ANAHEIM, Ca. February, 2012—“Yes, I would do it all over again,” concludes Tony Catizone, co-owner of Luigi’s D’Italia in Anaheim about being on Gordon Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares. “Except next time I would have the preparation and experience of having done it once.”
Chef/owner Luigi Catizone
Tony and brother Chef Luigi Catizone are both grateful and glad to have done the show.
“We thought it couldn’t hurt, and maybe Gordon Ramsay could give us some direction,” he says.
Luigi Catizone, 51, reported business has increased 40 percent since his prime time debut. “I hope it lasts,” he comments.
Dominick Catizone, founder and father to Luigi and Tony, retired and returned to his home in Italy in 1999. “He loved being a host and had a charm like no one else. He talked to everyone and loved the food. He would sip the wine as he served it and sigh over how good it tasted,” says Luigi.
The problems they were facing are not uncommon to restaurants. Regular guests get older, don’t come as often, move on, or pass away. The menu doesn’t change and finding new customers is a challenge. Added to the financial challenges of owning a business, family disagreements between the brothers caused problems that were evident in the show.
As per Kitchen Nightmare formula, Ramsay tried several dishes and pronounced them "horrible," "disgusting," and "dreadful." Luigi disagreed with his assessment of his seafood dish that Ramsay called “bland” and “mushy” on camera. “It upset me a lot,” says Luigi.
“I didn’t think some of the things he criticized were that bad. I looked at it like a car. We need a tune-up but not an overhaul,” says Tony. “I didn’t really know what to expect. I had only watched one episode and it had been a while. It was stressful and I wasn’t fully prepared.”
Gordon Ramsay
Ramsay came in that same evening to observe dinner service. “People came in we’d never seen before and they complained. I can count on one hand the complaints we’ve gotten in 30 years,” Luigi maintains.
“The worst thing was the stress of family fighting,” Tony relates. Being under scrutiny for seven days only added to the pressure, “I would go home thinking I was still mike’d up or being watched.”
Ramsay set up a meeting with the family and staff to discuss service issues.
Employees complained to Ramsay about the lack of quality control and family arguments creating a stressful atmosphere.
Grace, Luigi’s wife, was the target of some criticism. The Kitchen Nightmare editors clearly love family drama choosing close-ups of tears and angry outbursts and conflicts, with little time left for food.
Ramsay reminded them they had to work together to fix the restaurant. “He played psychiatrist, but it was mostly common sense,” Luigi said.
The delicious pan roasted Pork loin with braised greens and creamy polenta, $16, is one of Ramsay's recipes.
The following day he worked with Luigi and Grace to make sausage from scratch. “He 86’d the one we were using and gave us a recipe for homemade sausage,” says Tony. “That’s now my favorite.”
Ramsay worked with Luigi on other new recipes, which the staff sampled and heartily approved.
Words of wisdom came in the form of a surprise video appearance from Italy by Papa Dominick, who urged his sons to work together. Tearful faces added to the drama.
The overnight remodel delighted the staff and family. The restaurant reopened to enthusiastic crowds. “The walls have more of an artistic touch. We added family pictures to give it our touch,” Tony reports.
Manager/partner Tony Catizone
After the revamped menu took the place of the older one, the family got complaints from guests who missed some of their favorite items. “My brother decided it was best to keep our old menu and Ramsay’s version as well,” says Tony.
The plan is to track which dishes sell best and create a new menu combining the best selling items from the old and new.
“I think I personally have to look at myself and see how I can improve, approach and greet more people. It is still difficult though because there are still family differences,” Tony says. “I’m learning to put things in the past and accept change.”
Overall, Luigi and Tony are very positive on the experience at five months after the taping.
Luigi mentioned one of Ramsay’s ideas, “The chili oil instead of butter, (attractively bottled on every tabletop), saves us money. I went through four cases of butter a week, now less than one,” he notes. “He did a lot for us. We now attract foodies and new people.”
Luigi’s D Italia
801 South State College
Anaheim, CA 92806
714-490-0990
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