(keep reading to learn what happened)
Season: 5 | View All Season 5 Episodes
Original Episode Air Date: February 10, 2012
Spin A Yarn Address: 45915 Warm Springs Blvd, Fremont, CA 94539
Episode Recap
Spin A Yarn Steakhouse, AKA Saki’s Spin A Yarn Restaurant, was a Fremont, California restaurant featured on Season 5 of Kitchen Nightmares.
Though the Spin A Yarn Kitchen Nightmares episode aired in February 2012, the actual filming and visit from Gordon Ramsay took place much earlier in October 2011.
It was Kitchen Nightmares Season 5 Episode 13.
In this episode of Kitchen Nightmares Chef Gordon Ramsay takes us to Spin A Yarn Restaurant in Fremont, California.
Note – the restaurant is “Spin a Yarn”, not “Spinning Yarn restaurant” or “Spin and Yarn restaurant” as some people say.
Soon after his arrival, we meet the owner, Saki Kavouniaris (a Greek immigrant) and his wife, Jennifer Kavouniaris, nee Miller.
When business started declining, Jennifer spent an extra $650,000 of Saki’s initial $300,000 budget to remodel the restaurant.
Unfortunately, remodeling the restaurant did not change the restaurant’s downward trajectory.
Now, the couple constantly fights, putting a huge strain on their relationship.
The episode includes lots of interviews with their daughter, Mikayla.
These issues are a big part of why they reached out to Gordon Ramsay and why the Spin a Yarn Kitchen Nightmares episode exists.
Saki takes Gordon on a tour of the restaurant to view the renovations, the bathroom has expensive tiles on the walls, and Saki reveals that the bathroom alone cost $80,000 to renovate.
It certainly was a nice bathroom, but maybe the money could’ve been better spent elsewhere?
There is also a new fireplace, a marble bar top, and many more extravagant updates on a building they don’t even own, but lease.
In total, Saki spent over a million dollars renovating the Spin a Yarn Steakhouse, much of it at the direction of Jennifer.
Gordon Ramsay asks what the theme of the restaurant is and Saki responds that they serve seafood, pasta, continental cuisine, and they are a steakhouse.
Gordon then sits down to order and he is served by Mary.
Soon after meeting him, Mary informs Gordon that she believes the food is outdated.
He then orders a Greek sampler, a crab Louie, and a filet mignon.
When the Greek sampler arrives, Gordon finds it ghastly, stating that most of the ingredients were from a can.
The crab Louie arrives and Gordon states that it does not smell fresh, and he was shocked to learn that the crab meat also came straight from a can.
The last dish is the filet mignon and Gordon states that it is chewy, rubbery, and the teriyaki sauce tastes like cough medicine.
The cough medicine bit is one of Gordon’s weirder food criticisms, but it certainly doesn’t sound appealing.
After the meal Gordon meets with the owners and the staff in the kitchen to give feedback.
We meet Victor, who is the head chef and has eight years of experience cooking.
When Gordon asked Victor why the food was so poor, Victor replied that he was just following the recipes that were given to him.
Gordon then returns to observe the restaurant during a dinner rush and finds that the kitchen is seriously understaffed.
There is no expediter, sous chef, and Victor is washing the dishes.
The entrées are leaving the kitchen, but they are also being returned just as quickly with complaints and most of the food is thrown away.
Gordon observes that Saki is just watching, while the cooks are struggling and the head chef is washing dishes.
Gordon smells something funky and walks back to the walk-in to discover raw meat sitting next to cooked meat.
He also discovers moldy strawberries and produce, unlabeled and rotten chicken, and raw meat in congealed blood.
After showing the owners his discovery in the walk-in and freezer, he goes outback to have a discussion with the owners, who are both very embarrassed.
Gordon states that he would not have even allowed the restaurant to be open that night had he seen the freezer first.
The next day, Gordon tells the owners that they need to focus on a single cuisine.
As part of this change in focus, Gordon Ramsay changes the name of the restaurant to Spin A Yarn Steakhouse instead of Spin a Yarn Restaurant.
Gordon also slims down the menu making it less complicated and easier to read.
Everyone samples the new menu and loves every dish.
The night of relaunch and the restaurant is packed.
The prime rib is a huge hit with the customers, such a hit that they almost run out during the middle of the dinner service.
Thankfully, Victor reveals that he ordered extra to make sure that that didn’t happen, avoiding a crisis.
Good job, Victor!
The night ends and Gordon Ramsay is very pleased with how everything went.
When he leaves the restaurant, things seem to be looking up for both Spin a Yarn Steakhouse and Saki and Jennifer’s marriage.
So was the Kitchen Nightmares Spin a Yarn restaurant episode a long-term success?
Keep reading our update to learn what happened next and if it’s still open in 2023 and beyond.
Spin A Yarn Update - What Happened Next?
Now that we’ve recapped the Spin A Yarn Kitchen Nightmares episode, let’s talk about the question you’re probably most wondering about.
Is Spin A Yarn from Kitchen Nightmares still open?
Spin A Yarn is still open and receiving customers in Fremont, California as of 2023.
The restaurant got a new chef in 2012 after the Kitchen Nightmares episode aired and newer reviews seem better, with a four star rating on TripAdvisor and a 4.4 rating on Google Reviews.
The Spin A Yarn Yelp reviews aren’t quite as good, though, as the restaurant has just 3.5 stars.
I’ll share some real examples of Spin a Yarn reviews below.
If you want to see the menu or book a visit, you can learn more on the official Spin A Yarn Fremont website, which includes Spin A Yarn opening hours and other details.
Here’s a screenshot of the Spin a Yarn menu to give you an idea of the current prices:
And then here’s what the Spin a Yarn Fremont CA location looks like in the most recent picture from Google Maps street view:
If you want to see what it’s like today, popular YouTuber Brennen Taylor also has a video where he visits the restaurant:
The Brennen Taylor video also includes a short interview with Saki at Spin a Yarn, which will become important for some of the next questions that I’ll cover.
Does Saki still own Spin A Yarn?
As of 2023, Saki still owns Spin A Yarn and manages the restaurant on a daily basis.
Saki Kavouniaris, a Greek immigrant, originally bought the restaurant in 1995 and he still maintains full control.
Is Saki from Spin A Yarn still married?
Sadly, Saki and Jennifer divorced and the couple are no longer married.
Saki confirms this at around the 9:50 mark in the Brennen Taylor video that I linked above.
Brennen asks Saki if he and Jennifer are still married and Saki responds with the following:
No, we’re kind of divorced.
But we’re still very close.
She comes and helps out.
Even though Saki and Jennifer are divorced, Jennifer still seems to be involved as an owner and she’s also still using the Kavouniaris last name, at least in a business sense.
There was a 2020 article by a local Fox news affiliate that has quotes from both Saki and Jennifer about offering free meals to first responders.
They’re both still listed as owners and Jennifer is still using Saki’s last name.
But yeah – despite that, they are divorced.
Saki also does list himself as single on his Facebook page.
Overall, I was sad to read about the Spin a Yarn Kitchen Nightmares divorce because I always wish the best for the owners from the show.
But based on the interview above, Saki seems to be ok with it and Saki and Jennifer seem to still be able to maintain a professional relationship.
The former couple also have kids together, so they’re co-parents in addition to being co-owners.
What happened to Jennifer Kavouniaris?
As I mentioned above, Saki and Jennifer did end up divorcing.
However, Jennifer is still involved in running the Spin a Yarn restaurant.
On her LinkedIn page, Jennifer is still listed as the social media manager at Spin a Yarn Steakhouse.
True to that, you can see her posting a lot of stuff on the Spin a Yarn facebook page.
For example, here’s an April 2023 video from the page where Jennifer explains some of the changes that they’ve made to Spin a Yarn steakhouse, including the new outdoor seating area.
Jennifer also ran for the Fremont School Board in 2022.
She created a Jen K for Fremont website with lots of information about the campaign.
Here’s a link to the archived website in case it gets deleted.
The website also has a video of her speaking at a 2022 school board meeting announcing her candidacy – I’ve embedded it below.
However, Jennifer lost the election.
Her opponent, Dianne Jones, received 71.9% of the vote while Jennifer only received 28.1%.
Dianne was the incumbent, so it’s always difficult for a challenger to unseat the existing candidate.
Here’s a screenshot of the election results.
Spin a Yarn reviews after Kitchen Nightmares
As of 2023, the Saki’s Spin a Yarn Steakhouse has an overall 3.5 star rating on Yelp, 4.4 star rating on Google reviews, and 4 star rating on TripAdvisor.
As I mentioned above, the post-Kitchen Nightmares reviews generally seem to be more positive, so it does seem like Saki and Jennifer were able to make improvements based on the visit from Gordon Ramsay.
Here’s a sampling of a few Spin a Yarn reviews that were written after the visit from Gordon Ramsay…
3 star Yelp review from December 2022:
I had no idea this restaurant was featured in Gordon Ramsay’s TV show “Kitchen Nightmares” (season 5, episode 13) in 2012, until mentioned by coworkers during the team’s dine-in here!
Food = deliciously okay 3 stars
Service = excellently 4 – 5 stars
Price = high 4 – 5 stars
Being that it’s a steakhouse, I ordered my all-time FAVORITE mouth-watering juicy succulent PRIME RIB! Yummy Yum Yum!!
Sadly, not as yummy as I thought.
My Prime Rib was bland and a bit dry-ish (not juicy tender as anticipated).
And no, I did not ordered it well-done, but medium-rare.
The prime rib was of generous portion, but the Au Jus given was so little, not enough to accommodate the big generous portion (I should have asked for more Au Jus).
As you can see, I love PRIME RIB!
5 star Yelp review from December 2018:
Came here after watching the Kitchen Nightmares episode on it.
I was surprised with how beautiful and large the restaurant was, on the inside and out.
The ambience is very romantic and nice.
Servers were very friendly and attentive.
Food was very delicious as well.
Will definitely be coming back here again sometime!
4 star Yelp review from July 2012:
Maybe a 3.5.
Sister wanted to go here after seeing it on Kitchen Nightmares.
We all went and got some prime ribs.
We had to wait quite a while but there 7 of us and they brought out a whole side of beef which they cut in front of us.
That was pretty cool.
The food was good too can’t really complain but expect to throw down some money.
1 star Yelp review from August 2015:
Even the great Gordon Ramsay couldn’t fix this place.
I live in Fremont and I have never been to this restaurant.
My first impressions were not very good.
Dirty parking lot and entryway followed by an unfriendly hostess.
I decided to sit at the bar and order a drink and some dinner.
The food and service was mediocre at best.
I must admit sitting at the bar you can tell a lot about how an owner treats his employees and customers when he thinks you are not listening.
What a jerk. Saki is just as rude and arrogant as he was depicted on Kitchen Nightmares.
I guess this place could use another visit form Gordon Ramsay.
Still a nightmare and I won’t go back.
Final thoughts on Saki’s Spin A Yarn restaurant
Overall, Saki’s Spin a Yarn seems like a real success story.
At the time that I’m re-checking my Kitchen Nightmares Spin a Yarn update in 2023, it’s been over a decade since the Spin a Yarn Kitchen Nightmares episode aired on TV.
Despite that, the restaurant is still going strong, even managing to survive the Covid-19 pandemic.
Sadly, Saki and Jennifer did end up divorcing, but both of them are still involved in the Spin a Yarn restaurant.
If you’re in the area, check out the Spin a Yarn Fremont restaurant and let me know how it is in the comments!
While there are no other Fremont Kitchen Nightmares episodes, there were a bunch of episodes in nearby Los Angeles.
If you want to see some other California restaurants that are still open, you can check out our updates for Lido in Manhattan Beach, Luigi’s d’Italia in Anaheim, Zayna Flaming Grill in Redondo Beach, and The Greek in Ventura.
Thanks for reading!
More Information
https://www.yelp.com/biz/sakis-spin-a-yarn-restaurant-fremonthttps://www.facebook.com/SpinAYarnSteakhouse/
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Last updated: 2023-09-18 08:36
Another great success story!
BTW Jennifer is HOT!
I must say… I enjoyed the episode. However, I found Jennifer to be pretentious. Saki, tried to teach her the correct way to cut a prime rib steak… but she refused to listen and got angry over his instructing her… that is why she almost got the restaurant in deep trouble, by her cutting the meat too thick, over and over again. Throughout the program she seemed to blame the restaurant’s failing on her husband… like prima donna’s do.
She scared me half to death with that ridiculous knife sharpening attempt.
Saki took way too long to come up with Kalamata as his place of origin. That isn’t something you forget.
Shes also Vapid and an Antagonizing human being
I just read on another website that Saki’s marriage to Jennifer is over but they still work together for the restaurant.
Here’s the source:
https://www.erealitytv.com/kitchen-nightmares-us-s05-e13-spin-a-yarn-freemont-california-open/
In the 2020 article I found Jennifer was still using Saki’s last name. I linked it in the update above.
Women divorce their partners and keep their last names all the time. I checked the restaurant’s FB, they are very successful. They host bands, car shows, painting nights, wedding receptions and weddings, and comedy shows. Jennifer looks like she had some work done, but the most recent picture of Saki that I could find is on IG from November 2021. Jennifer is most active on their social media pages.
Went there not too long ago…
Great food and service!
I’ll be back…
Omg where do I start.
Did she seriously call him White Oprah?!?!
And tell me you a gold digger without saying you a gold digger…. 🤦🏼♀️
I cringed watching her carry that tray of martinis two handed, barfing over prime rib, and basically every word that came out of her mouth.
That was very disrespectful of Jennifer to call Gordon white oprah. I can’t take that woman seriously as a person. She sounds like a dimwitted teenage girl trying to sound poetic and mature. The daughter isn’t any better.
Jen is still with the restaurant, and appears she might still be involved with bartending
https://youtu.be/2wRYfohPSLw
Jennifer likes to pretend that nothing she buys has a price tag. Spending nearly $1 million on renovations was just a big “Oopsie!” Having such a lack of self-awareness must be an amazing way to coast through life.
I bet that what really improved their business was that they bought better canned food and a better can opener.
just kidding!
Love that fake wife Jennifer says that they met 9 years ago, got married and had a daughter. Daughter happens to be about 16 years old? Daughter refers to Saki as her step-dad five minutes later. Classy mother-daughter combo. At least sync up on your lies!
What became of Mary the server though 😍
Seeing their cost structure, in some ways I’m surprised that they’ve managed to survive. I can confirm that Jennifer continued working at the restaurant even after she and Saki split up.
During the pandemic, they donated a lot of meals to first responders and hospital workers in the area. The reasoning was that Saki wanted to keep his kitchen staff together, even after he had to let a lot of the dining room and bar staff go.
Like other restaurants more positioned for fine dining, they also branched out into offering takeout family meals and meal deals. Those were quite good. Talking to Saki, he indicated that they were barely making money off of those meals, but it was more to keep the kitchen going during the pandemic.
After reopening, they put up tents in the parking lot for outside dining. They use those areas for occasional live music and comedy events.
I think another factor keeping the business going is their proximity to the Tesla plant, which goes 24/7 with about 11k workers. It’s a former GM/Toyota joint venture that employed 8k workers when it closed in 2009. Tesla acquired the site in 2010.
When the KN episode aired, Tesla had just restarted production with the Model S. Spin-A-Yarn was hit hard when the GM/Toyota operation closed, and I would guess that they’ve now picked up their business as the Tesla plant now operates at full capacity.
Interesting – I didn’t know about the Tesla plant. That makes sense, though. Thanks for sharing!
Jennifer ran for school board and lost in a landslide in 2022:
https://jenkforfremontusd.com/
https://ballotpedia.org/Jennifer_Kavouniaris
Thanks for sharing! I just added this to the post. Seems like she was going up against the incumbent, so that was always going to be a tough battle.