In this Kitchen Nightmares episode, Gordon Ramsay visits Love Bites in Saugerties in Ulster County, New York.
Love Bites is owned by Tess and Chris.
They are childhood sweethearts, who knew each other when they were younger.
They rekindled when they met in a restaurant where Chris was working.
They are engaged but have yet to set a date due to the pressures at the restaurant.
They had a head chef that they had to let go and have been unable to find another so Chris is in the kitchen.
Chris suffers from anxiety and is struggling with cooking in the kitchen.
Tess says that the restaurant is destroying their relationship.
They argue constantly and Chris shouts at Tess often.
Line Chef Roberto says that there is a lot of tension and Chris is overwhelmed.
His mom Donna helps at the restaurant.
Tess tries to help in the kitchen and Chris won’t let her, talking down to her.
Donna says that the restaurant has made her not recognise her son and says he is no longer the gentleman she raised.
Even on their days off, Chris is focused on the restaurant.
Ginny is Tess’ mom and she doesn’t think their relationship is going to make it without changes.
Chris worries about losing Tess.
They are $200,000 with debt collectors chasing them and struggling to pay staff.
Their house is leveraged against the business so they will lose their home if it fails.
Gordon arrives and thinks that the area the restaurant is located in is gorgeous.
He goes behind the scenes into the control room to watch what is going on behind the scenes.
Gordon sees the way that Chris talks to Tess and she breaks down after the way he speaks to her.
Gordon decides to go into the restaurant and meets Tess.
He sits down and looks over the menu.
He hears Chris and Tess arguing.
Gordon orders a coffee and thinks that the menu is all over the place.
He orders the spicy breakfast salad, crab cake benedict and French dip.
A dish is broken in the station and Chris rants about the situation.
Tess tries to help in the kitchen and Chris tells her to get away.
Chris starts to dry heave as he prepares Gordons food.
Tess tells Gordon that both of their moms work at the restaurant.
She also tells Gordon that she has health conditions including EDS and she has had 25 surgeries.
Tess goes into the kitchen to speak to Chris about Gordons food and once again they argue.
The spicy breakfast salad is really bad, with no seasoning and terrible eggs.
Chris throws a bun at Roberto that he says is three days old.
The French dip tastes okay but there is so much bread and so little brisket.
It is clear to Gordon that Chris is just banging food out.
The crab cake eggs benedict is too greasy as it is deep fried.
Gordon meets Tess outside and she tells him that Chris is shouting at her.
She didn’t want the business but it was too much for Chris so she had to quit her job.
Tess says she isn’t sure if she even wants to marry Chris anymore but is only there to try and save the restaurant.
After the lunch rush, Gordon meets Chris and gives feedback on his experience.
He calls it the most toxic restaurant that he has ever been to and asks Chris if he wants to be in the kitchen.
Chris admits that he doesn’t want to be in the kitchen.
Gordon confronts him about his behaviour towards Tess, especially with her medical issues.
He tells him that if the women weren’t his family then he would have no staff as they wouldn’t put up with his behaviour.
The next day, Gordon meets Chris’ mom Donna to talk about Chris.
She tells him that Chris is overwhelmed and Gordon tells her that she is helping his bad behaviour.
Gordon wants to observe a service from the kitchen.
He notices that the vegan French toast is cooked on the same griddle as meat and eggs.
The bacon is back on the griddle seconds after Gordon has told him off for it.
They are behind and there is now a 30 minute wait for food.
The line is so small and Gordon questions why the menu is so big with such a small place.
Chris tells Tess that there is no steaks and they argue about the situation.
Both of the moms baby Chris and Tess struggles with that as she feels like no one cares about her.
Things get worse in the kitchen with missing items and they continue to argue.
Gordon talks to Tess mom Ginny outside and he tells her no restaurant is worth what it is doing to Tess.
She blames all of the issues in their relationship on the restaurant and it is a problem in their relationship.
Gordon calls a staff meeting and tells Chris there is a vortex of negativity.
There is a divide between the front and back of house.
It is clear that the owners need a break from each other and the restaurant.
Gordon tells Ginny to take her daughter home with her as it is not healthy for anyone.
He tells her that he will sort the restaurant out.
Gordon tells Chris that he is about to mess his life up if things continue the way they have.
Chris says that he wants to be better and get the help he needs.
Gordon and Chris hug before he leaves for the day.
The restaurant is renovated over three days, giving them both time off from the restaurant.
Gordon takes Chris to meet with a professional to talk through the issues he has.
Chris says that he feels hostage to the restaurant and he realises he needs a different approach.
Chris arrives at the new and improved Love Bites, whilst Tess takes some time off.
The menu has been significantly reduced with the aim that it can be cooked without him so he can take time off.
They taste the new menu and love the new food.
Gordon has brought in front of house manager Emily to train the staff.
On the relaunch, Chris is feeling good and Gordon reminds them to share the load.
The service is off to a great start with Chris staying calm and the customers loving the food.
Chris starts going back to his old ways and the kitchen begins to struggle.
Gordon tells them to slow down and Chris isn’t listening to Gordon.
Chris throws a rag at the side and it hits Gordon.
Chris is letting his anxiety get to him and food is starting to be returned with mistakes.
Chris constantly worries that he is behind but they are working at a good pace.
Gordon takes him outside for a time out and tells him that he is rushing for no reason.
He is putting himself under pressure when he doesn’t need to.
Tess and her mom arrive for dinner to see the new look and new menu.
She loves the new look and the new menu.
Gordon sits with Tess and she says that she feels amazing after some steps away.
He sends Chris out into the restaurant to see Tess.
Gordon sits with the owners and wishes them luck but tells them they need time to breathe.
What Happened Next at Love Bites?
Two months later, it is revealed Chris and Tess had decided to sell the restaurant to focus on repairing their relationship.
After filming, they returned some customer favourites to the menu.
Love Bites closed in July 2023.
They closed due in part to their health struggles.
Reviews prior to the closure were mostly positive.
It later emerged that the sale had already been finalised by the time the episode was filmed.
The new owners have undone all of the changes made to the decor during the episde.
The Town Cafe opened in its space and reviews are excellent.
Love Bites was aired on 13 November 2023, the episode was filmed in June 2023 and is Kitchen Nightmares season 8 episode 6.
Read About More Kitchen Nightmares
Next episode - El Cantito Cafe
Previous episode - The Juicy Box
This post was last updated in November 2023.
I've never seen someone so blatantly abusive omfg. It's for the best they closed, but god I hope she got away from him. Anxiety isn't any sort of excuse to talk to your partner like that, what he said was just cruel and abhorrent. She deserves someone WILDLY better than that joke of a man fr.
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