(keep reading to learn what happened)
Season: 5 | View All Season 5 Episodes
Original Episode Air Date: January 13, 2012
Michon's Restaurant Address: 1583 Virginia Ave, College Park, GA 30337
Episode Recap
Michon’s Smokehouse restaurant was an Atlanta, Georgia restaurant featured on season 5 of Kitchen Nightmares.
Though the Michon’s Kitchen Nightmares episode aired in January 2012, the actual visit from Gordon Ramsay happened before that in 2011.
It was Season 5 Episode 9 of Kitchen Nightmares.
I have to admit, I watch Gordon Ramsay for one real reason: the flip outs.
I mean, who isn’t entertained when Ramsay goes on one of his famous profanity-laced tirades?
I have to say that I even I was taken aback when Ramsay had to leave the Kitchen in the episode at Michon’s Kitchen at a loss for words.
That does not happen often.
A little backstory, Michon’s is a smoke house twenty minutes from Downtown Atlanta in College Park Georgia.
You’ll see the restaurant referred to by a few different names, including Michon’s Smokehouse, Michon’s BBQ, Michon’s Steakhouse, and just Michon’s Restaurant.
This restaurant was opened back in 2002 by Al and Gaye Wilson.
They named the smokehouse after their daughter, Natalie Michon Wilson.
The restaurant ran smoothly for years under Al.
Fast forward to today and we have a Al Wilson forced to stay home after an operation to save a collapsed lung.
Spoiler alert – he wasn’t even able to make it to the relaunch because of his health issues.
Of course, when the cats away, the mice will play, and the kitchen at Michon’s Smokehouse collapses under mismanagement.
Heck, we have cooks serving microwaved food and prepared items to increasingly angry customers.
Wouldn’t you be mad if you paid big bucks for microwaved food?
Concerned that his restaurant is now over $200,000 in debt, he installs cameras to view the action.
Appalled is the word to describe their reaction, even I was upset for the Wilson’s.
They feel that all is lost unless something drastic happens.
That something is Gordon Ramsay.
Ramsay meets with the Wilsons where Al makes it clear that he wants to retire and, if his daughter steps up her game, she can manage the restaurant.
The question is can she handle it?
Next stop, the restaurant. It starts out promising with Gordon being impressed with the decor.
Unfortunately, it goes downhill fast from there, which is what you’d expect from the Michon’s Kitchen Nightmares episode.
Shock is an understatement when the chef doesn’t want to serve potato salad since peeling potatoes is beneath him.
He tries the chicken wing brought to him just to discover some decent sauce covering a day old microwaved wing.
I have to point out that I almost lost my lunch watching that part.
It gets worse with rotten tomatoes and cornbread that could double as sandpaper.
Here is where it gets interesting…
Ramsay goes to the back to talk to the head chef, only to find out that out of the three chefs, no one is in charge.
When they admit that nearly his whole meal was microwaved, he, the great Gordon, master of the art of profanity, is speechless.
He walks out.
But Gordon Ramsay has a plan to fix Michon’s Smokehouse.
The real problem is a simple fact that there is no leadership.
Without Natalie stepping up to the plate or a head chef, the Michon’s restaurant is sinking fast.
So they pick a head chef, and a teary-eyed Natalie states she is ready to take over.
After a new menu and other changes occur, they are prepared to relaunch the all new Michon’s BBQ.
Gordon surprises them with a visit from some of the biggest names in the BBQ game.
Overwhelmed with the new menu, it is almost game over.
However, Natalie steps up, and while she gives a tour, Ramsay helps to regroup the chefs.
Disaster averted, Natalie shows that she can lead Michon’s Smokehouse to a new level of excellence.
After bashing heads during the episode at point, Ramsay gives Natalie a big hug before leaving.
So was the Kitchen Nightmares Michon episode a success?
Keep reading our update to learn what happened next and if Michon’s Smokehouse is still open in 2024 and beyond.
Michon's Restaurant Update - What Happened Next?
Now that we’ve recapped the Michon’s Kitchen Nightmares episode, let’s get into what happened to the restaurant after Gordon Ramsay and his crew left Atlanta, Georgia.
Things seemed to start off well for Michon’s Smokehouse.
As I mentioned above, the Michon’s episode of Kitchen Nightmares originally aired in January, 2012.
Soon after, in March 2012, they decided to ride the wave of good publicity and opened a second location in downtown Atlanta at 161 Peachtree Center Ave Atlanta, Georgia 30303.
All good so far, right?
Sadly, disaster struck eight days later when an electrical fire burned the restaurant down.
The fire started around 9:15 am and was a three-alarm fire.
Two employees were in the building at the time that the fire started, but they were able to escape without any injuries.
You can see a news article about the Michon’s fire in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
The electrical fire burned the new location – not the original Michon’s Atlanta, GA location that you saw on the Kitchen Nightmares episode.
The original Michon’s College Park location struggled on for a bit, but the restaurant could never recover.
Is Michon’s Smokehouse still open after Kitchen Nightmares?
The original Michon’s BBQ location from Kitchen Nightmares closed sometime around 2015, which means that it survived for around three years after the episode aired on TV.
That’s the last date that their Facebook page had an update.
All the other news about the restaurant seems to stop around late 2014.
As of 2023, the old Michon’s Smokehouse College Park location is occupied by an Ethiopian restaurant named Bole.
It seems to have pretty good reviews, with a 4 star rating on its Yelp page.
You can see it in the most recent picture of the original Michon’s Smokehouse College Park location from Google Maps street view:
As I mentioned earlier, there was also another Michon’s location in downtown Atlanta for a very brief time.
As of 2023, the other Michon’s Atlanta GA location has been replaced by a new apartment building called Ascent Peachtree.
Ascent Peachtree is a “pet-friendly apartment community” that opened in 2021.
So it seems like there won’t be any restaurants at that location ever again.
Here’s what the old Michon’s Smokehouse Atlanta GA location looks like in the most recent picture from Google Maps street view:
What happened to Natalie Michon Wilson?
Natalie Michon Wilson was the daughter of the Michon’s owners, Al and Gaye Wilson, and the restaurant was named after her (and the episode was about her taking over).
After Michon’s Restaurant closed, she spent some time as the operations manager for a catering service and as a marketing representative.
In 2020, she founder her own business named Heir Tight, which is a platform for people to securely store and communicate their wishes for what they want to happen after they pass away.
You can learn more on her LinkedIn page.
What happened to Al Wilson?
Sadly, Al Wilson, the Michon’s owner from the episode, passed away in 2018.
You can see Al Wilson’s obituary here.
RIP, Al.
Final Thoughts on Michon’s Smokehouse
Overall, the Michon’s Kitchen Nightmares episode is a tough one to unpack.
The restaurant seemed to be doing ok after the visit from Gordon Ramsay, even expanding with a new location.
However, a freak accident led to an electrical fire that destroyed the new location before it could even have the grand opening.
While the original Michon’s Atlanta GA location was able to keep going for a few years after that, the loss seems to have been to much to overcome.
Natalie Michon Wilson seems to still have the entrepreneurial fire, though, as she launched her own business in 2020, though it has nothing to do with the hospitality industry.
Sadly, Al Wilson from Michon’s passed away in 2018.
If you want to see another Atlanta Kitchen Nightmares episode, you can check out my Park’s Edge Kitchen Nightmares update.
For some other nearby Kitchen Nightmares episodes, you can read these posts:
- Chappy’s update (Nashville, TN)
- Zeke’s Restaurant update (New Orleans, LA)
- Oceana update (New Orleans, LA)
Thanks for reading!
More Information
https://www.yelp.com/biz/michons-bbq-bistro-atlanta-3What did you think about the episode? I'd love it if you shared your thoughts on the episode in the comments below!
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And don't forget to check out all of the other Kitchen Nightmares updates.
Last updated: 2023-01-15 06:04
Sorry about the restaurant troubles. It’s all news to me, as I was too busy whacking my bag to the DELICIOUS Natalie. She can microwave my first born’s formula if I got half a chance to smell her neck. Goddamn.
Whacking yer bag? Laffed so hard I coughed up a 4 day old Michon wing.
Please go away. You sad little boy.
Too much information, Thomas.
Gross
I had seen this episode previously when it first aired! I was laughing then and again tonight while watching this “crack house food” episode! It is ashame how the Wilson’s daughter think she’s entitled to do what she want to do and her attitude shows how ungrateful she is! A bbq house without coleslaw or potato salad is a BIG NO NO! Mom Gaye and Daddy Al should have used a belt to whip her behind more and show her parents more respect! Tides have, the main waitress they interviewed is hilarious! If either of her parents are still living, CHANGE THE NAME OF THE RESTAURANT because it has bad mojo after Natalie flushed the business down the toilet! She likes microwaved leftovers…just means she has NO TASTE!!! Lmbo
I didnt realize crackhead ate food. Maybe that’s why they so skinny. They couldn’t stomach what was served after owner was unable to oversee his establishment. But shame on long term employees that knew better… What a shame and a waste. Considering how many ppl in America go to bed hungry… Senseless…………
Todesha is the waitress’ name…forgive my auto spell!
THIRD EPISODE OF RAMSEY THAT I HAVE EVER BEEN ABLE TO ACTUALLY STOMACH….RERUN JULY 20 2020….GORDON*S INTIMATE COMMUNICATION SKILLS OUTWEIGH HIS BOMBASTIC DICTATORSHIP TO THE SAME LEVEL OF LEARNING & EXTENT OF INTENSITY AT JUST THE RIGHT MOMENTS…..I CRIED.
NATALIE*S HEARTFELT SHOW OF THANKFUL RESPONSIBILITY TO HER MOTHER & FATHER SHINED BRIGHTLY WHEN FROM BEHIND THE FIRING LINE NATALIE WAS ABLE TO GATHER HER LOYAL TEAM TO WORK TOGETHER WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF RAMSEY*S GUIDANCE ABOUT PRESENTATION & BETTER TIMING….WITHOUT EVER EVEN ONCE HAVING TO RAISE HER VOICE….THAT*S LOVE !!
TO HEAR ABOUT THE ELECTRICAL FIRE IN THE UPDATE ABOVE IS LESS SHOCKING THAN TO FIND OUT THAT NATALIE HAS NOT YET FIGURED OUT A WAY TO REBUILD & CONTINUE THE LIFELONG DREAM OF HER PARENTS.
THE EXPERIENCE GAINED FROM THAT TRANSITIONAL PIVOT POINT IN NATALIE*S LIFE HAD TO HAVE RAISED HER EXISTANCE ON THIS EARTH TO A PLACE WHERE ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE.
Stop SHOUTING. That was the most ridiculous rant. No one can get past the first sentence or two. Talk about not being able to “stomach” someone….
I work in that neighborhood. 3 more restaurants have opened and closed at that location in the last 8 years since. Biggest problem is no parking and very good competition. Lots of good restaurants in College Park and Hapeville
wow, what a shame that since it closed in August 2013, after an update on another article and in that time frame, the above poster wrote that 3 restaurants have opened and closed in these last 7-8 years…. too much good competition and lack of parking, and slow service will do that to a restaurant…..
Aww I’m so sorry to hear about that. I just reconnected with family on .my father’s side in Atlanta and Augusta and was looking forward to going there. But like my mom always told me when one door closes another will open. I know God will allow them success again
Barak Obama? Please don’t use this forum to take digs at black people. Its just unfortunate circumstances that the restaurant closed, no one really know what happened behind closed doors for them to close. Wishing them the best!
Burnng down is pretty final.
Gordon never ever in his show gives credence to what is working and good practice in restaurants.
He is always dismissing totally about the restaurant management and their staff.
Psychologically this is not the right approach, look what is working and change only what is not and get the people concerned on your side and not intimidate them and render them or what they have been doing as a useless exercise.
Carrot alone does not a dinner make, just as stick alone does not correct bad behavior.
Sadly in this world of “every body wins” and “Nobody” loses, such direction as is given by Gordon is viewed as harsh, without feeling and direct!.
Yet If one pays even slight attention, you would clearly see that he very often praises good practice and then proceeds to make change, unless the situation is so dire as to demand a far more direct aproach.
Respectfully, I suggest you might take a position within a kitchen of a major hotel chain, even just for a very short time.
You will immediately find that there is NO Room (forgive the pun) for lengthy pep talks or any kind of touchy feely approach when it comes to either, training or feelings.
I have never met nor trained a young man or woman in such a kitchen, who was Not 100% dedicated to their training, who was Not willing to do almost anything to advance and who Did Not consider themselves anything other than absolutely lucky to be in their job.
That IS the level of desire and in later years as Sous Chef and eventually as Executive Chef, the level of absolute Love for and Quality of food produced.
Perhaps this may just shine a small spotlight on to the amount of work Chef Ramsey has to do, to make what in most cases is poorly managed, poorly funded and poorly thought out practices and all has to be achieved in a very, very short time.
Please, just like so many others, you have no basic sense of language. In short, you read like a dumbass.
But in this case, nothing at all was working
Does anyone know what happened to Natalie?
Sorry for the late reply – I added a section to the article.
Please re-read the article, it does say what Natalie is doing.
She is the owner of Heir Sense
I regularly update the articles, so I didn’t have that section on what Natalie is doing after Kitchen Nightmares when Francis originally commented.
Thank you for writing these articles — just the right amount of brevity, research and wit. My curiosity is always satisfied. Kudos also for your diligence in adding updates. Impressive! Must be a labour of love 🙂
Thank you for the kind words! I appreciate it.
Correction: Heir Tight, not “sense.”
It seems that kitchen nightmare is taking the blame.
You have to learn at some point in life in owning your part in a inherent role. If you don’t know educate yourself and listen with a open mind inorder for growth and success.
Great episode, what a shame.
Very sorry for the parents hope Al is better he looked poorly but staff who wouldn’t peel a potato would have been down the frog and toad
Mr Al passed in 2018: https://www.eldoradonews.com/news/2018/nov/16/alvin-r-wilson/
Gordon could have been more complimentary about the GOOD things the restaurant owners did. For example, they served every meal on a plate, they did not stab their customers with pitchforks, and they did not use dog meat in their recipes.
Always look on the bright side, Stendhal!
Now you’re getting it!
he was complimentary, no kitchen walk-in disaster, no crazy drama with weirdo staff, talked up the aesthetics of the place (which of course includes service and cleanliness).
but ive never seen an episode of the USA version thast comes close to the UK series, real insight and warmth there.
Natalie should literally be ashamed of herself honestly. I used to eat here and couldn’t understand what the problem always seemed to be there. It was good food and had great potential but the customer service went down eventually and then everything did. I always wondered what happened to it and wow. Bole moved from across the street to the building very recently and they are good too.
Frankly, Natalie struck me as a spoiled, entitled brat. She claimed in the other Reality TV forum that she quit medical school to turn her father’s $500k a year business into a 1.8 million dollar a year business. Nonsense. She also blamed GR for their business going down…apparently bad food and bad customer service and you playing business owner had nothing to do with it, right Natalie? Now she packs her resume with a lot of nonsense. I’m certain she’s just living off her inheritance.
The owners named the restaurant after their daughter, Darlene Smokehouse.
The fact that the restaurant had to close after Gordon Ramsey’s visit suggests that Natalie was just walking the talk in terms of her commitment to change.
There are other factors, I understand, that may have contributed to its demise.
The competition offered by other fine restaurants and the lack od parking at Michons.
When a restaurant folds, I think of the employees whose livelihoods depend on it.
Do people not bother to read the article before making comments? The restaurant lasted for nearly 3 years after Gordon’s visit which is quite a bit longer than most do. While I agree Natalie had issues with her leadership role, I believe that shows she gave more than lip service to trying to succeed.
Yeah I would say that three years is a decent run.
No it didn’t, it barely lasted a year after KN. They rebranded and opened another place called Michon’s BBQ Bistro, which also closed. They then tried to open another Michon’s in St. Louis in 2015, but that never happened and they screwed over 30 staff without paying them. Oh, and Natalie was arrested for theft by conversion in 2013.
There’s a lot of wrong and missing information in this article.
Natalie was arrested for theft by conversion in 2013.
So less than a year after Gordon comes in to save Natalie’s bacon, she arrogantly opens another location only for that location to suffer an unexpected disaster. As it was, opening another location costs money and when the family was still trying to get out of deep debt even a year after a chef celebrity kind of rescucitated the business is doubly fool hardy. And since that second location got tragically burned to a crisp, all that money invested is G-O-N-E so now more debt. She should have focused on paying the business debt off and waited at least 3 years before opening another location and properly prepared for her second location. And seeing what she does now for a living, what else to expect from that pathetic failure?