Gordon Ramsey is easily one of the most notable celebrity chefs of all time. Not only is he known for his outspoken way of managing a kitchen, but his television shows show that he knows a thing or two about cooking. In fact, he knows enough that he owns more than 30 restaurants and is obviously putting his hospitality degree to good use (although he could maybe learn a bit more about employee relations). Despite this fact, not all of Gordon Ramsey's pursuits have been met with success. The LA restaurant, The Fat Cow, is one example of Gordon's massive failures. While the millionaire is doing just fine, a lot of people were left wondering what happened. Here is the real story.

The Name Wasn't Properly Trademarked

The Fat Cow only made it two years before it closed its doors. At the time an employee reported that there was another restaurant by the same name. According to reports, this restaurant demanded that Gordon Ramsey's restaurant change its name or be forced to close due to legal action. While this was a very convenient reason to explain why the restaurant was suddenly closing, it is suspicious that a name change or some type of legal agreement could not be reached.

Bad Reviews from the Start

While the restaurant chose to say that naming issues were the root of their problems, the truth is the restaurant was plagued by bad reviews from the start. Top food critics in LA stated that the dining experience was "low" and a "cynical exercise" while others commented that the food was certainly not worth the price tag. From all accounts, it appeared The Fat Cow was banking on Gordon Ramsey's name to be enough to sell it- and it appears that this time around it wasn't. In LA word of mouth is huge, so when it started to become unfashionable to dine at the restaurant it was the kiss of death.

Lawsuit After Lawsuit

It wasn't enough to just close The Fat Cow, the entire venture was one large misstep after another followed by lawsuits from unhappy business partners and employees. It took Gordon Ramsey years to distance himself from the failed business. One contractor that worked on the project took Ramsey to court claiming that he was still owed $45,000 that was never paid and other employees took Ramsey to court for failing to pay both overtime pay and minimum wage. Finally, Ramsay's own business partner, Rowen Seibel, took him to court for a whopping $10 million which Gordon quickly disputed by naming Seibel as uncooperative and responsible for mismanaging The Fat Cow forcing its closure.