5 kitchen nightmare restaurants that are still open in 2023

Source: Local Food Eater

Family fallouts are something Kitchen Nightmares excels at more than nearly any other show. Zayna's Flaming Grill is one such establishment. Ramsay begins the episode by interviewing co-owners Fay and her niece Brenda, both of whom believe the other should leave the company.

Over the next 40 minutes, as you could guess, communication became a problem. After getting the Ramsay treatment, Zayna's Flaming Grill was taken over by new management in 2015.

They successfully turned the ship around, and TripAdvisor constantly rates them as good or exceptional.

Steakhouse Spin-A-Yarn

Source: MapQuest

This Fremont, CA-based steakhouse, which was featured in season 5, currently enjoys positive reviews, despite some customers being unhappy with the exorbitant prices.

In an attempt to save a failing marriage between the owners as a result of the business's problems, Ramsay helped them focus on a single cuisine with a dramatically reduced menu. Customers continue to flock to the restaurant in search of their mouthwatering prime rib, though other old favorites have been revived as well.

D'Italia by Luigi

Source: Reality TV Revisited

Luigi Catizone, the owner, has been running this Anaheim, CA Italian restaurant since 1981, with the aid of his father. When his uncle intervened, however, it generated friction between the two, who were frequently squabbling. During his tasting, Ramsay also discovered that the ravioli was not fresh and the pasta was unseasoned.

However, after the re-launch, the restaurant gradually regained its footing and has been receiving consistently positive feedback from customers ever since.

Greek Cuisine by Yanni

Source: TripAdvisor

When Ramsay and his team visited this family-run Greek restaurant in Phinney Ridge, WA in season 6, it was in deep debt, with an outdated menu and food quality issues. He shut down the kitchen after discovering rotten and outdated meat in the fridge.

They apparently kept some of the new meals after the remodel, but brought back other old favorites. It's still going strong today, with positive reviews praising the excellent food and service, while others say it lacks warmth and authentic Greek hospitality.

Southern Cuisine by Ms. Jean

Source: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

This restaurant in Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania, is still open, even after their move. The mayor honored the owner and retired teacher Jean Gould for her years of devotion to the city, despite mixed reviews.

When Ramsay came, the attitude was the main problem: Gould was frequently irritated by disgruntled customers, and her staff was also lacking. In addition, the food was boring, overdone, and/or greasy. Customers today seem to enjoy the buffet style, as well as the quality and flavor of the cuisine, while some still complain about the employees being unpleasant and unwelcoming. Customers today seem to enjoy the buffet style, as well as the quality and flavor of the cuisine, while some still complain about the employees being unpleasant and unwelcoming.

Why did Kitchen Nightmares end?

When it comes to the reason why Kitchen Nightmares ended, many issues resulted in the ending of the show. Given that Kitchen Nightmares aimed to help turn failing restaurants into success through Gordon Ramsay’s intervention, the fact that the show has a success rate of 21 percent is dismal. 

Source: Vandal

Additionally, Kitchen Nightmares and Ramsay faced much public mockery as many restaurant owners either blamed or sued that show for their subsequent closure. Also, the restaurants featured on the show were in such bad shape financially that even turning things around to a moderately successful restaurant wasn’t sufficient to save them.

Ultimately, Gordon Ramsay had had enough of the continued criticism and backlash, which forced him to make a unilateral decision to end the show abruptly after season seven.

Which season of Kitchen Nightmares had the best performance?

Surprisingly, Kitchen Nightmares' success rate has never surpassed the 40 percent average in any of its seasons.  The season with the highest success rate is the sixth season which ran from October 2012 and May 2013. With a total of 13 featured restaurants, there are only four restaurants that are still operational to date, which is a 38 percent success rate. 

Moreover, there was only one other season to inch close to this success rate, season seven has a 33 percent success rate. In the same season, there were only six profiled restaurants and two are still in operation. 

Why will Kitchen Nightmares never return?

Gordon Ramsay, after making the spur-of-the-moment decision to cancel the show due to the constant criticism and backlash over the lack of success the show had,  has regretted his decision to end the show in recent years.

He realized that he was only treating the symptoms of the restaurants' problems, not the root causes. This made him realize that the businesses were always going to fail. But despite this realization, Ramsay still does not have intentions to restart the show as he has worked and continues to work on developing new shows like the introduction of Next Level Chef in 2022.

But if you’re someone who hasn't watched all the episodes of Kitchen Nightmares, you can also watch it online on Hulu. 

Frequently Asked Questions 

Q. How many restaurants are still open from Kitchen Nightmares?

According to sources, the site that monitors the fate of “Kitchen Nightmares” restaurants, approximately only 21% of the restaurants featured on the show remain open as of 2023. 

Q. Who pays for Kitchen Nightmares renovations?

The production team of “Kitchen Nightmares, usually pays for the renovation made to the restaurants featured on the show. Generally, this includes everything from new kitchen equipment and appliances to décor and signage. However, the restauranteur is ultimately responsible for repaying the production company for the renovation made. 

Q. Is Kitchen Nightmares coming back in 2023?

It is difficult to say if the show is coming in 2023, as of today, there has been no announcement about the show Kitchen Nightmares coming back.

Q. Why did Gordon Ramsay stop Kitchen Nightmares?

As per Delish, Gordon stopped Kitchen Nightmares because he reached his boiling point after one of the restaurants on Kitchen Nightmares made him want to walk away from the show entirely, and he then realized he was done. 

Q. Can Gordon Ramsay shut down a kitchen?

Gordon doesn’t actually have any authority to shut any restaurants down when it comes to the legality of his power while filing Kitchen Nightmares. Then it doesn't matter if Gordon sees grime on the walls or expired food in the fridges. Shutting down a restaurant is in the hands of the government.

Q. How many Kitchen Nightmares failed?

According to the sources, approximately 65 restaurants on Kitchen Nightmares are now closed. Surprisingly, every single restaurant from both Seasons 1 and 2 is shut down. A couple of restaurants from Seasons 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 are still running the restaurant— but not many.

Q. Why are all Kitchen Nightmare restaurants closed?

The reason why all Kitchen Nightmares restaurants are closed is because they were in such bad shape financially that even turning things around to a moderately successful restaurant wasn’t sufficient to save them. And going from a money-losing place to an amazingly successful place is a very hard thing to do. 

Q. How much does Gordon Ramsay make per episode?

According to the Daily Star, Gordon Ramsay’s salary per episode is reported to be $225,000, and he earns an estimated $45 million annually from his media and restaurant empire.