What Happened to Sal's Pizzeria & Mama Maria's AFTER Kitchen Nightmares?

Curious about what happened to Sal's Pizzeria and Mama Maria's after Gordon Ramsay's visit on Kitchen Nightmares? We're heading back to Brooklyn to find out!
John, the owner, took over the family business after his parents passed away, but he's struggled to keep up with the changing neighborhood. The staff say John's been sticking to his comfort zone, making pizzas at Sal's, while his kids run around the restaurant.
Fabio, the manager, thinks it's time for a change, but John doesn't want to let go of his parents' legacy. Will John be able to adapt and keep Mama Maria's doors open?
Don't miss this exciting update! Click now to see if John has turned things around since Gordon's visit and find out what's in store for this family-owned Brooklyn staple.
#KitchenNightmares #WhereAreTheyNow #SalsPizzeria #MamaMarias #Brooklyn #FamilyBusiness #GordonRamsay

[@luciagianquitto4010]

The owner felt like he wasn't able to keep up with the pepole changing tastes because he felt like that would have meant erasing his mother and fathers legacy

[@DianaPrinceIsFreakingAwesome]

I agree. I remember feeling sorry for him when I watched that episode.

[@ericrivera8410]

A true Italian from Italy never cooks frozen food everything including the tomatoes sauce is made fresh..he was jist lazy

[@cococock2418]

@@ericrivera8410as someone from the neighborhood, no one ever went to his pizzeria. His only business was the yuppies that moved in. There is nothing traditional about John and his pizza, he was known as a joke and the worst pizza in the neighborhood.

[@brandonduhon1933]

@@cococock2418we had a place like that too , the mailmen seemed to like it also … Could never figure that one out!! I worked across the street for years and ate there once !

[@evan4534]

B+ video report. You got the key theme but left out a few major plot details.

[@thedominatior39]

John's business was failing not because he was an egotistical maniac like a lot of places on Kitchen Nightmares seem to be, but that he was stuck in his old ways and still grieving the lose of both his parents. Glad he was able to turn things around and have his business end on his own terms.

[@kahunamoe22]

Ya and he was uneducated. Thats fucking child neglect.

[@frankmaiorana66]

John Esposito went out in 2023 on his own terms. Chef Ramsay visited Mama Maria's in 2012. I had the pleasure of visiting Mama Maria's in November of 2018 and had a phenomenal meal, begging my girlfriend to taste my entre. Mama Maria's was not the only restaurant I visited. I visited Peter's in Babylon Long Island in August of 1008.

[@philhensley5986]

@@kahunamoe22 A lot of under educated people start and run successful businesses. Hard work and focus will take you along way until you get more educated in business matters.

[@kahunamoe22]

@@philhensley5986 it's still neglectful as fuck by the parents for their own gain. Agree with you they can still be successful but it's despite of the parents not because of them

[@EndScene]

Live in the neighborhood... Mama Marias is now a pediatric clinic. For a while, it still had the "Mama Maria's" sign above it, so it looked like it was Mama Maria's Pediatrics...

[@jdevlin1910]

Depression is crippling and it's written all over John. The way out can be obvious but you just can not take the steps, horrible feeling. I hope he was able to recover.

[@michelehemlokhexwhite4310]

It's often obvious to others, especially if the causes are circumstantial, rather than brain chemistry issues. But it's rarely obvious to the depressed person, and indeed, taking steps to address it is often so difficult due to a complete lack of motivation in the depressed. I'm talking from my experience of myself and others. My ex ~ kid's dad ~ is currently quite depressed and has a house full of very organised rubbish (he is usually a neat person). All the cans here, all the bottles in that pile, etc. Our son currently isn't staying regularly due to his lack of parenting motivation, and I've offered to go clean up now for a few days, but he's too depressed to even let us in the door. We're trying again tomorrow. I'll just turn up and do it this time! Depression is a hard beast to wrangle. For me, it got better as I aged and learned how to manage myself better, but it's different for everyone. I hope John gets help to wrangle it ❤

[@michelehemlokhexwhite4310]

Lol that's the longest comment I've made in ages. You hit my Mental Health Advocacy nerve! 😅

[@user-ti4xw3qe7f]

John looks perpetually sad. Hope he's happier now.

[@sebs29]

I believe one of the main reason they closed for good was due to John's health. So I do hope is a lot happier and on the way to recovery.

[@InTaco7]

John looked entirely burned out. Getting over that takes years, if it even happens.

[@elzach0]

Unfortunately john died in 2018 due to glaucoma

[@zajaka4164]

@@elzach0 Please stop spreading misinformation on the internet, John is still alive and Sal's Pizzeria and Mama Maria's are both still open today.

[@MoonmanSpacejam]

You are doing the same thing 🤣 did you watch the end? He shut down both businesses so he could retire!!​@@zajaka4164

[@duskshadowbrony]

I feel so bad for John. He's a genuinely kind and nice guy. He loves his family. And because of that, he couldn't move past the death of his mother and father. He was broken, and didn't have enough help to assist him to move on, until Gordon came along. I was heartbroken when he admitted the sign outside was not changed since his parents died, that really showed he was afraid of their memory being erased.

[@waterjabbers1159]

The chef is 100% to blame for the sick customer. Yes, the owner shouldn't be stocking rotten meat, but the chef shouldn't be cooking and serving it. He didn't smell it and sent it.

[@arbetor12]

I think someone could make an arugement that even if he didn't john would of told him to send it out anyway. especially if he's handling stock. though I do admit he still should of smelt it and told the waiters ahead of time "no lobster tails. tell john to order more, they've gone bad."

[@Ma5jay5dontxdoxthat]

I would disagree bc the chef said he's talked to John about a lot of issues with the restaurant. The chef doesn't even make orders for the food deliveries which is a part of his job as a head chef, I doubt would let him throw something as expensive as lobster if the chef thought it gone bad.

[@hithisthers7214]

This was one of the only episodes on Kitchen Nightmares where I wished success for the owners. I'm glad it was open for 15 years after the episode and I truly hope John is living a happy retirement

[@brandonwenzel2844]

John's parents definitely did him dirty. It's obviously not uncommon for parents to get their kids involved when they've got a family business, but they basically indoctrinated John from the time he was a kid, and made sure he'd have limited opportunities because he didn't know anything else, and had a limited education. Maybe they thought they were doing what was best for him...but you shouldn't clip your kid's wings like that. They have to grow up into their own people and be allowed to thrive.

[@TaliZVasTyria]

Well sam from sam mediteranian kebob had the greatest sin of em all. He got hold of ALL his kids for free labor and made them feel like shit if they try to leave With john's parents at least i get it, they had an only son. Still wrong, but i get it Sam had more than 7!

[@ronatopaz2793]

Some people simply do not deserve to be parents.

[@SinnerChrono]

Free labor is why many people had kids back in the day.

[@dwlc4288]

Well said

[@amalberry2090]

John wasn’t gonna end up being a brain surgeon loool. You can tell he’s not smart.

[@walpoleandworcester]

John seemed like a good guy. I’m glad that he got to retire and spend more time with his family.

[@preachercaine]

When are these people going to learn that once food is frozen, it is no longer fresh?

[@pfelipens8522]

It's fresh frozen.

[@F1derful.]

Of course many of them know, but fresh Ingredients can get costly and business is bad they have no choice

[@shadenox8164]

@@F1derful. They definitely have a choice.

[@beautifulmidnight]

Aw. I’m glad it has a happy ending. A restaurant lasting that long is nothing to sneeze at.

[@hostesscupcakes8130]

This was by far the best episode in the whole series. It felt real and John was trying hard to genuinely take in Gordon's criticism.

[@Mhassar]

It's sad that the most obvious issue was John's depression. He never dealt with the death ofnhis parents. 😢

[@davetindell4110]

This is really common in the area I live in. Too many parents exploit thier kids for free labor. And thier kids have no clue how to run a business or live. Then the business and area fails.

[@corywagner1693]

I wonder what happened to the young couple Gordon Ramsay spilled smelly water on? Are they still together? Do they still talk about when Gordon Ramsay spilled smelly water on them? Did Gordon pay for the dry cleaning? I have been wondering this since the episode first aired.

[@keywellcoinsmafiametals8726]

Surprised they weren't in the relaunch segment

[@douggieharrison6913]

The aren't real. They're lizards hired by Ramsay to wear a human suit

[@keywellcoinsmafiametals8726]

@@douggieharrison6913 I'd believe it

[@christiangauthier727]

You said "John struggles to understand what has gone wrong." Truth is: *_John struggles understanding._*

[@coffeemister23]

I don’t blame John. This was the only thing he knew what to do. He dropped out of school. He didn’t know how to manage a business. Just because his parents owned it meant that he was best to run it. Making pizza was his whole identity. Seeing that fail right in front of you cannot be easy. It’s just a reaffirmation of your failures as a person and that is very difficult to face. He probably felt that he was trapped there since it’s the only thing he knew what to do. He knew deep inside that he was unqualified to run a business. I love that he was honest about his mistakes and about the reality of things compared to others on Kitchen Nightmares. It’s definitely sad to see a long establishment gone, but that’s America and how business works. Wishing the best for him and the rest of the fam.

[@jeanlove8510]

John was genuine, just stuck in his old ways, a good episode

[@tampaflbeastforlife]

i don't live that far away from this restaurant and for years know i forgot to check them out since they upgraded after the show lol thanks for the update

[@RealityTVRescues]

nice! did you ever go? Their pizza looks good but no doubt you have endless good options to choose from where you are.

[@luciagianquitto4010]

I agree with the person that said that John nedeed some theraphy because it's clear that he wasn't in a good mindset

[@calebdouglas7622]

John was completely dismissive of his market and it looked like he just had no life left in him and it showed

[@christiangauthier727]

John was literally a little Boy trapped in a Man's Body... Little to no Education, little to no Internal Resources (Intelligence, Initiative, Ambition , Curiosity, Resilience, Mental Fortitude, Common Sense, Low Self-esteem & Depression (that one, like many, is not his fault...), Lack of Judgement, Wisdom, Maturity, Leadership, and more...), mainly because he's been done *so dirty* by his Parents and never got Supported and Nurtured...

[@Pacster15]

So happy you covered this. This was my favorite episode of all time.

[@jhontormenta6384]

We recently had a beloved pizza restaurant around here shut down for a similar reason. Difference was the guy was over 80 and had been making apizza for over 60 years. As much as i miss the place, he will go down in local history.

[@brown3036]

I like to “like “ first then proceed to the video cuz I am never let down!

[@kygirl05]

Almost all of the people featured on the show goes back to how things were 🤦🏻‍♀️ It’s not surprising that most goes out of business.

[@henryreturns1397]

Wake up babe , a new video of Reality TV Rescues just drop

[@shortyzangelz]

I use to work across the street from there! John was always involved

[@eriknelson7077]

I literally was just thinking of this restaurant and Lord and beyond, this episode comes up. I always felt bad for him but I’m glad he kept it open for so many years after the episode aired.

[@jamoosa1987]

Every time i watch this episode i notice, there's a part when john got angry and threw the boxes, there's a waitress under all the boxes and all of them fell on her 😢

[@deaf2819]

THATS the real John if you ask me. Excuses of “depression” and mental health issues are just that, excuses.

[@phantomhurricane666]

did you know that ramsey made a cameo in an episode of my little pony? well, not him specifically, but the orange unicorn with a wrinkly forehead, blonde hair and a chef's jacket was clearly meant to be him. his name was gourmand ramsey. basically the episode was my little pony meets kitchen nightmares. give the episode a watch and you'll see what i mean. it was called 'spice up your life'

[@RealityTVRescues]

wow cool did not know that... will try to incorporate that in sometime

[@phantomhurricane666]

@@RealityTVRescues the episode is set in the cosmopolitan city of Manehattan. (see what they did there?)

[@aeronphillips8876]

I just looked it up because while I've seen every episode of MLP: FiM I did NOT remember Gourmand, and when I saw him I immediately giggled. You are 100000% correct that's Gordon Ramsay all right~ And his cutie mark is a little stylized flame. Absolutely adorable, I think that doing this EP for like a "April Fools" episode where RTVR plays it completely straight like he does in these videos would be adorable and hilarious.

[@phantomhurricane666]

@@aeronphillips8876 catchy song as well. "it's gonna work, i swear it's gonna work. it's gonna work out just fine, trust me"

[@phantomhurricane666]

@@RealityTVRescues you'll be happy to know the tasty treats restaurant continued to thrive. picture the mlp equivalent of an indian restaurant. i wish Coriander Cumin and Saffron Masala the best.

[@blahblahgdp]

when Covid hit, it was crazy watching all these local places in my area close.

[@bronxkies]

I must say, your coverage of these restaurants are so endearing. It's like I'm looking at family friends I've known throughout the years. From Kingston Cafe, Finn McCools (which is one of my least favorite episodes), Lido Di Manhattan (not one of my favorites either), to Mama Maria's I find myself reaching the end of the video and almost in tears to see how far some of them have come and to see their successes and how they've embraced different changes in their lives. It's like looking through photo albums even though I don't know these people from a hole in the wall lol! Thanks for the wholesome videos!

[@RealityTVRescues]

My pleasure! Glad you enjoy!

[@bronxkies]

@@RealityTVRescues 🙏

[@nodevoutt]

i'm surprised it was a sucess, he seemed really depressed and depression is a killer. plus his lobster was rotten

[@JetPackFlame]

John really was stuck in the past and unable to adapt and move in a new direction. He’s lucky his businesses lasted as long as they did. Sadly the pan-demic destroyed many businesses, so I hope he doesn’t feel too bad about their end.

[@MaliceInCandyland]

The owner had to leave the family business because the business made him more depressed. This is why taking antidepressants and potentially other depression treatments (ex. electroshock) is critically important if you have depression. The owner literally could not leave the past alone.

[@kirkdavis2881]

I doubt that Johns parents made food this way. New York is a tough market. It isn't like this was an Italian restaurant in some rural area.

[@ericrivera8410]

Exactly I grew up in that neighborhood alot of Italian friends their mothers were straight from Italy everything is fresh never frozen

[@shemlesh]

allegedly mama maria's was still open as late as early this year, people seem to be confused because the pizzeria closing was posted on both facebook feeds, when it only mentions Sal's closing. there are recent reviews.

[@franklinyupa899]

Can't unheear John Despacito 9:14 "Daddy Ramsay." A comma should've been there 😅

[@Mr.E723]

This was the one episode I genuinely felt for the owner. Only part I didn’t like was the customer getting food poisoning, that was so obviously staged. If the lobster they sell is bad enough to poison someone they would have been out of business long before the show. That’s awfully convenient it only happened when Chef Ramsay was there.

[@shadenox8164]

Or you know it happens intermittently enough. Staging something like that isn't worth Gordon's reputation.

[@WeCanCos]

This is my favorite restaurant makeover. The personal touches were such a special inclusion for the owner, who clearly had not wprked through his grief. The old restaurant was becomingoreva tomb than a place to go eat. It's a shame that it was not kept.

[@erikk7643]

If ever there was sign to truly respect the process of grief. John is stuck in the depression stage. Living in the past always makes people depressed.

[@mkcstealth7624]

I'm glad John is getting to hopefully do what he wants instead of trying to keep his parents legacy alive

[@spooksbukowski63]

I do understand that there are things in a gastronomy kitchen you need to freeze sometimes, but usually it’s small things like fresh butter or bread(sourdough works well, lighter bread will lose it’s taste). But they straight up froze EVERYTHING. How does that work?

[@spooksbukowski63]

Btw if someone is confuzzled by the sourdough remark, I live in Germany and we have like500 types of bread here

[@taxiuniversum]

I keep saying this: With shows like Kitchen Nightmares, one crucial element for sustainable success would be to also provide psychological assistance. Because psychological issues are at the core of most failures. Just telling someone how to properly cook doesn’t fix that.

[@atraxian5881]

Finally! Someone who can pronounce Bruschetta the correct way and not bruschetta!

[@aeronphillips8876]

Hi I audibly cackled reading this comment because I read it with the correct pronunciations and then realized "Wait--" Ya got me good dude, ngl

[@aeroAdvocate]

He held on for 15 years post-show, and the guy was already in his late 40s/early 50s.

[@TaliZVasTyria]

I still feel weird with how john seems to be talking behind gordon's back during the reopening night...

[@Archer50K]

ive been waiting for this one!! the only episode that made me cry

[@TheBenghaziRabbit]

Nice work

[@KofC83]

Just noticed one of the comments you quoted was posted by a user named 'saucysheepshagger' 😂

[@mrsmall9917]

At least he can spend time with his family

[@lolabelle4959]

My fav ep, been waiting for this, thank u❤

[@RealityTVRescues]

You're welcome 😊

[@DaijDjan]

"This episode was filmed in 2012" and "fifteen years later".. Are you a time traveler? ;)

[@AnalyticalMenace]

wut?

[@DaijDjan]

@@AnalyticalMenace I made a joke pointing out a small error in the video. With the show's episode being filmed and aired in 2012, "fifteen years later" hasn't happened yet.

[@JRMAV1]

Living in the past does not honor your parents memory

[@candicelewis3001]

Sad to see so many old restaurants go away.😢

[@RedxFusionz]

please make a video on the Clubway 41, episode of Kitchen Nightmares uk

[@RealityTVRescues]

For sure. It’s on the list.

[@ForeignerFan74]

Thanks For Sharing!

[@RealityTVRescues]

My pleasure!

[@BrooklynRedneck]

Sals pizzeria really was great pizza at one point. Shame its downfall happened and what happened to John. I used to stop by his pizzeria all the time while on the road for work. Me and the crew split pizza pies almost daily while working by his pizzeria. And the pasta truly was handmade and served fresh, never frozen back in the day. It used to be delicious. the death of his parents really took a toll and the love out of the restaurant for John.

[@taurus_chic_88]

This one was heartbreaking

[@Bangpaulxu]

It is always a great day when you upload!❤❤❤

[@arfriedman4577]

Im happy he was able to have good business after Gordon, and hes retired now.

[@a697ag]

Ah! Fresh frozen. Mmm ... my favorite

[@Brad772006]

I was kinda hoping to try that ammonia flavored lobster. Sounds like an interesting and tasty dish.

[@MiWill1988]

12:55 you know what else he listed? Nino!

[@RealityTVRescues]

Haha I don’t think it was the same one

[@tonyrogers8132]

U make some good recap videos my boy!!

[@RealityTVRescues]

Thanks Tony. Glad you enjoy

[@lyokohero]

I really hope they owned the properties And they were able to either sell it or rent it out. I really hope he's doing well

[@_nellysunshine]

Best story!!

[@ezegaming2115]

Does he recoup money for things that get reverted back???

[@Webbula]

“Brooskedda” 😊

[@Joeybsmooth]

Sal's in Borklynn , good thing they rebuilt after the riot.

[@ericrivera8410]

Brooklyn

[@sebastianmmmmmm]

I’m so proud 100k views🎉🎉🎉

[@RealityTVRescues]

Thanks Sebastian!

[@Break531]

This was one of the very few episodes that actually made me feel very bad for the owner. While fault could be heaped on him, John wasn't just arrogant or egotistical about his successes in the past like other owners seen on the show, but he was bound to his past and was obviously crippled emotionally and most definitely feels the sacrifice he had to make to help his parents many years ago. He obviously also feels horrible about his performance as it was affecting his wife and children. Hope he's fine now.

[@quinnzykir]

I’m glad it ended being successful for 11 years

[@NickChandlernicksnothome]

Clicked on this thinking I might see radio rahiem

[@MariaWerner-sf1ef]

Strange that he can’t even spell ‘Mamma’ correctly in Italian 😮

[@jockclimie3981]

I'm poor as fk and I'll gladly take all that pasta to bring home 🏡

[@dwlc4288]

Parents did him wrong as a child.

[@Zac-ls6hn]

Hi this is Sal Governale

[@Hurricanelive]

nostalgia is one hell of a drug and mental illness.

[@Kat-queenofnerds]

this one of the few owners that you really feel for. he wasnt an egomaniacal nutcase like some, just stuck in the past. he didnt deflect blame, didnt scream at his staff and when pushed he did try to do better. glad he got a happy ending

[@ocathain-games]

Glad he retired, man earned it

[@safirehman113]

What an absolute waste of an ambulance lol

[@cjninebot13]

I miss that place, i used to go there every weekend

[@JoanSlugXAkaJerkyBogard]

Whatever are your opinions on Sal's Pizzería and Mama Maria's, Al least they're not Amy's.... *Karen Grunts* Ummm..... Amy's *More Karen Grunts* AT LEAST THEY'RE NOT AMY'S BAKING COMPANY!!!. *Karen Roars.*

[@1_Fish.2_Fish.Red_Fish.]

I’m a hubbist.

[@ryanisaaks]

I love you 💖💖💖

[@vintagegamer889]

Sorry to say but Gordon's signs and rebranding are always incredibly tacky and cheap looking. The OG Mama Maria's sign is much more inviting and invokes the feeling an old family run italian spot should.

[@ericrivera8410]

The neighborhood changed its more hipsters now

[@shadenox8164]

They needed to attract the people that were there.

[@TammieR-B]

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

[@pleasureincontempt3645]

It is foolish to watch a popular television show and and then not realize that the reviews in the aftermath would be total BS.

[@breezy6859]

John was one of the very few owners my heart broke for. He was depressed and it was written all over his face.

[@actualfaxts1570]

I can make better hand made pasta with my feet and I’ll cut the basil leaves with my toe nails