(keep reading to learn what happened)
Season: 2 | View All Season 2 Episodes
Original Episode Air Date: September 25, 2008
Black Pearl Address: 37 W 26th St New York, NY 10184
Episode Recap
The Black Pearl was a Manhattan, New York City restaurant featured on Season 2 of Kitchen Nightmares.
Though the Black Pearl Kitchen Nightmares episode aired in September 2008, the actual visit from Gordon Ramsay happened back in February 2008.
It was Kitchen Nightmares Season 2 Episode 5.
In this episode of Kitchen Nightmares, tensions run high as Chef Gordon Ramsay visits The Black Pearl in New York City, New York.
Black Pearl, a restaurant that specializes in lobster, was once located in downtown Manhattan and owned by David and Brian.
The business was booming so David and Brian put out an ad for a third investor and met Greg, who now owns Black Pearl in their new location in Midtown.
The relationship between the three owners was professional until the restaurant started to lose money, $250,000 to be exact.
The stress of running a restaurant that loses more money than it makes took a toll on the relationship between the three business owners.
Now David, Brian, and Greg no longer speak to each other and only communicate via email or text only.
A restaurant divided cannot stand, and that is ever-present as the owners and staff members reveal their frustrations and concerns regarding management or the lack thereof.
One of the staff members revealed to Gordon that the three owners are never there at the same time.
To make matters worse, Chef Ramsay is concerned that the owners don’t want to be there at all.
All of these issues mean that Gordon Ramsay has his work cut out for him in his visit to the Black Pearl.
After meeting with the staff, Chef Ramsay orders the clam chowder, lobster mac and cheese, and 3 lobster rolls, supposedly the best food on the restaurant’s menu.
To Gordon’s dismay, the clam chowder was watery, the mac and cheese were too chewy, and the lobster rolls were bland.
He does like his server, though, who was named Steven.
Chef Ramsay then sits down with the three feuding owners and discusses his concerns regarding the food.
The owners blame each other and are unwilling to take ownership of the unimpressive menu items.
Chef Ramsay begins to question the three business owners’ level of commitment to the restaurant.
Gordon then wishes to witness how the restaurant operates on a busy night with all three owners present.
David works in the kitchen, expediting orders.
His lack of experience and confidence is seen in the quality each dish exhibits, resulting in a large number of dishes being sent back to the kitchen.
With Greg out of his element in the kitchen, he decides to pace the dining area.
When a table sends back a dish, instead of addressing the customer’s complaint, David decides to argue with the complaining customer instead.
Weird smells coming from the food, grit found in the mussels, and a chef selling Canadian lobster as Maine lobster.
Chef Ramsay has seen enough and calls a staff meeting.
During the staff meeting, Chef Ramsay encourages the staff members to write down questions they would like the owners to address.
The last question asked addressed the most important issue the restaurant faces: the lack of a general manager.
It is suggested by a staff member that one of the three owners become the general manager.
The owners discuss who will become the general manager while Chef Ramsay adds a new special to the night’s menu.
During the dinner-rush Brian is sent home, while Greg showcases his strengths with customers and David insults staff members in the kitchen and patronizes customers in the dining area.
At the end of the dinner rush the staff votes for Greg to become the general manager of the restaurant and Brian and David sign a document making it official.
Overnight the restaurant receives a facelift but David does not like the changes.
Nor does he like the new lobster claw game or the new way of advertising-a man passing out flyers in Times Square wearing a lobster costume.
David also reveals, hours before the relaunch, that he does not like the new menu items Chef Ramsay has put together.
On the day of the relaunch, we discover that Greg has no control in the kitchen as there is a long delay in getting food out of the window and to the customer’s table.
However, once the food is delivered all worries go out the door when the customers find themselves pleased with how the food tastes.
At the end of the night Gordon reveals his thoughts about each owner…
He really lets it out, caalling Brian lazy, stating Greg’s heart is in the right place, and claiming David does not care about the Black Pearl.
Overall, Gordon Ramsay fears for the restaurant’s fate if David remains a part of the team.
So was Gordon’s rescue of The Black Pearl a long-term success?
Keep reading our update to learn what happened next and if this NYC restaurant is still open in 2024 and beyond.
Black Pearl Update - What Happened Next?
Now that we’ve recapped the Black Pearl restaurant Kitchen Nightmares episode, let’s talk about what happened to the restaurant after Gordon Ramsay and his crew left NYC.
Spoiler alert, though – you’re probably not going to be surprised by how things worked out lol.
Is The Black Pearl still open?
The Black Pearl restaurant closed just four days after the Kitchen Nightmares episode aired on TV, so this was definitely not a successful update by Gordon.
This means that it only lasted for around seven months after the actual visit from Gordon Ramsay.
As part of the closure, the co-owners, posted a long rant blaming Gordon Ramsay for the Black Pearl restaurant issues and closure.
In the rant, they said that the Kitchen Nightmares show was “a joke”.
They also said that the changes “Gordy Ramsay” made (I guess the nickname is an insult?) led to a 50% drop in revenues and that the restaurant was never able to recover financially.
Beyond that, they said that the episode aired later than they were originally promised which is why the restaurant wasn’t able to sustain itself much past the episode air date.
The rant goes on and on, but the general idea is that the Black Pearl owners were not happy with their restaurant’s experience on Kitchen Nightmares.
Here are some of my favorite excerpts from the rant. It’s really long so I didn’t include the full text:
Well, after three years, we have fried our last clam and shucked our last oyster.
On October First, we sold our lease and fixtures to someone who may be better equipped to handle the exceedingly high cost of doing business in New York City.
As you may know, in February, we filmed an episode of Kitchen Nightmares, at our restaurant, hoping for the best.
We were naive, believing that the show was at least somewhat honest; we truly felt we could learn something from that jerk, and we anticipated a solid boost in sales from the publicity.
The sad fact is, from the beginning, it was clear that the show was a joke.
From the very first day they were initiated, the changes Gordy Ramsay made were ridiculed by the press, hated by our regular customers and were the direct cause of a 50% drop in revenues. And, we were never able to recover financially.
…
KN is simply a series of set-ups staged to illustrate situations that fit their script, and, as you would expect, their expert editors tell only half the story–the part that makes their star shine brightest.
All of my brilliant and pointed comebacks were left on the cutting-room floor! Darn the luck!
In fact, Gordo’s menu changes were horrible, and mirrored the buffet offerings of a cruise ship in the 1950s–lobster bearnaise? Shrimp Louis with green goddess dressing?
His ideas were laughable, and proved to be utter failures; his “innovations” had nothing to do with our concept of a New England Lobster Shack–something he clearly knows nothing about.
For God’s sake, he thinks the Canadian and Maine lobster are two different species! Maybe he thinks Canadian lobsters have an accent–“butter, eh?”
…
But what really sealed our fate was his bastardization of our award-winning lobster roll.
To “improve” upon our recipe, he cut the amount of lobster in half, added lemon, lettuce, celery, salt and pepper and way too much mayo.
Of course, it didn’t work. It served us right for allowing a potty-mouthed teabag to mess with our New England cuisine.
We should have taken a page out of history, revolted and sent him packing and bleeding back to King George.
Anyway, enough sour grapes. While I hope Gordo meets an untimely death so that I can dance on his grave, it is time to move on.
Lol at that last bit!
As of 2023, the old Black Pearl New York location is now occupied by a new restaurant called The Flatiron Room.
The reviews for the restaurant seem good, with a 4.5 star rating on its Yelp page on over 900 reviews.
Here’s what the Black Pearl Manhattan location looks like in the most recent picture from Google Maps street view…
What happened to the Black Pearl owners?
A lot of people are wondering what happened to the Black Pearl owners after the restaurant closed.
Here’s what I could find on the various owners…
David Leonard from Black Pearl
David Leonard, one of the restaurant’s owners, is performing as a musician as of 2022.
You can learn more on his personal website, which includes performance dates as recently as August 2022.
He’s actually worked with some pretty big artists, including opening for Don McClean.
Greg Ryan from Black Pearl
Greg Ryan was the Black Pearl owner who was supposed to be the general manager after the Black Pearl Kitchen Nightmares episode.
This seems to have been a good decision as, after the Black Pearl closed, Greg had a long career acting as the general manager of various restaurants in New York City.
This include Brazilia Cafe, Bellini Restaurant, and Hakkasan NYC.
According to Greg’s LinkedIn page, his last job ended in June 2018, so I’m not sure what he’s been up to since then.
What happened to Steven (The Black Pearl waiter)?
Steven was the waiter at The Black Pearl who served Gordon Ramsay.
After his experiencing in the culinary industry, Steven seems to have pivoted and made a succesful career in the film industry in Los Angeles.
Here’s a 2019 article that a commenter shared below that includes an interview with Steven, including mentioning his experience on Kitchen Nightmares.
He got a job as a casting assistant at NBC after The Black Pearl closed.
Then, he moved to Los Angeles in 2012.
He’s had a number of roles there, working primary in casting.
Congratulations to Steven! It’s definitely a big step up from working at The Black Pearl haha.
Did Gordon Ramsay ever go back to the Black Pearl?
Yes and no. Gordon Ramsay did attempt to re-visit the Black Pearl Manhattan restaurant in Season 13 Episode 13.
But, as I mentioned above, Gordon Ramsay did not have a chance to return to the Black Pearl because the restaurant closed just four days after the Kitchen Nightmares episode aired.
However, Kitchen Nightmares did film an episode where he went back to the old Black Pearl restaurant New York location and visited the new restaurant in that spot.
This re-visit aired on May, 21 2010. However, the restaurant featured in that episode is also closed now.
In the episode, he also talked with Steven from the Black Pearl.
As part of the interview, Steven revealed that his last paycheck from The Black Pearl bounced, so the restaurant was really in a bad financial situation.
You can see the entire re-visit in this YouTube video:
Overall, I can’t say I’m surprised by anything that Steven said.
Final thoughts on The Black Pearl restaurant
Overall, the Black Pearl episode is a fun one because of how crazy it was.
However, it’s probably no surprise that the Black Pearl closed just a few days after the episode aired on TV (though more like seven months from Gordon’s visit).
The old Black Pearl New York City location is now occupied by a new restaurant named The Flatiron Room.
David Leonard is working as a musician, while Greg Ryan had a long career working as a general manager in various restaurants.
Steven (the waiter) has moved to Los Angeles and has a succesful career in the film industry.
If you want to see some other New York City / Manhattan Kitchen Nightmares episodes, you might want to also check out our update for Purnima / Dillon’s in Manhattan.
Two other nearby episodes are Mojito and Mama Maria’s, both of which are located across the bridge in Brooklyn NY.
If you go a little further east, you can read about PJ’s Steakhouse / PJ’s Grill in Queens, Kati Allo in Queens, and Trobiano’s restaurant in Long Island.
If you want to share your thoughts on the episode, you can do so in the comments section below.
Thanks for reading!
More Information
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Last updated: 2024-03-09 05:25
They were 3 rich self-centered arrogant guys that just wanted to be big shots, used Ramsey for Marketing and didn’t take any advice, just blame. You have to take responsibility and you sold what he invested and did you pay him back or pocket it….3 ..2 faced loooooosers!! Did you want him to cook and run it too????
Exactly! These three jerks blame chef Ramsey for their failures, just like so many of the restaurants he helps on Kitchen Nightmares. These people can’t take accountability. They were in trouble before he even got there yet they always manage to blame Gordon for THEIR failure. Ungrateful A-holes.
You are dead on. Extremely well, and kindly, stated.
F being “kind”.
Thanks!!! You nailed it!
Greg and the staff seemed to have worked hard and without the other owners, it would have worked.
They blamed Ramsey and that makes me furious. Because, as the previous message pointed out they sold and pocketed rosy money. Greg was nice and did the best he could. However, that devil man child aka Maine EXPERT! Single handle tanked the joint.
Having watched all of the Kitchen Nigthmares episodes including the Black Pearl, one thing is unmistakably obvious – Gordon Ramsey not only fixes failing restaurants but changes people’s lives for the good. Same can be said for the hotels he fixed in another series. These 3 ungrateful, arrogant owners would not listen to some of the best advice they will ever receive in their remaing lives. Such an opportunity blown because of their misguided egos. Gordon Ramsey rocks at what he does but some people cannot be change regardless of how hard you try.
Please, many of the businesses in this/these shows end up closing.
Lets remember that this series was only just prior to a major recession. Let us also note that many of the hotels on hotel hell live on to this day as real successes.
I’ll bet the entire rant came from David. What a loser.
I’m pretty confident that it did as well haha.
david actually told the people who recieved the letter not to expose him as the one who wrote it himself LOL
Just reading the excerpt from the rant, and you know that it was David, the others probably had no part in writing it, or any suggestions of what should go in it, all David.
I knew who wrote the letter. What a twat! He will end up wearing concrete galoshes one day.
Agreed!!!! David was one arrogant loser. Stand up and be a man David.
Agree! David’s the “Gordo” and such a loser.
canadian and main lobsters are different. perhaps the owners should’ve googled before posting the complaints the restaurant failed because of gordon when it was obviously there own fault
Being from Maine, I can tell you, without a doubt, there is a difference. The coloring is the first giveaway, although when they’re cooked, taste is the only way you can tell and they do taste different. I don’t know if there is a “species” difference and honestly don’t care. Someone trying to pull the wool over someone’s eyes will know. And you know, without a doubt, that statement came from David.(and no, I’m not that David)
In the FWIW column; it is illegal to sell a dead lobster in the state of Maine, that includes frozen. That LAW may have changed, I’ll admit, it’s not one I keep up with.
So Gordon in effect accused the lobsters of being illegal aliens.
I thought the black pearl episode was excellent! Gorden was spot on about the three men & if they had worked together for the business it probably would still be open! Kithchen Nightmares did good for those owners! They should have sold the restaurant to the workers!
As I was watching their episode I knew that no matter what Chef Gordon did to help that David would just destroy it. He didn’t want help he justified wanted to be on TV. If he seriously wanted to make that restaurant work he would listen and learn form someone who started with nothing AND built a empire. It’s a no brainer. And to argue about Lobsters with Gordon? Seriously? I know absolutely nothing about Lobsters and even I know that main lobster is not the same as Canadian lobster and I’m Canadian
David is still stuck on those damn lobsters. Couldn’t even stand being wrong about that. Unbelievable pettiness. Laughable.
Also, the revenues supposedly dropping by 50% meant nothing since 50% of zero equals nothing.
I don’t usually comment but that David was such an arrogant twat . He obviously wrote the rant actually trying to say Gordon didn’t know what he’s doing. I feel sorry for the staff but they deserved to shut down.
I thought the nastiest owner was a lawyer? He certainly looked like one. There were 3 owners but only 2 are mentioned in the update. Did one die?
I was hoping the update would say that David had moved on and made the world a better place.
David is easily one of the top ten vilest and nastiest people on kn. Just a total POS.
David had no compassion, empathy or gratitude!
Such a soulless human!
1999 called and wants David’s website back.
David needs a punch in the face
Thank you to whoever writes these updates! You always do such a thorough job- I was hoping Greg got the chance to be a manager elsewhere. I hope David is less of a blowhard in his musical career but after seeing him ooze his slimy sulky self around on KN my assumption is: not likely!
You’re welcome! Thanks for reading.
Calling Chef Gordon Ramsay Gordo just says it all
Among many of David’s faults, the one that always gets glossed over is his gaslighting. When asked by a server why they don’t make it policy to have aprons, he tells shifts the subject, she asks him to answer the question and he says he did, leaving the poor girl completely confused. The guy is grad-A asshole through and through.
That place was already doomed for failure! Greg and staff tried their very best! David was the proverbial bad apple (no pun intended) who took the place down! He is awful!!!
We all know who the hell was involved with the whole rant. That David guy was such a jack ass throughout the whole episode & he was nothing but negative too. The dude refused to change, help & even step down as the owner. Of course it was never EVER going to work because of his stubbornness & the restaurant was already a fail. What a waste of time & money for KN to go & do an episode. Like why ask for help if you’re gonna be a total douche bag about it. I literally forgot how much of an ass this David guy was & man I was getting pissed just watching him be a total dumb ass in the end. Like no one bothered shutting him up, all they kept doing was shake their heads & sit there. It was destined to close, it didn’t deserve to be on KN & it wasn’t even worth being on TV. Can’t blame Gordon because you’re failing & Gordon had so much patience with that especially when he was bashing his cooking when everyone else loved it.
It’s people like arrogant asshat David that give New Yorkers bad names… you know the rant came from him and he’s the reason the restaurant closed, not Chef R or anyone else. Chef has heart and I really believe he wants people to succeed… I hope the staff of the Black Pearl found meaningful employment and survived the pandemic as nothing was harder on the restaurant industry. I hope Chef continues to rock tv for a long time.
ugh I wish we knew what happened to steven!! He was so upfront and real, hope he is doing well!!
He works in TV now
Here you go…
https://voyagela.com/interview/meet-steven-tylor-oconnor-self-hollywood/
This episode has two day three’s.
Day two ends with the whole Maine vs Canadian lobster thing. Then day three is when Brian is sent home and with David and Greg swap roles for service. Day three ends with the staff voting Greg as the new GM. The episode then says that Gordon’s team have been working through the night to give the restaurant the new decor… and the graphics on the screen say that it is day three… again.
I have watched many of these shows from Kitchen Nightmares to Bar Rescue and both have the same reputation that the restaurants close. What this should teach everyone that Restaurants and bars are hard to run. Good owners/managers make it look easy and do not show what really goes on behind the scenes, while everyone on the outside thinks they know how to run this kind of business. No matter how Chef Ramsey or Jon Taffer changes recipes, decor, it is not what the business needs to run smoothly. You need someone that knows how to handle the purchasing, managing the product, proper pricing, inventorying and most importantly a good smooth working team. Some things can’t be taught, and good consultants would have dug deep into the books to see where problem are from food / drink costs to loss of product, theft, customer reviews, review speed of service, lean production, food and beverage rotation, marketing and promotion and the WOW Factor, and the list goes on. I have yet to see either of the show men get down to the real brass tacks of helping these people which is why 90% of Chef Ramsy and Tapper set these poor people up for failure in trade off for good TV. Do not hire these guys or others like them as you will most likely lose your business by just reviewing their odds of success or failure. It can take months to really convert a business to success and a stockpile of money. If you do not have time or money it should also be pointed out that you need to cut your losses. Sorry.
I figured David and his lack of knowledge, or flat out brains would manage to revert back to the same old and then go on some PMS rant on how Gordon ruined them. David is a complete moron, ego, arrogant, thinks he’s all that. He never admitted nor took any blame for the crap they thought was food! LMAO!!!!! Typical if these places, I don’t know why Gordon wastes his time on these restaurants!