What I've learned from Gordon Ramsay

Ever since we got fancy cable, Erin and I have enjoyed watching Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares on BBC America. I think we've pretty much seen 'em all by now (not the stupid American version!) The American version now includes the obligatory realty tv music & camera sweeps and the narration is not performed by Gordon, taking away a lot of the intimacy of the show. That's another rant for a different day, but I wanted to get that out of my system. I feel like we've learned so much about the restaurant business and especially how to run one properly.

For those of you who've never heard of or seen the show, the original series is based in Britain. Chef Gordon Ramsay is a highly successful chef to is invited to travel to struggling restaurants and overhaul the business in a week. The chef samples some common dishes, reviews the establishment, and then meets the staff to give his ideas. After developing new ideas for the restaurant, such as uniforms, menu, management, marketing, etc, he works with the staff, draws out energy(with deliberately pointed criticism), redevelops the menu, and helps to re-market the business. They reopen, usually to a packed house, and are often successful in making a huge leap of progress. I love his forwardness, great ideas, humor, filthy mouth, ego, and his perfect ability to see right through the clutter and fix everything that is broken.


The effect it has on me is interesting...I began to be curious about cooking, fancy restaurants, and running a business. I can't help but to critique restaurants based on what I've learned. Most of what we eat is at chains, like Applebees, but it still is pretty fun to think about.


Here are the top things that I've learned from Gordon Ramsay:

1. Keep the menu simple. Too many restaurants had cluttered menus with complicated dishes which were not cooked properly and inappropriate for the theme or season. A streamlined menu will keep the food moving faster and allow you to focus on making those fewer items perfect.
2. Sample what you cook. You can't send out the food without knowing it's good enough to serve to others.
3. Use fresh ingredients. Leftover food, frozen commercial dishes, and rotten ingredients are unnacceptable. Buy fresh and buy local. It's often cheaper and in the long run, much better for your reputation!
4. Keep your kitchen clean and uncluttered.
5. Don't be afraid to try something new and different, especially if it means changing your identity or saving the business, because if you don't, you may lose everything.
6. Market yourself! Publish your specials to tourists, provide samples to the public, create a buzzworthy specialty (Campaign For Real Gravy, anyone??)
7. Be honest with yourself. Do you want this restaurant to succeed? How much work are you willing to do to succeed? Are you running a restaurant for yourself or for your guests?
8. Emphasize timely service... One bad experience may mean one last visit for a customer. People do not like to be kept waiting!
9. Watch your costs. Allowing waitstaff to drink in the bar for free or insisting on expensive cuts of meat are probably not the best ideas. The chef has shown that you can use less expensive meat and just cook it better and no one would even care!
10. Food can look beautiful! It doesn't have to be an expensive or fancy dish to have a visual appeal.
11. Make the restaurant look clean and simple. Decorating the dining room with tacky decorations, painting the pub Purple, or using strange dishes that you pick up at garage sales are no-nos.

I'll add more as I think of them, but that pretty much sums it up. This seams to be a recipe for success and has been proven over and over again. It's amazing to think about what would happen if all restaurants were run that way! The way he presents it makes it seem to simple and easy, that you think "duh. " Are there any other Chef Ramsay fans out there? Speak up! Am I right on or way off? I don't think I could ever start my own restaurant, but if I did, I think I'd have a great head start.