On March 10, 2024, Alberto Chicote landed at the ‘El Sitio’ restaurant, in Huelva, to record a new ‘Nightmare in the Kitchen’ program. Elisabeth, cook and partner of José Antonio, the owner of the establishment, had called for them to go to a bar known for its quality traditional cuisine. «The cuisine is very good and if you eat well you repeat. “Customers come back for that, not for Chicote,” explains José Antonio, who has bad memories of the chef’s visit for different reasons.
«The recording was bad. This is a script, it is not what happens in reality. After the service they sat us down one by one, we had to say strong words,” recalls the owner. «They could take up to three hours recording and until the phrase they had in the script came out, they wouldn’t let you go. They were looking for you, and I am more peaceful, I am not used to it. And if you don’t reach that level, it’s not worth it,” he emphasizes.
José Antonio is not moved when talking about the experience and, in fact, confesses that “I am not going to watch” the program, even though he tries to stick with “the good things.” “They left the room very well, it was very nice. “The kitchen and the bar were not touched.” However, he cannot forget that “the squad had a bad time. They were crying out of helplessness, and they kept saying ‘I’m leaving, I’m leaving’,” he concludes.
Program promotion
The promotion of the program carried out by La Sexta does not leave José Antonio or his team in a good place. «The ‘El Sitio’ team, in addition to José Antonio and Eli, is made up of Raquel, the waitress, an overwhelmed young woman who has to face customers daily and to whom they often give contradictory orders, which causes the restaurant to malfunction and an increase in your anxiety; and Ana María and Manoli, the cooks, who do not receive adequate instructions and whose cooking practices do not always coincide with the standards established in hospitality. While José Antonio believes that the problem lies in the fact that the staff is not professional enough, his wife attributes the delicate situation of the restaurant to the fact that José Antonio does not act as owner, is not involved in the business and only thinks about bringing out the flamenco box to the end of the most chaotic services and to retire, for which he has little time left,” they describe on the official website of La Sexta.
La Sexta promotes the program by talking about “poorly coordinated workers, an overwhelmed boss, an owner eager to retire and the sporadic visit of rats in the warehouse.” José Antonio defends that ‘El Sitio’ makes “very good cuisine. Elisabeth cooked a lot with her grandmother and makes basic food. Anyone can make a loin, but here they cook good cheek, with all its stew.
However, he does confess that “the clientele has increased on weekends, although during the week it is not for pulling cars.” But on the weekend I don’t have room.
