Mojito - Kitchen Nightmares Update - Open or Closed?

In this Kitchen Nightmares episode, Gordon Ramsay visits Mojito in Brooklyn, New York.

Mojito Cuban Cuisine is owned by Marcelo Arias and Maria Katalina Velez aka Katalina.

They were once husband and wife

They initially lived in the apartment above the restaurant before their separation.

Katalina says they share responsibilities but Marcelo says that he does everything.

Katalina doesn’t respect Marcelo and Marcelo can’t stand her being in the restaurant.

They constantly fight in front of both staff and customers on a regular basis.

After their separation Marcelo moved out but they still run the restaurant together.

They are now in $300,000 debt and on the brink of losing the restaurant.

Gordon arrives at the restaurant.

He meets Katalina and gets to find out about their personal situation.

Despite the tense situation he decides to focus on the food first.

He likens the interior decor to that of a garage sale with clutter all over the place.

He orders chicken soup and it comes fast but it is cold and he has it returned to be warmed.

Marcelo checks the soup pot and says that it is hot, blaming the service for the issue.

Katalina apologies but is made to taste the black beans and rice and it is salty.

She apologies for the overly seasoned dish as well and takes it back to the kitchen.

Katalina gets into a shouting match with Marcelo about the dish.

Gordon can hear them in the restaurant.

The Tilapia meal comes and the fish is raw so Gordon doesn’t even taste the dish.

Gordon comes into the kitchen to meet the kitchen staff.

He tells them the food is horrible.

Gordon heard their raised voices after he returned the tilapia.

Eduardo, the cook, tells him the shouting is normal for the kitchen and happens all the time.

Marcelo claims Katalina pushes him and makes the workplace unbearable.

Gordon walks around the restaurant.

He notices the blue bottles on the front windows are blocking out natural light.

Marcello says it is toilet water they used to make the blue liquid for the display.

During dinner service, Marcello has no control of the kitchen.

Food moves out slowly but meals keep getting sent back to the kitchen.

The bickering from the owners starts again and customers can hear their arguing.

Gordon checks the fridge and sees an outrageous amount of fresh produce.

There is fresh produce in front and older produce at the back.

After the dinner service, Gordon meets with the staff to discuss what he observed.

He brings out tubs of produce from their fridge.

Gordon shows them the pre-cooked chicken, revealing there’s enough food for 5000 customers in storage.

Gordon speaks with the owners separately.

He finds out 7 years prior, they were happy till they decided to try for a baby.

The efforts failed and Katalina had an affair.

They were unhappy and separated for some time before eventually getting divorced.

Both agree that they need to move on from their marriage.

They both don’t want to lose the business.

Gordon creates a challenge for them to work together making a Cuban dish.

They immediately start cooking two different dishes rather than working together.

Gordon asks them to do it together but they don’t and continue with individual dishes.

Katalina makes a great shrimp dish but Marcelo makes a mediocre chicken dish.

Gordon works with Eduardo on some new menu dishes.

Katalina asks Marcelo to switch roles for the dinner service.

That night the specials are Gordon’s chicken dish and Katalina’s shrimp dish.

Gordon is happy that Katalina and Marcelo finally agreed on something together.

Katalina starts well and customers are enjoying the specials but hate the regular menu.

Customers complain of strange tastes to the dishes and send food back to the kitchen.

Katalina begins to struggle in the kitchen, she gets confused with the rising orders and lost tickets.

Gordon finds a spike for the tickets and order is restored for a strong finish by Katalina.

Marcelo shines in front of the house.

Gordon insists on Katalina and Marcelo getting on the same page.

The next day the new Mojito is revealed.

The decor is more open with a lot more natural light after the bottles are removed.

The menus have been cut in half for speed and ease of service.

They will be making better use of fresh ingredients and serving smaller portions.

The dishes are new and exciting and with the changes both the owners and staff are hopeful.

For relaunch night, Marcelo and Katalina decide to work the front of the house together.

This leaves Eduardo alone in the kitchen.

Gordon informs them he has a special guest coming in that night.

Eduardo is quiet and food is coming out slowly.

Food orders are mixed up and sent back to the kitchen.

During this, the Brooklyn Borough President comes in.

Gordon has to talk to Eduardo privately to get him to start directing in the kitchen.

Marcelo returns to the kitchen to help to call out orders and works well with Katalina.

The Borough President and his companions loved all the food they are service.

The relaunch night is a success and the owners are happy their restaurant has a future.

What Happened Next at Mojito?

Thanks to the smaller menu Mojito buys less produce.

They have implemented a new promotion at the flea market to get new customers.

Katalina and Marcelo are also fighting less.

Gordon revisits in a Kitchen Nightmares Revisited episode.

The restaurant is doing well.

Business had increased by 30%, both owners are more relaxed/

The fighting between the pair has stopped.

Marcelo and Kata did give the relationship another go.

However, the feelings had changed and it did not work out.

Yelp reviews for the restaurant were very mixed after Gordon's visit.

There was a solid mix of 1 star and 5 star reviews.

Trip Advisor reviews are also very mixed.

Mojito closed in March 2016.

They posted the below onto on Facebook -

"In behalf of our entire staff. We want to thank all our Patrons for 13 years of support and loyalty,

Mojito Cuban Cuisine . Brooklyn location is Closed Stand by for our next Chapter. All the love #chefmkv"

Mojito aired on February 25 2010, the episode was filmed in May 2009 and is Kitchen Nightmares season 3 episode 4.

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