in

Gordon Ramsay’s Failed Restaurants Revealed

Gordon Ramsay is one of the most famous chefs in the world and has undoubtedly had a remarkable culinary career.

Gordon Ramsay

Ramsay’s restaurant group has won 17 Michelin Stars, a noteworthy accomplishment in the culinary world.

However, many fans might’ve become aware of Gordon Ramsay through his famous show Hell’s Kitchen, which has run for 19 successful seasons and counting.

Despite being a talented celebrity chef, Ramsay has had his fair share of restaurant failures to go with the successes. Gordon Ramsay has opened about 60 restaurants, and 23 are no longer operating, showing that even the best in the business aren’t infallible.

Despite having quite a few failures, Ramsay has successful restaurants such as Union Street Cafe and Restaurant Gordon Ramsay.


Has Gordon Ramsay Ever Shut Down a Restaurant?

Ramsay has started so many restaurants that it shouldn’t be a surprise that, yes, Gordon Ramsay has shut down his restaurants before.

Considering the celebrity chef has opened more than 50 locations over the last 20 years, it would be asinine if Ramsay had managed to never fail.

Even the most successful people fail sometimes, and Gordon Ramsey is not immune. Let’s check out some of his closed restaurants.


Amaryllis

Amaryllis was a restaurant that Ramsay founded with David Dempsey operating the restaurant day-to-day.

The restaurant featured a wide variety on the menu but heavily featured Scottish dishes that Ramsay was a fan of.

The restaurant received a Michelin Star in 2002 but only operated for two more years before being closed.

Davin Dempsey, the head chef, died on the property just before the restaurant closed.

Dempsey was supposedly not supposed to be on the property at the time of his death when he fell off of a balcony onto the restaurant floor, where he was pronounced dead.


The Fat Cow

The Fat Cow was a mid-priced steak and barbeque restaurant that Ramsay opened in Los Angeles, California.

The steak shop was one of Ramsay’s few establishments that were serving “everyday people” instead of offering a high-end dining experience.

Funnily enough, “stupid, fat cow” is one of Ramsay’s famous insults from his shows!

The restaurant was closed in 2014 after a series of legal battles against the restaurant, such as not paying contractors that built the property and paying under minimum wage to its employees.


Maze 

Gordon Ramsay’s Maze was an incredibly well-received restaurant that operated across multiple locations for over ten years.

entrance to maze restaurant in london

The original location in London, England, was open for more than 14 years before it closed in 2019.

Maze was a sushi and grill restaurant that offered a mix between French cuisine and Asian cuisine.

The original location in London had received a Michelin Star that it held for a long time, showing that the restaurant was far from a failure.


Why Did Gordon Ramsay Lose His Michelin stars?

Michelin Stars are incredibly hard to earn and just as hard to keep, so Ramsay has lost multiple Michelin Stars throughout the years.

michelin guide books in various languages

For example, Restaurant Gordon Ramsay lost two stars at one point due to an anonymous Michelin reviewer receiving “erratic meals” and saying the “consistency wasn’t there”.


Failed Restaurants from Kitchen Nightmares

Gordon Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares is a British TV show in which Ramsay goes to struggling restaurants and try to help as much as possible in just one week.

The show was so entertaining because Ramsay, a great chef, would be arguing with chefs and restaurant business owners about their restaurant.

The show had lots of fan-favorite moments where Ramsay would rip into a head chef for not listening to him or his suggestions. Check out some of the restaurants that failed depsite Ramsay’s best efforts!


Nino’s Italian Restaurant

Nino’s Italian Restaurant officially closed in August of 2016 after one of the long-time owners, Vincenzo Christiano, passed away in 2014.

It was a family-owned Italian restaurant that had been open for over 55 years, but the family decided that it was time to close shop after their father passed away.

The family tried to make it work for a couple of years, but ultimately they decided that it was best for their family to move on from the restaurant.


Peter’s Italian Restaurant

Peter’s Italian Restaurant was the first restaurant ever featured on Kitchen Nightmares back in 2007.

Unfortunately, Peter’s Italian Restaurant was found to be connected to the Italian Mob in New York City in 2008, and the restaurant closed.

The reputation hit that the restaurant took from being connected to mobsters was too harsh for the already struggling establishment.


Amy’s Baking Company

Amy’s Baking Company was one of the show’s most popular episodes, as it truly showed a kitchen nightmare.

The owners of the bakery were completely unwilling to listen to Gordon’s advice and left the viewers with plenty of heated arguments.

About two years after the episode aired, Amy’s Baking Company was sold and shut down.

The owners notoriously claimed that Kitchen Nightmares was a reason that they struggled, even though it was clear that wasn’t the case.


Seascape

Seascape Inn was a restaurant in Long Island in 1962, but it shut down just five months after it aired on Kitchen Nightmares.

According to customers who went to the restaurant after they saw it featured on the show, Seascape quickly scrapped everything that Ramsay did during his time there.

Customers weren’t happy with the old menu, and the restaurant was sold soon after.


Black Pearl

Black Pearl was a fan-favorite episode due to three owners that hated each other, making for great content.

Black Pearl was the definition of a failing restaurant, and there was never much Ramsay could do to save such a tumultuous relationship between the owners.

The seafood restaurant closed just four days after the episode aired after the three owners had a big fight and agreed to sell.


Chappy’s

Chappy’s is another infamous episode of Kitchen Nightmares due to the owner’s backlash towards Ramsay after the show aired.

The owner of Chappy’s got national media attention when he accused Ramsay of being the reason the restaurant failed, even though the restaurant was simply shut down due to failure to pay taxes.

The owner claimed that Ramsay’s suggestions drove away loyal customers and scrapped them after just a few weeks.


Fiesta Sunrise

Fiesta Sunrise was closed not long after the episode aired due to a failure to pay taxes, which was the second time the restaurant got shut down for such reasons.

Fiesta Sunrise was a Mexican restaurant in New York, and the owners were incredibly receptive to Ramsay’s advice. 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Written by Brian Nagele

Brian attended West Virginia University, then started his career in the IT industry before following his passion for marketing and hospitality. He has over 20 years experience in the restaurant and bar industry.

As a former restaurant owner, he knows about running a food business and loves to eat and enjoy cocktails on a regular basis. He constantly travels to new cities tasting and reviewing the most popular spots.

Follow him on LinkedIn, Instagram, Quora, Google Guide and Facebook.