Original subtitles

The Super Bowl is around the corner,

and I'm in New Orleans.

This time, I'm in Jefferson, on the west side of the city,

home to small, local restaurant and takeout

3 Southern Girls, owned and run by Gabi,

with the help of her sister, Tia...

She's the only one that need a little guidance.

She's the baby.

I'm a strategic manager.

And best friend Monchel.

You know I'm gonna get a drink after this.

Walking into 3 Southern Girls,

you're gonna be welcomed with a smile.

It's very Southern hospitality.

Welcome in.

How are you doing?

How's your mom and them?

Come on in, baby.

And for you, sir?

All right, we got order up--mac and cheese.

We come from a line of chefs.

My grandfather was a chef,

and I learned how to cook with him.

He gave me all the old-school recipes.

It just made me realize that

this is what I'm passionate about.

He recently passed, but he was raised in this neighborhood.

Segregation was still happening.

He could not enter the front door of this building.

When I opened, it was emotional.

He could not only enjoy the food,

but know that his granddaughter

was responsible for it.

Shrimp laid down.

My shrimp is much better than yours,

and we already know this.

I've been in business for four years.

When we first opened, I enjoyed the thrill of people

talking about how good it was.

We were doing really well, the money was coming.

And then I received a phone call

that my son had been involved in a car accident.

I was going to Lake Charles, where I attend college,

and I'm a part of the football team.

The last thing I remember,

I was being loaded into the ambulance.

You know, I could hear the explosions coming from my car.

He went off road into the woods.

The car was completely crushed.

He was on the side of the road, bleeding.

And when they rolled him out, he was just covered in blood.

So I closed the doors.

I didn't come back to this restaurant for 30 days.

My mom is very protective, but I've overcome my injuries.

And now it's a lot of pressure on my mom,

you know, to try to get everything back under control.

It's a whole lot of debt that I'm currently in,

and all of the weight falls on me.

And I don't have the energy or the time to fix it.

I got here at 5:00 this morning and prepped.

After the accident, a lot of my life is my way or no way.

So I do everything myself so I know

for a fact it is done right.

I am a control freak.

I just don't trust anybody else to do it.

This is why I work better in the kitchen by myself.

Be by yourself, then.

Gabi wants to control everything in the kitchen.

Gabi, stop telling me what I can't do.

'Cause you done put your chef jacket on

and you're acting crazy.

You sure you don't want me to help?

Girl, you can't do a damn thing to help me.

I am getting to the point where I'm starting to be worried.

I've been sick for the whole week.

Gabi has been having shoulder problems.

Her back hurts.

My eye, my teeth, everything just hurts.

She's juggling too much,

and when it comes to the restaurant,

it creates problems.

Anthony, got an order in the window.

They've been waiting a long time.

Who had the shrimp and okra?

Thanks.

The quality of our food has declined.

It's something that she used to prioritize,

but she's juggling too many competing priorities.

.

We have a big opportunity.

The Super Bowl is gonna have a tremendous impact.

But I don't think today I could actually

handle the Super Bowl crowd.

My sinus pressure is back.

Leave me alone.

If Chef Ramsay doesn't help,

my mom is gonna have a breakdown.

My child, leave me alone, please.

She's been doing it all on her own.

And it's taking a toll on her body, physically and mentally.

I'm willing to sacrifice for this business.

But if nothing changes, we're not gonna survive.

Help me, Jesus.

I cannot take it.

This restaurant is festering.

You cannot be that deluded.

Stop, stop, stop.

I promise you, you can't do this.

Smell it!

Shut it down.

I'm in Jefferson, Louisiana, because a young man

just reached out to me to help his mother.

She has sacrificed everything, and I mean everything,

for her family and her restaurant.

He's asked me to meet him in a local park.

Ah, there he is.

Makhi, how are you, my man?

- I'm good, sir. Thank you. - Nice to see you, brother.

- Thank you for being here. - Not at all.

Thanks for the call. - Yes, sir.

Appreciate the shout-out.

Well, how are you doing first, after the accident?

I'm doing great.

I'm fully back.

I've been practicing.

Take me back to the beginning.

What happened?

It was early.

I was driving.

I just remember waking up, seeing fire.

Damn.

Looking back at my vehicle,

it looked like something no one should

ever be able to survive from.

Thank God you made it out of there.

Yes, sir.

Your life changed in a heartbeat.

Definitely. I mean, um...

It was hard to process, for one.

And, I mean, my parents were there.

That kind of helped me a lot.

If they weren't there, I don't really know

how I could have managed that.

Yeah.

My mom, as soon as she found out,

she shut down and was at the hospital.

She did not leave until they allowed me to leave.

She just took off whole weeks from work.

No profit. - Wow.

She was paying her workers.

You know, she wasn't getting income to pay those workers.

That was income strictly just out of her pocket.

To shut that restaurant down for that length of time...

Indeed, yeah.

The rent, the lights, the overheads, the staff,

the labor costs, it's--it's expensive.

And what-- what worries you the most?

Yeah, I'd say her physical health.

Kind of hard to be everything in a restaurant.

She puts her body to work a lot.

I don't think she could keep up coming in every day

and trying to make everything happen on her own.

It's starting to take her down.

Yes, definitely.

And do you ever try and tell Mum to slow down a touch?

Do you--do you ask her to sort of delegate and--

We ask her a lot, but my mom is somebody

who's gonna have herself at the end of the line.

She's been doing everything on her own, you know?

Putting everybody first and herself last.

- Yes, sir. - She's sacrificed a lot.

She's put her life into this restaurant.

Definitely.

So if it was to fail--

I feel like that restaurant is

kind of her whole personality at this point.

For her to fail, I mean, that'd have to be devastation.

I'm here to help.

I'm gonna get into the restaurant

and see what I've got to work with.

But more importantly, I appreciate

the catch-up with you, man. - Thank you.

And we'll see you later.

Thank you.

Sounds like Gabi, his mum, has got the weight of the world

on her shoulders.

For any woman to shut their business down for a month

and be by his bedside, that says a lot.

But now it's time to find out more before it's too late.

Right, let's go!

3 Southern Girls?

Who are they?

Good morning.

Wow, this place is tiny.

Hey, bud. Are you good?

- Yeah. - How was lunch?

Oh.

Chef Gordon walks through the door,

I am more nervous than I was expecting.

So I'm telling myself, hey, keep your composure.

Mac and cheese.

Oh, my God, I love mac and cheese.

- How you doing? - First name?

- Anthony. - Anthony.

Good to see you, bud.

I was expecting, like, cocky and mean.

- And you are? - I am Tia.

Tia, nice to see you.

But for some reason, I thought, rawr.

Mm.

Okay.

Ooh!

Right. Oh, my lord.

Because it's busy here, I'll get my food to go, please, Tia.

- Okay. All right. - Thank you.

Let's go for the fresh cornbread, right?

Is the cornbread baked here? - Yes.

Amazing.

Love that.

Let's do, oh, mac and cheese.

Hmm. - Okay.

How can we not do a gumbo?

Okay.

And then the smothered shrimp and okra, please.

Give us a little bit. We'll be right with you.

- Thank you so much. - No problem.

I may go out to the car, just set my table up.

Is that okay? Yeah?

How long do you think the food will be?

I'd say about 12 minutes.

12 minutes. Okay.

That's Gordon's order.

That's coming up now.

I seen the name on the ticket.

It scared me.

But I am a good chef, and my customers do like my food.

The restaurant is full, so we improvise.

Oh, [bleep].

.

Nice.

I am ready to go.

Monchel, so we can push this big order out,

I need the shrimp down for it.

That's Gordon's ticket.

Monchel.

Leave that and drop the shrimp.

Monchel, she works very hard, and she applies herself

with everything that she does.

But in the kitchen, my way is the only way.

Let's go, Saints!

How long you gonna have on that shrimp plate?

Went down long enough ago. It should be ready to come up.

Working in the kitchen with Gabi is difficult.

because Gabi is doing everything.

It's been 10 minutes.

Come on, man!

We don't have a system in place.

There is no communication,

so the food tends to take a long time.

And that's a problem.

- Okay. - Order.

Anthony, leave me alone.

I'm already stuck with Monchel, so leave me alone.

Catfish and shrimp.

We got too many orders.

It's busy.

And you better stop getting on my nerves.

We're a little bit behind.

The ticket times are starting to back up.

You've been standing here for five minutes.

- You a liar. - It don't even be that.

You a liar.

Mind your business.

.

3 Southern Girls?

Looks like three hours for lunch.

I'm at 3 Southern Girls in Jefferson, New Orleans.

And I've placed my takeout order for food.

Order up, Gab.

But with tickets backing up in the kitchen...

Come on, man!

I'm facing a long wait.

Gumbo in the microwave.

How long you gonna have on that shrimp?

Went down long enough ago. It should be ready to come up.

No, the shrimp ain't been down that long.

3 Southern Girls?

Looks like three hours for lunch.

Order.

That's it for that order.

Come on, guys.

I am starving.

That's it. That's everything.

Ah.

Got forks, everything in there.

Everything's in there? Thank you.

Bye-bye now.

I am extremely nervous right now.

I wonder what he's gonna say.

Okay, this is the smothered shrimp.

It just tastes just plain.

No spice, no kick.

More than anything, just no love.

It's almost like they're cooking in a rush

just to get it done.

Cornbread.

Well, it's very crumbly.

That tastes like it's almost sort of pre-made.

Fried chicken, nice and crispy.

Hmm. Crispy.

It just needs more help on the dredging,

so it's sort of better seasoned.

Such a shame.

Mac and cheese.

It tastes like processed cheese with spaghetti.

So bland.

Yeah, they forgot my gumbo.

Damn.

The most important part.

Dear, there was no gumbo in there.

- There was no gumbo? - No.

Okay, we need a-- we need a gumbo, quickly.

A gumbo, quickly.

Damn.

Oh, no.

Gabi is always tired.

We've had multiple issues where we missed

or overlooked customers.

It's bad.

Gabi, order being plated now.

Gumbo in the window.

Ah, here he is.

Thank you. - There you go. Sorry.

What do you think of the setup?

- It's great. - What's in here?

Um, chicken, sausage, and shrimp.

- Chicken, sausage, and shrimp? - Yes.

Appreciate it, man. Thanks, bud.

Thank you.

Okay, the gumbo.

That's the staple right there.

It looks hearty.

It tastes like a short-cook gumbo.

Gumbo takes hours.

The longer you cook it, the more it improves.

And it's nowhere near as spicy as I thought it would be.

So almost cooking in a rush, cooking and cutting corners

results in flavors like this.

And yet it took over an hour to get the food.

That's a big letdown.

But you go to a restaurant entitled 3 Southern Girls,

you just expect...

You know, food that's packed with power, flavor,

and really punchy with spice.

It's sort of almost cooking with no love.

What a shame.

With the lunch service over and customers heading home...

Thank you.

I need to talk to Gabi and the staff

to find out what's going wrong in that kitchen.

May I meet the team, please?

both: Yes. - Thank you.

- Come out. - Come out?

Yeah.

I am prepared to receive whatever criticism

he has for me.

I can't say I'm gonna respond to any other way

other than myself, but if it becomes too much,

you might see a little--

How are you feeling, first?

- Uh, good. - You're feeling good?

- I'm feeling good. Yeah. - Good.

I'm gonna ask you straight. - Mm-hmm.

In terms of the food, how would you rate your own food?

Honestly, on a scale of 1 to 10.

I would say...

- 10. - Correct.

Right.

But when I look at the title of this restaurant,

3 Southern Girls, I expect the Southern charm

and bloody good food.

Sadly, I didn't taste any charm in that food today.

Stop it.

I had a catch-up with Makhi here this morning.

Sadly for me, the gumbo was just--

it didn't taste as authentic as Makhi described you.

Okay.

Hardworking, passionate, dedicated woman.

You didn't like anything?

- Well, hear me out. - Okay.

I can give you five local restaurants

that are serving gumbo way better than that,

way better and cheaper.

Wait a minute. What are you tasting?

Because you're confused, my baby.

Like, no.

I can agree with some of what you said.

I've experienced Gabi's restaurant food

versus Gabi's at-home food.

Mm-hmm.

She has to keep her business going.

And sometimes that means making adjustments

so that she can deliver still quality products,

but different from what I'm used to outside

of the restaurant.

We've been cutting corners for efficiency versus quality,

because Gabi does not accept the help that's available.

I respect your honesty, and I'm grateful for the truth.

We're, what, four years in now?

- Yeah. - We're not making money.

And there are clearly issues here.

In your mind, what's wrong with the place?

Uh, nothing.

I just need you to be honest with me,

'cause this is not a joke.

I'm not here to put a Band-Aid on things.

I'm here to get things fixed.

Now, I don't mind butting heads,

but what we need to be is constructive.

It's not a party. these guys.

him. [bleep] him. And [bleep] him.

Do you know why?

If we don't change, we are [bleep].

I'm in Jefferson, New Orleans,

at family-run 3 Southern Girls,

where chef-owner Gabi is struggling to admit

there's a problem with her food.

There are clearly issues here.

Sadly, I didn't taste any charm in that food today.

Stop it.

If we don't change, we are [bleep].

This is a tough business.

I get burnt out because I do a lot of it myself.

I can see that.

That is clearly obvious.

But hear me out. - Okay.

It feels like you're supplementing with packets,

canned, glass jar. I don't know.

It just tasted fast-tracked.

I'm trying.

This amazing man, who is this?

Our grandfather.

What would he say if he knew that his granddaughter

was fast-tracking those recipes?

He didn't fast-track anything.

Just experiencing the year you've had,

the sacrificing, what you've done to get your son

back on the road and trying to run this thing

as well at the same time, once you reopened, I feel your pain.

I want to see this place function tonight.

I want to see how you operate.

I want to see how you delegate so I can see where

corners are being cut.

Gordon was brutal, but I am passionate.

So going into dinner service,

I feel like I just have something to prove.

And I'm here for it.

I can see that Gabi cares deeply about the restaurant.

Oh, Lord, have mercy.

But it's not functioning properly

because she's exhausted.

I definitely want a nap.

So tonight, I want to see what exactly is going wrong.

Well, hello.

How are we?

We good? Excellent.

This is it.

There she is. We good?

Stop messing around. Where's--where's Gabi?

Hey. There we are there.

We good? - I'm out.

Give me a little insight how this works.

Who does what?

When it's Monchel and I, we kind of just float.

But I'm like three people in the kitchen.

Right.

Gotcha, gotcha.

And what's in here?

Oh.

That was the sandwich station, but it's broken.

How long has that been broken?

Maybe like...

oh, that's been broke for a while.

How long is a while?

Hi, welcome to 3 Southern Girls.

- You want the smothered okra? - Yes, ma'am.

What up, Monchel?

Dropping the shrimp.

Where are the beginning of those recipes

from Grandpa?

You said where are the beginnings of them?

Yeah, in terms of when you opened

this thing five years ago.

Did you start off with a recipe book?

- I did not. - You did not.

Don't be at home judging me, 'cause I'm gonna put

a little of this, a little of that.

That is how I cook every day.

But even if you're not here, how does someone

pick up the reins and cook?

- They can't. - They can't.

It's all going on up in here, yes?

- Yes. - Yeah.

How y'all doing?

You're gonna try the red beans.

Order up, Monchel.

Don't. Don't.

Gabi is hovering over people all the time,

telling them what to do, how to do it.

That's our number one issue.

Uh-huh.

This what you making right now?

No, I'm making this ticket over here.

Oh.

Leave me alone, Monchel.

Let me do my job.

Oof, man.

This is slow.

Who had the smothered shrimp and okra?

No food. No food there.

No food there.

How long have you guys been waiting?

It's probably been at least a good maybe--

- Maybe 20. - 20.

It's been about 20 minutes for us.

Customers are coming in.

They're waiting long times.

She's been here for five years. This is how they run.

And because she's trying to do it all herself,

Gabi's slowing everything down.

What, you putting that on top of the cake?

Man, it's--it's painful.

Really painful.

Order.

All right. Did you want the entrée?

Thank you.

Anybody have a side of potato salad?

Did y'all have a side of potato salad?

Not a side.

I think this wasn't-- nobody had this.

Somebody left out of here without their potato salad.

Definitely missed it 'cause I'm making mistakes today.

The customers today, they're coming in

a little faster than normal.

And I think Gabi's communication

is not consistent.

So someone left without one of their sides.

Just trying to make sure we keep up

with everybody's orders.

Mac and cheese. And what were you having, sir?

Order up.

You had the gumbo? - Yep.

I need a pot of mac a cheese.

That's for this ticket right here.

Catfish.

Thank you.

What did you get, my darling? Smothered shrimp?

Yeah.

Could you cook better at home?

- Mm-hmm. - You could?

Oh, yes, I could.

Yes, you could.

- Mashed potato. - Okay.

They was, like, digging through the gumbo,

checking to see if they had shrimp in it.

You know everybody's not gonna like everything,

and that's okay.

But we have a great gumbo, and life goes on.

Ain't nothing we could do about it.

Gabi, I'm gonna ask you straight.

Are we serving the best gumbo in town?

I wholeheartedly feel like we have one

of the best gumbos in the city.

I do feel like that.

Absolute [bleep].

Absolute [bleep].

You are a one-man band.

And that's dangerous in running a restaurant.

You're in denial, girl.

Who you had that was better?

What?

Everybody has an opinion.

I'm not gonna bend on my gumbo.

He's gonna see that other side of me, that passion.

The gloves are off.

I just want you to be the best.

All I want to know with my customers, how can I improve?

What can I do better?

I know we can have a stronger gumbo.

I know we've cut corners.

There are these hand-me-down recipes from Granddad.

It's the foundation.

It's how you judge a restaurant--

by its gumbo, right?

Right.

What I want to see is us going up in standards,

not down.

But I still stand on the gumbo.

I do get gumbo everywhere I go.

When was the last time you went out

and tested the competition?

Everywhere.

When was the last time you went out?

Probably last weekend I went out to eat.

Right, and did you have a gumbo there?

I don't like their gumbo.

You don't li--oh, my God.

And customers that told me earlier tonight that

they can have better food at home?

Mm-hmm.

What's the point in coming out?

What was the point of them coming here?

Oh, my God.

Oh, my God.

I mean, I'm the baby of five. I don't listen.

You're the baby of five. You don't listen.

No.

I can't help someone that's not prepared to listen.

Mm-hmm.

Oh, my God.

That's my boy. I'm not gonna lie.

Wow.

It's the end of a dysfunctional dinner service

at 3 Southern Girls in New Orleans.

And owner Gabi is refusing to accept that anything

is wrong with her restaurant.

I'm the baby of five. I don't listen.

Oh, my God.

Oof. Man.

Um, what a strong woman.

Good night. Thank y'all. Y'all have a good one.

Stubborn, not good at taking criticism,

but most importantly, it's a one-man band in there, so--

be a tough one, this one.

Gotta peel back the layers and reignite that fire, quickly.

Where's Gabi?

Gabi, two secs.

- Me? - Yes.

Please. Thank you.

Thank you, thank you.

Sit down, darling.

Please.

Right.

That was a tough one.

How are you feeling?

Truthfully?

Uh...

I feel a little nervous, but good.

What do you want from 3 Southern Girls?

I would like to see this succeed

because it is the first thing that has been just for me.

Sure.

I know you've been through a lot.

And watching you work this hard for very little,

it's just--it's not what it's all about.

No.

You seem to be doing everything and anything

for everybody by yourself.

I do.

This whole place revolves around you.

Part of this is letting go and trusting.

- How? - Trust is the hardest thing.

Yeah, that--that-- that takes time.

Do you struggle letting go? - I do.

Right.

I do.

How are you keeping all this up in the air?

I'm a mom.

That's what we do.

Because I chose the path that I did in life,

it's like I dropped out of eighth grade,

worked at McDonald's, teenage mom.

Like, you learn to survive.

So I learned to do what was necessary,

rather than what I wanted, if that makes sense.

It does.

I grew up watching my mum handle three jobs

trying to keep the house together.

When you make your road hard, you kind of learn to live in it

and get through it.

How are you managing that?

The weight of the restaurant, business, financial worries,

the accident, that must have shook you beyond.

Beyond.

When I got the call, the guy says, this is state trooper.

Your son is bleeding a lot.

The car is immersed in flames.

We've called the ambulance.

We've gotta send him to a trauma center.

We can't treat him here.

I just kept going back to God saying, you know me, God.

Like, I can't bury a child.

Bless him.

I know I'm not the exception.

I'm not better than anybody else, but I just--

I can't do this.

And-- - You stayed by his bedside.

- I never left the hospital. - Wow.

Yeah.

Shutting this place down, driving to that hospital,

it's a lot to take on. - It was a lot.

Yeah.

To hold your child's hand while somebody

is trying to put their face back together, it was a lot.

In that moment, you do what you have to do.

You know?

You put yourself aside, and you stand for your child.

When life happens, you close your doors.

You think nothing of it.

But this time it happened at the beginning of the month.

So I had just paid all of my bills.

And I gotta go into my savings now because we made nothing.

Sure.

And you've got no business to back up or any cash flow.

Makhi's accident put life in perspective for me.

I went back to my own fundamentals.

Like, if it's not getting done,

I'm just gonna step over you and do it.

I do that a lot.

I've never really wanted to be a boss.

I'm just bossy.

But you can't do it on your own.

You can't do it all, and you need help.

That is absolutely obvious.

Give me your strengths.

What are you really good at?

I don't give up.

There's no such thing as not gonna work.

I'm gonna figure it out.

It's a blessing and a curse to be that way,

'cause when it's time to seek help

or hand it over to somebody else,

you don't recognize that

because you think you're capable, right?

You could do it all.

I am not living up to my full potential because I'm tired.

I am tired.

I'm sick of my inability to be able to step back

and let others help in a way that'd actually help me.

What worries me, Gabi, is that, you know, in business,

you control it or it controls you.

And right now, it's controlling you.

It's controlling me. It is.

And God forbid, you're a powerful, strong,

amazing young woman.

But one more issue,

this whole thing is gonna come tumbling down.

Or I'm gonna lose everything trying

to keep it from coming down.

I'm in Jefferson, New Orleans,

at 3 Southern Girls.

And while my team gets the restaurant

ready for relaunch...

I got a couple of surprises up my sleeve,

and it's gonna be an exciting morning.

Let's get it.

I'm taking owner Gabi to the heart of where

the Super Bowl action will be...

The Superdome,

to persuade her that running a restaurant is a team sport.

- Oh, my gosh. - Oh, man.

Look at this. - Gorgeous.

How amazing?

Unmatched.

Does not get better than the Superdome.

To think this place is gonna be full

with 65,000 cheering fans.

When those Saints run out, they're a team, right?

And they all depend on each other every week.

You cannot do this on your own.

We have to build a team around you.

I'm gonna introduce you to someone now

who became a powerful player for the Saints.

Who is it?

Craig Robertson.

Stop it.

Look, here he is, my man!

Good to see you, Captain. - Good to see you.

Thank you so much for being here.

Oh, man.

Can I introduce you to Gabi, please?

Hello. How are you?

- Hello. Craig Robertson. - I'm a hugger.

I am so excited.

I get to meet Craig Robinson.

He came to the New Orleans Saints as a walk-on,

and then he became captain.

Thank you for being here.

Man, thank you for having me.

The story behind Craig, you can't beat it.

Gabi's a one-man band,

and if there's one person that can emphasize

the importance of a team, it's you.

I'm gonna leave you guys to catch up.

Gabi, enjoy, darling.

- I will. Thank you. - See you shortly.

To be here, to be back, I mean, this is really cool.

But I want to know more about yourself.

- I love to cook. - Mm-hmm.

I love to see, like, the expression on people's face

when they have a solid meal.

You know, it's much like Gordon said, I am a one-man band.

I'm gonna do everything I have to do

to make sure that we're there and it's successful.

Like, I do everything, I wash dishes,

I do the cash register, I cook the food, I take out the trash.

- This is your baby. - It is my baby.

But I mean, think about it.

If every person in here went to come visit...

Right.

Would you be ready for that?

Today, no.

I probably would flatline. - Right.

Yeah, like slot receivers...

I probably get laid out.

I feel it on my body.

I'm not, like, 20 years old anymore.

I know that I can lose it all.

To work in any industry, any sport, anything,

you can't do it by yourself.

I'm gonna need a team.

You're gonna need it, right?

I'm not gonna let you down.

I'm definitely not gonna let Gordon down.

Right.

Looking at this place,

thinking about the possibilities,

what was unimaginable is imaginable now.

I'm ready. You ready? - Let's go. Let's go.

All right.

Back at 3 Southern Girls, the renovation is complete.

And my team has given the restaurant a whole new look.

Drab decor has been replaced with warm, inviting colors.

And I've provided brand-new kitchen equipment,

including a working sandwich station.

Oh, look at this!

Come on!

Uh-uh.

Wait a minute!

I absolutely love these tables.

It's very different.

I love the colors.

I love the countertop.

I like the lighting.

I am feeling overwhelmed right now.

Ah. Come on.

How beautiful is this?

It's absolutely beautiful.

It feels like a proper neighborhood restaurant.

Look at Papa.

It's so cute.

Family connected through the art on the wall

so we can understand the history here

and start building the legacy.

Yes.

Seeing all the changes,

like the picture of my grandfather,

it's a lot.

Oh, my goodness. - You like it?

I like it a lot.

We're not gonna cry right now.

Right.

Let's go through the menu.

First of all, chicken andouille gumbo,

beautifully done from the heart and the soul.

Oh, my goodness.

And then...

Mac and cheese!

We have made an incredible cheese sauce

and added these three cheeses.

I like it.

Now, one more thing.

Your Bible.

So you can take a day off

without the restaurant suffering.

Just promise me one thing.

What?

That you will start offloading these recipes

to get this business consistent.

- Pinky promise. - No fast tracks.

No fast tracks.

We're in great shape to open those doors tonight.

Right. Dig in. Have a quick bite to eat.

And I'll be back shortly.

This is so good.

We gained, like, 10 pounds when the restaurant first opened.

And so we'll gain 10 more.

It's time to open the doors to the restaurant.

Tonight, I'm gonna work alongside Gabi

to show her how important it is

to have a team in the kitchen.

Right, you ready? - I'm ready.

Here we go.

Hi.

Welcome to 3 Southern Girls.

Amazing.

It's exciting, the first customers in.

Okay.

Order up, ladies.

Tonight my passion is back.

I'm excited.

I just feel like I'm ready to start.

Like, I'm ready.

Okay.

Pork is fine.

Catfish is on.

We are moving.

Yes, we are.

Hi.

Welcome in.

Among the invited guests is NFL legend Craig Robertson...

Craig's just walked in. - Oh, Craig's here?

Can I get two fried catfish fillets and a mac and cheese?

Order up.

And Gabi's mother, son, and husband.

- Do you like it? - Beautiful.

I like the pictures too. Generational.

Walking in is breathtaking, very welcoming, and, you know,

like a home-like spirit.

So far, so good.

We've got a full house out there.

We got a chicken.

One order of chicken.

You heard that? - Yep, heard it.

Who had the smothered pork chop?

- Smothered pork chop. - Thank you.

Are you pulling these tickets?

No.

Listen, we ain't got time, girl.

So did table 3 get all of their food?

They never got their food yet.

It feels like we should have some orders coming out, right?

Getting backed up here.

Do you wanna call out some orders?

Yeah, you gotta call 'em.

We're preparing things that we have not prepared before.

We are doing things that we're not used to doing.

Chicken-fried steak with the mac and cheese.

Uh-uh, girl.

Leave me alone, Monchel, please.

And Gabi is not someone who acts well under pressure.

It's too much. It's too much.

Okay.

Okay.

Gabi, tell us what's next. You're in charge, girl.

Oh, we got a jambalaya.

Another order of mac and cheese.

- Coming. - Right here.

Gordon's working on it. - Yep.

Got it. You added a little salt?

Yeah. Seasoned, though.

- That is not right, Gordon. - .

Stop worrying about that mac and cheese.

That is not right.

I looked at Gordon, and I want to take over immediately.

Let me do it.

No, I got it, I got it, I got it, I got it.

You can't do everything all the time.

Let go and figure it out.

Like, I don't know what's wrong with her.

You better do it right now.

I got it. Man! [bleep].

Gabi, The bottom line is, you're just so stubborn.

You've gotta let go a little bit.

No, you can't plate it like that.

, man.

. - Let's start again.

I'm in New Orleans, where restaurant

3 Southern Girls is relaunching.

- I like it. Yeah. - Yeah, it's good.

And Chef Gabi is slipping back into her old habits...

- You added a little salt? - Yeah.

Trying to micromanage everyone in the kitchen...

That is not right, Gordon.

Including me.

Let me do it.

No, I've got it, I've got it, I've got it, I've got it.

You better do it right now.

I've got it.

You've gotta let go a little bit.

I can get overwhelmed at times,

so I might actually overstep and do it myself.

But I'm trying to lean into some change.

- Mac and cheese. - There you go.

You got it right.

Teamwork is the dreamwork, right?

Here we go.

Greens and mac and cheese.

All right, what you need from me over here?

Table 6 to get plated.

Got it.

Gabi's in her spot. I'm in my spot.

She's doing what she's supposed to do.

And now dinner service is going amazing.

Is that good?

Thanks.

- Mmm. - Hot.

Order up, Anthony.

Is that it? We cleared the board?

- We cleared the board. - Seriously?

Wow.

The difference is night and day.

That's what I want. Okay?

Gordon has changed my perspective.

I know I can't do it alone.

I'm implementing it, and it's working.

Do you trust me?

- I--I trust you now. - Okay.

- Come on. - Okay.

Y'all enjoyed y'allself, though, huh?

I'm glad y'all enjoyed y'allself.

I love the fact she's in the dining room now.

I love that.

Make sure she delegates, please.

I will.

Chef Ramsay has helped Gabi learn how to step back.

Yeah.

Gordon has taught us how great we can be.

How are we?

- Good, very good. - You're good?

- Yes, sir. - You got a solid mum there.

You know that? - Definitely.

Wife, daughter, amazing.

Very good.

Gordon, I'm very thankful that you were able

to respond to my call and come through to help my mom.

I see a lot more smiles on her face, you know.

The Super Bowl will be coming to New Orleans,

so I think we'll be able to benefit,

you know, with a lot of more people coming in.

- Thank you. - Thank you!

- Everything was awesome. - I'm glad you enjoyed.

- Everything was awesome. - Don't forget about us.

I'll be back here in a couple weeks.

I'm bringing the whole family. - Okay.

- And thank you again. - Thank you so much.

Have a good one, hear? - Nice to meet you.

- Listen, well done. - Thank you.

- My time is done. - I'm not ready.

- You are ready. - I'm not ready.

Here's why. Customers love the food.

We did good.

You did better than good.

And we're on the verge of becoming great.

- Okay. - Keep it up.

Gordon changed everything.

I'm just grateful for it all.

I don't say this that often, but I'm gonna miss you.

- Are you? - Mm-hmm.

- I'm gonna miss you already. - I'm telling you.

Knowing that the overwhelmed feeling just came from the fact

that I can't do it all by myself.

I need some more pasta water.

And now I'm gonna start demanding help.

Today, I'll say I deserve it.

If you would have asked me a week ago, probably not.

But today, I would say I deserve it.

Honestly, a few days ago when I came here, it was for Makhi.

But I've stayed because of Gabi.

Her commitment to her family and her restaurant,

honestly, is incredible.

Now, with systems in place and a focus on standards,

I strongly believe that 3 Southern Girls

is truly on its way to becoming something even more special.

Man.

Super Bowl LIX, come on.

Two months later...

Gabi has released control of the business

and is delegating to trusted allies.

Started from the bottom, now we here.

With shorter wait times and better food quality,

business has increased, and 3 Southern Girls

is ready to feed the Super Bowl crowd.

Next time on "Kitchen "Nightmares"...

- Shrimp and grits. - Are you okay?

Oh, my God. Women are puking up.

Stop eating.

You need to stop before you take yourself down...

How do you think you're acting toward me?

It's a two-way street, girl!

Your restaurant down...

We're about over $600,000 in debt.

And your family down.

We may have to split off.

It's harder sometimes working with your family.

- Do not touch me! - I love you.

So now you walk away?

You just give up? Why?

She treats me like [bleep].

I'm leaving!