108 - Lela's
Airdate - 11/21/2007
In downtown Pomona, CA, there’s a “fine dining” restaurant that’s nowhere close to its description. Lela’s restaurant is only eight months old but is already on the brink of disaster. Ricky the head chef thinks he’s a star. Tabitha the waitress has a vulgar mouth. Owner Lela is in debt to her sister because the business is losing money.
Gordon arrives in downtown Pomona and notices that the entire area seems deserted. He points out all the spelling errors on the menu to Tabitha. When Gordon tries to order fish, she lets him know they are out of shrimp and salmon. Tabitha is embarrassed that she has to deny his requests. Yet Ricky is unfazed by the world-class chef about to taste his food.
The “fresh” tomato basil soup is definitely canned. Although Tabitha assures Gordon that the nachos were made that morning, she is mortified when Ricky tells her that they are a day old. Gordon crosses himself before digging into Ricky’s rack of lamb with chocolate mint sauce. The lamb chops have no meat and are frozen. “Is there any main course on this fine dining menu that’s not frozen?” he asks. Tabitha reluctantly tells him that nothing is fresh.
Gordon cancels all future dishes about to come out and asks for the brownie-ala-mode dessert. Tabitha is annoyed when she learns that the brownies are gone. Gordon overhears her cursing at Ricky. Gordon enters the kitchen and tells Ricky that the food served was a “pile of sh**.” Ricky defends his chocolate mint sauce. Gordon asks him if he’s lazy, and Ricky walks off.
The next day, Gordon inspects the kitchen. The refrigerator isn’t even cold. The meats are going bad and the smells are awful. He doesn’t find any fresh food. The lack of cleanliness marks a lack of discipline, so he makes the entire staff clean the dining room and the kitchen. While they get to work, Gordon takes to the streets to check out the neighborhood. He meets a lot of young people who don’t have the money to pay for fine dining.
Although pleased with the cleanup, Gordon is not happy with the lackadaisical atmosphere of the workers. When a wave of customers enters, it becomes obvious to Gordon that no real leader exists. There’s only Ricky in the kitchen and Tabitha manning the front of the house.
