LogFAQs > #947457226

Back to captainjeff87's formula and reality point, of the season 1 episodes I've watched so far, the two that probably stand out the most to me are Dillion's and the Mixing Bowl. Although the formula/format, etc, is still the same, it was two very different sets of problems (and not just because they were two different settings -- Seascape and Dillion's were also very different settings, but they had many of the same issues... well, at least some of them).

For Dillion's (iirc in NYC), they were trying to do everything. It was a mix of Irish, American, and Indian. And, despite being called Dillion's, it was mostly Indian food. They also had three managers, the kitchen had serious cleanliness and health issues, the owner wasn't involved in the day-to-day (instead trusting his three managers), personnel issues (all three managers complained about each other, there were communication issues in the kitchen, and so on), etc. The fix? Ramsay brought in a cleaning crew for the kitchen, he convinced the owner to fire a manager (who then quit), they simplified the menu to make it more Indian-centric, they changed the name of the restaurant, and got rid of an ugly neon sign. Plus they renovated the insides, but that might have just been for show

For the Mixing Bowl, it'd been around 10 years but business had dropped off and they were thinking of closing. (Which apparently they did? Or the business just flopped a few months later.) The problems included the owner/chef seeming "quiet" (which was silly, but it was built as a question of whether he had passion for the business or if they should just close up now), the manager just giving money away with silly discounts/promotions, the manager's weird promotional ideas (which were actually pretty fucking funny, and Ramsay's loud "Why are you doing this?" questions worked perfectly in the context), the fact that they didn't stand out in an area that had opened a lot of restaurants in that ten years, and some organization problems. The fix? Ramsay redesigned the menu to have a healthy options gimmick, they promoted that gimmick at fitness places, etc, and they tried to get the manager to clean up his act. Kinda good ideas, but the place didn't last for whatever reason and apparently it closed up fast.

In general, though, the food industry is a tough business and a lot of people who get into it don't have good business sense. In the case of the Mixing Bowl, the problems didn't seem anything spectacular. In the case of Dillion's, that place had problems up the wazoo. The biggest issue was that the owner had three "managers" running his business and none of them had a handle on things.

SKARDAVNELNATE posted...

I have watched it.
I did like it.
I was not a fan.
I can't answer the poll.

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