The Juicy Box - Kitchen Nightmares Update - Open or Closed?

In this Kitchen Nightmares episode, Gordon Ramsay visits The Juicy Box in Brooklyn, New York.

Juicy Box is owned by Jacques Sylvester.

It is a family run Haitian restaurant, located in Little Haiti.

He opened a chain of businesses including the Waffle Box and the Smoke Box.

In 2019, he handed the business over to his son Naqam aka Q, when he was just 21 years old.

Jacques also brought his daughter Napalya into the business to help run it.

The business started to decline and his stepmom Tamara brands it a disaster.

Napalya says that Q enjoys the bar culture side of the business.

He has a party life with many friends and his friends are constantly at the restaurant.

Q is struggling with paying the staff and the admin side.

He often has to go to the market to pick up ingredients that they have run out due to inventory issues.

Chef Stef says that no one takes Q seriously as an owner.

The siblings argue with each other during the service.

The owners have invested $1million into keeping the restaurant afloat.

If they lose this business, then they fear the empire they have built will fail.

Gordon arrives at the restaurant but it is 10am and they are closed.

He goes for a walk around the neighbourhood and thinks they are losing the morning trade.

Gordon returns at 2pm and they are finally open.

Q and Zappy are excited when Gordon arrives.

Gordon orders a juice but the juicer is broken and instead he is served a smoothie.

Gordon orders some food or tries to order.

He is given a list of menu items that he can’t order as they don’t have the ingredients.

Gordon orders chicken wings, jerk chicken tacos and Haitian rice with grilled salmon.

Stef tells her that they now have snapper and she says that this will make him happy.

Gordon gives Zappy a high five upon hearing that they have snapper now.

After 30 minutes, Gordon has not received any of his food.

Q took the food to wrong table and leaves Gordon waiting for food.

Gordon asks Zappy for something to eat and she checks on his food.

Zappy is not happy that Gordon is being kept waiting.

Stef says that Q has no control or leadership between the kitchen and the floor.

The chicken wings aren’t exciting and taste like store bought wings.

The kitchen staff start to argue as the server is clearing the sink whilst food is sat waiting to go to customers.

Gordon has seen enough and goes into the kitchen.

He ends up bringing his own food back to his table.

Zappy says that everyone is under pressure and they all need to do a shot.

The tacos are lacking Haitian flair, it is ice cold and dry.

Gordon sees Q doing shots at the bar and think it is like the kids have been left home alone.

The salmon is dry and a mess.

Gordon asks for a metal knife and fork as he has snapped the plastic ones he was given.

He questions how this works when customers order steak and other proteins.

Q says that they give the customers plastic and hope for the best.

The snapper tastes fresh and is seasoned nicely.

The seasoning is a unique blend named after Qs grandfather.

Gordon tells Q that he is concerned with the pace of the restaurant.

He is shocked that the juice machine is broken, especially as this is their USP.

Q tells him that the machine has been broken and Gordon suggests changing the name.

He tells Q that he arrived in the morning to find them closed.

Q tells Gordon that he is recharging in the morning and has a shot to get the day going.

Zappy and the bartender argue about a cocktail, with the bartender telling her she is using the wrong liquor.

Jacques arrives at the restaurant and sits with Gordon.

He tells him that the first two years were great, selling juice with a strong customer base.

Jacques tells Gordon that Qs lifestyle has changed.

He used to go to the gym and they now open at 2pm.

They had previously opened at 7am and have lost thousands of dollars due to losing the early trade.

He also says that Zappy has got caught up in the drinking and party culture at the restaurant.

Jacques says that they only have 60 days to turn it around as it is draining his other businesses.

Gordon meets with Zappy and he tells her that he is upset for her father.

She defines her role as a helping hand but she enjoys the party more than the work.

Gordon asks her if she is in or out.

Next, he meets with Q and asks him if he really wants the business.

He recognises that he needs a solid team and he feels like he doesn’t have that.

He describes his relationship with his sister as a battle.

Gordon tells him it is a business and not a party house.

He also tells him that he has 60 days to turn it around or his father will sell it.

Q looks shocked at hearing that his father will not continue to prop the failing business up.

Gordon arrives to see an afternoon service.

Zappy puts the tickets where she feels like and no one calls the tickets out.

One customer receives her entrée before she has received her appetiser.

Stef couldn’t tell from the ticket, whether it was an entrée or appetiser.

Another diners meal didn’t come with grilled chicken as the ticket didn’t have chicken on it.

There are no systems in the kitchen or dining room and everyone is meddling.

Gordon sees that a container of sauce is off and goes to see the walk-in fridge downstairs.

He discovers that the fridge doesn’t work and hasn’t for 6 months.

The fridge is warm and the produce is rotting due to the heat and there are flies everywhere.

The fridge is running 30-40 degrees warmer than it should be.

Gordon meets with the staff and tells them that they have no standards or systems.

He tells them that is way further gone than he thought and run by a bunch of jokers.

Q is casual about it and says he will keep it rolling as it has been.

Gordon asks everyone except Q and Zappy to leave the meeting.

He also asks for the cameramen to leave.

He lays into them hard and tells them they can’t party there and run a business.

Gordon tells them he is more concerned for their dad.

Zappy says she could be in school or elsewhere she wants them to grow.

Gordon isn’t convinced they deserve his help and it would be wasted.

He needs Q to have hunger and discipline for the business.

Gordon tells him that he needs to step up, he will stand by his side but he won’t carry him.

The next day, Gordon takes Q to a local gym for a workout and to motivate him to start early.

Back at the restaurant, Stef and the staff have been deep cleaning the restaurant and learning the new recipes.

The restaurant has also been revamped with a brighter colour scheme.

The bar has been transformed and there is a new juicer.

Gordon offers them a fresh pineapple juice.

He has also fixed the walk-in fridge and bought them new cutlery.

Gordon introduces the new menu and they love the food.

He hangs a photo of Pappy on the wall and they have a video call with him.

On relaunch, Gordon has invited a VIP guest, Haitian Times journalist Gary Pierre-Pierre.

The food is a big hit with the customers.

Gary describes the dish as elevated and is impressed.

Q has stepped up as a boss.

The kitchen begins to struggle with the number of orders.

Customers have been waiting 20 minutes for subs.

Communication has broken down in the kitchen.

Stef pulls it back and food starts leaving the kitchen again.

Jacques has faith that Q won’t go back to his old ways.

After the service, Gordon introduces Reuel Vincent, a Next Level Chef finalist, to mentor them.

What Happened Next at The Juicy Box?

Two months later, Q has stepped up as a leader.

He is still adjusting to the early hours but is looking forward to taking it to the next level.

The Juicy Box is open.

Reviews are mostly positive.

Some diners have reported salty meals and spotty service.

As with every other episode, there are a number of fake reviews.

The Juicy Box was aired on 06 November 2023, the episode was filmed in June 2023 and is Kitchen Nightmares season 8 episode 5.

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This post was last updated in October 2023.