What Happened To Dillon's After Kitchen Nightmares?

Alex Bierens De Haan/Getty Images

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

Chef Gordon Ramsay has navigated his way around many catastrophic restaurants in his hit show "Kitchen Nightmares." While Ramsay's preferred communication style is shouting and swearing, there are some situations where his volatile behavior is totally warranted. In our ranking of the best "Kitchen Nightmare" episodes, Manhattan-based restaurant Dillon's (which eventually became Purnima) landed in third place. Appearing on one of the earliest episodes of "Kitchen Nightmares," Dillon's was a study in culinary chaos. From rotten food to bumbling managers, this episode had a little something for everyone.

The process of trying to reform failing restaurants on "Kitchen Nightmares" is rarely straightforward, as some establishments fight the seasoned chef tooth and nail when it comes to his proposed changes. As for Dillon's, Ramsay's intervention was somewhat successful, but that didn't stop a former staff member from filing a lawsuit against the show. As wild (and off-putting) as this episode gets, it's just another day in the life of Ramsay and "Kitchen Nightmares."

Right from the outset of Season 1, Episode 2 of "Kitchen Nightmares," it's clear that Dillon's restaurant in New York City was desperate for an intervention. While the dining establishment was primely located in the bustling theater district, empty tables were a common occurrence. As for the menu, Dillon's featured a mix of Indian, Irish, and American dishes. This taxed the cooking staff because some of the chefs were only accustomed to certain styles of food. Then there was the matter of constantly buzzing flies, roach infestation, blatantly rotten food, and an overabundance of managers, none of whom met Gordon Ramsay's expectations.

During his visit to Dillon's, Ramsay took particular umbrage with general manager Martin Hyde, whom the show presented in an unflattering light. The show depicted him as inattentive and incompetent and cast doubt on the the way he interacted with female staff. Despite this, Ramsay made great strides in improving the menu thanks to chef and consultant Vikas Khanna, as well as overhauling the look of the restaurant and renaming the establishment Purnima in honor of the revamped Indian fusion menu. According to Purnima's owner, Mohammad Islam, Ramsay's changes benefited the restaurant substantially in terms of profits and customer satisfaction. However, a tense argument between Ramsay and Hyde at the end of the episode resulted in the general manager resigning from his position.

In an update episode of "Kitchen Nightmares" filmed one year after his initial visit, Gordon Ramsay returned to Purnima and found that the restaurant continued to thrive after he left. Vikas Khanna stayed on as a consultant and helped maintain a tasty and innovative menu with assistance from operations manager Andrew Blackmore-Dobbyn. According to owner Mohammad Islam, the changes made by Ramsay increased the financial standing of the restaurant exponentially, rendering it a bona fide "Kitchen Nightmares" success story (at least at the time). 

These warm and fuzzy feelings didn't extend to former general manager Martin Hyde, however. Hyde filed suit against "Kitchen Nightmares," as well as Ramsay himself, in an effort to prevent the show from airing. The disgraced staff member claimed that show staff placed rotten meat in the kitchen for dramatic effect. Hyde also alleged that the show misleadingly portrayed him as being focused on his phone. Many of the calls depicted were purportedly related to a cabaret theater attached to the restaurant (which Hyde was reportedly responsible for booking). Hyde also stated that he had little involvement in kitchen operations and was primarily a front-of-house employee. Hyde's lawsuit was unsuccessful, as the episode aired on schedule and quickly earned icon status for the many gross-outs and conflicts presented.

Luis Alvarez/Getty Images

Many restaurants close down after "Kitchen Nightmares" likely because they were already in serious trouble by the time the show intervened. During the first seven seasons of the series, it's estimated that more than 60% of the establishments that appeared on the show wound up closing. Sadly, Dillon's-slash-Purnima experienced the same fate. The restaurant is now closed, reportedly shutting its doors back in 2009 (though the exact date of closure can't be confirmed). As for why the restaurant closed despite its increasing success, a lawsuit filed by owner Mohammad Islam could provide some insight. 

Islam claimed that skyscraper construction taking place behind Purnima caused significant damage to the restaurant and drove diners away. The suit also alleged that Purnima's building owner failed to properly maintain the structure, which led to pest infestations and other defects. At the time of the suit, Islam stated he was pursuing other properties for Purnima, but it doesn't appear that he was able to secure a new location. These seem to be legitimate concerns, but it's worth considering what diners had to say about the restaurant after "Kitchen Nightmares." A Yelp review published in 2008 complained, "What a ghastly disappointment. What a joke for a restaurant ... mediocre service with mediocre food at prices that were WAY too high!!"

While Purnima sadly couldn't stand the test of time (and NYC's ultra-competitive dining scene), the restaurant's appearance on "Kitchen Nightmares" did result in a lasting collaboration between chef Vikas Khanna and chef-slash-operational manager Andrew Blackmore-Dobbyn. In fact, the latter played a role in creating Khanna's James Beard-nominated cookbook "Return to the Rivers", which chronicled the chef's experiences in The Himalayas. In an Instagram post, Khanna said that Blackmore-Dobbyn "helped me improve speaking English, cooking, writing, movie making, documentaries and my confidence to face people & camera." Khanna also stated, "[Blackmore-Dobbyn's] love for Indian Cuisine was a perfect partnership with me ... He was and will always be with me."

As for Martin Hyde, it's not clear what's happened to the much maligned and ridiculed general manager in recent years. Shortly after the release of the episode on which he appeared, Hyde told Observer, "They've blocked me from the restaurant business," indicating that producers behind the scenes at "Kitchen Nightmares" somehow prevented him from finding another job in the industry. Instead, Hyde reportedly took a position at a car service where he managed limousine drivers. While the eatery formerly known as Dillon's seemed to have the makings of a great restaurant after Gordon Ramsay's visit, its failure shows just how challenging this industry can be.