Bel Aire Diner - Kitchen Nightmares Update - Open or Closed?

In this Kitchen Nightmares episode, Gordon Ramsay visits Bel Aire Diner in Astoria, Queens, New York.

Bel Aire Diner is owned by Archie and Pattie and Kal and Peter.

It is currently being run by brothers Kal and Peter.

Parents Archie and Pattie are also present in the diner.

The brothers are at war and do not get along in the restaurant.

Kal runs the kitchen, managing a staff of twenty cooks and staff.

Peter runs the front of house but he isn’t pulling his weight.

Kal thinks they should be doing the same amount of work but his brother doesn’t work as hard as him.

Peter thinks that his brother has an ego and it is hard to function when they don’t get along.

Food is constantly being sent back for issues.

The diner has been in the family for 25 years.

Their parents are still heavily involved, despite wanting to retire.

Kal wants their parents to step back but they overstep and interfere with the operation of the restaurant.

Archie and Patty want them to take over but aren’t convinced that they will keep it afloat.

Gordon arrives in the city by helicopter.

He arrives at the diner and is surprised to see live lobsters in a tank by the entrance.

Gordon sits down to order and starts by ordering a coffee.

The coffee is terrible and he refuses the offer of a cappuccino.

He describes the menu as an encyclopedia as it is so huge.

He counts over 270 items on the menu and gives up at halfway through counting.

Gordon orders fried tortellini, coq au vin, lamb gyro, lobster BLT

He goes over to the tank and picks the lobster that he wants.

The waitress takes it into the kitchen.

The coq au vin doesn’t look like the chicken was cooked in the last 24 hours.

He doesn’t think it makes sense to have the fine dining dish in a diner.

The lamb gyro doesn’t look fresh and Gordon spits it out.

He describes it as being as Greek as Donald Trump.

The “homemade tortellini” looks store bought and the sauce has no taste.

Waitress Cherri admits that she doesn’t think they are made in house.

She gives Gordons feedback to the kitchen.

The lobster BLT has three dingy bits of raw lobster and is mostly lettuce.

Gordon takes a bite out of the huge wedge of lettuce and describes it as the best thing on the menu.

The French fries arrive last and have big, dirty, black bits on them.

Gordon asks to meet with Kal to discuss the food and describes it as shocking.

Gordon has noticed their parents are at the restaurant and asks where Peter is.

Kal says that he is at his fiancées restaurant, despite being paid to be at the diner.

He admits that they stopped speaking for 6 months and only reconnected a month ago.

Kal tells Gordon that his parents insist that his brother is given a $50,000 allowance a year from the diner.

He breaks down as he has his own family and a baby at home but is forced to sleep at the diner.

Gordon tells Kal to call his brother as he wants to meet him.

Peter arrives and meets with Gordon.

He is defensive when Gordon questions his Rolex watch on his wrist.

Gordon questions why he isn’t there and Peter says he doesn’t feel appreciated.

Peter breaks down and admits he feels guilty that his parents are still present in the diner.

Gordon says that he wants both brothers running the diner that evening.

The service is busy when Gordon arrives later in the day.

Gordon sees some food on the pass that doesn’t look right.

He asks Archie if it is the standard from 25 years ago and he says no.

Gordon sits with a customer and asks what they ordered, the grilled cheese isn’t even melted.

He takes it back to the kitchen to be fixed and it is clear the standards have dropped.

Peter gets frustrated at the amount of food that his staff are having to send back to Kal for avoidable issues.

Gordon pulls Kal aside and tells him he has to raise standards or he is out of there.

As the food reaches the pass most of it has issues leading to a frustrated Kal.

Gordon wants to find out how they are able to offer so many items so he goes into their basement storage area.

He describes the basement as a scene out of Saw.

He opens a fridge and nothing is covered or dated.

The smell is disgusting and he doesn’t know what a lot of the items are.

There is pastrami and chicken stored together.

There is a box of wet, smelly chicken that causes Gordon to retch into a bin.

Gordon calls for Kal and Peter and is furious about the state of the basement.

Kal claims that he went through the basement in the last few days.

Gordon shuts down the diner and tells them to send the customers home.

Pattie defends Kal but Kal takes responsibility for the issues.

Gordon finds lots of grease in the hoods in the kitchen, which could cause a fire.

He takes the owners downstairs to show them what he has found in the basement.

Gordon tells them to hang their heads in shame at the state of the basement.

Kal tells the team to clean it up and they start throwing away the food in the basement.

Gordon meets with the owners and wants them to take accountability.

The person issues are getting in the way of the professional relationship.

The brothers commit to putting their issues aside for the sake of the diner.

The next day, Gordon takes the brothers to his fish and chip restaurant in Times Square.

Their walk in is organised and Gordon shows them how to make fish and chips.

Gordon has worked out that they are losing money every time they serve their fries.

Back at the diner, their new retro look is revealed after Gordons team worked all night.

The kitchen has also been deep cleaned and there is a new $18,000 coffee machine.

They describe the new look as beautiful and look forward to the new coffee.

The new menu is now only 20 items and fits on one page.

They sample the new food and love the taste.

On relaunch, the diner is full with locals, influencers and Kals family.

Gordon coaches the kitchen, Kal on running the kitchen and Peter in the front.

The first few plates leave the kitchen and Kal has everything under control.

Gordon has spotted a problem, some diners haven’t been served and they aren’t cooking complete tables.

There is no communication in the kitchen and Pattie is walking around, making comments to the customers.

Peter tells his mother to stop going around and chatting to customers.

The standards in the kitchen starts to decline and a raw burger reaches the pass as they panic.

A customer sends fish and chips back as the batter is raw.

Kal is overwhelmed and the staff are panicking but he steps up and the dishes start going out again.

Peter has stepped up as front of house and gets great feedback from the customers.

Archie and Pattie have taken a step back and Gordon says they should hand the reigns over.

The brothers have a chat in the kitchen and Gordon meets with Kals family.

Overall, the relaunch was a success with the brothers coming together for a hug.

What Happened Next at Bel Aire Diner?

Two months later, the new menu has attracted new customers.

Archie and Pattie have retired.

The diner is busier than ever.

Bel Aire Diner is open.

Reviews are mostly positive.

There are some complaints about the shortened menu, food quality and service.

Bel Aire Diner was aired on 25 September 2023, the episode was filmed in April 2023 and is Kitchen Nightmares season 8 episode 1.

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This post was last updated in September 2023.