The BBC version is fantastic. So far, I haven’t been to impressed with the U.S. version. Chef Ramsay is an entirely different person in the U.S. version and I’m sure it’s because the production is catering to Americans who can’t get enough Jerry Springer type activity.
The U.K. version is much more informative and comes across as a documentary. It has no soundtrack, no dramatic editing and Gordon is the narrator. There’s not much shouting, crying or verbal beatdowns. It’s more focused on the problems and solutions, not the drama.
I’ve always hated Gordon Ramsay based on the U.S. version of Hell’s Kitchen, but after seeing the U.K. version of Kitchen Nightmares my opinion of him completely changed. You can really see his talent, but he also seems like a good, decent human being. You can tell that he genuinely cares about fixing the restaurants he goes into.
My wife and I were talking last night while watching the show and noticed a common theme amongst the troubled restaurants… they all had menus that were way too large and way too complicated. I think one restaurant in the U.K. had over 120 dishes being produced from one kitchen. The large menus certainly aren’t the only issues with these restaurants, but it always seems to be a contributing factor. I’ve given that a good amount of thought as we’re considering expanding our menu.
Edited to add: It’s also really obvious in the U.S. version that the “customers” are actors and were paid to come in, ala Hell’s Kitchen. The U.K. version does nothing like that.
