Kati Allo - Kitchen Nightmares Update - Open or Closed?

In this Kitchen Nightmares episode, Gordon Ramsay visits Kati Allo in Queens, New York.

Kati Allo is a Greek restaurant that was bought in 2000 by Manny and his wife Christina.

Manny bought the restaurant on a whim when he saw it was up for sale and without Christina’s knowledge or input.

Neither of them have any experience in running a restaurant and have not worked in the industry.

Christina and Manny bicker a lot in the restaurant, even in front of customers.

They also battle for leadership of the staff, confusing the staff in the process as to who is in charge.

The restaurant was initially successful with all of their children working in the restaurant, now only their daughter works in the restaurant.

Gordon arrives at the restaurant and meets the owners.

Manny and Christina have been married 35 years and have a large family.

Gordon is surprised to find out that Manny purchased the restaurant after a haircut next door to the restaurant and noticed it was up for sale.

Christina never wanted the restaurant because of lack of experience and now she feels trapped.

The business was successful at first but in recent year it has gone downhill.

They both blame each other for the restaurant failing and have differing answers to Gordon’s questions.

Their relationship has broken down beyond repair and Christina has started divorce proceedings.

They have also sold their home to try and keep the business afloat.

Gordon meets with waitress Irene who tells Gordon that the owners are constantly arguing and their relationship is worsening by the day.

He orders a gyro platter, a loukaniko and a pastitsio.

Gordon looks around the dining room and thinks that the colours are depressing.

The gyro is frozen and it tastes terrible.

The loukaniko is next but the sausages have been deep fried and it has too much grease and garlic.

He has Irene taste it and she chokes on the garlic in the dish.

The last is the pastitsio which Gordon can tell was microwaved as it is dreadful and bland.

Manny isn’t happy about the feedback and he gets into an argument with Christina, which Gordon can hear from the dining area.

Gordon asks to meet the staff and gives them feedback on the food and Manny is defensive of his food, recipes and practices.

The kitchen staff reveal that they stopped using fresh produce a year ago when asked about the frozen food.

Gordon says he is embarrassed about the meals he ate and he leaves.

Gordon meets Evelyn, their daughter who works part time in the restaurant.

She has had to be a referee between her parents often and their failing relationship has left the place in shambles.

Her father has changed over the years and her mom is not good at customer service.

They both prefer blaming each other than looking at their own faults and the mistakes they are making at the restaurant.

Gordon comes back in the evening to observe the dinner service.

Gordon sees bad practices including Manny cutting into the chicken on the grill to check if it is cooked.

Customers aren't impressed with the food and complain of dry, overcooked meat during the service.

A dish arrives in the kitchen via a dumbwaiter and Gordon is surprised to find that it is cooked in a basement kitchen, where there is a chef microwaving food.

Inspecting the basement, he sees their walk-in fridge and sees raw meat stored next to cooked meat, 8-year-old jars at the back of the fridge and mouldy vegetables.

He takes the owners and Evelyn down to the basement to see the spoilt food produce and items in the fridges.

Manny is shown the disgusting state of the kitchen and blames the staff, whereas Evelyn insists that it is his job to check it.

Evelyn tries to get him to see that it was up to him to supervise his staff and he needs to take ownership of the state of the kitchen.

She walks out and Manny meets her and Gordon outside but he still insists on blaming other people for the mess.

Gordon is tired and decides to turn around the restaurant just for Evelyn.

The next morning, Gordon heads to their home with Evelyn to try to make Manny and Christina see their communication issues are a problem.

After a heartfelt plea from Evelyn, the couple agrees they will try to get on the same page and unite for the sake of their family and the restaurant.

Gordon then takes them to the restaurant to do a task together.

Gordon teaches Manny and Christine a new sea bass dish that will be added to the menu and the pair cook the dish together.

Overnight the restaurant is given a huge makeover with a more Greek feel and all of the furniture, tablecloths and crockery are replaced.

It is brighter with white walls and blue decorative shutters. There is hand painted artwork on the walls and reclaimed wood around the bar.

Christina is so excited she can’t keep still and Manny cries at the sight of the new restaurant.

Next, Gordon introduces their new menu with fresh ingredients. They sample the menu and love the new dishes.

For relaunch night, Manny and Evelyn are running the restaurant together.

Manny will be expediting and Evelyn will be cooking and prepping.

It starts well and the food is served fast to customers who are happy with their meals.

But 45 minutes in, Manny gets overwhelmed and confused and meals get missing, delaying service.

He goes outside for a break and comes back in motivated to get the service back on track.

With some uplifting words from Gordon, he works to meet up on the orders.

The customers love the food and are happy to meet Manny towards the end of the successful relaunch night.

What Happened Next at Kati Allo?

In the weeks that followed, business had improved.

Manny and Christina are working well together, and their relationship is improved with Evelyn now working full time at the restaurant.

After the filming of the episode, Yelp reviews were mixed, with some customers loving the new food and some customers wanted to bring back the old menu.

Kati Allo closed in April 2014, days after the episode aired.

The closure was supposed to be temporary whilst they made renovations but they never reopened.

Kalamaki NYC, a Greek restaurant opened in its place in July 2014.

Yelp reviews look good and it appears regulars from Kati Allo have become customers here too.

Kati Allo was aired on 18 April 2014, the episode was filmed in July 2013 and is Kitchen Nightmares season 7 episode 4.

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This post was last updated in March 2023.