Status: CLOSED (May 2015)
Amy’s Baking Company in Scottsdale, Arizona holds a dubious distinction in Kitchen Nightmares history: it’s the only restaurant where Gordon Ramsay walked out and refused to help. The Season 6 episode became one of the most-watched in the show’s history, and for all the wrong reasons.
What Happened on the Show
Where do I even start with this one?
Amy and Samy Bouzaglo ran what should have been a charming little bakery-restaurant in Scottsdale. Amy made the cakes and desserts herself – genuinely skilled baker, by all accounts. But everything else was a disaster.
The episode aired in May 2013 and immediately became a phenomenon. Gordon arrived to find owners who were absolutely convinced they were already perfect. Amy claimed customers were wrong about everything. Samy admitted on camera that he pocketed the waitstaff’s tips. When Gordon tried to make suggestions, both owners became increasingly hostile.
The breaking point came when Amy exploded at Gordon during service, and Samy started threatening customers who complained. Gordon – who has seen some things in his career – literally said he couldn’t help people who refuse to help themselves and walked out.
First and only time that’s happened in the show’s history.
The Internet Aftermath
The episode went viral before “going viral” was even that common of a phrase. Reddit discovered the restaurant had been aggressively responding to negative Yelp reviews for years, sometimes with threats and insults. Screenshots spread everywhere.
After the episode aired, Amy’s Baking Company’s social media accounts had an absolute meltdown. Posts attacking “haters,” bizarre rants, threats of legal action – the whole thing became a weeks-long internet spectacle. The owners later claimed they’d been hacked, but the posts were consistent with their on-camera behavior.
The restaurant actually saw a boom in business initially. People wanted to see the famous Amy’s Baking Company for themselves. Tourists would show up just to experience the drama in person. But that’s not a sustainable business model.
After the Cameras Left
Amy’s Baking Company limped along for about two more years after the episode aired.
They did a follow-up episode – one of the few Kitchen Nightmares revisits – where Amy and Samy claimed they’d changed. Spoiler: they hadn’t. Same issues, same denial, same explosive confrontations.
By 2015, the business was done. They announced they were closing to pursue other opportunities. Samy faced deportation proceedings around the same time due to prior criminal convictions – something that came out during the post-episode internet deep-dive.
The location has since become something else entirely. The saga of Amy’s Baking Company lives on mainly through YouTube clips and Reddit threads.
What Went Wrong
This is a case study in what happens when owners simply cannot accept criticism.
The food actually wasn’t the main problem – Amy’s desserts were apparently good, and some customers enjoyed the meals. The problem was management. Screaming at customers. Taking tips from servers. Responding to online reviews with personal attacks. Treating any feedback as a declaration of war.
No amount of expert help can fix that if the owners don’t see it as a problem. And Amy and Samy genuinely seemed to believe everyone else was at fault. The customers were wrong. The critics were haters. Gordon didn’t understand their vision.
When you can’t admit any fault, you can’t fix anything.
Where Are They Now
Last I heard, Amy and Samy were living in Israel. Samy was indeed deported after the restaurant closed. Amy followed him there. They’ve stayed relatively quiet since, which is probably for the best.
The episode remains one of the most-watched Kitchen Nightmares of all time. It gets referenced constantly in discussions about the show, about restaurant culture, about dealing with difficult customers in general.
Honestly, as much as the episode made for incredible television, it’s also kind of sad. Here were two people who clearly poured their lives into this restaurant, who genuinely believed they were doing everything right, and who destroyed their own business because they couldn’t take feedback. There’s a lesson there, if you’re willing to see it.
The Location Today
The address at 7366 E Shea Blvd in Scottsdale has housed different businesses since Amy’s Baking Company closed. The space itself is fine – decent location, reasonable size. The problem was never the building.
If you’re in Scottsdale and feeling nostalgic, you can still drive by the spot. Just don’t expect to find any crazy cat-loving bakers there anymore.
Last updated: January 2026. If you have additional information about this restaurant or the Bouzaglos, please get in touch.
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