Gordon Ramsay doesn’t just scream in kitchens—he builds them. In 2025, his culinary empire spans 58 restaurants across 14 countries, from Michelin-starred fine dining to burger joints in airports. But the truth behind that success? It’s brutally hard.
“People think it’s glamorous,” Ramsay said. “It’s not. It’s 20-hour days. It’s waking up at 4 a.m. for supplier calls in Tokyo and finishing menus for Vegas by midnight.”
He personally tastes every new dish that goes on a menu—sometimes flying 6,000 miles just to approve a garnish. His staff call it “the Gordon gauntlet.”
Behind the scenes, there are spreadsheets, labor shortages, and endless lawsuits. “I’ve had to fire friends. I’ve closed restaurants that had my name on the door. There’s no room for emotion when your name is a brand,” he admitted.
But there’s also pride. He trains head chefs like future CEOs. He funds scholarships for young cooks. And he still texts his original sous-chef from the 1990s every Christmas.
“I’m tough because I care,” he said. “A bad dish isn’t just a mistake—it’s a betrayal of every kid who ever dreamed of making it.”
For Ramsay, food is love—but running the empire is war.
