Mojito

People
Marcelo-Owner/Chef

Katalina-Owner

Eduardo-Chef

Geo-Waiter

Maggie-Waitress

Before Gordon's Arrival
Marcelo and Catalina were a husband and wife that opened a Cuban restaurant Mojito together. The restaurant has been hard on them and ultimately killed their marriage. Still working together, they still constantly fight. This spreads to the staff. Marcelo especially resents Mojito for destroying his life.

First Impressions
Gordon is enthused that Mojito is the only Cuban restaurant in Brooklyn, but questions why it isn't succeeding. Kata greets him.

Food Ordered
Chicken Classic Soup, Black Beans and Rice, Tilapia

Impressions of the Food
Chicken Classic Soup-Gordon says it is cold

Black Beans and Rice-Gordon says it is too salty

Tilapia-Gordon sees that the fish is not cooked

First Dinner Service
Gordon talks to Marcelo, Kata and Eduardo. They admit the fighting is a problem. Marcelo says Kata likes to look pretty but doesn't actually do anything. Gordon makes fun of the blue bottles in the front of the restaurant. Marcelo is expediting and struggles to communicate. They run into problems, and Kata yells at Marcelo and Eduardo. Gordon thinks Marcelo is poor at expediting and that Kata just makes things worse. He goes to inspect their fridges. He finds a lot of waste, which he estimates in the thousands of dollars. Gordon sits everyone down at the end of service. Marcelo admits he does the ordering. Gordon brings up a lot of the items from the fridge to highlight the amount of waste.

Remainder of the Visit
Gordon sits down with Kata. He calls her a bossy, little princess. She talks about her marriage to Marcelo, which included problems conceiving a child. Marcelo says she moved to Miami for a while and met another man when Gordon sits down with him. Gordon puts both of them in the kitchen and challenges them to make him something together. They refuse to do it together. Marcelo makes chicken and potatoes fricassee. Kata makes shrimp. Gordon calls Marcelo's dish mediocre, and decides to make Kata's dish a special. Kata proposes to switch places, that she serve as the chef, and Marcelo runs the front instead. Gordon teaches Eduardo a special, garlic chicken. Kata runs her plan by Gordon, and he is skeptical, but allows it. Marcelo is very jumpy in the front. Kata gets off to a good start, although Marcelo improves too with less stress. Gordon theorizes that Kata has a higher threshold for stress. Slowly however, some mistakes pop up with customers sending food back. Marcelo starts to do what she did to him, and yells at her, though not as viciously. Nonetheless, Kata recovers and finishes strong. Gordon declares the night a small step forward, but it's still not enough. He asks if they can put their past behind them for the sake of Mojito.

Restaurant & Menu Remodel
Gordon and his design team redo the restaurant. He takes down the bottles and lets in more natural light. The entire staff likes the change. Gordon redesigns the menu and cuts it down.

Final Service
Gordon pulls Kata from the kitchen too, to have her and Marcelo run the front together, and let Eduardo run the kitchen. Eduardo ends up being a quiet leader, and the cooks get confused. Some dishes go out missing certain elements. Gordon talks to Eduardo, who admits he's all over the place. Marcelo jumps in, and while Eduardo is still the chef, Marcelo expedites. The service recovers and is an overall success. Gordon talks to Kata and Marcelo afterwards. Both are optimistic about the future. Marcelo says he feels a new energy. Kata and Marcelo tell each other they will support each other. Gordon leaves and wonders if they may even get back together.

After Gordon's Departure
Marcelo improves his ordering practices, and they market to the community more. Marcelo and Kata gave their relationship another try, but ultimately did not get back together. Eduardo left the restaurant soon after. He now works for himself as a caterer. Mojito closed in 2016. Marcelo remarried and moved to Chile. Kata competed on "Chopped". She then competed on another show "Cutthroat Kitchen" and won.

Production Notes
TBA

Trivia
TBA