24 Hours to Hell and Back - Catfish Cabin Update

On tonight's episode of 24 Hours to Hell and Back, Gordon Ramsay is in Memphis, Tennessee to try to save Catfish Cabin.  Catfish Cabin is a traditional southern-style restaurant that was established in 1971.  While Gordon Ramsay is there, he finds a passionate and fragmented team, which is negatively impacting the restaurant.  He also finds a dirty kitchen with grease and cockroaches.


Let's take a look at some information, reviews, and updates for Catfish Cabin since 24 Hours to Hell and Back and Gordon Ramsay made all of the changes to the restaurant (note - all reviews are post-makeover).





Positive Reviews:

• "The hush puppies were fantastic and the service was just as good! They definitely don't skimp on the portions, you won't be disappointed."
• "Food was delicious as always. Service was prompt, friendly, and courteous. Our waitress made sure we were ok the entire time we were there."
• "Food is always great and plenteous, but the company should invest in an upgraded parking lot. Pot holes were everywhere."

Negative Reviews: 

• "The service was horrible! The food wasn’t prepared properly and it was not throughly cooked! The waitress did not come around to see if we needed anything and we had to get our own refills! We complained about the food and nothing was done. For $50 the food and service was not worth it. I wouldn’t recommend anyone go to this establishment!"
• "Very disappointing, I thought this place had a makeover...NOT! Well I knew something when we pulled onto the parking lot with the potholes, but wasn’t going to let that deteriorate our celebration. My family and I visited on 01/20/19 to celebrate my moms birthday. Upon calling ahead of time for reservations, we still waited almost and hour to be seated. Once seated it took a bit to place orders. The waitress was courteous, but the food was horrible...how can you mess up macaroni and cheese! The green beans awful. Was advised soda machine was down , so they served 16 oz bottle coke products(no free refills) The fish and hush puppies were the only hot foods. Once it was time for tickets , we had four separate tickets, all had been placed on one with 18% gratuity. Took a minute to get that corrected... still tried to charge strong full price...not happening! This place needs to be fully renovated!"
• "If I could rate this any lower I would. Very dissatisfied not only with the food but the staff was unpleasant. This place has not improved. The waitress informed my party there was no fries, no sodas available for refills, and offered no substitution. One thing for sure the waitress knew how to get her tip and I applaud her for that. Don't waste your money eating here"
• "Recent changes have not improved quality of food, service or overall atmosphere. What happened?"

*Reviews from Yelp, Google


Other News and Links:

• The 24 Hours to Hell and Back makeover happened in November 2018.
• Here is the Catfish Cabin website, which is pretty basic but has the menu.
• Here is the Catfish Cabin Facebook page, which does not post anything too often.
• The comments on a Memphis Flyer article around the time of the makeover seem to think Catfish Cabin has gone downhill and it is in a bad part of town. (Link)
• A Facebook comment right after the makeover said Gordon Ramsay only made over the front part of the restaurant and the rest of it still looked old. There is also a video of the interior in the comments. (Link)
• Here is another video of the interior that complains about the look after the 24 Hours to Hell and Back makeover. (Link)
• A recent Facebook comment says the Catfish Cabin went back to original menu a few weeks after Gordon Ramsay left. (Link)
• Here are the Yelp reviews (3.5 star avg.), Tripadvisor reviews (3.5 star avg.) and Google reviews for Catfish Cabin.

Conclusion:

The reviews for Catfish Cabin since the 24 Hours to Hell and Back makeover are somewhat negative with people complaining about the food, service, and prices.  Customers also noted that only a portion of the restaurant was renovated, and that they were unimpressed with the changes made to the interior of the restaurant.  Catfish Cabin has apparently switched back to their original menu, but with no updates on their website or Facebook page, it is hard to verify that.  The restaurant should be more active on social media to try to take advantage of the publicity 24 Hours to Hell and Back brings.


UPDATE 3/2019 - A local article said Catfish Cabin is struggling after the makeover.  When the episode first aired, business picked up, but they now say "the show may have ruined us."  They lost a lot of their regular customers, although they have seen a lot of new customers. Also, 24 Hours to Hell and Back were the ones to reach out to the restaurant and not the other way around.

UPDATE - Catfish Cabin closed in August 2019 - More info on closure.

UPDATE 12/2020 - Catfish Cabin founder Charles Ezzell passed away due to COVID-19 complications. (Link)


*To see how the restaurants from 24 Hours to Hell and Back are doing, visit the 24 Hours To Hell and Back Updates Page. Also, if you are interested in the restaurants from Kitchen Nightmares, visit the Kitchen Nightmares Updates Page.