The good news is that the roach a Hell’s Kitchen Las Vegas patron spotted and recorded for posterity was in the gift shop, presumably after the patron finished a meal.
The bad news, of course, is that it was a roach in Hell’s Kitchen—the celebrity restaurant that’s supposed to be a testament to Chef Gordon Ramsay’s impeccable standards.
Evidence of the roach was captured for TikTok fans by creator Meghan (@anokmathteacher), bringing it to light on Thursday and getting 187,400 views as of Monday.
The on-screen caption on the short video, showing the roach climbing down the sleeve of a white chef’s shirt, reads, “Not there being a roach at Hell’s Kitchen” with an eyes emoji. The caption alongside the video was directed at Ramsay himself, asking “Can I have a refund?” before observing, “The sticky toffee pudding slapped though, ngl.”
According to the restaurant’s website, “The world’s first Gordon Ramsay Hell’s Kitchen restaurant is turning up the heat at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. Drawing inspiration from the global hit reality television show starring world-renowned Chef Gordon Ramsay, guests will feel like they are on the studio set.”
It adds, “Located in front of Caesars Palace, the restaurant seats more than 300 guests including two chef’s tables, floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the famous Las Vegas Strip, red and blue design details in the show kitchen, a private dining room and a contemporary bar serving the latest trends in mixology. The Red and Blue kitchens serve up modern lunch and dinner menus including Hell’s Kitchen signature dishes made with the highest quality ingredients.”
@anokmathteacher @Gordon Ramsay can I have a refund? The sticky toffee pudding slapped though, ngl 😋 #lasvegas #hellskitchen ♬ Hell’s Kitchen – TV Theme Players
It does not say anything about roaches—but commenters certainly did.
“That’s actually how gordon keeps an eye on all his locations,” one quipped. “He just hires this dude to keep watch.”
Another reported, “I used to work on the Vegas strip. Roaches are everywhere lol especially [near] the recycling areas. But we are also in a desert.”
“Roaches and mice are common in kitchens,” someone else stated. “It what you do about it once spotted that matters ie frequent exterminators traps and cleaning.”
The site for Holder’s Pest Solutions in Pearland, Texas, which definitely has a vested interest in the matter, remarked, “Cockroaches are looking for food, shelter and water. Restaurants offer an abundance of all these things. From moisture that collects from steam or cleaning habits, to food particles that accumulate in drains, under the counters or behind equipment, cockroaches really have all they need in a restaurant. A common misconception is that dirty restaurants cause cockroach problems. While poor sanitation certainly supports cockroach infestations in restaurants, cockroaches can get into a restaurant in several ways.”
Another noted, “My husband is a food service technician and he said every single restaurant is like this,” before adding ominously, “Y’all stay away from Subway.”
“My husband works construction and he refuses to eat,” yet another person said, “because he says at every restaurant he’s ever worked on even fancy ones there’s always roaches and rats.”
The Daily Dot has reached out to Meghan via TikTok direct message and to Hell’s Kitchen via online media form.
Update 3:42pm CT, Mar. 22, 2024:
In an email to the Daily Dot, a Hell’s Kitchen representative shared the following:
“Thank you so much for taking the time to reach out to us about what you saw online. The video link you sent is certainly not a representation of the Gordon Ramsay brand and we want to apologize for the images you saw on social media. We greatly appreciate your feedback and are taking active measures with our outlets to ensure there are no signs of any pest activity.”
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