Gordon Ramsey, Lessons For Writers

Sebastians Restaurant, S1E3 La Parra Restaurant, S4 E4 (UK)

Stay in your lane. (Unless you train, actors aren’t chefs.) Don’t be over-confident. Be humble.
Don’t deny your flaws. Fix them.
Keep it SIMPLE! (Photos, complex menu)

Don’t lie to yourself.
Don’t overlook the obvious (wood burning ovens not being used.) Classic works for a reason (chopped steak.)
Don’t run until you can walk (franchising his restaurant.)
Get over your ego (“I won that one” – shows off for Gordon by cooking.) Set standards, stay with them.

Start with the basics (clean fridge, fresh ingredients.) Pretentiousness kills (young Hollywood eats here.) Shortcuts don’t cut it (microwave)
Work hard, be professional (sits on couch, drinking.) Schmoozing isn’t a substitute for quality.

Schemes don’t work. Gimmicks don’t work. Know your audience.
Good food will always sell itself.
Get the proper training.

Embrace the truth, don’t give it lip service. (New menu acceptance is sham.) Listen to your critics (employees.)
Use the right tools (mixer.)
Play to your strengths.

Unique isn’t necessarily good.
Stop trying to be too clever, don’t try to be too smart (menu.) Don’t get a persecution complex (fuming.)
Don’t use excuses for failure (no wonder we’re failing.)

Setbacks aren’t permanent.
Don’t be stubborn.
Avoid drama, just do good work.
You can always see other people’s flaws but look to yourself. Fuck you is not a rebuttal.

Don’t take it personally.
Ego destruction is the beginning.
Enthusiasm covers a lot of flaws.
The result is what it is – garbage in, garbage out.

The Cost Of Ego

After Chef Gordon left, Sebastian returned the old menu, as you would probably expect given his behavior on the Sebastian’s Kitchen Nightmares episode.

Later on, in January 2008, the Sebastian’s restaurant closed for good.