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Gordon Ramsay
- Thread starter Krisfield
- Start date
I have met about a dozen Michelin star chefs through my job. They all were crazy in a way or another.
It is a job and quest that turns people crazy. Many develop various depressive symptoms.
Those who keep an ounce of sanity eventually bail out for more reasonable pursuits.
It is a job and quest that turns people crazy. Many develop various depressive symptoms.
Those who keep an ounce of sanity eventually bail out for more reasonable pursuits.
His autobiography is fascinating (as is Marco's) and his second autobiography was more about his business sense and philosophy. Both great reads and give you an insight to his world. The character in his show is certainly exaggerated as easily seen when comparing the UK Nightmares to the US version, and even more pronounced when viewing the excellent F Word program.
As for his business woes, he has had numerous financial issues over the years, but it's detached from his personal wealth by company setups he's involved with. Especially at the very high end dining world, restaurants are doing it very tough.
He's far from penniless.
As for his business woes, he has had numerous financial issues over the years, but it's detached from his personal wealth by company setups he's involved with. Especially at the very high end dining world, restaurants are doing it very tough.
He's far from penniless.
Alkali Ike
Gold Supporting Member
- Jan 1, 2011
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Restaurants are a very VERY tough business. Most independent restaurants fail within a couple years of opening.
So true. One of the biggest problems is that people with very little experience in the game think to themselves "I'd love to own a restaurant, I'd have all my friends in, I'd be popular"
That way of thinking is so very wrong.
I've been in restaurants all my career and barely a month goes by without someone asking "why don't you want to own?"
My response has always been "I may as well just stoke the ovens with hundred dollar notes"
That way of thinking is so very wrong.
I've been in restaurants all my career and barely a month goes by without someone asking "why don't you want to own?"
My response has always been "I may as well just stoke the ovens with hundred dollar notes"
I have a lot of respect for anyone that succeeds in the business.
I set up and ran a few restaurants for others, and we always made money, except for one who's goal I only found out later was to lose some, it was a money laundering/spend the super rich owner's money job, very strange.
Now as a a supplier to restaurants, often at the inception or takeover stage, I see what you describe everyday.
The worst examples are the simply clueless, and the arrogant ex- trader or ex-finance types who made a lot of money and want to do something different or to bankroll a friend or family member.
I can usually call if a restaurant will succeed or not, and even be pretty close guessing how long it will take for the failures to close. It's quite sad, and the one defining personality trait that separates is the interest in and ability to take advice from others (and by extension hire competent management)
And, strangely, this comes back directly to the topic of Ramsay.
I have fought tooth and nail with owners about how their "vision" just will not make money. I have run restaurants with a $4m per Annum turnover, and kept it within very tight budgets.
I'm not trying to blow my own trumpet, because I don't need to. I know I have done it, and that's all good for me.
But yes, owners who aren't savvy with the business often fail, and it's blindingly obvious.
Ramsay might portray himself and an arse, but just look at his successes.
I have fought tooth and nail with owners about how their "vision" just will not make money. I have run restaurants with a $4m per Annum turnover, and kept it within very tight budgets.
I'm not trying to blow my own trumpet, because I don't need to. I know I have done it, and that's all good for me.
But yes, owners who aren't savvy with the business often fail, and it's blindingly obvious.
Ramsay might portray himself and an arse, but just look at his successes.
Especially Scottish chefs.
"Most Scottish cuisine is based on a dare."
And yes, haggis is repellent in every way, that's why I love it! drool
drool
Didn't some top-level chef commit suicide within the last year? I seem to recall it was an English guy? But yeah, seems like an exceedingly high-stress way to make a living.
Unfortunately it was the very well respected and much loved Chef at one of Switzerland's finest restaurants, Hôtel de Ville at Crissier.
Benoît Violier commited suicide last winter, it was a huge surprise as the restaurant was going very well and he did not seem to anyone to be having personal or professional difficulties, but one never knows.
It happens pretty often.Bernard Loiseau, arguably the most famous French Chef at the time commited suicide a month after losing a star.
I don't know about that, IME people with big mouths run them all the time. Whether or not you're there to hear it or not.
Edit. And I just noticed I'm responding to a comment from the past. Never mind.
If you start responding to ones from the future I will be most concerned!
He can certainly cook. I've eaten in his London restuarants going back many years when he actually was in the kitchen. I've also met him a few times and he's a nice guy off camera. Having said that I think he has now become a parody of himself.
He had a few years of shows on TV in the UK but the same ol' schtick grew boring after a while and the ratings dropped. He's not had a show here for quite a few years. Now he is plying his celebrichef trade on your side of the pond and you don't seem to be tiring of it, even after many years. Most strange!
His flagship restaurant in London, Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, is still one of the best IMHO, but it was run by Clare Smyth since 2007 until she stepped down to run her own place in 2015. The three Michellin stars were awarded to her, not him, even though it is in his stable of properties. He's not held a Michellin star on the back of his own cooking since the early 2000's.
The real shame is that he is a bloody good cook but got carried away by his own perceived celebrity. I think it's illustrative that some of the head chefs who used to run properties in his portfolio have fallen out with him, Marcus Waring, Jason Atherton etc., and now have their own portfolios, some much more popular and profitable. At the start of his TV career he was able to juggle both aspects of being a cook/restaurateur and TV person. Now he is just a reailty TV "star". Shame really.
One thing I've always pondered ... why do the Yanks refer to him as "Chef" Ramsay? It's not a rank in the army, or the title of a head of state like a President. It's a job. Do you call your plumber "Plumber" Jones?
He had a few years of shows on TV in the UK but the same ol' schtick grew boring after a while and the ratings dropped. He's not had a show here for quite a few years. Now he is plying his celebrichef trade on your side of the pond and you don't seem to be tiring of it, even after many years. Most strange!
His flagship restaurant in London, Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, is still one of the best IMHO, but it was run by Clare Smyth since 2007 until she stepped down to run her own place in 2015. The three Michellin stars were awarded to her, not him, even though it is in his stable of properties. He's not held a Michellin star on the back of his own cooking since the early 2000's.
The real shame is that he is a bloody good cook but got carried away by his own perceived celebrity. I think it's illustrative that some of the head chefs who used to run properties in his portfolio have fallen out with him, Marcus Waring, Jason Atherton etc., and now have their own portfolios, some much more popular and profitable. At the start of his TV career he was able to juggle both aspects of being a cook/restaurateur and TV person. Now he is just a reailty TV "star". Shame really.
One thing I've always pondered ... why do the Yanks refer to him as "Chef" Ramsay? It's not a rank in the army, or the title of a head of state like a President. It's a job. Do you call your plumber "Plumber" Jones?
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It IS a rank, based on Escoffier's kitchen brigade titles. Much like Dr, Master and related titles. The equivalent to your plumber would be to call him Cook Ramsay.One thing I've always pondered ... why do the Yanks refer to him as "Chef" Ramsay? It's not a rank in the army, or the title of a head of state like a President. It's a job. Do you call your plumber "Plumber" Jones?
...One thing I've always pondered ... why do the Yanks refer to him as "Chef" Ramsay? It's not a rank in the army, or the title of a head of state like a President. It's a job. Do you call your plumber "Plumber" Jones?
We do that sometimes. I think in this guy's case, we heard it on TV and it stuck.
His attitude is real but he can turn it off and on, IMO. I saw him picking a faux fight with a contestant on Masterchef (US), and the contestant was the nicest guy on the show. Ramsay suddenly started acting like he wanted to fist fight. Outta nowhere. I wonder how much of that is prompted by directors or producers.
Either it's an act or the dude has an unaddressed serious personality disorder.
The UK version of ALL of his shows are better and we don't have to see his shirt changing shtick. Guess they have to dumb em down for us.
I'm not convinced he is able to maintain standards in restaurants bearing his name or that he's licensed it to. He had a debacle in Montreal with a licensed barbecue chicken restaurant, and I had the worst steak of my life at his Maze Grill in London.
Just two data points but telling nevertheless.
Just two data points but telling nevertheless.
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This is all true.
We have a Jamie Oliver's Italian restaurant in my town, and it's widely regarded as garbage. Jamie Oliver has never even seen it, and is now suing the umbrella company that owns it since they have gone into administration. They licensed his name, that's all.
In a town largely populated by Mediterranean immigrants, a bad Italian restaurant is poison. But Jamie Oliver, like Gordon Ramsay is now more of a brand.
Both these celebchefs have cookware, tableware and "lifestyle" products on the market. I highly doubt that they hand select the type of soup bowl that bears their name.
Gordon Ramsay's wife has cookbooks out, even though she quite openly admits she rarely cooks.
Ramsay's three star accreditation was at Royal Hospital Road. Angela Hartnett was perhaps more involved than Clare Smyth, who I believe joined later at Aubergine.
But any restaurant is judged on its head chef - which, regardless of his involvement, Ramsay certainly was at RHR. The head chef rarely actually cooks your meal - they design the menu, innovate with ingredients, train staff and roster them and balances the books. They might cook the dish on your menu a few times to perfect it, but then it's all about training the line how to recreate it.
Certainly Ramsay has more a reputation for his media personality than his cooking, but he is no slouch in either field.
We have a Jamie Oliver's Italian restaurant in my town, and it's widely regarded as garbage. Jamie Oliver has never even seen it, and is now suing the umbrella company that owns it since they have gone into administration. They licensed his name, that's all.
In a town largely populated by Mediterranean immigrants, a bad Italian restaurant is poison. But Jamie Oliver, like Gordon Ramsay is now more of a brand.
Both these celebchefs have cookware, tableware and "lifestyle" products on the market. I highly doubt that they hand select the type of soup bowl that bears their name.
Gordon Ramsay's wife has cookbooks out, even though she quite openly admits she rarely cooks.
Perhaps right, depending on your point of view (thanks for the quote, Obi Wan)
Ramsay's three star accreditation was at Royal Hospital Road. Angela Hartnett was perhaps more involved than Clare Smyth, who I believe joined later at Aubergine.
But any restaurant is judged on its head chef - which, regardless of his involvement, Ramsay certainly was at RHR. The head chef rarely actually cooks your meal - they design the menu, innovate with ingredients, train staff and roster them and balances the books. They might cook the dish on your menu a few times to perfect it, but then it's all about training the line how to recreate it.
Certainly Ramsay has more a reputation for his media personality than his cooking, but he is no slouch in either field.
