Zocalo - Kitchen Nightmares Update - Open or Closed?

In this Kitchen Nightmares episode, Gordon Ramsay visits Zocalo in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Zocalo is a Mexican restaurant owned by husband Greg Russell and wife Mary Russel.

The couple bought the restaurant in 2008 after they met through working in the restaurant.

Greg was a bartender and Mary ran the tortilla bar.

They thought running the restaurant would be walk in the park, but it hasn’t been.

Greg works in the kitchen 7 days a week.

Mary only comes in 3 days a week and is critical of everyone’s jobs.

The bickering of the couple is distracting to staff.

Greg feels the stress of running the place is affecting their relationship.

Their daughters are servers at the restaurant.

They are upset by witnessing the poor state of their parents relationship.

Gordon arrives and is impressed with the authentic Mexican decor of the restaurant.

He sits down with Greg and Mary and discusses the history of the restaurant.

Sitting with Gordon, Greg tells him how he started working at the restaurant.

His sister was a sous chef and told him of the opening.

He has a sentimental attachment to Zocalo because he has had some major family events there.

The first six months of ownership were great.

Now they are barely making $7,000 – $8,000 of sales every week.

Greg tells Gordon about his typical day and he does a lot at home and at the restaurant.

Every day he wakes at 5 am and gets into bed at midnight.

Greg has taken no breaks or vacations in over a year.

Mary can’t say what exactly she does to help at the restaurant.

They tearfully tell Gordon they are in $750,000 of debt.

It is stressful and they argue constantly.

Gordon meets Maria, the server at his table.

He comments on the number of dishes on the menu and the high prices.

Gordon asks Maria to recommend a dish from the menu to him.

She reveals that has never eaten at the restaurant because it is too expensive for her.

He orders three dishes and finds out from Mary that Greg is the one that set the prices.

First to arrive is the queso fundido with flour wraps.

He finds it greasy, full of oil and suspects it is microwaved.

Next is the chile relleno, which is weird looking.

He thinks it tastes spongy, rubbery and salty.

Mary finds out Greg substituted the cheese for a gouda cheese that isn’t suitable for the dish.

Third to arrive is the cochinita pibil with corn tortillas.

It is bland with no seasoning and it is also dry.

Mary agrees it is bland and Gordon suggests she needs to get in the kitchen to help.

She says she doesn’t like the kitchen because it too small and hot.

Last is the molcajete, that arrives bubbling in a hot pot.

He describes it as something out of Harry Potter.

Gordon compares it with eating the inside of a golf ball.

Gordon and Mary taste the cactus in the dish and they both hate it.

Greg is devastated about the feedback.

Gordon meets them in the kitchen and gives them a more detailed feedback.

Greg admits he isn't the best cook and that he knows his prices are on the high side.

He then reveals Mary is the one who hiked up the prices, exposing her lie that he was responsible.

Gordon tells her the prices would end up chasing customers away, but she is in denial and walks away.

Gordon comes back to observe the dinner service and Greg shows him around the kitchen.

The stove isn’t working properly and other pieces of equipment aren’t working properly.

Orders come in fast and Greg is doing everything himself.

He is refusing Jerome’s help and most of the food is microwaved.

The servers have to stand and wait in the kitchen for their tables food.

This makes food service really slow with customers waiting more than an hour for their food.

Mary comes in to bicker with Greg and distracts him from cooking.

When the food arrives, the customers have complaints and some are sent back.

When Greg is given feedback, he doesn’t want to listen and is also rushing to finish his dinner service.

Gordon tells Greg that Mary is not supportive of him but rather a destructive force when she is around him.

Gordon asks the camera crew to leave and they have a semi-private discussion.

He says that they don’t act like husband and wife.

Greg needs to get her to stop nagging him in the kitchen.

Gordon comes in the next day ready to tackle Greg and Mary’s relationship.

Gordon asks Greg to watch on a monitor while he chats with Mary and his two daughters.

They say Greg shuts down and is not expressive.

The couple used to be happy before they owned the restaurant.

They think he is struggling and Zocalo is sucking the life out of him.

It is clear that he is too stubborn to take a step back.

If Greg falls ill, Mary says she will run the business but her daughters don’t believe she can do it.

Gordon tells them they are not supporting him enough and that is contributing to his pressure.

Mary nags him a lot but she says she still loves him. Greg is called in to hear it for himself.

He then talks to his family and says he finds it hard to ask for help.

He wants to be the one to provide but they pledge to help and support him.

Gordon calls them into the kitchen to see their brand new 10-ring gas stove and oven from Southbend.

Gordon reveals a new menu for the restaurant with fun, colourful and delicious meals that are decently priced.

They have also gotten a new POS system from Zephyr Hardware and a POS to send orders straight to the kitchen.

It also tracks inventory and sales with credit card payment options.

For the restaurant to be properly staffed he has created a programme with Drexel University.

It is for Culinary students to get on-the-job training at the restaurant.

For the relaunch, Mary will be expediting and Greg will be overseeing the kitchen.

Customers pack the restaurant and orders come in fast.

Greg is nervous but it starts well with support from the family.

Soon Mary is back to her old ways and starts nagging Greg. not listening to him and talking over him.

Meals get backed up and Mary gets impatient with staff and is rude to them.

Gordon has to pull Mary aside to get her to be more constructive and slow down.

There is a turnaround and communication gets better and with that food starts coming out.

The customers love the meals and it ends successfully.

Gordon is happy that they found their rhythm at the end, Greg and Mary work well together.

What Happened Next at Zocalo?

In the weeks after the show, the dinner services got smoother.

The students became part of the team.

The relationship between Greg and Mary was improved.

They kept Gordon's menu and the food on their website looked delicious with reduced prices.

Yelp reviews after the show seemed to be mostly average to poor.

There were complaints on poor food, poor service but the cheap cocktails were a hit.

Zocalo closed January 2013.

It is reported that it closed for the holidays and did not re-open.

According to Phillymag,
"The Russells did not respond to a call and email seeking comment, and it’s unclear exactly when the restaurant closed.

But as of this week, most of Zocalo’s contents appear to have been removed.

The website is still up, but the phone number is not working.

A quick review of court records reveals some major problems: a Philadelphia tax lien for $40,000; federal tax liens totalling over $28,000; and a “confession of judgement” relating to the business against Greg Russell for $39,000.

And that’s without peeking into the restaurant’s revolving debt, which, at this point, is likely massive."

After Zocalo closed, Greg and Mary divorced.

He married Maria, a waitress featured in the episode.

Greg is currently Manager at The Walrus Oyster and Ale House.

Zocalo was aired on March 30 2012, the episode was filmed in November 2011 and is Kitchen Nightmares season 5 episode 15.

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