Gino is the manager of a large brasserie in the heart of Lyon. Well located, well decorated, good food, Gino has tried everything to make his turnover take off but nothing works, the room is empty. This is partly due to Lyon's prestigious culinary heritage. Because at Gino's, we eat everything: traditional, Italian, snacks, seafood... in the end, no one can find anything. Moreover, to manage his restaurant, Gino has called on Gauthier, a friend who has difficulty imposing himself with the teams. Meticulous but not very charismatic, Gauthier is under the influence of his boss who systematically goes behind him to check his work. Worried, interventionist and "hot-headed", Gino puts all his staff under pressure without knowing what to do to change things. Philippe Etchebest will meet a team on the verge of a nervous breakdown. There will be no shortage of outbursts between these two big characters.

Tonight, it's the parents who have asked Chef Etchebest to come to their child's rescue: Patricia and Didier are at a loss when it comes to the situation in which their son Jérôme finds himself. With his long experience in the restaurant business, Jérôme left the Paris region with his family three years ago to open his own establishment by the sea in Charente-Maritime. But the business didn't work out, and debts piled up. It will take all the chef's skills to find the root of the problems and get the business back on track.

It was in Marseille that Siham called on chef Philippe Etchebest to help her. Six months ago, Siham fought and invested all her savings to make her dream come true: setting up a restaurant with her sister Sanna and her cousin Leila in the kitchen. But she thought she was living a great family adventure, but her dream has turned into a nightmare. The customers have deserted the establishment and the turnover is collapsing... It must be said that in this restaurant, nothing works: the menu offers Provencal cuisine, passing by burgers and Moroccan specialties. The dishes served are insipid, but above all, the atmosphere is electric! The relationship between the two sisters is complicated and tensions are omnipresent. A new challenge for the chef because if the restaurant doesn't recover very quickly, Siham risks losing everything: her dream and her family.

It is in Hyères, in the Var, that Vanessa called upon Chef Etchebest. 20 months ago, Vanessa and her husband Stéphane decided to take over a restaurant, but since the opening, it is every day the same nightmare: the restaurant remains desperately empty... For lack of customers, the financial situation of the couple becomes very critical, especially since Vanessa invested all her savings in this business. Their daily life is thus extremely heavy and big tensions appeared in the couple. But between Stéphane's lack of organization in the kitchen, even though he has more than 20 years of experience, and Vanessa's lack of communication, who does not see her own mistakes, Philippe Etchebest has his work cut out for him! Faced with Stéphane's behavior, who refuses to assume the problems of his establishment, the chef will even wonder if, for once, he will not give up the idea of helping them...

It is in Besançon, in the Doubs region, that Julien called on Chef Etchebest to help his father Tony, the owner of an Italian restaurant. In this rudderless establishment, communication is totally broken between Tony, the boss, Bastien, the apprentice cook, and Julien, who works in the dining room. Between a dubious kitchen, a cantankerous boss who smokes in his office in the middle of the service, and an approximate organization, laxity has clearly taken over the restaurant! And, faced with Tony's strong character, Julien and Bastien start to seriously give up: this business is on the verge of implosion! Philippe Etchebest will have to take up a major challenge: confronting a fiery business manager and demotivated employees, ready to jump ship. Tony, Julien and Bastien will have to react together or else the restaurant will definitely close its doors.

Sylvie and her daughter Amandine called on Philippe Etchebest to help them save their crêperie in Bléré, Indre-et-Loire. After a long experience as a waitress, Sylvie bought this creperie two years ago. Her objective: to have her own business and to offer a job to her daughter, who works today in the dining room at her side. But for months, the situation of the restaurant has been catastrophic: the turnover is collapsing and the customers are deserting the establishment. Unable to pay for a cook, Sylvie, who has no training, has even been forced to take on the role of chef, which holds many surprises for Philippe Etchebest.

Three years ago, Anna and her husband, Romain, took over a restaurant in Cestas, near Bordeaux. Romain takes care of the pizzas, Anna the grills and the chef, Hervé, makes the rest of the dishes. This complex organization creates many tensions, exacerbated by a lack of customers. For Romain and Anna, the problem comes from Hervé, who scares the customers away. The chef, on the other hand, believes that his bosses are responsible because they don't give him any instructions. Philippe Etchebest will have to sort out the real from the fake and identify the restaurant's problems to save the couple. A task that will prove to be complicated.

Called for help by Marie, the starred chef goes to Marseille, to Mélody's restaurant. The latter had opened her establishment five months earlier. And since the launch, nothing has gone as planned. Not having the means to pay employees, Mélody asked Marie, her partner, to take care of the service but also of the restaurant's accounts. The problem is that the young woman has no experience in the field. The couple of Marie and Melody is put at risk by the situation. Philippe Etchebest tries to save the situation. But as soon as he arrives, he notices mistakes in the kitchen and a very rough service. And the chef, with her strong temperament, will give him a hard time.

It is in Quintenas, in Ardèche, that Anthony called upon the chef Philippe Etchebest. A year and a half ago, Anthony took over the reins of a traditional cuisine restaurant on a whim, but, alone at the head of the establishment and at the stove, Anthony was drowning in problems. Self-taught and without any experience in business management, he even had to call upon his mother on a daily basis to support him. The latter does not hesitate to travel 200km to help her son! But in spite of this, since the opening, the debts are piling up and the restaurant keeps emptying itself of its customers. According to Anaïs, the waitress, this is due to the bad reputation of the boss, who is said to have a temper! The arrival of Chef Etchebest will shake up Anthony's habits who, very impressed, will completely change his attitude towards him!

It is in Arçais in the Marais Poitevin that Chantal and her family called upon Philippe Etchebest. Eight years ago, Chantal and her husband Alain took over an inn and invested all their savings in it. Alain, although retired, is in charge of the bar. Jimmy, their son, is in the kitchen, and Chantal manages the dining room. But, year after year, the business collapsed... For lack of customers, the owners are on the verge of closing down, and the family is on the verge of breaking up! Philippe soon realized that the real problem at this inn was the atmosphere... A stormy atmosphere, both in the kitchen and in the dining room, which was going to put him in a bad mood. The chef is going to give them an ultimatum: if Chantal and her family don't accept his help and refuse to open their eyes, he will be forced to abandon his mission and leave them alone to face their fate...

It is in Gardonne, in Dordogne, that Philippe Etchebest was called to help Vincent and Marina. This couple from Brittany left everything 6 months ago and invested all their savings to buy the restaurant of their dreams! But since their arrival, their business is collapsing day after day. Faced with these difficulties, Vincent, the chef, has completely given up; and his partner Marina is completely lost and doesn't know what to do anymore. Not only is their relationship in peril, but they also have their backs to the wall: they risk losing everything and ending up on the street with their two children. Philippe Etchebest is their last hope, but the task will prove to be extremely difficult: in addition to Marina's inexperience in the dining room, the chef will come up against Vincent's lack of motivation: poorly kept buffet, cobwebs in the kitchen, expired products in the fridges... Philippe will have to try to give him back his taste for cooking!

Direction PFASTATT, in an Italian-Portuguese restaurant run by Monica, a manager with a strong character who runs her business with an iron hand. Six years ago, she sacrificed everything to open her restaurant, but today, nothing goes right and her life savings are going up in smoke... For the boss, the problem comes from her employees who lack professionalism, don't respect her and don't follow her directives... A situation she can't stand anymore! But for the employees, the problem is the boss! Her tantrums and screams stress everyone, including the customers... As a result, the atmosphere in the restaurant is electric... The worst part of it all is that it's a family conflict. Paolo, the chef, is Monica's older brother and he is finding it increasingly difficult to cope with the situation. The arrival of Philippe will shake up the family's habits and they will have to question everything!

In this establishment in the heart of the artists' district, the manager Rémy has a lot of trouble finding the identity of his restaurant. This former Air Force commando rifleman manages the restaurant with his own methods: he imposes excessive quantities on the customer's plate and insists on keeping a long menu that penalizes his chef, Pascal. Rémy doesn't listen to anyone, neither his staff, nor his mother Lilly who has invested all her savings to allow her son to realize his dream and open this establishment. Philippe Etchebest will have to fight against Rémy's preconceived ideas to bring some sense back to the restaurant. And above all, he will have to use all his authority to convince the manager to change his habits and to renew his relationship with his mother.

Philippe Etchebest goes to La Ciotat to an establishment overlooking the sea that serves a lot of fish... frozen. On the spot, the manager has trouble trusting his chef: a young woman full of energy who has trouble getting respect. Philippe Etchebest will have to fight against the preconceived ideas to bring some sense to the restaurant. And above all, he will have to use all his authority to convince the manager to change his habits!

He will meet Quentin, a young entrepreneur who has created an original concept of restaurant in the heart of the city: an establishment called "Chez Maman" in which the furniture is for sale in the form of a flea market. Philippe will also meet Jacques, a former legionnaire and chef with a fiery temperament. This 40-year-old Picard is a force of nature who works with well-established values: respect, loyalty, honesty and a code of honor. Between the two men, the torch burns; Quentin regularly interferes in the management of the kitchen, Jacques' preserve. Misunderstandings, outbursts and insults: the two men are close to coming to blows... and as a result, nothing works in the establishment. Philippe Etchebest will have a lot of work to do to bring the two men to their senses and will have to use his imagination to reconcile two people who hate each other. His objective will be, as always, to find the way back to the heart to allow each of them to blossom in their profession.

On the spot, Helmut, an 85-year-old former paratrooper, manages a restaurant with his own methods: he goes behind everyone to criticize the slightest failure, criticizes his chef for not saving enough money, castigates his waitress for being too provocative when she wears a skirt, and interferes in the customers' conversations during service. As a result, the restaurant has a very bad reputation and the room is empty. However, this old man claims a family management of his restaurant and did not hesitate to give his chance to young people of the village to make his store work. Unfortunately, the benevolent grandfather has gradually turned into a terror for the staff. The arrival of Philippe will shake up Helmut's habits, especially since Ludovic, the young and talented chef, is on the verge of implosion. Another encounter that holds many surprises for Philippe Etchebest, our two-starred chef.

Kevin and Nico are two young men from the Marseilles nightlife. With no experience in the restaurant business, they have acquired a small restaurant overlooking the city's harbor. Totally new to the business, they accumulate management errors and are unable to run their establishment. Despite a very nice location, their terrace remains desperately empty. Philippe is going to hallucinate while observing the two young people working: Kevin going shopping in the middle of the service to buy missing products; Nico, the cook, starting his set-up at 1pm and working with his feet in the water because of a leak... Scandalized by so much negligence, the Chef is going to give the two boys an ultimatum. One week to change everything or close the establishment!

Solange and Michel, close to retirement, left Strasbourg and invested in a small restaurant in Sète. Eager to get her son back, Solange brought Julien in to run the restaurant. Unfortunately, she is unable to delegate: hyperactive, she never stops criticizing her son's initiatives and prevents him from running the business. Julien, the only one with hotel training, is now totally unmotivated. As a result, his father takes him for an incurable slacker. In this establishment, everything works in reverse. No one is in the right place and family communication is at a standstill. Philippe Etchebest is going to make everyone face their family and professional responsibilities, so that the restaurant can get back on track. In the light of a new organization, everyone will find the right words to reform a competent team and a united family.

It is in this small village near Avignon that Philippe, the manager, has invested in a gastronomic restaurant. But he inherited a business with a troubled past: the establishment was a very poorly frequented hotel de passe. Rumors did the rest and the restaurant struggled to fill its room. In the kitchen, Christophe, the chef, has lost the flame. A brilliant cook recruited in Paris by Philippe, he has lowered his culinary ambitions. Disappointed, without passion, he works like a ghost, far from the dreams that motivated his arrival. Due to budgetary restrictions, the menu no longer resembles anything, the establishment is in a dead end. The arrival of Philippe Etchebest will shake everyone up. His objective: to win back the population of the village, to rediscover local products and above all to give back to this chef, a shadow of his former self, the desire to share and to please through his cooking.

Pierre-Marie and Sissi are the managers of a restaurant on the harbor of Toulon but their establishment is at the end of the dam, embedded in a decrepit wall corner. Victim of the competition of the other signs and badly positioned, they suffer from the worst nightmare of the restaurant owners: an empty room. An establishment that lacks identity, a kitchen that runs slowly and a service that leaves something to be desired do not help matters. Moreover, forced to run their business by accumulating tasks, they suffer from not being able to devote enough time to their 10 year old daughter, Jade. All together, these elements are enough to pull the establishment down. Philippe Etchebest's intervention will turn things around. From a stroke of brilliance to a realization, he will serve as an electroshock to straighten out the situation.

Philippe Etchebest travels to Saint-Berthevin-la-Tannière, a small village in Mayenne, to try and help Isabelle and her son Jeffrey, who took over a restaurant just 8 months ago... Their situation is so critical that the family's financial difficulties force them to turn to Restos du Cœur for food. At Isabelle and Jeffrey's, the chef quickly felt at home, but Isabelle may be wearing her "best mom" apron, but she seems to be having great difficulty managing her establishment: recipes found on the Internet, no vouchers to manage the service, disorganization in the dining room, the chef found himself faced with a restaurateur of good will but totally overwhelmed. And Philippe Etchebest is not at the end of his surprises: for the first time, an event will make him doubt whether he can succeed in his mission...

Philippe Etchebest goes to Ariège to Fabio and Emilie's restaurant, parents of a little girl. A beautiful establishment with a garden that has trouble filling its room. It must be said that the manager has a bad temper... Of Italian origin, he likes to insult everyone in his restaurant, especially his girlfriend. It is not rare that the customers hear these disputes, which does not encourage anyone to return. Emilie is in charge of the service but has no professional training. She also has to take care of her daughter who lives with them in the restaurant. Today, the business but also the family life of this young couple are threatened. As always, Philippe will have his work cut out for him to tame Fabio's explosive personality and bring some sanity back into the management of this establishment.

Direction Irigny, in an establishment run by Ruben, a hardworking and demanding manager who tends to put his staff under pressure. Young, ambitious and perfectionist boss, he is everywhere and especially on everyone's back. So much so, that today the staff is about to quit. Philippe discovers a talented and devoted team that has lost all its motivation. As soon as he arrives on the scene, he will understand that the manager wants to control everything and will do everything to destabilize him so that he understands how much he needs the others to make his establishment work.

Philippe Etchebest has come to try to unblock the situation of the restaurant of three sisters, in Sénas in the Bouches-du-Rhône. Mélanie and Mylène, two 28-year-old twins, have called on him to save the restaurant they run with their older sister Séverine. As soon as he arrived, the chef discovered the icy atmosphere that reigned in this establishment deserted by customers, although it was full of assets: a good location in the center of the village and surrounded by many shops. The chef finds himself in the middle of a family conflict... But Philippe Etchebest remains determined to help them and save their restaurant...

Beatrice and her partner Patrice opened a restaurant nearly two years ago in Notre-Dame-de-Vaulx, in Isère. Today, Beatrice calls upon Chef Philippe Etchebest because their situation is at its worst. Between the decoration, the dishes that don't really make you want to eat and especially a kitchen in a deplorable state, Philippe Etchebest found himself faced with a disoriented couple. To try to help them, the chef set up a new method: he asked the customers to rate their meal and he once again asked Mallory Gabsi, a former Top Chef candidate, to manage a big service with them.

Philippe Etchebest travels to Villefranche-de-Lauragais in Haute-Garonne to help Cindy, Tony and Christopher. These three siblings invested all their savings 3 years ago to take over a restaurant to fulfill Tony's dream as a catering chef. Unfortunately, they are now on the verge of bankruptcy... However, as soon as he arrived, the chef was surprised by their concept: here, everything is all-you-can-eat, starters, main courses and desserts! And, to his great surprise, even meat, an expensive product, is available in abundance! Behind this concept, which may appeal to a wide audience, quality is sometimes lacking and, during service, the chef noted a few shortcomings in the dining room. Despite this, Philippe Etchebest is faced with a mystery: there's no explanation for the situation in which the siblings find themselves today. Unless there's something they're not telling him... One thing's for sure, though, and that's that the chef won't be long before the truth comes out!

It is in Lesquin, in the Hauts-de-France region, that Marie-Claude, 62 years old, called upon Chef Philippe Etchebest to try to help her save her restaurant. For 36 years, her husband Pascal has owned a restaurant that, after years of success, is now on the verge of bankruptcy. As soon as he arrived, the chef quickly understood that this mission was going to be complicated: between Marie-Claude's strong character and Pascal's total lack of organization in the kitchen, the restaurant couple is going to give him a hard time. Marie-Claude and Pascal are going to show the chef a colorful face, with their temper tantrums, bad faith, flying fries in the kitchen and smoking cigarettes in the dining room! And to make matters worse, relations between them are becoming increasingly tense! However, if they don't manage to straighten things out very quickly, it will not only be the end of their relationship but also of their restaurant...

Childhood friends, Thomas and Romain run a brasserie in downtown Antibes, in the Alpes-Maritimes. Despite an ideal location, their establishment is drowning in debt and could close within a few months. The two managers have both worked in the world of high gastronomy, Romain having even been the chef of a starred restaurant for several years. The chef Philippe Etchebest is therefore faced with a real challenge: to find out why their business is going so badly despite their rich experience.

Chef Philippe Etchebest went to Saint-Quentin, in Picardy, to help Bruno. Six months ago, Bruno took over a restaurant where he used to work. Unfortunately, since he took over the restaurant, the turnover has not stopped decreasing. Philippe Etchebest will soon understand where the problem comes from. Manager of a construction company, the new boss has no experience in the restaurant business. A lack of knowledge that does not make him credible with Corentin, his waiter, but especially with Sébastien, his chef who does as he pleases. Between the dirty state of the stoves and the quality of the dishes served in the dining room, Philippe Etchebest will have his work cut out for him.

It is in Chalèze, not far from Besançon, that Gianni and Julie called upon Philippe Etchebest. This couple of managers is in the process of seeing their restaurant sink on the banks of the Doubs. Since the opening, 3 and a half years ago, they never agreed on what they wanted to do with this establishment. Gianni, of Italian origin, wants to make pizzas; Julie, his companion, would like to make gastronomy. By arguing too much about the identity of their restaurant, Gianni and Julie are now arguing all the time... All the employees suffer from these arguments and the bad atmosphere reigns during the services, to the detriment of the customers' satisfaction! If Philippe doesn't intervene very quickly, this establishment will end up closing its doors...

Cabourg, in a large brasserie on the Normandy coast. On the spot, Monique and Jean-Louis are the managers of an establishment that is desperately running out of business. The couple, who are not in the business, found themselves at the head of a team of 10 people overnight. Unable to coordinate the work of the staff, Jean-Louis collapses a little more each day. The atmosphere in the restaurant is electric and the number of departures is increasing. Faced with this lack of stability, Gregory, the head chef, has taken the place of the boss and is reigning terror around him... Needless to say, the arrival of Philippe Etchebest will shake things up. How to push the manager to take his place as boss? How to calm down the chef's ardor? These are the difficult objectives that the chef will try to achieve.

On the spot, Christophe, 54 years old, has been managing his establishment since 1988 with his own methods: he doesn't trust anyone, needs to control everything and, during service, yells at his employees! As a result, no one wants to work with him anymore and he is forced to be an accountant, a chef and a dishwasher all at the same time. Fortunately, Audrey stays by his side and takes care of the service in the dining room, but she finds it more and more difficult to put up with her boss' moods. The arrival of Philippe will shake up Christophe's habits and he will completely change his attitude towards the chef. But Philippe Etchebest is not fooled and will use his ingenuity to make the boss's mask fall off and bring back some sanity to the restaurant.

It's in Écuisses, in Burgundy, that Élodie and Allan called on chef Philippe Etchebest to try to save their establishment. Parents of 5 children, they took over a village restaurant 4 years ago to give themselves a new life. While everything was going well for the first two years, an unfortunate event turned everything upside down and the couple's financial situation became catastrophic. Today, the whole family is in danger. As soon as he arrives, Philippe Etchebest realizes how badly the couple is doing: the restaurant is in a deplorable state and the dishes cooked by Allan are not very tasty... The situation is so terrible that the chef doubts his ability to help them avoid closing their restaurant. One thing is sure, this issue of "Nightmare in the kitchen" will be more than intense for Philippe Etchebest who will have to face a huge challenge... And despite all their mistakes, this couple will literally upset the chef.

It was in Plougonver, Brittany, that Jessica called on chef Philippe Etchebest to come to her aid: the restaurant where she works with her boss Vincent has been experiencing a major drop in clientele for several months. Their financial situation was at its worst, and so was their morale. During his visit, the chef quickly discovered that Jessica was sorely lacking in professionalism. She oscillated between good humor... and repeated blunders! And yet, despite the chef's few mistakes, for the first time on Cauchemar en cuisine, Philippe Etchebest found himself at a dead end: it was impossible for him to explain such a drop in clientele with what he had seen! However, according to Jessica, it seems that the chef hasn't seen the whole story: his boss's explosive personality is an integral part of the problem! So how will Philippe Etchebest react when he finds out?

Philippe Etchebest goes to Brou, near Chartres, to give some advice to Anne-Marie, authoritarian manager of a hotel-restaurant.

Philippe Etchebest goes to Corsica. The meeting of this Basque temperament and the inhabitants of the island of Beauty will make sparks fly. It is in Corte, in the heart of historic Corsica and at the foot of the mountains that the Chef sets down his bags. Pierre is an unhappy manager; he works with an old friend at the bar and a generous cook who makes good food, but Isabelle, his daughter, manages the room. Between her and the rest of the staff, the current does not pass. The daughter constantly criticizes the kitchen and blames her father for not giving her more responsibility in the restaurant. Her foul mood and her derogatory remarks fuel a real trench war between the dining room and the kitchen. Philippe noticed that the young girl was taking her lunch shift while the customers were already at the table: no setting up, no cleaning and no smiling, it was too much. Philippe puts his foot down and tries to get Isabelle back on track.