Kitchen Nightmares – The Greek at the Harbor – OPEN
In this Kitchen Nightmares episode, Gordon Ramsay visits The Greek at the Harbor in Ventura, California.
The Greek at the Harbor is owned by Greeks Makis and Lynn Mikelatos/
The couple have been running the restaurant since 1994.
Located in a popular vacation location the restaurant was successful in the 1990s.
Makis is tired having worked at the restaurant for 17 years.
The standards have dropped along with the number of customers.
Their son Aris wants to get more hands on in the restaurant and try to turn things around.
However, his father isn’t ready to listen to him or take his ideas into consideration.
Makis believes Aris is good with people but he doesn’t work well in the kitchen.
Gordon arrives and is impressed with the busy location of the restaurant.
He meets Lynn, Makis and Aris, sits them down to talk about the restaurant.
He discovers they haven’t made any money at the restaurant in years.
They tell Gordon the more time and money they have dedicated to the restaurant, the more it has declined.
Due to the lack of income the restaurant is close to closure.
Gordon is astounded to find out Makis has worked 7 days a week for 17 years straight, without taking any vacation time.
Makis has no plans of handing over the restaurant to his son even though he says he is committed to the business.
Makis rates the food a 10 saying the food and recipes are authentic Greek recipes.
Gordon is served by Demetri and orders calamari, some sampler platters and moussaka.
Demetri is not complimentary about the food when talking to Gordon.
Gordon tastes the first dish and finds the calamari to be very greasy.
As he waits for more food he takes a look around the dining room.
Gordon finds the decor to be dated and hideous.
He also notices two misplaced disco balls, hanging from the ceiling.
The heavy tablecloth is covering up a beautiful table and should be removed.
The hummus is watery and Gordon sucks it up with a straw.
The meatballs are cold in the middle and the falafel is flat.
He finds the moussaka disgusting and demands all the chefs come to meet him by his table.
He tells them the food has been bad and is an embarrassment to Greece.
The kitchen staff complain they are Greek but aren’t allowed to cook Greek food how they learned to do it.
Gordon arrives for dinner service and starts with a kitchen inspection.
He quickly discovers all of the food is pre-cooked and reheated.
Marika is the owner’s daughter that works in the kitchen at the POS.
The food goes out quickly to the customers but the customers send it back just as quickly.
They have a number of complaints including raw and cold food.
The food along with their profits for the service gets thrown away into the bin.
Gordon speaks to Aris and he tells Gordon that his father is tired of running the restaurant but doesn’t want to let go.
Aris starts a presentation of Greek dancing during dinner including spinning a table with his teeth.
Gordon watches the dinner theatre act in disbelief.
They check some of the food that has sent back.
Gordon is brutally honest about how poor the food is.
Makis gets emotional and leaves.
Gordon takes him aside to find out the source of the tension between father and son but gets nowhere.
The next day, he questions Lynn about what really happened.
He finds out Aris was disrespectful to his parents at his graduation party at the restaurant a few years ago.
He announced loudly that he would make something of his life rather than just work at the restaurant.
Gordon gets all three to sit down together to clear the air about what was said.
Aris had no idea how that statement affected their relationship.
He apologies to his parents and promises to become more involved.
Gordon is still not convinced of Aris’s commitment to the restaurant.
He handcuffs father and son, challenging Makis to teach his son.
They do well for a handcuffed pair and make a Greek pasta dish which Gordon likes.
Makis promises to teach his son everything he knows about running the restaurant.
The Design team starts with the makeover.
The next morning a new Greek themed restaurant is revealed.
The walls are whitewashed with a contrasting blue decor.
There are Greek windmills on the ceiling and Greek flag shutters.
They are all pleasantly surprised and Makis hugs Gordon.
A new menu is revealed with a modern twist on traditional Greek dishes.
That night at relaunch, Makis oversees the salad station and Aris is the expediter.
Aris starts well and is vocal with food flying out quickly and the customers love the food.
Gordon gives him some feedback and the rush has an uncooked fish dish almost go out.
Aris tells the staff to slow down and focus on the dishes to make sure they are correctly made.
He spots mistakes and corrects them before they leave the kitchen.
Makis is shocked at how well Aris is doing.
Gordon is impressed with the way he quickly stepped into the role.
Most importantly, the customers love the food and relaunch night is a success.
What Happened Next at The Greek at the Harbor?
Aris continued to lead the kitchen.
He is determined to keep up the high standards.
The restaurant is packed and Makis is considering retiring!
The Greek is still open and their Facebook page shows regular specials, events and new menu items.
Yelp reviews are mostly positive.
Reviews from regulars shortly after the show was filmed didn’t like all of Gordon’s menu changes.
Trip Advisor reviews are mostly positive with the occasional negative review.
Planning a visit? Check out their website for opening hours and more information.
The Greek at the Harbor was aired on November 18 2011, the episode was filmed in August 2011 and is Kitchen Nightmares season 5 episode 7.
Read About More Kitchen Nightmares
Previous episode – Burger Kitchen
Next episode – Michon’s
This post was last updated in February 2022.