History TearJerker / KitchenNightmares

-->'''John''': I don't want to take it down, I don't post the Specials, it's just something of memory to me.
-->'''Gordon''': But that's the really important issue, and you mustn't take this personally. You're still treating this business as if Mum and Dad are here. We have to let go!
-->'''John''': (''beat'') [[ItsAllJunk ...throw it out. It's holding me onto the past. Throw it out.]]
-->'''Gordon''': (''visibly shocked'') No! I'm not asking you to throw that out! Take it home! I don't want you to get upset, but you've got to understand. You've got to let go of the past!

* Sam’s Mediterranean Kabob Room has a utterly dysfunctional family unit with children that constantly lash out at one another throughout the episode. What truly cements this episode’s status is why this is happening. The father, Sam, has trapped the children into working for the failing restaurant with no pay and to top it all off, the children are forced to work 12 hour shifts everyday of the week. Making matters worse is that Sam gives no craps about how much stress his “dream” is putting onto his children. [[PapaWolf Not only being a proud father himself]] and [[AbusiveParents having a awful father himself,]] it’s clear that once Gordon first sees the kids, he has nothing but sympathy for them.

* Sam’s Mediterranean Kabob Room has a utterly dysfunctional family unit with children that constantly lash out at one another throughout the episode. What truly cements this episode’s status is why this is happening. The father, Sam has trapped his own children into working for the failing restaurant with no pay and to top it all off, the children are forced to work 12 hour shifts everyday of the week. Making matters worse is that Sam gives no craps about how much stress his “dream” is putting onto his children. [[PapaWolf Not only being a proud father himself]] and [[AbusiveParents having a awful father himself,]] it’s clear that once Gordon first sees the kids, he has nothing but sympathy for them.

** In a way, Amy and Samy's PyrrhicVictory; they will live their dream of running a successful restaurant, there's no doubt... [[BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor but]] only because everyone sees them as walking punchlines and only wants to eat at their restaurant to watch them make idiots out of themselves. They're [[IRejectYourReality so delusional]] that they don't even know it. And in the end, as pitiable as they are, [[LaserGuidedKarma they only have themselves to blame]].

* Zeke’s has a couple of noteworthy moments.
** First the restaurant’s backstory: The first owner was Zeke himself. Zeke was beloved by everyone in the community. Sadly, Zeke died during Hurricane Katrina and the restaurant was in limbo...
** [[FromBadToWorse And then Darryl and Ellen took over.]] As soon as he took over, Darryl not only cut massaive corners in the food, he also raised the prices which angered the community. And the cherry on top? Darryl and Ellen love to talk down and demean their loyal employees who just want to serve the public.

** First the restaurant’s backstory: The first owner was Zeke himself. Zeke was [[100%ApprovalRating beloved by everyone in the community.]] Sadly, Zeke died during Hurricane Katrina and the restaurant was in limbo...

* Sam’s Mediterranean Kabob Room has a utterly dysfunctional family unit with children that constantly lash out at one another throughout the episode. What truly cements this episode’s status is why this is happening. The father, Sam has trapped his own children into working for the failing restaurant with no pay and to top it all off, the children are forced to work 12 hour shifts everyday of the week. Making matters worse is that Sam gives no craps about how much stress his “dream” is putting onto his children. [[PapaWolf Not only being a proud father himself]] and [[AbusiveParents having a awful father himself,]] it’s clear that once Gordon first sees the kids, he has nothing but sympathy.

*** Want to feel more pity for them? [[KarmaHoudiniWarranty Their restaurant closed down]] in September of 2015.[[note]]Albeit due to conflicts with the landlord of the restaurant's building, if what Amy said about the closure is to be believed.[[/note]] [[NeverMyFault And they're still oblivious over what they've done]].

*** Want to feel more pity for them? [[KarmaHoudiniWarranty Their restaurant closed down]] in September of 2015.[[note]]Albeit due to conflicts with the former landlord of the building the restaurant was at, if what Amy said about the closure is to be believed.[[/note]] [[NeverMyFault And they're still oblivious over what they've done]].

* You can't help but feel sorry for Katy when you watch the now infamous 'Amy's Baking Company' episode and see how she was fired by Amy for ''doing her job.'' On the bright side, she's said to be doing pretty well now as indicated by [[http://archive.is/ybWEd her AMA in Reddit]].
** The very fact alone that Ramsay actually [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere gives up]] on the restaurant, and it's not because Ramsay chose to do so; it's because of Amy and her impenetrable mental block that prevents her from listening that he didn't have a choice but to [[WhiteFlag raise the white flag and leave]]. He didn't even give up on Sebastian, Joe or Michel; Ramsay flat-out told Sebastian that he "never, ever, ever, ever met someone [he] believe[d] in as little"; likewise, Michel and Joe [[RageBreakingPoint pushed Ramsay over the edge]] to the point where he came within a hair's breadth of simply abandoning the two [[{{Jerkass}} jerkasses]] to their fates. His monologue after he left is also heartbreaking:

** It's more sad that it's not really Ramsay's fault and he's being made into the target for the blame for the restaurants falling out, despite only trying to help. It's not owners that blame him, mind you, it's other people (some owners do, however).

** It's more sad that it's not really Ramsay's fault and he's being made into the target for the blame for the restaurants falling out, despite only trying to help. It's not owners that blame him, mind you, it's other people. (some do, however)

** To wit, while some restaurants closed due to poor management (some reverting the changes Ramsay did), others closed due to [[DiabolusExMachina reasons outside their control]]. A good portion of the earlier episodes (Especially in the British series) became victims of the Great Recession and Credit Crunch of 2007-2008. Others [[BlessedWithSuck became so popular, the owner of the property raised rent prices]] and they couldn't afford to keep up with it, and some, despite having continued success, [[ForegoneConclusion had debt problems too severe that they couldn't catch up]].

* In Burger Kitchen, Daniel's epic breakdown when the stress of his dysfunctional family relationship finally overwhelms him.
** Ramsay even notes that ''none'' of this is Daniel's fault, since he's the only one even taking the restaurant seriously, which Daniel ''has'' to since his parents sunk $250k of his money into it and are still planning to use his remaining $160K inheritance like it's nothing.
** What's more: [[ChekhovsGun early in the episode, Daniel's father gives Ramsay his autobiography, detailing his damaged relationship with his father.]] [[WhamLine Ramsay reads excerpts from the autobiography after a huge family blowout, detailing how Daniel's father had become like the man he had written such a scathing book about.]] [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone That is enough to shock him back into reality.]]
** Sadly, The Burger Kitchen ultimately closed down in 2012 after only moderately better reviews following the episode's airing. As of 2017, the former restaurant sits vacant and up for sale. Alan Saffron passed away in 2020.
* In Zeke's, watching the footage of Zeke entertaining his customers while the narrator explains that Zeke died during Hurricane Katrina[[note]]sort of; Zeke died [[https://obits.nola.com/us/obituaries/nola/name/james-unangst-obituary?id=26748195 more than a month after the storm]] in Houston, before he could return home, apparently due to injuries he sustained during Katrina[[/note]]. Since the episode aired, the restaurant has been sold to new ownership, reopening as Porters & Luke. Perhaps most disconcerting is the utter disrespect shown towards Zeke's legacy by the OnlyInItForTheMoney attitude showcased by the couple who bought the restaurant out of his estate.

*** Want to feel more pity for them? [[KarmaHoudiniWarranty Their restaurant closed down]] in September of 2015 (albeit due to conflicts with the former landlord of the building the restaurant was at). [[NeverMyFault And they're still oblivious over what they've done]].

-->'''Gordon:''' Well, it's finally happened. After almost a hundred Kitchen Nightmares, I met two owners who I could not help. And it wasn't because I didn't want to, it's because they were incapable of listening. And in a short amount of time, they've managed to piss off the community, and go through a hundred employees in one year. Samy and Amy continue to [[NeverMyFault blame everyone else]], yet [[HisOwnWorstEnemy their biggest problem is themselves]]. And I know whatever changes I would've made, they were never going to stick to them. And that's why I've decided to do something I've never done before. It's such a shame. (''gets in his car and starts up the engine'')

*** Want to feel more pity for them? [[KarmaHoudiniWarranty Their restaurant closed down in June of 2015]]. [[NeverMyFault And they're still oblivious over what they've done]].

* The death of Joseph Cerniglia, the former owner of Campania, in 2010 is this on a meta-level. After his restaurant folded, he was found to have cheated on his wife with a pastry chef, leading her to divorce him and take their children with her. After that, he [[DrivenToSuicide jumped from the George Washington Bridge to his death]] in the Hudson River below.
** What makes his death especially haunting is how Gordon described Campania as being in such a dreadful state it was ready to "[[HarsherInHindsight float up the Hudson river]]" when he first visited the restaurant three years prior. The episode has since been removed from circulation, at least on U.S. television.
** However, the new channel DABL has rerun it a few times.

* A meta-example: Learning that Genevieve, the pretty young waitress who [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qc2XimizBpE told Gordon the truth]] about the quality of the food in Charlie's Italian Bistro and got yelled at by her boss, [[http://www.championnewspapers.com/news/article_7c1efda4-16c0-11e5-bdcd-8fbd64539c7d.html died from an epileptic seizure in 2015]] is absolutely heartrending.

** It's more sad that it's not really Ramsay's fault and he's being made into the target for the blame for the restaurants falling out, despite only trying to help. It's not owners that blame him mind you, it's other people. (some do, however)

** However the new channel DABL has rerun it a few times.
* You can't help but feel sorry for Katy when you watch the now infamous 'Amy's Baking Company' episode, and see how she was fired by Amy for ''doing her job.'' On the bright side, she's said to be doing pretty well now as indicated by [[http://archive.is/ybWEd her AMA in Reddit]].

-->'''Gordon:''' Well, it's finally happened. After almost a hundred Kitchen Nightmares, I met two owners who I could not help. And it wasn't because I didn't want to, it's because they were incapable of listening. And in a short amount of time, they've managed to piss off the community, and go through a hundred employees in one year. Samy and Amy continue to blame everyone else, yet their biggest problem is themselves. And I know whatever changes I would've made, they were never going to stick to them. And that's why I've decided to do something I've never done before. It's such a shame. (''gets in his car and starts up the engine'')

*** Want to feel more pity for them? [[KarmaHoudiniWarranty Their restaurant closed down in June of 2015.]] [[NeverMyFault And they're still oblivious over what they've done.]]

** In a way, Amy and Samy's PyrrhicVillainy; they will live their dream of running a successful restaurant, there's no doubt... [[BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor but]] only because everyone sees them as walking punchlines and only wants to eat at their restaurant to watch them make idiots out of themselves. They're [[IRejectYourReality so delusional]] that they don't even know it. And in the end, as pitiable as they are, [[LaserGuidedKarma they only have themselves to blame]].

* In Zeke's, watching the footage of Zeke entertaining his customers while the narrator explains that Zeke died during Hurricane Katrina. And the restaurant has been sold over to new ownership, Porters & Luke. Perhaps most disconcerting is the utter disrespect shown towards Zeke's legacy by the OnlyInItForTheMoney attitude showcased by the couple who bought the restaurant out of his estate.

** The very fact alone that Ramsay actually [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere gives up]] on the restaurant, and it's not because Ramsay chose to do so; it's because of Amy and her impenetrable mental block that prevents her from listening that he didn't have a choice but to [[WhiteFlag raise the white flag and leave]]. He didn't even give up on Sebastian, Joe or Michel; Ramsay flat-out told Sebastian that he "never, ever, ever, ever met someone he believed in as little as him"; likewise, Michel and Joe [[RageBreakingPoint pushed Ramsay over the edge]] to the point where he came within a hair's breadth of simply abandoning the two [[{{Jerkass}} jerkasses]] to their fates. His monologue after he left is also heartbreaking: