Marblehead B&B Fish Owner Heads Back Into 'Hell's Kitchen'

MARBLEHEAD, MA — Jason Santos admits it will be a bittersweet trip back in time to a much different place when the 19th season of "Hell's Kitchen" debuts on Fox Thursday night.

The Boston celebrity chef, and owner of Marblehead's B&B Fish that opened in September, filmed two seasons of Gordon Ramsay's hit show three years ago when everything involved with the restaurant business was much different than it has become in the past 10 months of the coronavirus health crisis.

"The business has changed forever," Santos, who is a sous chef for one of the teams in the show, told Patch on Monday. "They talk about things getting back to normal. But it's well past that at this point.

"It's going to be cool to watch the dining room full. But it also reminds you of what you don't have."

Santos said he now has a very successful Marblehead location that has been embraced in the town and is thriving with its mostly takeout model. For his flagship Boston locations, however, navigating the state's shifting capacity restrictions and conflicting public messages about the safety of indoor dining amid virus surges have made operating those locations a matter of survival over making money.

"It's just slim margins in restaurants," he said. "We went from wanting to make a profit to that you just don't want to lose people. I am in business to keep my staff working and feed people. We aren't making money. That I can keep everyone employed and not lay people off is the goal now. You just want to sustain enough to cover costs.

"It's not just the 25 percent (temporary capacity restriction). It's also the message it sends. It scares people and makes it worse."

Gov. Charlie Baker said on Monday the two-week restrictions, which are set to expire on Sunday, will be revisited later this week.

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Santos said B & B Fish has benefited from the takeout trend as business has stayed strong despite the colder weather.

"It's doing phenomenal actually," he said. "It's unbelievable. I'm pleasantly surprised. I figured it would be super sleepy in the winter."

Santos said 95 percent of B&B Fish's business is takeout, while some are still choosing to sit outside when the weather is bearable.

"The amount of return customers has been great," he said. "Marblehead, as a community, has been unbelievable in supporting us. What made us most nervous when we were opening is that people kept saying: 'Hopefully Marblehead likes you.' It's such a tight-knit community.

"But it's been fantastic. People here don't shy away from giving you their opinion. But so far it's been positive."

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