In this 24 hours to Hell and Back episode, Gordon Ramsay visits Fetch Bistro in Witchita, Kansas.
Fetch Bistro is a pet friendly restaurant.
It is owned by Greg and Pamela Buss.
It was the first pet friendly restaurant in Kansas.
The concept is unique but they fear it is a little beyond them.
Dogs are allowed in and can sit on the furnishings.
The dog hair gets everywhere in the restaurant.
There are no rules or consistency in the front or back of the house.
There is no head chef in the kitchen.
The kitchen is run by a team of cooks without being anyone in charge of them.
Pamela works a lot more than Greg, who seems to have given up on the restaurant.
The business is close to shutting completely as they have run out of money.
Gordon gets into disguise to visit the restaurant.
He meets with a group of dog lovers and furry friends to visit the restaurant.
They immediately notice there are no rules for the dogs.
They are both leashed, unleashed and running all over the chairs.
The table orders dog friendly food and regular food for themselves.
They also notice servers are petting dogs while on the job.
They are not washing their hands after they touch them.
The dog food is put on the table.
It is far too hot for the dogs to consume.
Their food comes out and the burger is overcooked.
The chicken is bland and dry and there is a human hair in the food.
Gordon notices that the dog food looks more attractive than the human food!
Gordon sneaks off to the bathroom to get his disguise removed.
He gathers the staff together in the dining area to give feedback.
He tells them everything he noticed from the hairs to the bad food.
Gordon takes them to the Hell on Wheels truck.
He shows them the undercover video footage of their operations.
The footage shows dogs in the kitchen and children being barked at.
There is a lack of recipes, no inventory and an unsanitary kitchen.
The customers are horrified at what they saw.
Gordon points out the lack of structure and wants the staff’s commitment to change.
The timer counting down 24 hours until the relaunch is started.
Gordon has a meeting with the staff.
He tries to find out if there are any systems in place.
They say they are not even trained.
Gordon is surprised the kitchen staff have no recipes.
They make orders based on the description of the menu and based on Greg’s instruction.
The staff all start talking over one another trying to explain to Gordon.
Gordon reads them the online reviews which say the servers are clueless.
They say that the chef cannot cook the full menu.
They complain about the use of onions in dogfood even though onions are toxic to dogs.
Greg had no idea it was that bad.
Gordon tells them they need to be more aware of what is happening.
The renovation starts with removal of furniture.
He hopes to create a cheery and fun environment suitable for both dogs and their owners.
The team stumbles upon an unused patio area they do not use.
Gordon wants it to be repurposed into something functional.
Gordon inspects the kitchen and is impressed with what he sees.
The kitchen staff reveal that the dog food is cooked with the customers food.
It is actually the same food cooked for humans.
This is another risk to the dogs health as the food is too rich for them.
They say they clean the kitchen every month.
Gordon scrapes a layer of grease off of an oven.
He finds abandoned hotdogs in a fryer, spoilt bananas and meat going off.
In the walk-in there is a bad meat loaf wrapped in cling film.
There is rotten produce at the back of the fridge.
The kitchen staff start fighting.
Gordon intervenes and asks them to clean the kitchen.
Gordon has a talk with the kitchen manager, Sue.
She has 30 years experience in the kitchen.
He offers her the head chef position which she says she is ready for.
Gordon takes her and the other kitchen staff to the Hell on Wheels truck.
There he introduces them to their new menu.
He shows them the recipes and the dishes, including healthy meals for dogs.
Gordon takes them through making a burger.
He shows Greg that the kitchen staff have 85 years’ experience combined.
They are more than capable of cooking the new menu.
Greg should not be anywhere near the kitchen.
Gordon takes Greg aside at the restaurant to talk to him about how he distrusts his team.
He shows Greg a footage of Pamela complaining of their lack of intimacy.
Greg treats her more like a member of staff.
He is reminded that she is his partner not just at work but in life.
Greg then meets with her to apologise for his behaviour.
He is tearful while saying he appreciates her and loves her.
The team and the staff keep working till daybreak.
Gordon takes the staff to the truck to present the new menu cooked by the kitchen staff.
Back at the restaurant, the kitchen team are shown their new kitchen.
The kitchen has been deep cleaned by professional cleaners.
Gordon has given them new equipment and tools.
An important addition is the corner for cooking the dog meals.
The burners will only be used for cooking dog food.
The kitchen staff are left to set the kitchen up, with Sue arranging stations and recipes.
Pam organises the front of house.
There will be a dog area and a non-dog area.
Gordon has one more surprise for them.
The patio has been converted into a mini dog park donated by Canine Grass.
Fetch Bistro has a new look.
It is open and bright with pops of colour on the walls.
There are additions like dog beds and a photobooth.
On relaunch night, the customers love the new decor and the new food.
Orders come into the kitchen and Sue is doing well as an official head chef.
In the dining room, servers are reminding customers that dogs are not allowed on the furniture.
They are moving the dogs off when they try to get on the furniture.
A burger is sent out too rare.
It is sent back to be refired, soon another is returned.
Gordon tells them to slow down and make sure the food goes out correctly.
The burgers are refired and they are properly cooked from then onwards.
The returning customers are happy with the transformation.
It is now like a normal restaurant with better human food.
The photobooth is also getting lots of use.
The local food writers and bloggers also love the new food.
The staff are happier and more positive and the relaunch is a success.
Gordon says goodbye to Greg and Pamela and they both tell him they will miss him.
What Happened Next at Fetch Bistro?
Three months later, Greg is staying out of the kitchen.
They are happy with the changes.
They have said that the experience was stressful.
The owners worried about how they would be portrayed.
They said that it was a once in a life time opportunity to work with Gordon.
The owners felt like he cared about their success.
Fetch Bistro closed on April 28th 2019 with the owners blaming the location.
They posted the below post on Facebook -
It is with great sadness we are announcing Fetch will be closing its doors for good April 28th.
Thank you for loving the place and sharing your dogs with us.
We truly will miss you. Please join us for Easter weekend and the following weekend to send it off right!
Sadly, it has not been the most user-friendly location for us and we're sad that it has come to this decision.
We are and will continue to look for a location and an area that would be suitable for this concept.
We will miss you all for now.
Fetch Bistro said they were overall happy with Gordons changes.
They weren't sure of the future of the restaurant due to the large debts they had incurred.
Yelp Reviews after the show filmed were mostly very positive.
The food was a huge hit with customers.
There were negative comments on some food items and service during the evening service.
Trip Advisorreviews were also mostly positive.
Fetch Bistro was aired on July 25 2018.
The episode was filmed in November 2017 and is 24 Hours to Hell and Back season 1 episode 6.
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I just watched this episode. It's sad to hear they closed, but it's not surprising it was due financial reasons. I really have to wonder why people with no experience in restaurant management or cooking would open a restaurant.
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