Prohibition Grille - Kitchen Nightmares Update - Open or Closed?

Kitchen Nightmares Prohibition Grille

In this Kitchen Nightmares episode, Gordon Ramsay visits the Prohibition Grille in Everett, Washington.

Prohibition Grille is a southern restaurant opened in 2008 by professional belly dancer Rishi Brown.

She is under the misguided notion that since she has successfully run a dance company for years, she can run a restaurant successfully.

The restaurant is not successful and is losing $100,000 a year.

She doesn’t manage the restaurant well and hired Rocky who had 30 years of experience to run the kitchen.

Rocky is unprofessional and there are constant complaints about the food.

When confronted with poor food he says the food is fine and Rishi naïvely believes him.

Gordon arrives at the restaurant and sees a flyer advertising the belly dancing and notes it is more of a Vegas thing.

Gordon meets Rishi and she tells him it was her idea and he is dumbfounded.

Rishi tells him she had the idea to open the restaurant over cocktails and she made it happen, even with no experience in the restaurant industry.

She tells him that she was drunk and decided she wanted to buy a restaurant and that despite the name there is no grill in the kitchen.

When she is asked about the theme of the restaurant, she says fine dining, steak house and southern gourmet.

Rishi takes him to his table, hands him an enormous menu and she rates the food a 10.

Gordon comments on her outfit as she is dolled up like she’s is heading to a party and not dressed like she is managing a business.

He is served by Candice and orders a soup of the day, fillet mignon medium rare, brown sugar glazed salmon and pan-fried oysters.

Gordon finds out that the soup of the day is the same soup that had been served for close to two weeks.

He lets Rishi know that soup of the day is meant to be changed everyday and she was clueless.

The soup arrives and it is a slop and gnarly.

Rishi finds out that the soup was made days ago and stored for use over a number of days.

In conversing with Gordon, Rishi finds out the oysters are bought pre-opened and were delivered five days prior.

Gordon is shocked to find out they buy prepared seafood especially as the restaurant is so close to the ocean.

The oysters arrive and he thinks they are tasteless and bland.

He attempts to feed Candice the oysters but she declines to eat them, saying she prefers fresh oysters.

Next, the fillet mignon arrives, and it is grainy and horrible with the collard greens lifeless and mushy.

The salmon arrives next and it is rolled into a pinwheel. It is disgusting with no seasoning and the presentation is awful.

Gordon meets with the kitchen team and calls them out on the promise of freshness on the menu meanwhile they serve reheated food and frozen oysters.

Rishi and Rocky are defensive about the food.

Rishi says the collard greens were overcooked but good and Gordon says it makes no sense to say they are good.

Gordon finds out they are losing $8000 a month and roughly $100,000 a year but Rishi is still insistent on the food being good.

Gordon arrives to observe a dinner service and covers up to the ‘Grille’ on the door to stop the false advertising.

He finds out Rishi isn’t around to help staff prepare for the dinner service as she is preparing for her belly dancing performance.

Gordon inspects the kitchen and the walk-in and finds cornbread that was made days ago and stored ready to be used for days.

As he is talking to Denis, Rishi starts her belly dancing in the dining area.

Gordon is visibly embarrassed and locks himself in a back storeroom.

Customers are mortified and confused by the mid meal performance.

Undercooked dishes are sent back to the kitchen and Gordon can’t believe how raw the steak is.

Rishi behaves like everything is okay and when she encounters a complaint about the gravy, she asks Gordon what to do and he reminds her that she is the owner.

They take the food back to the kitchen and trace the source of the problem.

The gravy is gritty, sour as it was made the weekend before.

Gordon has them pull every meal that has gravy on it form the customers.

He goes back to the walk-in and finds raw pork stored next to cooked ribs, new trout and old trout stored together andan old bread pudding.

Gordon is horrified and dinner service is halted and the restaurant shut down.

Gordon points out Rocky is lazy and Rishi is oblivious to the problems with his food.

Rishi turns on Rocky and says he tells her that is the quality of service she gets for the pay she gives him.

She is more afraid of losing a chef than raising the standards.

Gordon finds out she is being used by Rocky.

Gordon leaves and the kitchen staff clean up the walk-in.

Gordon meets with Rishi and her staff and they talk about the disastrous service.

The staff tell him more about Rocky’s activities on how he ditches his station at the height of dinner rush.

He also takes 3% of the tips as he had told Rishi that this was the industry standard and she doesn’t know any better.

Gordon tells them straight up that he has them bamboozled.

Rishi gets emotional and felt like that she had no choice but to believe him.

All the staff believe Rocky is the main problem and think that he should be removed from the restaurant.

Gordon says Rishi has to take responsibility for her business and he will help her find a new chef.

She resolves to let Rocky go and does so as soon as he comes in.

He apologies for getting complacent and takes it graciously.

Gordon then comes in and gets the staff together into the kitchen for some cooking.

Rishi has never cooked in the restaurant kitchen even though she says she loves to cook.

They cook a steak dish together to the delight of the staff and they also love the taste.

Gordon’s team work all night to convert the grille into a gastropub.

The interior has been brightened up with a bright red colour scheme and the exposed brick is made more prominent.

Gordon found a new chef Tyler with 20 years’ experience and he will find and train a new chef for them over the next few weeks.

Gordon also designed a menu that they can make in their small kitchen.

The last makeover is for Rishi and she arrives in a power suit, looking more like an owner.

For relaunch night, Gordon has invited local influential bloggers to help spread the word.

The relaunch goes very well with the customers loving the food and atmosphere of the restaurant.

Before Gordon leaves, he has Rishi swear she will no longer belly dance in the restaurant.



What Happened Next at Prohibition Grille?

In the weeks that followed, the new improvements were a big hit and Rishi felt in control of her restaurant again.

The changes Gordon made were met with a mixed response.

Both Yelp reviews and Trip Advisor reviews show both regulars preferring the old menu and new customers loving the new look and new menu.

Rishi sold to the restaurant to Brenton Holland in 2016 who kept the name and decor but focused on selling steak and whiskey.

Prohibition Grille closed in July 2017.

Rocky opened his own restaurant called Ole Soul Southern Creole and reviews were good prior to it's closure in September 2017.

Abbott’s opened in the space of Prohibition Grille in 2018 and reviews are excellent.

Prohibition Grille was aired on 26 April 2013, the episode was filmed in November 2012 and is Kitchen Nightmares season 6 episode 13.

Read About More Kitchen Nightmares

Previous episode - Yanni's

Next episode - Chappy's

This post was last updated in March 2023.

23 comments:

  1. Huh. Never heard of this place, and I go to school there.

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    1. It's on Hewit, between Rucker and Hoyt. I used to live real close to it, but I moved to Seattle.

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    2. I have. Matter of fact, my belly dance instructor appears very very briefly in the episode...

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  2. I've seen every episode of Kitchen Nightmares from the UK and US, and I have to say Rishi is the biggest idiot that has ever been on this show, and that includes Amy and Samy from Amy's Baking Company. It saddens me that Rishi is a fellow Pacific Northwesterner.

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    1. I know this post is older but I couldn't agree more! (watching replay of the episode now) This woman really thinks she's something doesn't she? The trying to be "oh so sexy" was hilarious. LMFAO. Does she not know how ridiculous she looks? When she comes out in that belly dancing costume she should comp all of her customers meals because they will soon be losing their lunch. I cant believe how delusional she was about the way she thinks she looks & her restaurant.

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    2. I tell you what. Watching Rishi "belly dancing" gave me gastric distress. Also, I think that she had a fling with "Chef" Rocky, who had ex-con written all over him. Apparently, they are still open, but since I don't live in the area, I can't confirm that. Although, my dream has always been to live in the Pacific Northwest but the cost of living just got way too high.

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    3. I have to agree. She was also flirting with Ramsey when he came in. She actually touches him on the shoulder when he orders his meal and you can see he was visibly uncomfortable with it.

      It does continue to amaze me how 'out of touch' some people can be with how they think others view them.

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  3. We didn't know about this episode but happened to eat there this weekend, and it was FANTASTIC. Great food, warm decor, friendly service. We loved it and would go back.

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  4. Absolutely disgusting! How can any person be that oblivious to unhealthy handling of foods, visually awful texture and colors of the food is a SURE sign of. Freshness which they didn't have.. and the CHEF wanting to serve old nasty food and. Have that under his title but live w that ..its appauling!

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  5. Went here yesterday, had no idea of the KN connection or the restaurant's past. The food was amazing, the ambiance top notch and the food was tasty. We're going back for sure.

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    1. You went there with no idea of the KN connection and the next day you post a glowing review on a KN fan page?

      Sure... we ALL believe that.

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    2. Well if you use your brain, you can come to the conclusion that they probably heard about the connection whilst there and then went to look it up at home.

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  6. I'm just getting around to viewing this KN recording. Gastropub makes me think that I'm going to get sick. I'm glad that it is still open but I am surprised that it is.

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  7. Mutton dressed as lamb - and I'm not talking about the food!

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  8. Gordon Ramsey RUINED this place. I loved it before he put his dirty hands on it!!!!! I will NEVER go back!!!!

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  9. Gotta admit, Rocky took his firing like a champ. He admitted he screwed up and let things deteriorate and left without making a scene. Glad to see Rishi and Rocky are both doing well.

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  10. My dance coach was friends with this woman, and can confirm that yes, she really is that much of an airhead.

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  11. I've been binge watching the whole series. I've been living in the UK but I am italian (chef). Can someone explain to me the health and safety regulations in the States? Does anyone overwatch those restaurants? I was shocked how they get away with. I mean how is it possible that The Government doesn't protect customers from those headious restaurants?

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    1. No, there is minimal health inspector oversight of restaurant kitchens in the USA. Government oversight of anything for protection of the populace is extremely unpopular and difficult to find funding for in America.

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    2. As a son of a very successful restaurant owner, I'm also shocked andrea. I've seen my father and his employees clean the kitchen every day and still got one or two warning amongst the years (in France), but these places are filthy beyond belief. And filth like that can't really be faked for the show, so I don't think I'll ever eat in a restaurant in the US XD

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  12. I think I'm the only one who isn't hostile to Rishi. Yes she's clueless, but that's all she is. Clueless. She has owned a belly dancing school and thought she can run a restaurant as well. But I know she doesn't mean harm to anyone.

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