Lela's

What happened after

Restaurant closed soon after its Nov 2007 episode aired; no exact date given.

Closure date on record: 2007

What happened on the show

Eight months open and already buried in debt, Lela's had a dining room at war with its kitchen and a prep cook, nicknamed Buzzard, who was quietly robbing the place. Ramsay reached Pomona to empty streets and a menu missing half its items. What he could order was worse: canned tomato basil soup passed off as homemade, stale nacho chips, lamb smaller than his knife and clearly frozen, and a brownie that never arrived because Buzzard had eaten it. During service, chef Ricky and manager Tabitha kept blaming each other while Ramsay caught Buzzard walking out with armfuls of food and bottles of wine. A blind taste test settled the kitchen's leadership: sous chef Lex beat Ricky handily, so Ramsay installed Lex as head chef, promoted Tabitha to manager, sent owner Lela for a spa makeover, and challenged the crew to build a burger for a town that lacked a good one.

After the cameras left

Whatever momentum the makeover created evaporated fast. Lela's, at 296 West Second Street in Pomona, closed soon after its November 2007 episode aired, the timing vague enough that only the year is firm. A restaurant already drowning in debt inside its first year rarely has the runway to recover, and this one did not. The reshuffled kitchen and fresh burger could not outrun the balance sheet.