Zocalo Kitchen Nightmares Update: Financial and Emotional Strain
Zocalo was a Mexican restaurant located in Pennsylvania, Philadelphia. It was owned by husband and wife, Greg and Mary Russell. They bought the restaurant in 2008 when Greg was a bartender and Mary managed the tortilla bar.
The couple thought that running a restaurant was a piece of cake. However, the reality came crashing down when Greg had to work 7 days a week to keep the restaurant on its feet while Mary helped for only three days. It wasn’t the restaurant that was struggling but also the couple’s marriage life.
Mary’s criticism gave the restaurant a toxic atmosphere. The constant bickering among the couple agitated their staff including their daughters who worked at Zocalo as servers. Greg realized that his marriage was wasting away under the stress of running Zocalo.
Did Gordon manage to turn the tide for Zocalo? Find out in our Zocalo Kitchen Nightmares update!
Key Takeaways
- Family Tension: The restaurant’s struggles caused major stress in Greg and Mary’s marriage.
- Poor Management: Greg worked tirelessly while Mary’s criticism added to the toxic environment.
- Outdated Equipment: Old kitchen appliances and a poor ordering system caused delays in service.
- High Prices: The menu was overpriced, leading to customer dissatisfaction.
- Communication Breakdown: Constant arguments between Greg and Mary affected staff morale and service.
- Gordon’s Intervention: Ramsay introduced new systems and a revised menu to help the restaurant recover.
Table of Content
Ramsay’s Initial Assessment of Zocalo
Zocalo’s authentic Mexican decor impressed Ramsay. Ramsay was appalled at the number of dishes and their high prices for the menu. His server couldn’t recommend any food as she had not tried the restaurant‘s food herself due to their pricing. Mary told him that Greg set the price for each dish.
Ramsay ordered the following dishes:
- Queso Fundido: It was greasy and Gordon thought it was microwaved. As Gordon suspected, Greg did microwave the cheese.
- Chile Relleno: It was salty and overcooked. The cheese inside was spongy instead of melted. Mary learnt from Greg that he used another cheese to substitute queso asadero because they had run out.
- Cochinita Pibil: The tortilla was dry and overcooked without any seasoning. Mary refused when Gordon asked her to get back to the kitchen because she thought it was hot.
- Molcajete: It arrived in a steaming pot. The cactus in the dish was undercooked and flavorless. Gordon called it ‘eating out of a golf ball’.
Gordon visited the kitchen to give detailed feedback to Greg who admitted to his shortcomings. He knew he wasn’t a good cook and the food was expensive. Mary was exposed for her lie when Greg told Gordon that the higher prices were Mary’s decision. However, she feigned ignorance even when Gordon told her that their customer turnaround would be affected.
Gordon and the Owners of Zocalo
Gordon met with the owners who told him about Zocalo’s history. Greg started working at Zocalo when his sister was a sous chef. Zocalo held a sentimental value in Greg’s life because that’s where he met his wife and many family events happened here.
The restaurant started off successfully but it started facing a decline after six months of opening. Greg informed Gordon how overworked he was with waking up at dawn and worked till midnight and no breaks in between. Moreover, there were constant arguments among them and they were stressed due to the $750,000 debt they had accumulated .
Core Issues and Challenges at Zocalo
Greg showed Gordon around the kitchen before the dinner service. The stove and other equipment weren’t working properly. During the dinner service , Greg refused the sous chef’s help when he was cornered by the orders. The food service was lagging even though most of the food was microwaved.
Quality of the food was poor and it was met with bad reviews even after a wait time of more than an hour. Customers were sending food back to the kitchen while Greg only focused on finishing the dinner service. The servers would crowd the kitchen while waiting for the orders which created chaos.
Mary’s critiques and arguments during the dinner service only added to Greg’s worries. Gordon took Greg for a one-to-one where he told him that Mary’s nagging was a destructive force in the kitchen. They needed to support each other and face the challenges as a married couple.
Gordon Ramsay’s Improvement Plan for Zocalo
Gordon planned an intervention after a disastrous dinner service. Greg watched Gordon talk to his wife and daughters on a monitor. Mary believed they were happier before they bought the restaurant. Greg would shut down and wouldn’t express himself, which strained their marriage.
His family agreed that he was struggling, but he was too stubborn to step back and ask for help. Mary would take the reins if he ever fell ill but their daughters questioned her ability to handle it. Greg finally confronted them. He admitted that he wanted to be a provider which kept him from asking for help. He felt that Mary’s nagging pressurized him so she pledged to support him.
Gordon called Greg and his family to look at the newly installed 10-ring gas stove in the kitchen. He had also installed a new POS system that sent the orders straight to the kitchen, without the servers crowding the area. This system also tracked their inventory and sales while offering credit card payment options. To tackle the staffing problem, Gordon partnered with a local university to create a program that trained culinary students at the restaurant.
Gordon replaced Zocalo’s old menu with a more fun and hip version but with decently priced food. The new menu had following dishes:
- Queso Fundido
- Albondigas – A meatball soup
- Empanadas
- Chicken , Beef and Shrimp Quesadilla
- Snapper fish with bell pepper
Greg and Mary loved the new changes to the restaurant and they were hopeful that Gordon had opened up a door of opportunities for Zocalo. Greg was emotional with a clean slate for his restaurant and his family.
The Relaunch of Zocalo
Zocalo’s owners and staff were determined to make the relaunch a success after Gordon’s improvements for the restaurant. Mary took charge of expediting and Greg was overseeing the kitchen. For the first time , they worked together as a team instead of arguing with each other.
The customers and the orders were coming in but Greg was ready to face it with the help of the culinary students. But when the orders backed up, Mary fell back to her old ways and started yelling at Greg. This resulted in a communication breakdown between Mary and Greg.
The customers were waiting for their food and Gordon had to pull Mary aside for a talk. she finally realized that she needed to offer constructive criticism to make the relaunch night a success. With the adjustments, the kitchen was back on track and the food was a hit with the customers. Ramsay was impressed with the relaunch night and how Greg’s family stepped up to support him.
Conclusion
Zocalo transitioned from chaos to new found hope under Gordon’s guidance. Greg and Mary learned to set aside their past differences for the sake of the restaurant and their marriage. Mary’s shift to a better attitude made all the difference. The customers responded to these improvements with positive feedback. It showed us the significance of teamwork. Ramsay left the restaurant realizing that he set Zocalo on a promising path as long as they stuck to it.
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