Social - 24 Hours to Hell and Back Update - Open or Closed?

In this 24 Hours to Hell and Back episode, Gordon Ramsay visits Social Costa Mesa in Los Angeles, California.

Social is owned by Andrew Dorsey and wife Raquel Dorsey and has been open for four years.

Shortly after opening the restaurant was a huge hit with the young, trendy locals and they had a queue out of the door.

Fast forward four years and the restaurant is struggling to book tables at the weekends and they are losing $400,000 in sales.

The restaurant has a new Executive Chef Jayro, he has been at the restaurant for just six months and is struggling.

The cooks won't follow his instructions and the relationships are strained.

The previous Executive Chef Jose has returned to the restaurant after leaving due to burn out and has had to return lower in the kitchen hierarchy.

After being discovered on the previous show, Gordon sends in his famous impersonator Martin Jordan whilst he goes undercover as a bearded hipster.

Fake Gordon Ramsay orders a range of dishes from the menu and the restaurant is aghast at Gordon Ramsay's presence.

Fake Gordon sends back a dish for being too salty, he spits out food into a napkin and isn't impressed with the birds nest on the food.

He is given great service whilst the real Gordon's table is neglected.

The real Gordon Ramsay and his guests order a wide range of dishes from the menu and he isn't impressed with the edible flowers on every dish.

The scallops have too much spice and burn the tongue, the chicken and waffles are over fired, the tri tip is overcooked and the lamb is raw.

After being disappointed with his meal he goes to see how fake Gordon got on with his food and reveals himself as the real Gordon.

Gordon takes the staff and customers out to his Hell on Wheels truck and reveals the hidden footage of the restaurant.

The footage reveals a flooded kitchen, the kitchen staff fighting, long waits on food and staff drinking on the job.

There are also food safety issues with one member of staff dipping and licking his finger in sauce and another sneezing and coughing on food.

The customers are disgusted at the footage they have seen.

Gordon meets with the staff and finds that the kitchen staff are confused and don't respect Executive chef Jayro.

Gordon questions if Drew is weak and Raquel gets very defensive but Gordon reminds her how close to closure they are by playing clips of staff interviews.

The staff are on the verge of a mass walkout, Gordon asks who has considered quitting and most hands are in the air.

Gordon brands the restaurant as one of the most dysfunctional restaurants he has visited.

Gordon meets with the Executive chefs. He asks them both to cook a dish and the winner will be made the Executive Chef whilst the loser will be sent home.

Jayro's pork is well seasoned, tender and juicy but it tastes like their current pork chop dish.

Jose's salmon is something new and different, cooked perfectly but lacks flavour and is overly acidic.

The results are in and Jose is the winner. The cooks are happy to be back under Jose's leadership.

Gordon meets with Raquel who reveals that she was Miss California in 2008, has worked in the industry since she was 16 and met Andrew 10 years ago.

He tells her that she needs to separate the professional from the personal. She believes that he struggles to ask for help. The staff pose for photographs that will be added to the walls.

Gordon takes the kitchen staff to his Hell on Wheels truck to reveal the new menu and to teach them how to cook the menu.

Jose reveals that he started working in a kitchen at 15 as teens his age were getting involved in gangs and drugs.

Gordon meets with Drew to discuss his leadership of the restaurant. He reveals he had the ideal set up with his Executive Chef and General Manager but the success of the restaurant gave the chef too much ego and the GM was fired.

Drew struggles to get the staff to follow him and Gordon feels he isn't serious about the restaurant.

The new decor is revealed, it is warm and welcoming and the staff love the new look.

Gordon gives the staff a pep talk and they are ready for relaunch.

They have been given a new POS system and there are going to be two food critics in the restaurant.

On relaunch night,  Gordon points out the VIP table to Andrew but tells him not to neglect the regular customers.

The customers love the new food and Andrew is a gracious host but the new food causes a delay in ticket times and customers are left waiting.

The food critic has been waiting almost an hour for her food but brands it fantastic and worth the wait.

The kitchen works together and the ticket times recover leading to happy customers. The customers love the new food and decor and the relaunch is a success.

What Happened Next at Social?

Three months later, both the back and front of house are thriving and Drew has improved at delegating.

The kitchen is focused and disciplined and Jose has stepped up to lead the kitchen.

They are filling the restaurant and were able to take a vacation as a family.

A Facebook post in March appears to suggest that Jayro is back working for the restaurant.

Social Costa Mesa is open.

The latest Social Costa Mesa update is that Trip Advisor and Yelp Reviews of the restaurant since the show are mostly very positive with many positive comments on the food.

There are a few negative comments regarding the wait time for food and poor service received but these reviews are not commonplace.

Planning a visit to Social in Costa Mesa? Check out their website for more info including opening hours.

Social was aired on March 06 2019, the episode was filmed in December 2018 and is 24 Hours to Hell and Back season 2 episode 9

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