Business & Tech
Gordon Ramsay 'Spies' On Popular DC Restaurant For New Show
The show will see Ramsay "venture into struggling restaurants under the cover of night."
WASHINGTON, DC — The series premiere of acclaimed celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay's new television show featured a beloved Washington, D.C. restaurant that's been serving up Greek food to the region for more than 30 years.
In the first episode of Ramsay's "Secret Service,” which premiered Wednesday at 9 p.m. on Fox, the chef spied on the Parthenon, a family-run restaurant located in Northwest D.C.'s Chevy Chase neighborhood.
In the official series description, Fox explains that “Secret Service” will see Ramsay “venture into struggling restaurants under the cover of night. With the help of a secret source on the inside, he’ll gather raw, unfiltered evidence and get a 360-degree view of the major issues facing each restaurant.
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According to the series description, "the insider will not only remain a secret to the staff, but will also help Ramsay infiltrate the restaurant after-hours for a dramatic nighttime black light investigation that reveals more filth and grossness than ever before.”
The Parthenon was opened in 1989 by Pete Gouskos.
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In an interview with WTOP, Michael Harrison, the restaurant’s manager and Gouskos’ son, said they were approached by the show's producers, who asked if they would be interested in the exposure. Harrison said producers told him there would be a celebrity host and the show's team would come in and make changes to the restaurant.
“My first question was, ‘Who’s paying for it all?’” Harrison told WTOP. “And, they were like, ‘We cover it all.'”
Harrison said Ramsay helped him and his father tighten the Parthenon's menu. He also replaced dishes, cutlery and furniture and gave the walls a fresh coat of paint. He estimated the show’s producers put somewhere between $100,000 and $120,000 into the restaurant, WTOP reported.
The Parthenon held a watch party on Wednesday when the episode was aired. Customers dug Greek meatballs in the restaurant’s adjacent Chevy Chase Lounge while they watched Ramsay critique the eatery, according to the Washingtonian.
Harrison told the publication most of the Ramsay's menu changes had stuck, though they decided to add several old standbys back to the menu.
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