Gordon Ramsay loses it with “deluded” Kitchen Nightmares owner and threatens to quit

Gordon Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares is all about saving restaurants that appear to be sinking ships, but one owner’s heated exchange with the chef left him delivering a brutal ultimatum.

Chef Ramsay’s reboot of the FOX show aims to keep the doors open for struggling businesses across the United States, many of which are family restaurants.

In episode 3, the brutally honest show host arrived at a luxury golf resort and visited a place called In The Drink, found in Wayne, New Jersey. The business was $250,000 in debt and the owners didn’t talk about finances enough, leaving Jorge’s wife in the dark about its bleak future.

When Gordon arrived, he couldn’t even see the name of the place outside and after walking through the entrance, described it as “unfinished” in its design – spotting one area that had been left unpainted.

The warning signs were there from the get-go, with loyal staff saying the owner was never really working there and hid in the office. Even when Gordon arrived, he chose not to come out for a long time and the food was hardly impressive.

Gordon Ramsay gave owner an Amy’s Baking Company-style ultimatum

After taking a backseat to see how the kitchen operated for a day, Ramsay decided he needed to shut down the place entirely mid-dinner service, calling it a “disaster”. Some meat dishes were served still cold.

As the guests left and staff exited the area, the Hell’s Kitchen star took the gloves off in a heated exchange with owner Jorge over the way the place was run.

He said: “Carlos (the chef) is on his knees. He’s been pushing for three weeks solid for no days off. Do you understand what that guy is going through? You can’t just beat them for seven nights a week like you don’t care.”

Jorge started to get louder, replying: “You don’t understand. You aren’t listening.” He was soon called “deluded” by Ramsay. “You have been watching this s**t for years. You asked me to help but I can’t help you if you can’t help yourself.”

The owner then confronted him: “What you’re doing is coming in and screaming…” And then followed up with a series of excuses for the eatery’s failings.

Gordon said: “I came here to do a job. So far, you are ignoring all of the obvious. Do you think I’m lying or are you going to listen?”

The FOX star then pulled a staff meeting and explained he was not going to fight with the owner he came to help, saying “Am I in, or am I out?”

If he chose to quit on the owner, In The Drink would have joined the likes of Amy’s Baking Company and a few others from the best episodes in history to push him over the edge. Most of the time, Ramsay sticks around, helps with the menu, freshens up the decor, and makes a difference to their fortunes.

Luckily for Jorge, he decided to continue the quest, and in a short space of time, In The Drink was full of VIP guests and influencers for a re-opening.

The restaurant, based on Preakness Valley Golf Course, is still open after the episode and has a 4.2 rating on Google. Who knows what would have happened if things boiled over and Gordon left sooner than expected – a close call for the establishment.