The Sushi Ko restaurant fared even worse after Chef Ramsay’s revamp and ended up closing down fairly quickly.
Although Chef Gordon Ramsay managed to get the Hatae family to see eye to eye by the end of their episode, the Sushi Ko restaurant could not recover and it closed down shortly after his visit.
What happened to Sushi Ko restaurant from Kitchen Nightmares?
Every episode of Kitchen Nightmares follows a similar format – celebrity chef, Gordon Ramsay, visits a failing family restaurant and is disgusted by the décor, the service and the food.
He then fixes the most glaring issues, and the restaurant is re-launched, better than ever.
This was the case for the family-run restaurant, Sushi Ko, which was featured on season three, episode 12 of the show.
When Chef Ramsay arrived at this restaurant, the Hatae family was not only struggling with their business, but also with their personal relationships.
Fortunately, by the end of the episode, Chef Ramsay seemed to have restored order to the restaurant by reminding Akira that he should be focusing on the food and bringing the rest of the family together for a successful re-opening.
Unfortunately, Chef Ramsay’s intervention proved to be too little too late. The Sushi Ko restaurant closed down in 2010, before the episode even aired.
The Sushi Ko timeline
Chef Ramsay actually visited the restaurant and filmed the Sushi Ko episode about a year before this episode officially aired, in 2009, as is customary with some television shows.
Akira and his wife, Lisa, reportedly started searching for a new, more affordable location shortly thereafter, but regrettably, the restaurant officially shut its doors on August 8, 2009.
The “Sushi Ko” Kitchen Nightmares episode aired about nine months after the restaurant had already closed down on May 14, 2010.
Why did Sushi Ko close down?
Chef Ramsay’s involvement helped to generate some buzz around Sushi Ko initially, and the restaurant saw a small uptick in business.
However, it seems as though this was simply not enough to keep the restaurant afloat or to pay off its debts.
Akira’s statement about the restaurant’s closure revealed that they were struggling to get enough people in the door, even after Chef Ramsay’s changes were implemented, and that their family had lost parts of themselves in the process.
What happened after Sushi Ko closed down?
When Sushi Ko closed down, another restaurant called Nate ‘n Al Delicatessen opened in the same location.
However, it seems as though this restaurant may have experienced its own issues, as another eatery called ‘Umami Burger’ took over shortly thereafter.
The old Sushi Ko location is now occupied by a California Pizza Kitchen chain restaurant.
