In this 24 hours to Hell and Back episode, Gordon Ramsay visits Brownstone Bistro in Los Angeles, California.
Brownstone Bistro is a creole restaurant owned by Clive Jackson.
He bought the restaurant five years ago and is now struggling to stay open.
Clive has been an executive chef for over 37 years and has worked for a cruise line and a movie studio.
The restaurant was successful at first then things declined when he lost his son, Clive Jr.
Clive got depressed and buried himself in work.
The restaurant has fallen apart as Clive has let too much slide.
He also takes in a lot of people in need, which leaves him vulnerable to being taken advantage of.
Gordon gets into disguise and blends in with some local food critics in a large party.
There was no one to host or welcome them into the restaurant.
Also, the servers aren’t smiling when they are serving guests.
Their chicken wings are cold and the cheese is processed.
There is some unidentified food on a plate and an order was forgotten for their table.
Gordon has his disguise removed in the men’s room before re-entering the dining room.
He calls for the kitchen staff to come into the dining room, while he shuts the restaurant down.
A member of staff is yawning while Gordon is giving feedback to Clive.
Clive admits that they have just six months left in business before it will have to close.
The staff and customers are all taken out to the Hell on Wheels truck and are shown secret footage of the restaurant.
Staff are goofing off while customers are in the restaurant.
They are on their phones when they are supposed to be working and there are unsanitary practices in the kitchen.
Gordon catches Nicole, the general manager laughing while all the bad practices are shown.
He confronts her about why she is laughing and she is defensive and rude.
Gordon confronts Clive about what has been shown and he says he would like things to change.
Gordon starts the timer, counting down the 24 hours until the relaunch of the restaurant.
Inside the restaurant, Gordon reads the online reviews of the restaurant to the staff.
People complain of the cold food, staff distracted by football on TV, an hour wait for food and forgetful servers.
Nicole says that the kitchen staff need more training.
She believes it would make the restaurant better, even though service is also poor.
Gordon asks everyone to show their commitment to turning things around in 24 hours.
This prompts Terrence a line cook to quit and he gets up and leaves.
Gordon introduces the design team and more help from Clive’s parish, who want to see him succeed.
They get started with moving the furniture around.
They will be putting in new furnishings and fixtures, updated artwork and decor.
Gordon then inspects the kitchen and sees bags of produce with no dates or organisation.
Gordon takes Clive aside and shows him the dirt in the food prep area.
He also shows him the grease in the fryer and the gunk under the grill.
The grill is a fire hazard with so much grease all over it and could cause a fire at any time.
Clive is emotional with how bad things have got at the restaurant.
Gordon has a one-on-one with Clive in his office.
He finds out he is still in grief after losing his 14-year-old son after he was shot.
It happened close to his restaurant and he was the first on scene.
He blames himself, trying to make amends saving other kids.
Gordon tells him it is madness to want to replace his son but Clive pleads Nicole’s case saying she is a good person.
Clive says there is pressure on his marriage as his wife has left him and taken his daughter with her.
Gordon is committed to reminding Clive why he fell in love with cooking.
Once the kitchen staff have finished cleaning the kitchen, Gordon takes them to the Hell on Wheels truck.
They are to see their new menu and he takes them through making a red snapper dish.
Gordon leaves them to be trained by his chefs while he checks on the restaurant and meets with Nicole.
Nicole says their service has a lot of room for improvement and Gordon reminds her of the bad service he received.
She is embarrassed and in tears saying she can do a better job.
Gordon believes she can be a better manager.
The staff and volunteers are kept busy all night in the restaurant and on the truck.
In the morning Clive and his team present the meals they cooked from the new menu to the staff.
They love the new dishes and flavours of the food.
Clive and his team are taken to the new kitchen.
It has been made more spacious with new equipment and tools.
Gordon has another surprise front of house.
They have a new POS system form Touchbistro to replace their paper ordering system.
Gordon leaves the staff and spends some time with Deedee, Clive’s ex-wife, who is onsite.
He facilitates a reconciliation between the two of them and removes the cameras from the room.
As the renovations are close to completed Clive and Deedee come to see the new bistro.
All the staff are gathered in the centre where there is a tree Gordon reveals it is a blessing tree in honour of Clive Jr.
With each check they have the option to write a message and hang it on the tree.
It moves Clive and the staff to tears.
With the timer ending the customers are let in by Nicole for the relaunch.
The restaurant has been made contemporary, brighter and vibrant with brown walls and rattan chairs.
The food looks is so good the diners are taking pictures before eating and they are impressed with the taste.
Clive’s daughter makes an appearance and she is taken to the kitchen to see her father.
Important personalities that came for the launch love the food with almost no complaints.
On a VIP table, an order is missed and comes out later than her companions but the chicken is not cooked fully.
It is returned to be recooked and Gordon has to tell the kitchen to get it together.
Nicole is a vision of hospitality when apologising to the table and their chicken is returned, cooked to perfection.
The other customers are impressed with the atmosphere, food and service.
Gordon says goodbye to Nicole and Clive before he leaves.
What Happened Next at Brownstone Bistro?
Three months later and business has picked up, the restaurant is busy and customers are loving the new menu.
Reviews are mostly positive, Trip Advisor reviews appear to be mostly positive with positive comments on both the food and atmosphere of the restaurant.
Yelp reviews are very positive and the buffet appears to be a huge hit with customers for both cost and quality of food.
He kept the menu that was introduced in the show and added customer favourites alongside a buffet service on Thursday, Friday and Sunday.
Brownstone Bistro closed in October 2018, the doors were locked and phones disconnected.
Brownstone Bistro re-opened on January 27th 2019 with new owners.
The restaurant has been slightly renamed to Brownstone LA and they have kept Clive's menu.
Clive was facing homelessness and a GoFundMe page was set up to help him get back on his feet.
Brownstone Bistro is 24 Hours to Hell and Back season 1 episode 3. It aired on June 27 2018 and the episode was filmed in October 2017.
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Previous episode - The Old Coffeepot Restaurant
Next episode - Sherman's Restaurant
This man deserves all his success. I wish him all the best.
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