Oceana Kitchen Nightmares Update: Ramsay’s Challenge in New Orleans
Oceana was a restaurant based in the world-famous Bourbon Street of New Orleans, Louisiana. Brothers, Moe and Rami had taken the reins of the eatery from their father in 2008. The restaurant was in a challenging situation despite being located in the center of the town.
Moe’s short temperament was wreaking havoc in the place. He considered himself the boss and had high regard for his own opinions. This led to a lack of self-accountability and disputes between the duo. Staff members were frequently fired in a fit of rage. The owners were aware of Executive Chef Damon’s inconsistent food quality but chose to ignore it.
Oceana’s kitchen was in complete shambles. The mismanagement was resulting in a loss of money. Moe and Rami partially understood that their restaurant-running strategies were futile. Chef Gordon Ramsay was called upon to lead them through the chaos.
Did Gordon manage to resolve the New Orleans nuisance? Find out in our Oceana Kitchen Nightmares Update!
Key Takeaway
- Initial Turmoil: The restaurant was plagued by management issues, poor food quality, and a chaotic kitchen environment.
- Gordon’s Intervention: Chef Gordon Ramsay stepped in to address the core issues, including cleanliness, staff management, and menu revamping.
- Restaurant Revamp: The eatery underwent significant changes in decor and menu to improve customer experience and food quality.
- Mixed Results: While the relaunch night was successful, ongoing management challenges left the restaurant’s future uncertain.
Table of Content
Ramsay’s Initial Assessment for Oceana
Gordon arrived at Oceana and met the owners. Moe was confident that Ramsay would recognize his authoritative nature. They passed through a doorway and took him to another dining room. Gordon noticed the distinct identities of the two areas. The front was very disorganized while the second room gave vibrant and youthful New Orleans vibes. The divided restaurant had only one kitchen and menu. This often confused customers. Rami stated that Moe was against the idea of combining the two sides.
Nell brought the menu for Ramsay. He was taken aback after seeing the pictures of the terminated chef and server on the menu. Gordon learned that it was hard to work at Oceana as the owners were very aggressive and intimidating. Nell was dismissed and rehired four times during her seventeen months of service. He admired her commitment and energy. Ramsay placed his order, and Rami was eager to impress him.
After tasting the food, Gordon rated it as follows:
- Seafood Gumbo: The soup was spoiled and foul-smelling. Ramsay called it an “embarrassment to Bourbon Street.”
- Crab Cake Platter: The crab cakes were soggy and had an unpleasant, frozen-food taste. Gordon doubted that they were made in-house.
- Blackened Bayou Duck: The duck meat was rubbery and tough to tear off the bones. Ramsay made Nell taste it and sent it back to the kitchen.
Nell kept informing the kitchen staff about Gordon’s negative reviews. Damon was deluded about his culinary skills. He wasn’t willing to take any potential criticism from Gordon.
Moe and the chefs accused Ramsay of not knowing anything about Cajun food. Damon believed his food tasted according to the standard. Moe mocked Gordon for not liking his favorite duck dish.
Gordon and the Owners of Oceana
Rami called Moe, Damon and the sous-chefs to meet Ramsay. Damon had been working there for six and a half months. Gordon declared that the food was flavourless and devoid of passion. The dialogue soon turned into a conflict with Ramsay and Rami on one side and Moe and his staff on the other. Damon lied that the crab cakes weren’t frozen but Rami told them they were. Moe argued that the crab cakes were kept frozen as they didn’t have enough customers.
Ramsay found out that the duck was prepared once a month only. It was cooked at the commissary kitchen and frozen to be served for the rest of the month. Damon was ready to fight Gordon but Rami stepped in between. He tried to make everyone understand that Ramsay was there to help them.
Core Issues and Challenges at Oceana
The dinner service gave Gordon his first look at how the restaurant operated. The food was being sent out to the diners while Ramsay was investigating the kitchen. The customers were unsatisfied and dishes were returned. Turtle Soup was sent back to Damon and he refused to take the negative feedback. Rami called him out for never accepting his mistakes.
Gordon noted that the warmer unit was barely at room temperature. It contained milky crabs, some split curry and rotten shrimp. Crawfish were decaying in a box and bags of warm Jambalaya were placed in the fridge. The containers of boiled pasta and crab cakes were not dated. Damon didn’t know when they were prepared and resorted to asking his co-chefs. His incompetence was out in the open and Gordon was furious. Moe realized Damon was milking them of money through his careless tactics.
The discovery of mice in the restaurant added further fuel to the fire. Ramsay ordered for the restaurant to be shut down immediately. Customers were asked to leave, and the loss of about $5,000 struck the owners. Gordon also found grease in the kitchen cabinets and asked the staff to clean the restaurant.
Gordon Ramsay’s Improvement Plan for Oceana
It was crucial to clean the restaurant before Gordon could revamp it. Experts were called to deal with the rodent problem. The restaurant was thoroughly cleaned by the staff. An argument erupted between the owners as Moe blamed Rami for not supervising the kitchen properly. Later, they had a discussion about Damon and decided to fire him. Moe refused to listen to Damon’s excuses. He concluded that Damon was the reason behind the kitchen’s issues. Ramsay returned the next morning to inspect the state of the kitchen. With the kitchen cleaned, he could now focus on the menu.
Gordon was astonished to hear that Moe had memorized the recipes and was against having a written database. He was concerned about other restaurants stealing them. Rami admitted that this was one of the reasons for the kitchen’s dysfunctional mess. Ramsay jumped into the kitchen and worked with the staff to revamp the menu. He did a cooking demonstration for Blackened Salmon and Sweet Potato Mash. Chef Brad was blown away by his talent.
Gordon made sure the brothers were completely on board with the changes he was about to implement. His team came to transform the restaurant overnight. Next morning, the brothers happily embraced the new decor.
It was then time to introduce the updated menu which included:
- Seafood Gumbo: “Absolutely stunning!”
- Crab Cake: Fresh and heated with Tabasco.
- Jambalaya: Authentic with chicken, sausage and shrimp as the main ingredients.
- Blackened Duck: Served with dirty rice and wild mushrooms.
Ramsay asked the owners and staff to dive into the food. Moe was impressed by the new Blackened duck. It was the best food the team had ever tasted and they couldn’t wait for the customers to eat it.
The Relaunch of Oceana
Oceana was on the right track for its relaunch. Custom artworks, a new marble bar and chandeliers had set a classy and unique atmosphere. Entrance was decluttered and made more spacious and welcoming. The other dining room was repainted and the hanging pots and signs were removed. Both the dining rooms now looked connected.
Moments before the dinner service, Gordon brought in three consultant chefs to support the kitchen staff. The brothers retained their usual positions. Rami supervised the kitchen while Moe ran the front of the house. Food was flying out of the kitchen and the customers were satisfied with its quality. Before long, Moe’s old habits begin to return. He went to the kitchen instead of greeting people in the dining room. Ramsay told Moe to go back but he remained more concerned about the speed of food than anything else. This was merely the beginning of his problematic behavior.
Moe left the restaurant in the middle of service to take a break. Gordon went after Moe to remind him of his responsibilities, but it was all in vain. Ramsay went back to the restaurant and motivated the staff to work together and finish strong. The final entrees timely reached the dining room and earned praise from the diners. Other than Moe’s unusual absence, the relaunch night was a big success.
Conclusion
Gordon had a final interaction with the owners after the successful dinner. He instructed Moe to embrace change and keep his standards high. He also appreciated the kitchen staff for their persistent efforts throughout the night. Rami was thankful to Ramsay for the new menu and atmosphere of Oceana.
He had developed a dedicated and responsible approach to managing the restaurant. The staff had found a new leader and learned to cooperate with each other. Conversely, Moe’s slackness was alarming, and Oceana’s future was still uncertain. Ramsay could only hope to see the restaurant in place when he would revisit.
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