Cafe Hon - Kitchen Nightmares Update - Open or Closed?

In this Kitchen Nightmares episode, Gordon Ramsay visits Cafe Hon in Baltimore, Maryland.

Cafe Hon opened by entrepreneur Denise Whiting in 1992.

The vibrant Cafe features a giant flamingo on the front and has a colourful frontage.

The restaurant was named Hon after a term of endearment.

The locals use it to signify friendliness between each other.

In 2010, Denise decided to trademark the name of the cafe ‘Café Hon’.

She also trademarked the word ‘Hon’ and this alienated the local people.

Denise had Baltimore behind her when she first opened.

Trademarking the word ‘Hon’ so that she could sell merchandise backfired.

Business has been down due to a boycott by the locals.

She takes her frustrations out on the staff.

Gordon stops by a local radio station.

He wants to gain more knowledge about the reason the community decided to turn his back on the restaurant.

Gordon discovers that the term Hon is extremely important to the town.

The word is a cultural icon in Baltimore.

It has been part of their vocabulary long before cafe Hon existed.

Denise took the name for herself.

She even announced in the newspaper that the word was now trademarked by her.

She had also threatened legal action against any business that uses the word without her permission.

The problem is not the name of the cafe but with her trademarking the Hon name.

Gordon arrives at Cafe Hon and is greeted by Debbie.

She is the manager of 13 years and calls in Denise to meet with him.

Gordon has a private talk with Denise and a few moments into the talk she breaks down.

She tells him that business has decreased by 50%.

Denise has sold basically all she has and put it into the business.

She doesn’t know what to do anymore or how to turn things around.

Denise knows that the trademark was an issue.

The people believed she has stolen something from the city of Baltimore but doesn't take the blame for that.

She instead blames the local media for the reaction as they inflamed the situation.

Denise tries to evade the truth of threatening to sue someone for using the Hon word.

Gordon tells her that he has done his research on the situation.

He tells her it would be difficult for him to help her out if she’s not entirely truthful to him.

Gordon sits down to eat.

He orders the Big Bay Club, English style Fish and Chips and the "Much Better Than Mom's" Meatloaf.

Gordon tries to eat the big bay club but it was too big to eat at once.

He breaks it down into layers and the layer of crab is delicious.

However, the shrimps are stone cold and they taste like they are a week old.

Greg, the head chef says that most of the menu items are Denise’s recipes and they are crap.

Denise tastes the food and believes the food is perfect.

Server Amanda says Denise’s biggest downfall is her believe that she’s never wrong.

The English style Fish and Chips is greasy, the fish is dry and the batter is soggy.

Gordon calls the dish a big disappointment.

Gordon tastes the meatloaf and it is dreadful with no flavor.

There is raw broccoli, cold mashed potatoes and the gravy over the top swamps the dish.

Denise can’t believe that Gordon could have an issue with all of her dishes.

She says that she now doubts if Gordon is the answer to their problems.

Gordon meets with the kitchen staff who accept Gordon's criticism but Denise looks furious.

Greg tells Gordon that Denise doesn’t like it when they try to change things on the menu.

Gordon returns to observe the evening service.

The place is packed for the first time in a year, upon hearing the news that Gordon is in town.

The kitchen is swamped with orders but Denise keeps barking orders.

She starts giving lessons on making asparagus, which slows things down.

The dishes that manage to be sent out is sent back for many reasons.

Denise decides to stop serving the turkey.

More complaints lead to her 86ing the steaks, pot pie, catfish, french fries and sweet fries.

This leaves them with next to nothing to serve to the diners.

Amanda says instead of trying to fix things Denise usually stops serving things altogether.

The customers become frustrated as the menu items keeps dwindling and they leave.

Gordon asks Amanda to find out the total amount lost.

He finds out that $800 worth of food was thrown away.

Denise fails to see where the service went wrong and believes she needs to change the menu.

Gordon calls a staff meeting the next morning without Denise.

He asks them what bothers them about the way Denise runs the restaurant.

The staff says they don't like the way they are spoken to and they don't like her management style.

Manager Debbie calls her out on her bad behavior and the staff say she is negative.

Denise also talks down to them and it is better when she is not there.

Everything goes more smoothly in her absence.

They are afraid to tell anything to her face because they can be fired.

Denise meets them during their meeting and Gordon asks the staff to tell her what they feel.

A lot of negative things were said against Denise.

The main focus is the way she screams and tries to control everyone.

A member of staff comments on how nobody likes her makes Denise burst into tears.

She says that she is grateful that they manage to stay with her after all she has put them through.

Denise tells them how much she appreciates them and apologizes for her behavior.

She promise to change her behavior and it is a teary moment among the staff.

Gordon calls a meeting with local residents with Denise listening to their conversations through a set of headphones.

They are angry about the 'Hon' trademarking and think she is just after money.

One local called her a bully as anyone could be issued a cease-and-desist order just for using the word ‘Hon’.

He got one himself when he created a website having the word ‘Hon’ in the name.

The Maryland State Government had to go to her to approve the use of the word ‘Hon’ in their ad campaign.

She insisted on creative control as a condition of using it!

The locals say they will think about returning to Cafe Hon if she abandons the trademark on 'Hon'.

The meeting was an eye opener for Denise.

She tells Gordon she realizes she has made a mistake and agrees to take responsibility.

Gordon revamps the restaurant overnight.

As the staff enters the restaurant, they were very excited as they love the new design.

Denise hugs Gordon and bursts into tears.

Gordon shows them the revamped menu and when the sample they love the new delicious food.

Gordon knows that it is important to reach out to the community.

He makes arrangements for him and Denise go to a local radio station.

She apologizes to the people and asks for forgiveness for the trademark.

Denise tells the locals that she would give the trademark back to them by giving up ownership.

On relaunch night, the restaurant is packed with locals.

They love both the new decor and food.

What Happened Next at Cafe Hon?

Yelp Reviews are very mixed with some negative comments on both food and service.

The trademark issue is still mentioned in earlier reviews by locals.

She made changes to a number of Gordon's menu items including the crab cakes.

Gordon revisited in May 2012.

He discovers that some locals have began to forgive her.

Especially after she gave up the trademark on the word Hon.

Gordon brands her burger delicious.

She is given a commendation for her work in the community.

However, it appears many are not going to forgive her so easily.

In May 2013, the restaurant was renovated and redecorated.

Cafe Hon closed in April 2022.

They closed after owner Denise decided to move on to something different, potentially retirement.

The space was purchased by Foreman Wolf Restaurant Group.

The Duchess is due to open in its space in December 2024.

Cafe Hon was aired on February 24 2012, the episode was filmed in November 2011 and is Kitchen Nightmares season 5 episode 13.

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