Can Gordon Ramsay legally shut down a restaurant on Kitchen Nightmares?

Kitchen Nightmares brings a lot of exposure to restaurants in dire need of an intervention. Does Gordon Ramsay have the power to shut them down, though?

When Gordon Ramsay is disgusted by the restaurants he sees in episodes of Kitchen Nightmares, he always makes his opinions known. Restaurants that fail to impress him due to a lack of cleanliness and hygiene usually make him the most upset.

Oftentimes, the owners of these restaurants are left feeling pretty embarrassed at the fact that they’re being exposed in such a significant way with so many viewers taking note.

One question plenty of people have is whether or not Gordon has the power to legally shut down any of the restaurants he comes across while filming Kitchen Nightmares. Here’s the truth about that.

Gordon Ramsay’s lack of Kitchen Nightmare legal power

When it comes to the legality of Gordon’s power while filming Kitchen Nightmares, he doesn’t actually have any authority to shut any restaurants down. It doesn’t matter if he sees grime on the walls or expired food in the fridges. Shutting down a restaurant lies in the hands of the government.

As far as Gordon’s own personal restaurants go, he can shut those down at any time he wants. He can do so for any reason under the sun! If he were to visit one of his name-branded restaurants to find that it wasn’t being properly run to his standards, it would be his prerogative to close the doors if he so chose.

The restaurants he faces in Kitchen Nightmares are a completely different story, though. Gordon can state his piece and tell restaurant owners he believes their location should be closed down for safety purposes or a lack of food hygiene.

It’s up to the restaurant owners to listen to his advice or not. If they choose to ignore him, the local health department can intervene. They will force a restaurant to shut down from there if things are bad enough.

Since Kitchen Nightmares brings so much exposure to every restaurant it features, it’s truly in the best interest of restaurant owners to acknowledge Gordon’s advice if they want their locations to thrive in the future… and more than a few of them have closed their doors permanently.