Here's What Happened To Zayna Flaming Grill After Kitchen Nightmares

Season 7 of "Kitchen Nightmares" had some real bangers, including a return to the infamous Amy's Baking Company and two of Mashed's top-ranked episodes, Mangia Mangia and Old Neighborhood. Episode 8 focused on Zayna Flaming Grill, which was one of the last restaurants Gordon Ramsay tried to save during the show's original run before "Kitchen Nightmares" was canceled in 2014.

Despite being well-regarded by customers prior to its appearance on the program, the Mediterranean bistro at Redondo Beach, California, was a showcase of dysfunction when it came to the team itself. On the show, they were seen screaming at each other in full view of the customers and storming out of staff meetings. One particularly flippant server, Mark, even needing a lesson on how to correctly spell the word "dining."

Most of Zayna Flaming Grill's issues could be traced to the co-founders: Fayza Gerges and her niece, Brenda Keroles. Gerges had severe trust issues when it came to the capabilities of her team, stubbornly choosing to do nearly everything in the kitchen herself rather than rely on her people to do their jobs. This was particularly grating to Keroles, who had been worn down by the difficulties of working with her overbearing aunt as a business partner.

It wasn't exactly a great sign when both Fayza Gerges and Brenda Keroles asked to meet Gordon Ramsay separately before he started rehabbing Zayna Flaming Grill. Gerges said she felt Keroles wasn't pulling her weight as a co-owner, while Keroles called Gerges a "control freak" and felt her aunt didn't see her as an equal. That dynamic continued throughout the entire episode. They as well as the staff constantly bickered.

After Ramsay tasted the restaurant's food, it became clear that it wasn't holding up on its promise of fresh food served daily. Gerges later admitted to freezing prepped ingredients, but she didn't seem to understand why that didn't make it fresh. Some menu items also fell short when they reached patrons' tables. During one particularly embarrassing lunch service, Ramsay secretly swapped out the bistro's watery, oily-heavy hummus with a store-bought version. Diners ended up calling it an improvement.

Ramsay eventually helped the Mediterranean-style eatery revamp its look and menu, with a focus on fresh food. More importantly, he helped Gerges learn to trust her niece and the staff by letting the former observe them run lunch service without her involvement. Keroles was able to shine as a leader without Gerges' micromanagement and earned her co-owner's respect. Gerges briefly fell back into her old ways during the relaunch, but Keroles pulled her out of it, and the team finally started working as a cohesive unit. All in all, the relaunch was a success and everyone at Zayna Flaming Grill felt optimistic about the future.

Fayza Gerges unfortunately couldn't completely turn things around in terms of her need for control, and it ended up driving Vanessa and Amel, two servers who featured prominently in the "Kitchen Nightmares" episode, to leave the restaurant. Brenda Keroles continued to step up as a leader, however, and Zayna Flaming Grill earned mostly positive Yelp reviews after its episode aired. One reviewer wrote that visiting it was a must while in Redondo Beach, and another shouted out Gerges and Keroles as "very friendly and accommodating" hosts.

The restaurant came under the management of Raid "Ray" Younis sometime in 2015, the year following its appearance on "Kitchen Nightmares." While there were no announcements made regarding the change in ownership, Younis started appearing in its Facebook posts in September that year. There is no readily available information on why Zayna Flaming Grill was sold.

Younis appeared to be exceptionally proud of the restaurant's history with "Kitchen Nightmares" and leaned on it for marketing angles. Zayna Flaming Grill would advertise having recipes curated by Gordon Ramsay himself, sell sauces he helped develop, and post his face on its window displays. To Younis' credit, Yelp reviews posted after he took over looked largely positive, with many complimenting his hands-on service. It also helped that he retained the chef that Ramsay trained on "Kitchen Nightmares," so the food presumably remained excellent long after the show. Over 80% of its reviews on Yelp are 5 stars.

Despite favorable reviews and remarkable longevity post-"Kitchen Nightmares," Zayna Flaming Grill is now closed. While there are no readily available public announcements regarding its demise, the restaurant's social media activity indicates it shut down sometime after August 3 2023, the date of its last Facebook post. We have found no online information on why it closed, but evidence suggests that Raid Younis was facing financial issues during this time.

A ref="https://www.lacourt.ca.gov/pages/lp/access-a-case/tp/find-case-information/cp/os-civil-case-access">California Superior Court document from June 2016 shows that co-founder Brenda Keroles filed a civil lawsuit against Younis seeking in excess of $25,000. (We saw no indication that she tried to sue "Kitchen Nightmares."). While the precise reason for the conflict is unclear, it involved an alleged breach of contract. In 2019, a stay of proceedings was filed because Younis due to financial woes. Per a 2021 document from the United States Bankruptcy Court, Younis had filed for Chapter 13 protection. That may help provide context for a November 2022 Instagram post from Zayna Flaming Grill explaining it was unable to renew its lease and had to change locations. Younis submitted legal paperwork for the termination of Zayna Flaming Grill, LLC in early 2024 (via the California Secretary of State). On October 6, 2025, Keroles' case was dismissed after two years of inactivity, finally putting an end to the restaurant's story.

As of May 2026, Zayna Flaming Grill's location at 1310 Pacific Coast Highway — where its appearance on "Kitchen Nightmares" was filmed — is home to Unico Tokyo Pasta, a Japanese pasta restaurant. Its last location at 2302 Artesia Boulevard became Mychal's Cafe, a social enterprise that offers job training and employment opportunities for individuals with developmental disabilities.

As of early 2026, there are no signs that either founder of Zayna Flaming Grill will be back in the restaurant business. During a 2023 appearance on the "Money Loves Women" podcast, Fayza Gerges shared that she retired shortly after selling the restaurant. While she has sometimes worked as a private chefsi nce then, she seemed more focused on taking care of herself and enjoying the company of her children and grandchildren.

Brenda Keroles got married in 2016 and took the surname of her husband, Nik Garcia. Her LinkedIn profile doesn't indicate that she took on any jobs after selling Zayna Flaming Grill. She posts about her family on her social media accounts, so we at least get the impression that she has been enjoying life as a wife and mom. She also occasionally shares videos and photos of meals she makes and her dining experiences. It appears that the experience with Zayna Flaming Grill didn't sour the relationship between Gerges and Garcia too much, if at all. Gerges can occasionally be seen on Garcia's Instagram posts, sharing smiles with her at family functions.

There is little public information on Raid Younis outside of Zayna Flaming Grill online; however, according to his Linkedin profile, he is currently working as a channel partner for data encryption company XSOC CORP. Given that he had terminated Zayna Flaming Grill, LLC two years ago, it's safe to assume that the restaurant won't be making a comeback anytime soon.