, Will. - I got you.
With Darren managing his kitchen...
Remember, ten minutes on chicken.
I need Ragnar to step up
and be the face of his restaurant.
To the blogger's table now,
check in there and make sure they're okay.
- Which table number? - Table seven.
- The blogger's table!
Table seven.
Hello. Hi, my name is Ragnar Karlsson.
That's not the blogger's table.
We've made some big changes.
My personal favorite is this beautiful mural right here.
Here we go. Time for more.
All right, you're already at four chickens all day.
Heard that, four chickens all day.
Start getting that first chicken plated up.
- Heard that. - Let's get it in the window.
- Gotcha. - She's a blogger.
- Yes, Chef. - Food critic, table seven.
That's it, clear, yeah?
Double check everything. Let's go.
- You good, ah, Will? - Yeah.
This one's gonna write a review about us.
I hope you're confident in this chicken.
- Extra confident. - Order up.
- Anything else, ladies? - Can I get a little ketchup?
- Gotcha. - Seven chickens.
- Heard that. - One green tomato.
- She got that. - One pork chop.
- She got that. - Heard.
Right, ladies, sorry, what are you eating?
- Chicken and waffles. - Oh, dear.
It's a little pink in the middle.
Yeah, it is too pink. Can I refire you a new one?
- Yeah. - Please.
- Hers is really... - Is that okay for pork?
For it to be pink?
That's undercooked. No, I'm sorry.
- Can I refire these for you? - Sure.
I'm sorry. Yeah.
- Thank you. - I'm sorry, [bleep].
- Hey, guys, let's stop. - Chef?
All of you, table seven.
A raw pork chop. It's the blogger.
Then she opens up the chicken
and said the chicken's full of blood inside.
How long for a refired pork and a refired chicken?
I got a chicken 'bout to get ready to come up.
- Pork please? - About five minutes.
- Okay, let's go. - Let's get it together, guys.
- Heard that. - Hey.
Stop [bleep] letting things go [bleep].
I'm not gonna let it go [bleep], Chef,
- not gonna let it go. - Refire the chicken.
Come on, guys, please?
I can't hear about a chicken one more time, man.
The only thing I wanna hear is "Good job."
- Heard that. - Can't really reach around
- there, bro, but I got it. - You're good.
- Is this the refire? - Yes, Chef.
It's the refire with the chicken and waffles.
Watch the plate. It's very hot.
- Off you go. - All right, guys,
our are out. Let's not see 'em again, please.
- Heard that. - Let's not see 'em again.
That's the r... sorry about that. That's the refire.
Oh, no worries. Thank you so much.
- There you go. - Excellent, thank you.
I hope you're confident in that chicken.
Yeah.
- Yeah. - I got some bloody chicken.
♪ ♪
Walking in a green tomato,
- three more fried chickens. - Darren.
- Hey. - Darren.
Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey!
Just stop. All of you.
- Yes, chef. - All of you, come here.
Just stop for two seconds
and think what the [bleep] we're doing.
But where's your point in checking this?
That's not 30 seconds under.
No, Chef. It's not, Chef.
- Come here, you. - Yes, Chef.
♪ ♪
- What're you doing? - [bleep] the bed, Chef.
I spent [bleep] hours with you personally.
Everything I've got,
- I gave to you... - Yes, Chef.
And now you're sending me [bleep].
I turned my back.
I said, "Don't let me down."
And now we're throwing [bleep] out.
Why don't you just get your jacket and [bleep] off?
I spent hours with you personally...
And now you're sending me [bleep].
Why don't you just get your jacket and [bleep] off?
'Cause that ain't in me.
I don't quit.
- So just dig deep... - Yes, Chef.
And what you send, make sure it's [bleep] good enough.
- Okay. - That is it.
To hear from him how much better I can be
and how poorly I'm allowing myself to perform,
hits to the core,
but that's what I need.
I can't use this one.
- I need a new one. - I got you.
Try to redeem yourself.
Now we still have on the board,
one chicken that needs to be absolutely perfect.
- Heard that. - And the most beautiful
pecan-filled waffle in the world.
Come on, guys.
- Thank you, sir. - Beautiful.
- Where's that going? - Table 7.
Table 7, kay.
- Thank you so much. - There you go.
Excellent. Thank you.
Much, much better.
Thank you, Chef.
That' looks fantastic.
♪ ♪
That's a good-looking chicken, Will.
That's a good-[bleep]-looking chicken.
I just wanted to stop by and see how your food was.
They refired our food,
everything's been spot on since then.
I got my butt handed to me, uh, but in the end,
thanks to Chef Ramsay's guidance,
if I can get through the last 24 hours,
I know I can get through anything.
Bon appétit. Enjoy.
- Thank you. - How was your food?
- It was great. - I'm so glad.
- The oysters were good. - Yeah.
Well, if you need anything else, please let me know.
Chef Sanchez says the food was great,
so good job. Thank you very much.
Good, good. Service was hell.
It's the hardest service I've ever been in,
but I think towards the end,
everybody was much better...
It's a hot plate. And it feels really damn good
to be proud of the kitchen again.
That's why I tell you, you're always gonna be better
than the guy standing next to you.
- 'Cause you can take criticism. - Heard that [bleep].
I appreciate you guys for giving us a second chance,
and we won't fail you.
I'm gonna support him.
I will be back. I will be telling
my family and friends to come here.
That's right. In the Trolley Stop Café!
All right!
Bit of a tough night, but we're getting there.
Hey, man, no complaints on our end, man.
But, uh, appreciate your time coming in.
- Thank you. - It's fantastic.
They banged this out all night.
Everything.
The Trolley Stop Café had a reputation of being
this very greasy spoon diner,
and Gordon's team has come in, revamped, relaunched,
and most importantly,
reinstilled that need to represent New Orleans
as one of the greatest food cities in America.
- Tough night. - Yes.
Here's the positives:
- We finished strong... - Yes.
- Customers love the food... - Yes.
- We made a few mistakes... - Yes, Chef.
But just watching you bus tables, take orders,
that's what you should be doing.
- We got there. - This is for you now.
- Yes, sir. - Not your granddad.
Not your dad.
For your family.
- We're our own men now. - Yes, Chef.
My time's done.
Thank you. I appreciate it.
Thank you for this opportunity.
Welcome to our world.
- Yeah. - Yes.
- Good night. - Thank you.
Thank you.
Appreciate you, brother.
I'm very proud of you.
I was especially hard on Ragnar,
and I just thought, you know, in this world,
there's different cuts of people who are hard
and there's people who are soft.
He's still soft,
but he survived tonight.
There was something you said earlier
that I wanna clear, okay?
You said that you were worried
because your last name is not Karlsson.
- I know. - Look, we're brothers, okay?
- All right. - Last names don't matter.
Okay.
That's all it takes.
Experience over time
will equal success.
It would have taken us years to get this.
Imagine the things we can do.
What a 24 hours.
I have a chef now that's
fallen back in love with cooking,
an owner now understands that he can't be an absentee
and run this business remotely,
and for the first time in 18 months
since he bought this business, he worked in the business.
I just hope that he shows his team
he can work as hard as them.
If he does that, this place has every chance
of succeeding.
Finally, the Trolley Stop Cafe
is back on the map.
Hey, Chef Ramsay.
We would like to give you an update on the restaurant
since, uh... Since the renovation.
I'm definitely as passionate about working here
as I was when I first started here.
Now we got all the tools we need to succeed.
Good-looking food. How can I be upset about that?
You wanna hang out back here for a minute?
I'm making a BLT and a chop.
And the three of us have grown closer
because we're here all the time
making sure that the restaurant is a success.
- Who got the oysters? - I did.
Oh, very nice.
So far, all those customers have been,
uh, pretty pleased with the changes.
Bon appétit.
Ragnar's been popping up a lot more on the day shifts
and trying to take control of that,
and I think everything's going smooth.
Next, it's an hour of music, mystery and pure fun
with the series premiere of the Masked Singer.