People[]
- Rosaria Scollo (Owner)
- Gianfranco (son/head chef)
- Maurizio (son/bar manager)
- Traci (manager)
- Nicole (Waitress)
- Terri (Waitress)
- Dustin(Cook)
- Dakota(Cook)
Before Gordon's Arrival[]
Rosaria bought the restaurant in 2010 after her son, Gianfranco graduated from culinary school and told her he had always wanted to own a restaurant. Gianfranco in addition to his culinary school education studied in Italy. He believes they are unsuccessful because their food is too good for the local area, or in his words "the people of Easton like mediocre food". The staff believes Rosaria lacks leadership. Rosaria's other son Maurizio is also involved as the bar manager.
First Impressions[]
Manager Traci greets Gordon in the parking lot before he even gets out of the car and tells him a little about the restaurant. In her opinion, the family is the problem, describing them as stubborn and unwilling to accept criticism. Inside, Gordon criticizes the decor, likening it to Christmas. Upon meeting Rosaria, Gordon learns that none of the owners have any restaurant experience and Gianfranco has gone "from internship to ownership". Rosaria is keen to emphasize that the family value fresh food; she suggests the locals simply don't appreciate food that isn't microwaved. She firmly believes the food is not the problem.
Gordon then meets Maurizio and Gianfranco. Gordon asks Gianfranco how he would rate his food from 1 to 10. Gianfranco says 8. Gordon finds a mission statement in the menu and finds it bizarre. Gordon meets Nicole and asks her what's wrong with the restaurant. Nicole says the staff don't respect each either, citing name calling as an example. To confirm this, Gordon remarks to Traci that Nicole is a "nice girl". Traci replies, "She's a moron"
First Meal[]
Food Ordered[]
Veal Saltimbocca, Penne alla Vodka , Mussels Marinara
Impressions of the Food[]
Veal Saltimbocca- Bland, overcooked and caked in flour.
Penne alla Vodka- Also overcooked and drowning in sauce; unknown to Gordon, it was cooked the day before. He likens it to "baby vomit"
Mussels Marinara- He objects to the amount of mussels in each portion and he can tell they are frozen. When Gordon asks why this is the case, Gianfranco explains that the mussels were not popular enough for them to buy fresh ones, but his mother refuses to take them off the menu.
First Dinner Service[]
Gordon relays his criticisms to the kitchen team, mostly Gianfranco, disputing any notion of authenticity. He starts with the mussels, but once again is told Gianfranco wanted to take them off, but Rosaria didn't. Maurizio sheds some light by saying this is typical because they can't communicate. Gordon says their fundamentals are all screwed up.
Gordon returns for dinner service to observe. The service is off to a bad start as the kitchen crew has trouble deciphering the handwritten tickets. Gordon is shocked to learn that the shrimp is frozen and microwaved as well, and that raw chicken is defrosted in a bloody washroom basin next to cooked meatballs. When confronted by Gordon, Rosaria denies that the chicken and shrimp are frozen and tells him to take it up with "the chef"(Gianfranco), passing the buck.
Next, Gordon investigates the basement. He finds frozen mussels, calamari, and countless chickens, which Rosaria claims are fresh since they were fresh when they bought them, lying to him even as he pulls out more and more evidence. Gordon berates her and Gianfranco and is speechless when she insists that she doesn't like frozen food, despite selling barely anything fresh; he is even more speechless when she says she doesn't know why the restaurant is struggling to attract customers. After he leaves to inspect the walk-in refrigerator, Gianfranco blames the restaurant's problems on his mother, who has been trying to blame him all along. Rosaria tries to play the role of the clueless victim and Gordon only grows more frustrated.
In the fridge, Chef Ramsay finds shelves full of rotten vegetables, such as tomatoes, salad and turnips, as well as dirty meat. He scolds the kitchen staff and accuses Gianfranco of not caring about the restaurant in the face of rotten veal. Maurizio is smiling, and Gordon is not amused. Traci enters the kitchen and reports a hair in the food. Gordon immediately shuts the kitchen. Traci breaks the news. Gianfranco complains about Gordon leaving the fridge door open, and Gordon is borderline insulted that he would choose now to care about that. Gordon tells him he's gotten lazy.
Outside, Gordon asks if they've given up. Gianfranco says he told Rosaria it wouldn't be easy, and she didn't believe. Gordon says he's amazed they've been open for three years. "You've got a restaurant, and none of you wanted one". Maurizio tries to encourage his mother and brother, insisting that Gianfranco knows better, and deep down he can still do it.
Remainder of the Visit[]
After the disastrous dinner service, Ramsay confronts mother and son. Gianfranco accuses his crying mother of ignoring his advice and leaving him to deal with the fallout of her decisions, he rejects Gordon's accusation of not caring, pointing out that he's working for free. Gordon gives him a stern talking to about stepping up and taking responsibility: if he wants to get paid, he has to stop doing everything wrong. He scolds the two about buying a restaurant without having any experience and states that mother and son need to sort out their differences if they want the restaurant to continue. He leaves to think things over while Maurizio consoles his brother and mother.
To knock some sense into the staff's heads, Gordon stages a mock trial for each employee at the local courthouse, starting with Rosaria. Traci begins and calls her weak. Rosaria disputes this saying she's merely kind. Traci also says she's disorganized. Rosaria says she has to do everything. Gianfranco also says she's too nice. Rosaria says he should just find his passion. Gordon changes their places, now Gianfranco is on trial. Gianfranco says the menu is too big. Rosaria says she wants him to stand up, even to her, and change the menu himself.
Gordon shakes things up and bring in some locals from Easton who have all eaten there before. One man says he once found a fly in the Italian Wedding Soup. A woman says everything is subpar, service included. Another woman says she went twice, bad experience both times, vowing to never come back. Another woman tells a tale of a sour cannoli, then given a fresh one in reserve, questioning why she wasn't just given the fresh one in the first place. Gordon thanks the people for their time, and Rosaria resolves to be better.
Restaurant & Menu Remodel[]
Gordon's design team works overnight to freshen up the restaurant. He has the dated decor thrown out and replaced with a brighter, more rustic interior, including wood panelling, new furniture and some plants and kitchen-themed decorations. He also has a brand-new ticketing system installed in the kitchen to help everything run smoothly.
Next, he presents the crew with the new menu. He has trimmed down the old menu to a handful of essential Italian dishes, all freshly made. Rosaria, Maurizio and Gianfranco are excited about the changes.
Final Service[]
The unhappy customers from the courthouse return to the relaunch service to give the restaurant one last chance. In the front, the staff welcome back people, while Gianfranco is finally taking charge in the kitchen. Soon, the first dishes go out, and the customers are delighted. However, the staff in the back are soon overwhelmed with tickets, and midway into service, the backlog is growing. A little scolding from Chef Ramsay and a pep talk from Rosaria gets Gianfranco back on track, and in the end it all turns out to be a success, with customers being happy, and willing to return.
After Gordon's Departure[]
Bella Luna's business increased, but they had issues with their landlord and had to close three months after filming.
Production Notes[]
TBA
Trivia[]
- Bella Luna means "lovely moon" in Italian.
References[]