Original subtitles

In New Orleans, Louisiana,

Melika Honore runs The Verdict,

a neighborhood restaurant

putting a modern twist on Southern cuisine.

I see about a gumbo egg roll, bell pepper crawfish bisque.

Correct.

We have heart and soul here.

People don't come here to have a bougie dinner.

They come to have a nice environment

where they can eat great food.

I got two peach cobblers and a white pudding egg roll.

Welcome to The Verdict.

I have my whole family working here

because I've been taking care of everybody my whole life.

So my job is way bigger than me,

and I have to leave something for my children.

It's a family affair, but Melika's toughest

challenge might just be her own mother.

Mama.

Back up, you-- back up, back up.

I know, but I'm still waiting.

I'm not doing it, bitch. Get out.

So I'm the owner and the boss,

but my mama don't respect me at all

when it comes to the kitchen.

- You gonna mess me up. - All right, all right.

You gonna mess me up.

Melika owns the restaurant, but I own this kitchen.

Y'all overwhelming us, Melika. Please stop.

I decide what's on the menu.

I buy the food, and this is my way or the highway.

Listen, listen.

The man said you got 20 minutes.

- Listen. - All right.

Stop trying to change [bleep].

My name's Keesha.

They call me Mama K and I'm the manager at The Verdict.

We have no garnishes.

Oh, yes, you do, honey.

There's lemons, limes, cherries, pineapples.

My responsibilities here are

running the front of the house...

One gumbo egg roll. - Just one. All right.

And making sure that the kitchen is running properly.

Michiko and I,

we bump heads about the way she's talked to me.

Y'all took my paper towels?

- No. - We have no paper towels.

Somebody took my paper towels.

I want them. Give me my paper--thank you.

Give me--stop taking my stuff!

I don't trust Mama K.

That's my black tape!

Mama, this was in the office.

No, this is on my thing. I bought that.

Will you calm your nerves down?

Mind your business since you up here.

That's what you do.

You ready, sir? I'm listening.

OK.

Can I get an estimated time on my egg rolls

for the front bar, please?

- Stop! - All right.

My mama, she can't take no stress.

When that kitchen get backed up,

the wait time is ridiculous.

Don't forget about the egg rolls.

Don't call nothing else. You're driving me insane.

We've had people wait up to two hours.

I do apologize for the inconvenience

of you waiting so long.

With the kitchen being overwhelmed...

Mama, we have to take the orders!

I cannot. I told you, I have to catch up!

And a chef who's lost control...

You know we can hear you out there, hun?

Stop screaming.

The customers are starting to pass their own verdicts.

My steak is raw, rare.

We've had people walk out and not even pay their bills.

It means I'm losing money.

I'ma see if I can just replace it.

I don't need it back.

- You sure? - Yeah.

Why you ordering food? I said stop.

I know, but she-- not to put it in already.

Every week is a months' worth of effort

to keep this place going, keep these doors open.

I haven't gotten a salary in two years.

My home is almost in foreclosure.

It's a lot.

Right there, daily special.

I 100% wish I could help my mom,

you know, keeping the restaurant alive.

You know, she is the soul. She's the heart of it.

I wish I had the answer.

I told you to stop. I'ma walk out of here.

Shh! They can hear you.

I'm busting my ass every day to make this work.

So I feel like I'm in a storm of my life, and I'm drowning.

I need Gordon Ramsay's help. I need his help.

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!

Today, I'm in New Orleans East,

a stunning hidden gem just outside the city,

that sadly has been struggling since 2005

and that awful Hurricane Katrina.

But the big question is

is The Verdict stuck in the past?

What is this place?

Good morning. - Oh, my! Gordon Ramsay!

Welcome to The Verdict! - How are we--

thank you very much, indeed.

- It's an honor to meet you. - Likewise.

Gordon Ramsay in the building, Mama.

OK.

Chef Ramsay, I don't know.

As long as he don't come in my face.

If he come in my face,

he's going to be put out this kitchen, too.

It's different in here.

And what's that in there?

- So this is the vault. - The vault? What the--

- This is called the vault. - Oh, my God.

Yes, and so people can come in here and eat.

- People eat in here? - They do!

- Sit down. - Sure.

Sit down, sit down.

When the customers come into The Verdict,

they love the theme, like our queen pin room.

Then they go into the vault,

and it has a lot of money on the wall.

And so they're loving the vibe.

Previously, it was a private?

- "Strip club." - A strip club?

Yes, it was.

.

- Hi! - Good morning.

- Sister! - How are you, my lady?

- I'm great. How are you? - Nice to see you.

You look great. - Thank you.

Take me back to the beginning.

Why the name Verdict?

So my ex-husband is incarcerated.

- Oh, I'm sorry. - He got life in prison.

- Wow. - That verdict changed my life.

But it's a family business, right?

You've got everybody here. - It's a family business.

Who's working with you? Tell me.

Everybody--my mama, my sisters, my mama best friend.

- Wow. - My best friend, everybody.

What's Mom like in the kitchen?

She's evil.

- She's what? - She's evil.

- She's evil? - She's evil.

She's a beautiful soul, but she's controlling.

She wants things done perfect.

Oh, Grandma! Said he don't want the bacon.

Stop talking! Oh, Lord have mercy.

- She don't respect me. - Right.

At all.

It feels like this is a dream of yours.

It is.

It looks like you spent money.

I went into this $250,000 in the hole

before I even opened the doors. - Oh, my God.

And I'm losing thousands and thousands

of dollars every month.

And so The Verdict got to get us out of debt,

since it got us in debt.

Um, listen, I'm here to help.

Now, should I sit down and grab a bite to eat?

- Yes. - Great.

Y'all ready to order?

Need try the gumbo egg rolls.

- Oh, the gumbo egg rolls? - Yep.

All right.

All right. I'ma going to go let them know.

- You can sit here. - Thank you.

And your waiter will be with you in a moment.

Yeah, of course. Thank you.

The boss is here.

Suicide salmon?

Guilty barbecue shrimp?

Oh, my God.

Young man.

- How we doing, sir? - How are you?

How you doing, sir? Nice to meet you. Malik.

It's good to see you. First name?

- I'm Malik. - Malik.

This is your mama's restaurant, right?

Yes, it is, yes, it is.

Good, and what are you doing here?

Are you not studying?

So I'm back home from college for about a week.

OK.

So I'm a student athlete receiving a full scholarship.

- Great. - It's a blessing.

- Congrats, man. - But 100%, man.

I appreciate it. - What position?

Wide receiver.

It is my dream to become a professional athlete.

But The Verdict isn't doing well

in the grand scheme of things,

and so I feel like I need to help my mom.

I think that if she were in a better place,

if she were in a better condition,

it would help me succeed, maybe even do tenfold better,

you know, in football than I think I would

because I can't try to balance two lives.

Let's do the ribeye as well, shall we?

And how would you like that cooked?

- Medium rare, please. - Medium rare.

Yeah.

The egg roll? The gumbo egg roll?

We may be actually out of the gumbo egg roll.

I will go check with the kitchen.

And do you have a classic gumbo in place?

- No, sir. - Mm.

There's no gumbo on the menu? - Aw.

OK. And I've got to go for the death row burger, right?

It's getting me nervous.

I'll have a death row burger.

I'll put that in and I'll be right back with you.

Man.

That's Gordon Ramsay ticket that just came up.

I think they were out of the gumbo rolls.

It looks like you've got the last portion.

Can I--can I-- can I get a bite?

- Thank you so much. - Yeah.

Thank you.

I'll pay for that, OK? Thank you.

.

Thank [bleep] God they were 86'd.

They still waiting for their food, though, right?

I don't think nobody had an entrée.

I'm waiting on three crawfish bisque egg rolls

and a Rico loaded fry.

Do they need me to come back and help?

No, I just think you need to man the bar,

making sure everything is ready.

- I am. - You gotta talk.

You gotta go talk to everybody. - I did.

I made my rounds. Twice, as a matter of fact.

I heard her screaming.

Somebody ain't doing they job.

I do apologize for everything backing up right now.

So some things are coming up burned.

I appreciate your patience.

Thank you.

It has to be an hour now I've been waiting for food.

The biggest issue here is in the kitchen.

We just had a little delay in the kitchen.

- Is it always this slow? - Yes, sir.

Order tickets are being held up at the kitchen.

There's only so much apologizing you can do.

That was embarrassing, but.

I can assure you we'll try to get that.

I appreciate that, my man. Thank you.

- Got you. - Man.

Nobody should be waiting a hour.

Are we not responding at this point?

I'm concentrating on what I'm doing and you throwing me off.

Don't throw me off.

When they're hollering and screaming, I ignore them.

Leave me the [bleep] alone. Let me do what I do.

What you doing?

About to toss-- oh, you want to toss it?

That's not enough.

All right. Ooh, girl!

.

Toss it.

Here are your handcuffed wings, sir.

Again, I apologize about the delay.

No, all good. Thank you much.

What sauce is that? Is that barbecue sauce?

- Yes, sir. - That's a homemade sauce?

- Yes, sir. - Thank you.

Yes, sir.

How are those, sir?

Cooked properly, right?

But it's just drowning in sauce.

What a shame.

- Sir. - Thank you.

I'll let her know.

So he actually said the chicken was cooked pretty well.

He said it was just drowned in sauce.

All right, all right!

Well, that was my [bleep].

And here's your death row burger.

Thanks, bud. Thank you.

me. Oh, my God.

How the do you eat that thing?

Ice cold.

Sir, how's that burger by any chance?

It's still [bleep] mooing.

Um, I think that's sort of raw.

They gotta do better in the kitchen.

This should be sentenced to death row.

- Yes, sir. - But I'll bypass that.

Yeah, just tell her it's--it's--

it's ice-cold in the middle. - I got you.

- And it's raw. - I got you.

So the burger was undercooked. - He sent it back.

He said the death row burger

should have been sent to death row.

It's still-- - Oh, well.

He said it's still mooing on the inside.

Get the [bleep] out, Ramsay.

This is a medium rare steak, right?

- Yes. - I got you.

Here's your steak, medium rare. - Thank you.

Would you like any steak sauce with that?

- Don't you worry, please. - Gotcha.

Yes, sir. - Wow, look at that.

That looks like one of the saddest steaks I've ever seen.

God bless it.

Baked potato?

Man.

.

Oh, wow.

Do you have a metal fork?

No, sir.

Did she say medium rare?

Yes.

I don't know if it is medium rare.

Oh, [bleep].

How the [bleep] am I supposed to get into my steak?

.

I've never, ever, ever, ever sent food back

because I can't cut into it.

No metal forks?

.

Oh, my God.

How the [bleep] am I supposed to get into my steak?

I never, ever, ever, ever send food back

because I can't cut into it.

.

No metal forks?

.

Can you ask her to cut that up for me?

Oh, my God.

$34?

He broke his fork.

Oh, [bleep].

- I need this cut. - Oh, Lord.

He's saying it's not medium rare.

I know how to cook a steak. New Orleans rare.

He don't like nothing.

I did not appreciate Chef Ramsay pointing out

this is bad, this is bad, this is bad.

I don't need you with me.

- All right, all right! - Everybody.

OK.

BYOF.

Bring Your Own [bleep] Fork. - OK.

.

Do you see this? Don't order nothing else.

Let me catch up.

You order another ticket,

you gonna come back here and cook it yourself.

What's going on there?

No more tickets. Don't order nothing else.

I do apologize, but it is coming up.

Man.

Go talk to them.

I have talked to them three times already!

They never got their [bleep].

I've talked to them three times.

I would blame the kitchen. - Their ticket not even up.

Well, I'm checking on my customer first.

I got one sitting here been waiting an hour, Melika.

I have four people that just sat down with me.

They didn't get all of their appetizers.

I've already blamed them for burning up something.

I put it on the kitchen and said they burnt their food.

I have to make excuses because our kitchen is screwing up.

It's Michiko's fault because Michiko doesn't admit

to anything about being wrong in the kitchen.

She wants the food out when she wants it out.

I need to step outside, y'all. I need to decompress.

You OK?

Nope. I'm not.

What's wrong, Mama K?

Man.

- Mama K walked out. - K walked out?

Oh, Lord.

I'm doing my job.

I'm doing everything I possibly can.

And the tickets are just hanging up there.

What am I supposed to do?

I lied and blamed it on the kitchen

and said that the food was burned.

I'm apologizing to these people.

What do you want me to tell them?

It's every night!

- Mm-hmm. - It's every night!

What happened?

She feels like she keeps making excuses for the kitchen.

Right.

And she's been back to the table three to four times.

When you serve half the table,

it's really frustrating, but it's for you...

Chef Ramsay--

Because they're standing staring at you.

I can see the biggest problem.

I'm here to help, OK?

Man, this place is beyond dysfunctional.

It's a [bleep] mess.

Ticket times were ridiculous.

The owner is just in a spin.

The one saving grace in there is that

for me, there's passion.

But they've forgotten how to run a business.

Let's get the team in and let's have a chat together.

Yeah? Please.

All right, sit down. Or stand, whatever you wish.

But let's come together.

I've seen enough, let me tell you.

And I'm in shock.

Because we are dysfunctional.

Agreed? all: Agreed.

Agreed.

I'm not going to put a Band-Aid on it.

I don't want you to.

I want you to say what you got to say.

What a mess.

Why?

I've told Melika her kindness is taken for a weakness.

She needs to put her foot down.

My mom, she's very controlling,

and I think that's what it is.

So she likes to have her hands on everything.

Yeah, she needs to trust her team so that way,

they can get the orders out on time.

How do we not trust anybody when we're family?

My problem is that I trust too much.

And I trust her all with the food.

Do you know your food costs?

- No. - No, I don't.

You don't? Oh, my God.

Your labor costs?

No, she does all of that.

If Melika makes the groceries,

it may be $1,000 for the general things.

If she make the groceries,

she's going to spend 2K on the same amount of food.

She gonna spend $2,000 on same [bleep].

Same amount of food.

Oh, my God.

I want quality food. What's wrong with that?

There's nothing wrong with quality.

But I've tasted the food

and I didn't witness quality today.

The wings were drowned in store-bought sauces.

I can't even cut in to my protein

'cause I've got a plastic fork.

We're not delivering.

And it pains me

because sadly, you are in piles of debt.

I know.

I don't tell people the that I got going on.

I'm betting everything on this.

I'm in pain and I'm suffering.

We're up to nearly what in debt?

$1 million.

What she say? all: $1 million.

- Oh, my God. - Oh, my God.

$1 million in the hole.

That's what's at stake.

I had no clue how bad it was.

You know, my mom is already taking on

an enormous strain with this business.

She has almost drove herself into the ground.

I am genuinely, like--

it's terrible to see.

Gordon, we really love Melika.

And it pains me to see that the business is struggling.

This is way deeper rooted than any of you think.

And we have to be a little bit more realistic

with what's at stake.

Yeah. all: Agreed.

Tonight, I want to be in that kitchen with you.

I need to get my head around what you're doing,

how you're doing it, so run that service as normal.

OK.

Everyone, get some fresh air, please.

Yeah?

Young man, I need two minutes with you.

Let's go.

I wasn't trying to do that to you.

I'm not trying to do that to you.

I'm not.

Man, what a [bleep] show.

I agree.

You know, I didn't know it was this bad.

I really didn't.

Like, you see what I try to do here.

I get that.

Whatever they need me to do,

it feels like I can't take a break.

But young man, you can't get sucked into this.

You know, being a student athlete is extremely difficult.

I don't have time to keep up with my classes.

I don't have time to eat sometimes.

Sure.

And I'm still focused on, you know, what she's doing.

Sure.

Do you have any idea what it's going to take

to get to the top of that mountain?

Play in the NFL?

You have to focus.

You cannot get distracted.

You're right.

I never thought about it that way.

Now, I'm going to sort this mess out.

But I want you to focus on you.

Yes, sir. I got it.

- OK? - I definitely will.

I appreciate it so much.

Take care, bud.

We got to be prepared for tonight, y'all.

- I am. - We cannot--

- Drop the ball? - Yeah, yeah.

I'm hoping tonight will go so much smoother.

We got to take this beating from Chef Ramsay

and learn from it.

Welcome to The Verdict.

Tonight's special is a blackened fish

with crawfish pasta over a garlic mash.

With dinner service starting,

it's my chance to see

what's really going on in Michiko's kitchen.

- You good? - Yes. I'm straight.

- Yeah? Good. We good? - Yeah we good.

So you wanted the barbecue shrimp, the--

The indictment fish bites.

- And some wings. - And some wings.

Handcuff wings with barbecue shrimp

and fish bites, a death row burger with fries.

Why's the food going down to the left here?

Why is it going back down there?

'Cause she sets it up.

She's sets it up with the ladles and the--

I know, but she passes the plates up front, no?

We're sort of going backwards.

I know, but this is where everything is.

Wow, OK.

OK. And you?

- You want the special as well? - The special.

OK.

Two specials.

Is this your salad fridge?

That's crab for the gumbo egg roll.

That--they smell.

How long ago-- any date anywhere?

Uh, I just bought those Wednesday.

- You bought them when? - Wednesday. This Wednesday.

- Wednesday? - This Wednesday.

- Today's Tuesday. - That's right.

- So a week. - A week.

You're right. It is.

But my darling, they're gone.

They're [bleep] [bleep].

All righty, we got the bell pepper egg rolls.

And then we had the medium well burger.

- Yes, sir. - That's for you.

Here you go, sir.

How are we both?

- Hey. How are you? - All good, indeed, thank you.

How long have you been waiting?

Gotcha. Just give me two seconds.

Thank you. - Thank you.

How much time we have on that burger, guys?

This food's been sat here now for over--

- I know about it. - What are you waiting for?

What are you waiting for?

The egg roll.

She said she waiting on a egg roll.

No, but what I'm trying to say,

make sure all the entrées come together, yeah?

Half the table has been served, the other half hasn't.

People have to eat at the same time.

There you go.

And can I also say

this is your job to manage this, by the way, not hers.

There's no way I could do that and this.

Food's going left, food's going right.

It's just-- it's all over the place.

They're over there by the grill.

Oh, man.

And now I see it.

I see why--

- Excuse me. - The delays is happening.

Man, this is a [bleep] show.

I've never seen

such a dysfunctional kitchen all my life.

Grandma is not even talking.

She's just cooking and throwing food.

How long have you been waiting?

30 minutes? I'm sorry.

Two rib--yes.

How long have you been waiting, madam?

Right. No. My apologies.

Customers are eating individually.

No one's eating together.

Shocking.

I'm waiting for the daily special.

It's on a fire right now.

- Because they're not talking. - Yeah.

How long for that special time-wise?

I know you're there, but three minutes, four minutes?

Yeah. About that. Right there.

Three, four minutes.

Can you find out if they're finished yet?

It's coming out right now, so it'll be extra fresh.

I'm going to check on this daily special.

Where's the daily special?

It's right here. What--

Let me get it out the way.

While you do that--

. What is that?

House special.

It looks horrible.

I'm embarrassed about what's happening right now.

The food quality, the wait times.

I'm embarrassed.

- Are you happy with that? - No.

I am not going to send that because that,

by any stretch of the imagination,

is not a special.

- No more. That's it. - Stay with me.

- OK, can I wash my hands? - No, no, no.

I need your help.

This is your creation. - Mm-hmm.

This is what you call a special?

Right.

And you have to take some form of responsibility.

We are all over the place.

I'm not going to let it go on any longer.

Stop. Apologize to the customers.

- Yes, sir. - OK?

- And send them home. - Yes, sir.

Excuse me, ladies and gentlemen.

Dinner service is now discontinued.

We are officially closed for the evening.

As the manager, it's very embarrassing

because there's no need to have to wait

45 minutes for an appetizer.

There's no need to have to wait 82 minutes

for an order of egg rolls.

And I am very outraged.

This is bad. You can't continue like this.

Who's going to come to your restaurant

to eat this kind of food?

New Orleans East is the heartbeat of the city.

I feel like the kitchen is just overwhelmed.

You don't have to keep harping on me.

I'm already embarrassed. - No, it's not harping on.

- It is. - You're just not listening.

I need you to hear this, though,

because when we tell you something,

you say get the [bleep] out of here.

So if we say [bleep] back, people are scared

to come back here and even send [bleep] back, Mama.

Mama, you just gotta listen and receive it.

I am listening, but I'm just telling him what it was.

I asked you about the crabs. The crabs were stinking.

Stay there.

Oh, my God.

[bleep]. Oh, my God.

What else he looking for?

I don't know.

And just look at the mess in here.

Look at what we're doing to each other.

It's sat in blood, my darling.

It's sat in blood.

That is gone. Just smell that.

Oh, yeah. That don't smell good.

That is gone.

I don't smell nothing.

- You don't smell nothing? - I don't.

Oh, my God.

I didn't smell nothing.

Jump up for two seconds.

Oh, Lord.

What's that in there?

Is that the world's biggest zit?

Ah. - You're giving me too much.

This is what it is in real life.

You're doing too much. You're giving me too much.

- No. - No, because you're in denial.

She is.

Leave me alone. Get out my kitchen.

You can't run away.

- You take that. - Oh, my God.

I can't take no more.

Oh, Lord.

He was giving me too much.

And I'm trying.

Chef Ramsay, you need to go home.

Goodbye.

When I'm not here, you can't function like this anymore.

She needs to be accountable. She needs to understand.

But how do you do that with your mama, though?

As her daughter, it's hurtful.

You know, that's my mama at the end of the day.

But as the owner of The Verdict and the restaurant,

I'm praying that Chef Ramsay is able to get through to her.

'Cause she sure as hell don't listen to me.

Are you coming in or not?

Oh, Lord.

Darling, I'm here to help.

I know you are here to help.

But it--it's a lot.

My darling, we're in trouble.

I know we in trouble.

But you only focusing on me, me, me, me.

- No. - Why you focusing on me?

You're the foundation.

Try to understand what we're doing wrong.

I'm not questioning your effort.

I want you working smarter.

Now, will you let me help you?

OK.

I'm stubborn. I'm set it my ways.

But I'm going to try to push it down for Melika, for my child.

Because if I don't change, we lose everything.

The Verdict goes away.

All right. I got you, I got you.

With Michiko on board, I can finally

put systems in place to get the kitchen on track.

These are the houses where the rich Black folks live.

That's not a house. That's a mansion.

Look at the size of that thing.

These are the people that I'm trying to attract.

Gotcha.

But for The Verdict to succeed,

I need to give Melika advice from personal experience

about how to overcome

the challenges of working with family.

I made a massive mistake years ago, my wife and I,

involving family and my business.

I employed her father and then other members of the family.

And all of a sudden, they weren't doing

what they should have been doing or paid to be done.

And I could never say anything

because it was for fear of upsetting the family.

And I'm seeing a similar situation with you.

You're too kind.

And your kindness has been mistaken for weakness.

It has.

You are being taken advantage of.

You're the coach, the owner, the manager.

You run them. They don't run you.

Promise? - I promise.

Please?

I got this [bleep]. I'm that chick.

I adore my family.

And I would not want to experience this

with nobody else.

But everybody wants to be the leader.

Nobody wants to follow.

We got to fix this [bleep].

We got to fix it.

We're doing this [bleep].

With Melika ready to take charge,

my team is heading to The Verdict.

There, they'll stock the fridges with fresh produce,

revamp the layout, and transform the décor

into a stylish neighborhood hotspot.

Gone are the outdated, mismatched themes.

Now, it's a chic New Orleans venue.

The kitchen's reorganized.

And the private rooms are now modern, bright,

and perfect for elegant communal dining.

O-M-G, y'all.

Oh, my God. I love it so much.

Oh, my gosh.

It don't even look like the same place.

It look so good.

It's vibrant, it's live, it's definitely sophisticated.

Girl.

That's the good pots right there, y'all.

Oh, look. Dishwasher.

We love it.

- How beautiful is this? - We love it.

No, I don't wanna cry. I don't wanna cry no more.

This is so beautiful. - We love it.

- Are we happy? - Yes.

We're so happy.

It feels like a beautiful...

- It does. - Sexy.

- Sexy. - Restaurant lounge.

The Verdict is class!

- Class. - Yeah.

Look at the stage.

- I know. - How cool is that?

I may have to go back to being a rapper.

- Give me a sample. - Let's go.

- Come on. - Come on.

- Let's go. - All right.

♪ Chef Ramsay, when you first got here ♪

♪ We thought you was going to run ♪

♪ But you done done something that we couldn't have done ♪

all: Oh! - Let's go.

- . - Bend over, bend over.

We love it, we love it, we love it.

One more little thing for you.

Stay there. Don't go anywhere. Oh, my God.

I know, I just-- oh, this is too much for me.

Close your eyes.

One more surprise. Come and line up.

Yes!

- I'm grateful. - Wow.

Let's have a little look.

Appetizers. Delicious wings.

Whether it's done with a beautiful

buttered Louisiana sauce, sweet and sour,

the choice is theirs.

The bacon cheeseburger. OK?

One delicious burger served with fries and some pickles.

New York strip.

We're going to go for a nice, thick,

chunky New York strip steak,

beautiful mash, the greens, the sauce.

Simple.

Next to that, we've got the pan-seared redfish.

It's a local powerhouse staple.

Mom, what do you think? - It's really good.

It's so good.

- Thank you so much. - Now...

in order to make things even more controllable,

we have a state-of-the-art POS system,

and it'll give you an insight to where

your business is minute from minute, day by day...

- That's amazing. - Week by week, month by month.

Wow.

Right. Dig in.

- Thank you, Chef. - You're welcome, bud.

Thank you.

Mm, mm, mm, mm, mm.

Ooh, Melika. Try this redfish.

That calamari is everything.

Oh, my God.

This is a restaurant.

Tonight, we are not sending food out

unless we complete the table.

We are going to get it together.

Tonight, I'm going to step up.

I'm going to step up and demand that they respect me.

And if not, you gotta go.

Now, tonight,

we are relaunching The Verdict properly.

We're going to have stations.

I need you expediting tonight.

Yes, sir.

I need you and Mama like that.

Yes, sir.

We can't cook and serve and just leave food in a hole.

Those days are gone. - Yes, sir.

All right. Right.

I'm very nervous about Mama K being in my kitchen tonight.

Michiko is not good at taking any criticism about anything.

She want her way, and that's it.

If you want respect, you have to give respect.

I know me and her gonna battle.

She's going to be combative back here.

And then I'm going to have to take one of them

new frying pans and hit her in the head with it.

Here at The Verdict,

I've moved Manager Keesha into the kitchen

to keep things running smoothly

and let Michiko focus on the food.

Where's K? There's going to be bumps.

- Yes, sir. - OK?

But we're going to get through those bumps.

- Let's go. - Right. We're good?

- Let's go get them, uh. - Let's go get them.

Now the restaurant's ready to open its doors again.

- Welcome to The Verdict. - Welcome to The Verdict.

Good evening.

So I'm the owner, Melika. That's my sister.

That's my daughter. The young man is my son.

Ah, the wings.

- The wings? - Yes.

Mm-hmm.

- The deviled eggs. - Yeah.

Can we do the deviled eggs too?

Deviled eggs? All three of you wanted to?

- We're going to share. - Oh, OK. No problem.

OK, listen up. Order in.

Guests seated, we're about to find out

if the kitchen is up to the task.

Mama, what are you doing?

Psst. There's orders on in the kitchen.

- I know. - Get in the kitchen.

What's she doing here?

How do we call out orders when you're not here?

Verdict wings and deviled eggs.

Verdict wings and deviled eggs, heard!

- Heard. - Rolling.

- Heard. - Copy.

I'm looking forward to that Verdict wings.

- The Verdict wings? - Yes.

- I'll get that in for you. - The salad?

- Yeah. - OK.

I'll have the shrimp marmalade salad.

Verdict wings. Barbecue.

I have shrimp remoulade salad,

sweet potato fries, butter asparagus.

You know what's good about this menu is

that it's very to the point.

Do you purposely want to go somewhere that has a huge menu?

The salt and pepper calamari,

shrimp marmalade salad, and an order of fries.

Calamari, salad, and fries.

Instead of hurling insults,

the kitchen is starting to work together

as a cohesive team.

Verdict wings with hot sauce.

- Heard that. - Strong. Strong. Strong.

Keep it like that. It's a team now, yes?

Good.

Table 10, yes? - Yeah, table 10.

All right. Here are your wings.

- Thank you. - Mm.

- Delicious. - Mm-hmm.

Two-pan seared redfish.

- Got it. - Time?

- Eight minutes. - Yes, ma'am.

Can you bring this to table four for Malik, please.

Set it right there.

I like the flavor with shrimp.

- So good. - The asparagus is great.

Wow.

The atmosphere is electrifying.

No, it is.

- You OK? - I'm good.

Excuse me.

Here are your eggs.

And your wings will be out shortly, OK?

- Table 10. - My bad.

No, no. It's right here.

Oh, yeah, because we had sliders.

- Yeah. - Oh.

Yeah, yeah. You're OK. I'm sorry.

What table are you looking after?

These two.

And what table number are they?

This one's seat eight.

That's table 10, though, isn't it?

Yeah, 10.

Who has the New York strip?

They had a bacon cheeseburger.

They was first, so seven, 10, 11.

They only put calamari.

We got to run this back 'cause this is not coming out right.

- I'm sorry, y'all. - I'm sorry?

We went to the wrong table.

Can I get a deviled egg?

A deviled egg? What table number?

Seven.

I sent that out. We sent that out.

She gave it to another table 'cause she was miss--

Oh, I didn't know that. You didn't tell me.

One more deviled egg on the fly, please.

The kitchen, they're holding their own.

The part that's letting them down is the dining room.

The servers don't understand the tables.

And so this business needs to function on systems.

And the dining room need to get up to speed

with the new changes quickly.

Otherwise, it can head south quickly.

Let's go.

Tell him it's got to go to table five.

Table five.

Ask them where table five is at.

- Table five. - You're screwing up.

Your strip, correct?

Yes.

I had mash, though.

Let me take this back.

Yeah, 'cause he gave it to me.

What's wrong? What's the problem?

So for T7, they had a garlic mashed potato with it.

Ugh.

Lord!

I need that again. I don't know where it went.

I literally feel like I'm drowning right now.

Confusion with the orders is causing a backup at the pass,

forcing Keesha to untangle a scrambled mess.

I'm screwing up right now, and I don't like to mess up.

It irks me when I'm messing up.

Y'all--oh, y'all didn't order this?

Customers are getting the wrong food.

And they're like, what's going on?

I think that table over there has my food,

but that's my food.

So right now, we're just really, really confused.

I'm really trying not to freak out.

No, you're not freaking out. We're not freaking out.

That's not happening.

I still got tickets coming in,

and I just don't like to seem like I'm really--

How quickly things change.

Now we're back messed up all over again.

If I don't get this staff back on track,

we're not going to make it.

You're sending food to the wrong table.

To the wrong table.

You should be able to walk through, close your eyes,

and pinpoint what table number you're on.

Table 12 didn't even get their food yet.

We got to get it together. We got to.

I screwed up.

If this is not solved and done right, it just falls on me.

I can't right now.

Ask them where table five is at.

Table five.

- You're screwing up. - Y'all didn't order this?

Table 12 didn't even get their food yet.

I'm drowning a little bit.

Sir, you don't have an entrée?

- A steak. - A steak?

So it's two fish and two steak?

The two fish and the strip I've just sent--

- Yes, sir. - There was a steak on there

that had been forgotten, it wasn't your mistake.

Yes, sir.

Fire a New York strip for me, please.

K, got this.

Don't let this take you.

You got this. - I'm doing it.

You're doing a great job.

I just want us to be open to communicating with--

- Oh, I am. - with Michiko.

We doing a great job. - OK, the next one.

Four New York strip, medium.

Four medium.

OK.

You are good. You're doing great.

I'm just trying to make sure nothing gets brought back.

OK. I got you.

- All right. All right. - I got you.

This is going to table seven.

The difference from last night and tonight

is that I'm stepping up.

I'm being a boss. I'm taking charge.

- Oh, my God. - Much better.

And it's almost like you have to be not

just the referee, the coach.

And that's why I'm back there--

You had the wing appetizer?

There you go, sir.

I hope you enjoy.

After a difficult start to the service,

Melika is now fully back at the helm of The Verdict,

which means the stage is set for Malik

to chase his own dream.

- How are you? - Welcome to The Verdict.

Thank you.

Follow me, please.

To help kickstart his journey

is NFL pro and 2014 Super Bowl champion Justin Renfrow.

I've asked Justin to come to meet you tonight--

- I appreciate that, man. - To help you focus.

This man has been extraordinary over the last 10 years,

helping young individuals reach their potential.

I was a lot like you.

You know, I went to college, did the D1 thing.

I wasn't playing all the time.

I even had a coach my junior year of college

tell me I couldn't play in the pros.

Fortunately, I didn't listen.

I got some friends across the bridge at GLS.

It's a gym.

They'll definitely get you there and then any mentorship.

I need you to commit to, hey, football and school.

That's all you got to worry about.

And you know, mom's going to be good to you, all right?

I can't believe-- I can't believe this.

Yeah, man.

This what we're here for.

That's what we're here for.

You know, meeting Justin, just getting to sit

and talk with him, it's an experience that, you know,

a lot of student athletes like myself wouldn't have.

You know, I get to work out with a Super Bowl champion.

When I go back to college, my coach is probably

going to be like, what got into you?

I'm going to be more motivated than ever to chase my dream.

And I think I got big fingers. - Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Oh, man. That's crazy, yo.

The boys back home ain't going to believe this one.

Yeah. Yeah.

Fresh ticket walking.

Look out there for two minutes, please, yes?

I need you for two minutes.

Y'all gotta leave those sliders down.

- I need you for one minute. - OK.

Yeah. One minute.

Got you. OK, mom.

Young man.

Look at that dining room.

Honestly, the difference from last night is night and day.

I want to say thank you for everything

you've done, seriously. - You're welcome.

Gosh, my hand's kind of-- - I've had worse on my hands.

Thank you.

Hey boss, mom is absolutely set.

You've got to focus on you now, OK?

- Absolutely. - Promise me?

- I appreciate you. - Thank you, honey.

Genuinely. Thank you.

I love you. I love you.

Say that again, please?

- I said I love you. - What? Wow.

I'll take it. - Yeah, please take that.

- Look after yourself. - OK.

Slow down, please. All right.

- Promise? - I promise.

- Thank you. - All right, baby.

I need 30 seconds with mom.

OK, girl.

Yeah.

You can do this.

- I got this [bleep]. - OK?

Remember, you're the boss.

- I'm the boss. - You are the boss.

I'm the boss.

With all these new systems, a whole new menu,

a beautiful new menu, I feel amazing.

And I feel I can do this.

- I love you, girl. - Love you too.

Honestly, The Verdict's in.

There is no shortage of passion in this building.

Let's get that absolutely clear.

First off, new systems to work smarter, not harder.

But if Michiko can let go of the kitchen,

then Melika can carry this team to the end zone.

Fingers crossed.

Man, what a spot.

Hey, guys. So everything's going OK.

I want to thank him for such

an amazing dining room

with amazing décor.

And I've been good.

That steak is ready.

Thank you, Gordon.

Bye.

Now that my mom's taken care of,

I think it's time to, you know,

really focus on my part of that journey.

There we go. Good work.

Next time on "Kitchen Nightmares"...

The only British pub in the area.

Now, the good news is that the actual owner is British,

so I'm looking forward to a little taste of home.

Deep fried egg rolls.

That's a million miles away

from anything to do with quidditch.

That is terrible.

What the [bleep] is in here?

We put a second mortgage on our house.

- It is terrifying. - Karen, this was your dream.

Turned into a nightmare.

I can fix a restaurant.

I can't fix you.

I don't even know if Gordon can fix it.

I'm going to fill this place.

The British are coming.

Let's go. Great.

My goodness.

I know. You OK?

It's your pub, man.