The Gordon Ramsay Restaurant That Completely Failed In The US

Gordon Ramsay may be one of the most famous chefs of our time. Not only has his world-renowned culinary skills earned him an impressive seven Michelin stars, they've also carried him forward to become something of a reality TV giant. People follow everything he does, fascinated with his cooking tips, his opinions, and even his last meal choices. His success is so notable that he operates a total of 88 restaurants worldwide, with 32 in the United States. But despite the British chef's impressive resumé, not all of his business ventures have panned out the way he hoped. Back in 2014, his Los Angeles restaurant, Fat Cow, closed after being open for less than two years.

Considered one of the most dire celebrity chef restaurant flops in the US, Fat Cow met a tragic end no one predicted. The restaurant had a good idea behind it. It was less upscale and more accessible than many of Ramsay's restaurants. Serving wood-fired pizzas, mac and cheese, and soft-serve ice cream, it was marketed as a casual joint for gathering with friends. The décor was rustic farm chic, with communal tables and repurposed wood. This certainly sounds like a cozy place with a good menu. What, then, went wrong?

Ramsay may have been great at designing a menu, but it seems like he wasn't great at the administrative side of the business. Almost as soon as Fat Cow opened, a series of lawsuits were filed against Ramsay and his business partner, Rowen Seibel. The first of these lawsuits seems somewhat silly: The owner of a Floridian restaurant called Las Vacas Gordas (which translates to, "fat cows" in Spanish) claimed trademark infringement. We guess the owners saw an opportunity to make money off of a celebrity chef and took it.

But that's not where the story ends. Once the restaurant had changed its name to Roast, Seibel sued Ramsay, apparently because he thought the chef had purposefully used the trademark problem to edge him out of the business. Ouch. The other lawsuits were even more serious: Employees sued over labor abuse, as they were apparently paid below what they were legally entitled to, and were expected to work without breaks. A contractor also sued over an unpaid amount of $45,350 for services it had provided the restaurant. This wouldn't be the last time Ramsay would be sued. He also had problems over some unfavorable clips used in his reality shows. With so many legal troubles, and horrible business practices, Fat Cow never stood a chance. Talk about kitchen nightmares.