Spin A Yarn Kitchen Nightmares Update – Still Open in 2023?

Is Spin A Yarn still open?

Current Status: >> OPEN <<
(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
Spin A Yarn Kitchen Nightmares Update


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” or “Spin and Yarn” 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, and now the couple constantly fights, putting a huge strain on their relationship.

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.

Gordon 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Gordon then sits down to order and he is served by Mary, who informs Gordon that she believes the food is outdated.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 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, and changes the name of the restaurant to Spin A Yarn Steakhouse.

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.

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 2022.

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.

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.

If you want to see what it’s like today, popular YouTuber Brennen Taylor also has a video where he visits the restaurant and even does a short interview with Saki:

Does Saki still own Spin A Yarn?

As of 2022, 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?

As far as we can tell, Saki and Jennifer Kavouniaris are still married.

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, so we assume they’re still together.

Saki does list himself as single on his Facebook page, but that could just be an oversight because he doesn’t seem very active there.

Overall, I’m not sure about what’s happening here, but I hope they’re still married because I always wish the best for all of the owners from Kitchen Nightmares. Well, most of them at least haha.

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 writing this in 2022, 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.

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-fremont
https://www.facebook.com/SpinAYarnSteakhouse/



What did you think about the Spin A Yarn episode of Kitchen Nightmares? I'd love it if you shared your thoughts on the episode in the comments below!

You can also click the buttons below to share this post!

And don't forget to check out all of the other Kitchen Nightmares updates.

Watch Kitchen Nightmares Episodes at Amazon

Last updated: 2022-09-05 06:43

13 thoughts on “Spin A Yarn Kitchen Nightmares Update – Still Open in 2023?”

All comments are the sole opinion of the commenter and are not endorsed by RealityTVUpdates.

    • 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.

      Reply
      • 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.

        Reply
      • 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.

        Reply
  1. 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.

    Reply
  2. 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.

    Reply

Leave a Comment

Share to...