(keep reading to learn what happened)
Season: 6 | View All Season 6 Episodes
Original Episode Air Date: March 15, 2013
Yanni's Address: 7419 Greenwood Ave N Seattle, WA 98103
Episode Recap
Yanni’s Greek Cuisine was a Seattle, Washington restaurant featured on season 6 of Kitchen Nightmares.
Though the Yanni’s Kitchen Nightmares episode aired in March, 2013, the actual filming and visit from Gordon Ramsay happened earlier in late 2012.
It was Kitchen Nightmares Season 6 Episode 13, right after the infamous Mill Street Bistro episode.
In this episode of Kitchen Nightmares, Chef Gordon Ramsay takes us to Yanni’s Greek Restaurant, in Seattle, Washington.
Yanni’s Greek Restaurant is owned by Peter Avgoustiou.
Some people have spelled the name Peter Augustio, but the correct spelling is “Avgoustiou”, which you can verify on Peter’s Facebook account and the corporate filings for Yanni’s Greek Cuisine.
Initially, the business was a huge success when it was originally founded by Peter’s father back in 1984.
However, at the time of the Yanni’s Greek Restaurant Kitchen Nightmares episode, business is dwindling and Peter is now in debt and is unable to pay his bills.
Peter requested to meet with Gordon at a coffee shop before Gordon arrived at the restaurant.
At the coffee shop, Peter discloses the history of the restaurant and its ties to his family.
He also tells Gordon Ramsay of the restaurant’s financial woes.
Peter is losing a whopping $8,000-$10,000 a month at the time of the Yanni’s Gordon Ramsay visit.
That’s obviously a huge hole for Gordon Ramsay to help them dig out of.
Gordon then heads to the restaurant and is greeted by Karen, Peter’s wife, and their daughters Alyse and Tariya.
They say the food and decor of the restaurant are outdated but their complaints have been ignored by Peter.
Gordon sits down to eat and is overwhelmed by the more than six pages and nine specials he finds on the menu.
Gordon then orders the pumpkin hummus (which he’s never seen before, nor have I), the moussaka, and the house gyro.
The pumpkin hummus comes out first and Gordon finds it has too much garlic, and tastes horrible.
The moussaka arrives next and Gordon finds the meat is too sweet, and the egg plant is greasy, bitter, and undercooked.
The house gyro is too messy and contains way too much sauce.
Overall, Gordon‘s impression of the restaurant’s decor and its food matches what Karen told him – everything is outdated.
Gordon then gives his feedback to the staff but Peter and Alyse are very defensive and non-receptive to what Gordon has to say.
Later that night Gordon arrives to observe the restaurant during a dinner rush.
He finds the kitchen to be in absolute chaos.
It’s common for Peter to be shouting orders and then have Alyse shouting right back at him.
This obviously leads to high stress levels in the restaurant.
Food is leaving the kitchen but it is also coming back just as fast.
This also leads to more anger and shouting in the kitchen, which certainly won’t help the food get any better.
Gordon then inspects the storage and finds nothing to be dated or labeled.
It’s a mess – the produce is old and sticky, and raw meat is being stored next to cooked meat.
He then finds the fridge filled with cooked chicken and moldy boiled beef.
There are a plethora of other issues among that, like rancid chicken and a general lack of following food safety protocols.
Because of Gordon’s concerns for the safety of the diners, he shuts down the kitchen.
This obviously results in the restaurant needing to close until it can get a deep clean.
Gordon Ramsay then gives Peter the assignment of shrinking the menu down by removing the items that aren’t selling well.
Peter is reluctant at first but eventually agrees to cut the menu all the way down to just 21 dishes (whereas it originally had over 60 different dishes on offer).
That night Gordon and his crew worked tirelessly to revamp the dining room by giving it new décor, colors, tables, chairs, and more.
Gordon also has a new POS System installed for orders that will be sent directly to the kitchen.
Beyond changing and improving the physical space, Gordon also spends some time teaching the staff how to cook the new menu items.
When Gordon Ramsay unveils everything, he gets a big hug and kiss on the cheek from Peter.
The night of relaunch was a total success, besides a little argument that broke out between Peter and Alyse.
Ultimately the customers loved the new food and they said they will come back to the restaurant.
Gordon Ramsay seemed optimistic when he was leaving.
He says it went from one of the most depressing episodes to one of the most uplifting.
He also says that he “can’t ever remember rooting for a family more than this one”.
So was the Yannis Kitchen Nightmares episode a long-term success?
Keep reading to learn what happened next and if this Seattle Greek restaurant is still open in 2023.
Yanni's Update - What Happened Next?
Now that we’ve recapped the Yanni’s Kitchen Nightmares episode, let’s talk about how Yanni’s Greek Cuisine is doing since the episode aired – starting with probably the biggest question on your mind.
In the short update at the end of the episode, we learn that Peter has kept all of Gordon Ramsay’s changes and principles.
The family is also doing a lot better and seems happier.
Well – guess what! I’m very happy to report that the good times seem to still be rolling.
Let’s start with the most important question…
Is Yanni’s from Kitchen Nightmares still open?
As of 2023, Yanni’s Greek Restaurant is still open and serving customers in Seattle, Washington.
The restaurant has a 4 star rating on Yelp and receives lots of positive reviews from customers.
I’ll share some real Yanni’s Greek Cuisine reviews below to give you an idea of how it’s doing.
This makes Yanni’s Greek Cuisine one of the 20% of restaurants that Gordon Ramsay has been able to save.
Here’s what the Yanni’s Greek Restaurant Seattle WA location looks like in the most recent picture from Google Maps street view:
Yanni’s Greek Cuisine reviews after Kitchen Nightmares
Overall, reviews for Yanni’s Greek Restaurant are quite good after Kitchen Nightmares.
The restaurant has a 4 star rating on Yelp, which is better than most other restaurants on the show.
On Google, it has a 4.7 star rating, which is also way above many other restaurants that Gordon Ramsay visited.
Here’s a sampling of a few reviews from after the Gordon Ramsay Yanni’s Greek Restaurant visit…
5 star Yelp review from March 2018:
I am visiting Seattle long-term, and was staying in this neighborhood.
I had forgotten that I had viewed this Kitchen Nightmares episode.
I had chicken souvlaki and I thought that everything was delicious.
Really nice side salad, Greek potatoes, and the chicken/veggies/rice.
I let the lovely and attentive server choose my wine, and it was very nice.
4 star Yelp review from July 2015:
Saw this restaurant on Kitchen Nightmares so of course had to check it out.
I’d definitely say they’re back on track!
They have the best hummus I’ve ever had, including during my vacation to Greece!
The owner was very sweet and attentive – I couldn’t imagine him ever being upset like he was on the show!
My only complaint was that the fries weren’t very good, but other than that, everything was delicious and fresh.
I definitely recommend visiting!
5 star Yelp review from September 2015:
They say success leaves clues & this restaurant is a testament that perseverance and staying true to tradition and family pays off.
Peter and Karen feed you LOVE.
The food is amazing. Traditional Greek staples with a sprinkle of Mediterranean & Middle East fusion like in their falafel and humus samplers.
SUNDAY BREAKFAST is a gem! This is a must! They also offer dinner specials.
I had the braised Lamb shank which was infused with spice and layers of flavor.
These guys were featured on Gordon Ramsey’s “Kitchen Nightmares” which I don’t understand because bottom line my experience was a pleasurable dream.
If you live in Seattle or are visiting, you owe it to yourself to visit this great restaurant.
Overall, the negative reviews are few and far between, which is great to see.
What happened to the Yanni’s restaurant owners?
Yanni’s is still owned by Peter Avgoustiou as of 2023 and the restaurant is open and doing well.
In addition to running the Yanni’s Greek Restaurant, Peter also has a food store/wholesaler named Yiannis Foods and Wines.
You can see lots of pictures of that other business on its Facebook page.
Peter’s daughter, Alyse Avgoustiou, is still working as a sous chef at Yanni’s Greek Restaurant according to her Facebook page.
I’m not sure what Yanni’s other daughter, Tariya Avgoustiou, is up to as she doesn’t seem to have a Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn account.
I hope she’s doing well!
Final thoughts on Yanni’s Greek Cuisine
Overall, Yanni’s Greek Restaurant seems to be a legitimate Kitchen Nightmares success story.
It’s gone from losing $8,000-$10,000 per month at the time of Gordon Ramsay’s visits to over a decade of business success.
That’s great to see and I’m happy for the Avgoustiou family, as I’m sure Gordon Ramsay is as well.
With such success, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Yanni’s Seattle location stays open for another decade.
That wraps up my Yanni’s Greek Restaurant Kitchen Nightmares update!
If you want to see another Washington Kitchen Nightmares episode, you can read my update for Prohibition Grille in Everett WA.
That’s the only other episode where Gordon Ramsay made it to the Pacific Northwest on Kitchen Nightmares.
He did visit some Washington hotels on Hotel Hell, though.
If you’re interested in those, you can read my updates for Lakeview Hotel in Chelan WA and Monticello Hotel in Longview WA.
And if you want to share your thoughts on the Kitchen Nightmares Yanni’s Greek Restaurant episode, you can do so using the comments section below.
Thanks for reading!
More Information
https://www.yelp.com/biz/yannis-greek-restaurant-seattlehttps://www.facebook.com/Yannis-Greek-Restaurant-263479731373/
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Last updated: 2023-05-19 06:08
Thought the family did well to accept the reality of what chef Ramsay was saying,to accept the advice and change ways,just watched the episode again today and checked to see if it was still open,I am so pleased it is. Alyse Is Class,X
I found Tariya’s LinkedIn account.
Here’s the link:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/tariya-ella-rosca-679369116
Serious charges. Ten years later, I wonder what has happened to her?
I only found 1 source for a story on her crimes (Alyse, not Tariya) which is really strange given the crimes supposedly mentioned and the timeline, especially since it was dated less than a month after the episode originally airing
What crimes were they? I checked out the LinkedIn link but it was gone.
Greek food? More like geek food. Perfect for Seattle.
The family was nice people. I did not think yanni was sincere. I think he just wanted a free remodel of the restaurant.
That picture of Ramsay sitting at the small table with Chef Greaseball looks like it was taken at a prison. Really classic photo, as most of these lazy chefs should be incarcerated.
I wonder how many of the bad chefs get away with regular food poisoning of their customers? Where customers get sick, maybe go to a clinic but not bad enough to file a lawsuit??
I’m not sure if the oldest daughter has some emotional issues or what, but she is a bit of a crybaby. Although the younger sister is also in the wrong for rudely telling her to stop. But their problems all come from none other than Peter. He sucks as a person on every level. With a dad like him, I’d be emotionally disturbed too.