Jack's Waterfront

What happened after

Seafood restaurant closed in December 2010; source states it reopened in 2011 under a different, unspecified name, but does not identify that successor or its current status.

Closure date on record: 2010-12

What happened on the show

Three former bodybuilders with no restaurant experience had bought Jack's Waterfront, a lakeside Michigan seafood spot that never had much of a reputation, and installed one owner's father, AJ, as general manager. AJ mostly turned up for free food, drinks, and a chance to flirt with guests while phoning in the job he was paid to do. The menu spelled crab with a K, and the server cheerfully explained it was a heads-up that the crab was imitation. Ramsay's Krab omelette was tasteless as expected, the fish and chips rubbery and frozen despite the water outside, the honey pecan salmon cloyingly sweet. During service the kitchen took forty-five minutes to send anything out, and what emerged came cold, raw, or overcooked while the owners comped meal after meal and AJ drifted around half in the bag. Young chef Aaron knew better but had no power to change a menu that was AJ's to begin with.

After the cameras left

Jack's Waterfront held on longer than most, closing in December 2010, two years after the episode. Reporting says the 24214 Jefferson Avenue site reopened in 2011 under a different name, but that successor was never identified and its fate is left unconfirmed here rather than guessed at. A lakeside seafood restaurant serving frozen fish was always fighting its own premise.