Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay, best known for shows such as Hell’s Kitchen and Kitchen Nightmares, has been a staple on television for more than 20 years. With his most recent venture, Gordon Ramsay’s Secret Service, he takes more of a backseat. In each episode, he collaborates with a secret source on the inside to gather unfiltered evidence and view footage of major issues unfolding in real time within the restaurant. All the while, the staff thinks they’re on a typical restaurant renovation show.
On the third episode, aired June 4, 2025, the spotlight was on Mrs. White’s Golden Rule Café. At the 1:35 mark, Ramsay enters the restaurant to conduct a surprise inspection. Shortly after, he sheds light on the oily sludge and grease buildup, as well as the fire risk it poses. As evident from the video, inspections haven’t been conducted in a long time.
The NFPA 96: Standard for Ventilation Control and Fire Protection of Commercial Cooking Operations, 2024 Edition has the following table.
During the inspection process, a grease depth gauge comb, as shown in the NFPA diagram below, shall be placed upon the surface for measurement.
If a grease depth of 0.078 inches (2000 μm) is measured, the surfaces must be cleaned accordingly. For fan housings, a depth of 0.125 inches (3175 μm) necessitates cleaning as outlined in the standard. Additionally, all surfaces should be maintained to ensure that grease accumulation does not exceed 0.002 inches (50 μm), thereby reducing fire risks.
Following this, Ramsay brings attention to the fire extinguishers, which he claims are outdated by 10 years. While it’s hard to tell from the footage, the extinguisher appears to be a stored-pressure dry chemical, which requires a 6-year teardown and a 12-year hydrostatic test. The label does not appear to have been punched, but it is a 2011-2015 label for 6-year internal maintenance. Regardless of this, kitchen extinguishers should also be Class K, rather than ABC, as shown in the video. At the 35:27 mark, Ramsay jokes he has breaking news as he shows off their brand-new fire extinguishers.
The whole episode is available to watch below. New episodes continue to air on Wednesdays at 9 p.m. on Fox. Previous episodes are also available on demand.
Image via Hulu.
