‘Nightmare in the Kitchen’ Restaurant in Cavalaire permanently Closed After Second Financial Crisis
Cavalaire-sur-Mer,France – The restaurant featured on a 2019 episode of Nightmare in the Kitchen,initially revitalized by the show’s intervention,has permanently closed its doors. Patrick, the owner, detailed a recent financial collapse two years after publicly appealing for help, bringing an end to the establishment’s struggle for survival.
The restaurant underwent a complete overhaul following its appearance on the program. Nightmare in the Kitchen facilitated a modernization of the kitchen, a full renovation of the dining room, new décor, updated plating techniques, and a streamlined menu. “My kitchen was outdated, but I couldn’t afford to redo it. Thanks to the show, it was fully changed,” Patrick explained at the time. The menu was reduced to five starters, five main courses, and five desserts, and catering services were discontinued to focus on core restaurant operations. Prices were adjusted downwards while maintaining profitability through waste reduction.
The changes yielded immediate positive results. Following the January 2019 broadcast, attendance jumped from 60% to 70%, and the average customer spend increased. Patrick reported the impact of the show surpassed all previous advertising efforts, and customers appreciated the new setting and refined dishes for several years.
However,the restaurant faced a new crisis in February 2023. Patrick entrusted the restaurant’s management to a young couple seeking a loan to purchase the business. As a condition of the loan,the couple needed to demonstrate three months of turnover. Patrick agreed, but rent payments ceased. “I was paid in July, August, not entirely in September, almost nothing in october, and nothing as then,” he wrote in a Facebook post.The bank ultimately denied the couple’s credit submission.
Patrick regained possession of the restaurant before Christmas 2023, but lacked the funds to reopen and restock. “I am currently in a hopeless situation and I feel helpless,” he confessed in the post, soliciting ideas from customers and friends.
As of today, the restaurant is listed as “permanently closed” online, marking the final chapter in a turbulent journey documented by the popular television program.
