Finn McCool's — Review by Gordon Ramsay
Hamptons, United States — Irish
Gordon Ramsay visits Finn McCool's, a struggling Irish family pub in the Hamptons, where he discovers serious problems with both the food quality and kitchen hygiene. Head chef Brian is arrogant and dismissive, resulting in poorly executed dishes and a dirty kitchen full of expired ingredients. The restaurant is financially failing and desperately needs intervention to survive.
What was great: Nothing mentioned
What could improve: Poor quality food including overcooked frozen salmon, greasy spring rolls, undercooked shepherd's pie, frozen clams, food dropped on floor and served to customers, filthy kitchen with expired ingredients, slow service, disrespectful staff, arrogant chef who refuses feedback
The Dishes
Gordon ordered several items to assess the kitchen's capabilities. The Finn spring roll arrived looking bizarre and tasted terrible, nothing like what the staff claimed customers enjoyed. The salmon dish was overcooked and tasted nothing like fresh fish, possibly canned tuna. The shepherd's pie, an Irish staple, tasted like cough mixture with excessive brown sauce and fat. Spring rolls were served with mustard in a strange presentation. During the firemen's visit, hot corned beef sandwiches came out dry, baked clam casserole featured frozen clams, and flounder was frozen and not flaky. The nachos were also disappointing. In the kitchen, Gordon discovered dropped chicken wings that were picked up off the floor and placed back in the fryer to be served to customers.
The Experience
The restaurant itself looked depressing from the outside, described as resembling a funeral parlor rather than a welcoming pub. The interior lacked atmosphere and proper Irish pub ambiance with awkward tweed neck curtains. Service was painfully slow, with firemen waiting 45 minutes for their food. Chef Brian was arrogant, dismissive of feedback, often on his cell phone during service, and refused to listen to his father Buddy or brother Jason. Kitchen conditions were deplorable with food safety violations including raw and cooked food stored together, expired canned items, and unsanitary practices.
Value and Pricing
The restaurant was losing approximately 4,000 to 5,000 dollars per week, putting it 20,000 dollars monthly behind what was needed to survive. Owner Buddy Masio had invested his entire police pension into the business and hadn't even taken a paycheck himself. The financial situation was dire and unsustainable.
Notable Moments
This is lethalGordon's response upon discovering the filthy kitchen conditions.
If Brian wasn't my son, I'd have fired himBuddy's admission about his chef son's poor performance.
He took it off the floor, put it in the fryer, and then back in the sauceGordon discovering staff retrieved dropped food from the floor and served it.
I don't see how this is going to workBrian's despair after the firemen visit went so poorly.
The Verdict
Finn McCool's was a kitchen nightmare requiring complete overhaul in both food quality and chef attitude. Gordon taught Brian how to make a proper shepherd's pie, demonstrating the stark difference between his lazy shortcuts and correct technique. This restaurant is best avoided until major changes occur in leadership, kitchen practices, and menu execution.