Blake’s Place - Kitchen Nightmares Update - Open or Closed?

In this Kitchen Nightmares episode, Gordon Ramsay visits Blake’s Place in Riverbend, New Orleans.

Blake’s Place is owned by Blake Cressey.

She describes it as a Creole-Italian restaurant.

Blake started out in a food truck called Tasty Treat.

She leveraged social media to grow it into a physical restaurant space.

She is supported by her husband Nelson.

Customers come because of social media and the product she advertises.

The staff say they are instantly disappointed when they eat from her menu.

When the restaurant started, she got pregnant with twins.

Somewhere along the line, something went wrong and they are now $200,000 in debt.

Gordon arrives and sees that the area is vibrant.

He is greeted when he arrives at the restaurant.

Gordon sees the signature spices, pots, pans and air fryer she sells.

He meets Blake in person and she is excited to cook for him.

Gordon orders from the menu and while waiting he watches Blake’s social media posts.

The food arrives and one of the dishes comes with a street sign.

This is mainly used for Instagram photos.

The food is sent back as it is too spicy and salty.

Blake is defensive when she gets feedback and the initial excitement dies quickly.

The next dish is the catfish.

It it is bland because Blake chose not to season it after Gordon’s feedback.

The whole team is brought out to see Gordon after the service.

When the head chef is questioned, she refuses to give feedback and speak out in front of Blake.

The rest of the team is sent away while Gordon talks money with Blake and Nelson alone.

Blake is in tears talking about her struggles.

Gordon says she needs to be Blake the chef, not Blake the celebrity.

Gordon takes a drive with Nelson, and he gives more insight into how Blake got started.

She invested $50,000 in pots and air fryers to use her fame to sell.

Nelson shows him the inventory - she has in a shipping container that is costing them to store.

The next round of service is started, and Gordon speaks with customers.

A lot of their feedback is the same, the food is too salty.

Gordon pulls the head chef aside and he is finally open to saying the food is subpar.

He feels like Blake is his friend and he owes her.

Gordon sees their storage area and sees more food being sent back.

After service, the staff are having a debrief.

Blake is defensive when Gordon calls them for a meeting.

He sends out the rest of the staff and his crew to meet with Blake alone.

Gordon believes she wants to be a celebrity more than be a successful restaurateur.

He thinks she is using Gordon to get some TV time.

Blake says that is not true and that she has passion.

Gordon tells her she needs to earn her status, not manufacture it.

The kitchen needs to be shut down but Blake takes her bag and leaves silently.

Gordon’s crew calls her and she sends them to voicemail.

Nelson comes to help the staff close down for the night.

Cece is frustrated with this attitude.

Blake comes back, saying she just needed air.

She continues to defend herself.

Gordon tells her some truths: if she walks out, he will leave as well.

She says she is in.

Gordon’s team gets to work with the makeover.

The space has been renovated with bright, fresh colors to replace the dark colors.

There is new equipment in the kitchen.

Their fine dining space, which had been turned into storage space, has been decluttered.

It has been transformed into a group dining space.

The food on the menu has also been changed.

The staff see and sample the new food and love it all.

The customers are let in for the relaunch and the restaurant quickly fills up.

The orders also come in quickly.

Blake is being communicative but also confusing her staff.

There is some confusion as food is sent to the wrong table.

Some old patterns pop up as food is salty and over-seasoned.

The food is remade and is a lot better.

The customers love the food and give great feedback.

Nelson is proud of her as this was her vision for the restaurant.

Gordon reminds Blake she needs to build her reputation on the plate, not on social media.

What Happened Next at Blake’s Place?

Six weeks later, Blake reveals the restaurant has been packed.

Bookings have increased as have walk-ins.

Customers are loving the food and are noticing the improvement of using fresh ingredients.

Blake’s Place is open.

Reviews are mostly positive where they are genuine, with photos included etc.

The food receives high praise and photos looks delicious!

There are a lot of low star reviews that appear to be based on the episode rather than an actual visit.

Blake's Place was aired on 11th March 2025.

The episode was filmed in October 2024 and is Kitchen Nightmares season 9 episode 10.

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