Kitchen Nightmares: Gordon Ramsay's Restaurant Makeover

With the success of Hell's Kitchen, the high tension chef reality show, Fox has done what any smart network would do: franchised the original program's main draw: Chef Gordon Ramsay. Now, when the master chef isn't busy shaking his head in disgust over the botched efforts of up-and-coming cooks, he's shaking his head over the botched efforts of existing (and stagnating) restaurants.

Store-bought pasta, undercooked chicken, slow service, jaded waiters - you name it, the restaurant probably has it. Not surprisingly, the show's premise has Ramsay as the mastermind brought in to fix - or at least mend - the struggling restaurant.

The usual problems abound. In the premier episode, Ramsay was dealt an intriguing combination of poor food and family drama - and I'm talking "old school" drama, complete with unwelcome visits from the bill collector, threats from the hot-headed owner, and fist fights. The restaurant's owner and namesake, Peter, mismanaged the profits, belittled his service staff, and passively wandered the restaurant when he should have been lending a helping hand.

His temper made even Ramsay's own harsh tongue pale in comparison. Meanwhile, an out-of-date kitchen and refrigeration unit resulted in cranky cooks, overworked wait staff, and frustrated customers. Peter's quick fix solution generally involved a meal or bottle of wine "on the house," which, of course, meant deducting money from the profits and creating a vicious cycle of debt. (That's where the bill collectors came in; honestly, I thought that they would be more imposing figures).

Once the tensions had been fully fleshed out, Ramsay and the crew staged an intervention in which they addressed Peter's temper, and more generally, the restaurant's larger problems. Ramsay's no-nonsense, call-it-like-I-see-it style seemed to do the job. Peter had that necessary moment of on-camera reflection, and suddenly, one commercial break later, could be seen helping out in the kitchen, delivering meals, and supporting his wait staff.

Although the show is entertaining, I wish that more time would be dedicated to the revamping process. The first half of the program clearly establishes the restaurant's problems, not stopping at mere aesthetic issues - dirty kitchens, and garish dining rooms - but rather providing a more complex analysis. The viewers become very aware that supportive relationships among owners, managers, and staff are central to the function of a successful restaurant. But once the restaurant in question's problem has been identified, the fix is just a little too quick for my tastes.

Ramsay is a renowned chef, and I'd like to see more of his interaction with the restaurant's chefs in handling the menu overhaul. After all, Ramsay made such a scene of sending back orders of unsavory food at the show's start. Maybe we'll have to wait for another round of Hell's Kitchen if we'd like food as the focus? Whatever the case, Kitchen Nightmares promises to be one of the better reality shows - no elimination rounds, campfires, or obstacle courses, just a willingness to make something better. Check it out on Wednesday nights at 9/8 central.