Is Zeke's From Kitchen Nightmares Still Open Today?
The popular neighborhood seafood restaurant Zeke's was featured on Gordon Ramsay's "Kitchen Nightmares" in 2011. The New Orleans restaurant specialized in creole food, and while it had long been a community staple, the eatery's quality had diminished after the death of its founder. The owners began exclusively buying frozen seafood in lieu of fresh, and accompanied by a price increase, customers were not happy with the direction that the restaurant was headed. Many employees seemed to think the new owners were only interested in making money. That's when Gordon Ramsay stepped in.
Chef Ramsay was quickly shocked by the bad quality of the food at Zeke's as he dug into plates of half-frozen food and tasteless chicken. However, Some dishes, such as the restaurant's bread pudding, saved the establishment from total embarrassment. Ramsay cleaned up the place by adding fresh dishes to the menu and a revamped dining area. The changes worked, and customers left Zeke's much happier. So, over a decade later, is Zeke's from Kitchen Nightmares still open? Sadly, the answer is no.
What went wrong?
Despite the positive changes, Zeke's closed in October 2012 after the owners decided to sell the restaurant. The new owners built something new in its place a year later. As stated by the employees throughout the episode of "Kitchen Nightmares," the owners of Zeke's Kitchen only seemed interested in making a profit off of the place. While we can speculate as to the reasoning behind the restaurant's closure, that lack of enthusiasm on the owner's part could have contributed to the problem.
While the restaurant is gone today, customers were initially impressed by how much Ramsay was able to turn things around. Some reviewers on Yelp decided to take a trip to the establishment after the changes, and most were happy with the results. One customer praised the owner for changing his attitude and even said he stopped by her table to greet her. Another fan praised the unique décor inside the place, citing the hot sauce chandelier as a particularly big selling point, while others complimented the size of the entrées. With all the positivity surrounding the new and improved Zeke's, it's no wonder many fans were disappointed by its closure.
Fan reactions to the closure of Zeke's restaurant
Customers were quick to react to the unexpected closure of Zeke's restaurant, with some Yelp reviewers truly angry at the loss, especially considering all the work put in by Ramsay to turn Zeke's around. One commenter on a blog post about the episode claimed that many other restaurants from "Kitchen Nightmares" suffered the same fate after reverting to their old negative habits after Ramsay's visits. That could have been a reason for Zeke's closure, too.
While Zeke's restaurant is gone, one new restaurant has come to take its place. Luke & Porter's opened at the former Zeke's location in 2014 and is still going strong today, selling traditional Louisiana fare. The restaurant has received many accolades for its menu and has even been dubbed one of the dozen best restaurants to get fried chicken. So, if you were planning a trip to Zeke's, you're out of luck, but you can always check out Luke & Porter's instead.