Chef Gordon Ramsay and his crew traveled across seven seasons, visiting 92 failing restaurants with hopes of turning them around and saving their owners from bankruptcy. One New Jersey restaurant seemed promising after Ramsay's visit; however, what transpired after cameras had been shut off is shocking.
Joe Cerniglia owned Campania, an Italian restaurant located in Fair Lawn, New Jersey. When his restaurant was featured on Kitchen Nightmares only 18 months after opening it was in deep debt; Ramsay's intervention highlighted all of these problems while simultaneously creating momentum to revamp his menu and management practices; unfortunately once the show concluded it became evident that maintaining these changes would prove extremely challenging.
The friendly staff of this restaurant acts as though they have no idea that their establishment is on its way towards financial ruin. At its relaunch party, one waiter likened the atmosphere to high school; though charming in some respects, this approach does not promote profitable operations for a successful restaurant.
By the time dinner service arrives, several things have gone amiss: the food is bland and flavorless, portions have outrun control and staff has become distracted while performing their jobs - leaving diners disgruntled and taking out to-go bags as soon as they begin eating their meals. Ramsay attempts to rectify things during dessert service but to no avail.
