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REALITY CHECK: Contrary to Popular Belief, Celebrity Chefs Regularly Work in Their Own Establishments

Recounted last Monday: Debunking a false narrative about Gordon Ramsay, who did not eject Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce from Hell's Kitchen restaurant due to intoxication.

SymClub
Jun 21, 2024
2 min read
Newscasino
Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay poses for a
Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay poses for a

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A myth we debunked a few Mondays back — that Gordon Ramsay ejected Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce from his Hell's Kitchen eatery due to intoxication — also included another myth for this edition: that celebrity chefs actually work in their own restaurants.

It's not rocket science figuring out who sparked this myth and why. As per a vintage menu at Gordon Ramsay Pub & Grill at Caesars Palace: "If the gentleman sitting at the end of the bar looks a lot like Gordon, well, it just might be."

Reserving the Cooks

Caesars Entertainment wants you to believe that dining at one of the six Las Vegas restaurants they manage for Ramsay gives you a chance to rub shoulders with him — so much so that the casino company requires him to visit each restaurant for at least a full day annually.

During each visit, Ramsay is contractually bound to permit photographers to snap images of him as if his presence is an ordinary occurrence, rather than a necessity for him to bag his $340K annual name-licensing fee per restaurant, along with 5%-6% of Caesars' net revenue from it.

This indicates that, once someone earns millions from TV shows and passive licensing deals, they'd prefer not to cook your Pan-Seared Salmon on a hot stove after you've arrived ravenous from watching Mat Franco's 7 p.m. show at the LINQ.

Celebrity chefs may lend a hand in developing the menus at their Las Vegas restaurants — but they absolutely never step foot in the kitchen to cook. Doing so might actually be illegal if they don't possess a Nevada health permit.

Instead, they rely on their hotel partners' food and beverage departments to manage the restaurants.

Verifying the Truth

We learned about Caesars' agreement with Ramsay because it was among the financial ties disclosed by the Wall Street Journal during the company's 2016 bankruptcy proceedings.

We think that Caesars, and other casino companies, have similar arrangements with Guy Fieri, José Andrés, Guy Savoy, Giada De Laurentis, Michael Mina, and David Chang, though these deals have never been made public.

The only times celebrity chefs can guarantesen their presence at their restaurants is during the grand openings.

Unfortunately, that's one of the few times you can't be since those events are exclusive, invite-only soirees attended solely by celebrities and other casino VIPs.

Watch for "Vegas Myths Busted" every Monday on Visit to read previously debunked Vegas myths. Got a suggestion for a Vegas myth that needs debunking? Email [email protected].

Ramsay poses for his contractually required photos at the grand opening of his first Hell’s Kitchen in January 2018.
Ramsay cooks in a scene for his long-running “Hell’s Kitchen” Fox-TV reality series, which is always shot on soundstages, never in his restaurants. Seasons 23 and 24, now filming at the Foxwoods in Connecticut, is set on a soundstage at the casino resort, not in the Hell’s Kitchen there.

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