Davide - Kitchen Nightmares Update - Open or Closed?

In this Kitchen Nightmares episode, Gordon Ramsay visits Davide in Boston, Massachusetts.

Davide was bought by brothers Frank and Anthony in 1997 and business was good.

Davide restaurant is located in the North End, which is known for its outstanding Italian food served at over 150 Italian restaurants.

The first fine dining restaurant in the neighborhood was Davide, which opened in 1982.

Davide used to be the number one in Boston with a three week wait for bookings.

A few years after opening Frank found out that Anthony was embezzling money to support his drug addiction.

Anthony went to jail leaving Frank to run the restaurant and the business went downhill.

Anthony later returned to the restaurant.

He is trying his best to prove that he has changed but Frank still seems to distrust Anthony.

The shaky relationship between the brothers has affected the business.

The restaurant is currently in $1million of debt.

The staff and family of the brothers know that Frank has a lot of pent-up anger and resentment towards Anthony.

They know that if the relationship is not fixed, the restaurant cannot be helped.

Gordon takes a tour bus to the restaurant and is told by the bus driver that none of the locals would recommend the restaurant.

On entering the restaurant, Gordon meets Anthony and asked him when they last updated the restaurant.

Anthony admits they haven't changed much since they have owned the restaurant.

Gordon calls a staff meeting with the family and Frank tells Gordon that business has declined over the previous 3 years.

Anthony explains his drug problems and previous behavior.

He says that Frank has been holding on to the pain when he should have let go of the past.

Frank explains his struggles with moving on from Anthony's issues as Anthony has been burnt six times.

Gordon wants to sample the food and orders a Caesar salad, homemade lobster ravioli and Rack of lamb.

He is impressed as the salad is prepared table-side and the pasta is advertised as homemade.

The salad takes too long to be made and the lettuce is soggy.

The eggplant wasn't cooked properly and the lamb has a burnt garlic crust.

Gordon and Anthony talk in between courses and he reveals he spent almost four years in jail and has been clean of drugs for two years.

Gordon finds out that the eggplant was cooked three weeks ago before being frozen.

He also discovers that the lobster ravioli is bought in, not homemade as advertised.

The embarrassed waiter tells Gordon that he hopes he can get to Frank as he is a good chef but not a passionate one.

Anthony takes Gordon to the kitchen where Gordon comments on the food he had tasted but Frank states that he can’t do better.

After Gordon leaves, the whole family argues and Frank’s wife tells him to make a decision to either learn from chef Ramsay or not.

Upset after chef Ramsay’s harsh critique of his dishes, Frank is not only questioning the future of the restaurant but his own ability.

The staff are frustrated as the boss is supposed to carry the whole staff.

Frank seems to slack off in the kitchen and is not wearing his chef uniform.

Gordon arrives to observe the dinner service of the restaurant and finds Frank sat in a chair in the kitchen.

As orders start rolling in, Frank tries to be motivated but the kitchen quickly gets backed up with a long wait for food.

Anthony tries to speed things up but Frank yells at him to shut up.

Gordon discovers there is a complete lack of communication and Frank sends out a fish dish that he knew was bad.

An hour and half into dinner service and the food is making its way to the diners but unfortunately isn’t worth the wait.

The diners send back most dishes and Frank explodes before walking out of the kitchen.

The sous chef and staff step up to finish the service but the damage was done.

His wife Kim breaks down and explains her husband feels demotivated.

The next morning Gordon sits them down together for another meeting.

Anthony reads a letter apologizing to Frank for what he has done and tells him that he loves him.

He tells Frank that he knows he has damaged the restaurant but knows they can work together to get the restaurant back on track.

Frank’s wife also tearfully talks to him and gives him his chef's jacket that he hasn't worn in years.

He refuses to wear it as he feels he doesn't deserve it.

Gordon asks Frank to create a dish he likes to cook, he makes a lemon chicken dish and Gordon loves it.

Overnight the restaurant is given a makeover that reduces Kim to tears.

For relaunch night, Kim persuades Frank to put on his chef's whites.

Gordon opens up to Frank about his own brothers struggles with addiction.

Gordon reveals a brand new menu with homemade pasta and gnocchi and Frank's lemon chicken special.

Gordon has invited some Boston Magazine food critics for the relaunch and reveals this just before the service starts.

The food goes out quickly and the critics and customers are pleased.

However as the kitchen gets busier the brothers argue and rush the food out resulting in under cooked pork dish.

A pep talk from Gordon gets the kitchen back onto track with proper communication and the dish is sent out perfectly.

Overall, the relaunch is a success.

What Happened Next at Davide?

Gordon revisits and Anthony is in front of house and Frank in the kitchen.

He has the chef jacket on and his seat is back in the kitchen but only for before and after service.

Gordon is served a variety of dishes, he loves them and thinks they are delicious.

The brothers are getting along a lot better and business is up 15%.

Gordon has a surprise for them, a hockey player from the Boston Bruins who gives them a Jersey.

Reviews after filming were mixed, Yelp reviews were mostly 1 or 2 star with negative comments on service and poorly cooked food.

Urban Spoon were more positive and praised the food, service but some mention long waits for food.

Davide closed in May 2014 after being sold in January 2014, as the owners wanted to start a farming venture and Boston North End food tours.

They posted the below on Facebook in May 2014,

Today is the day we say goodbye to Davide Restaurant.

We would like to say thank you to all of the customers, family and employees who came through our doors all those years.

Life has a new direction for us and we have now begun Three Boys Farm.

We are getting to the root of the industry and growing the product that makes all those dishes possible!!!

Davide aired on February 25 2011, the episode was filmed in December 2010 and is Kitchen Nightmares season 4 episode 5.

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This post was last updated in March 2023.