Gordon travels to Fuengirola, on the Costa del Sol, and Mayfair - a restaurant in a prime location on the busy seafront that should be raking it in, but is almost empty. The restaurant was set up 28 years ago by Londoner Pat and her husband Jack, but is stuck in a 70s time warp with staff practically asleep on the job and Jack reluctant to relinquish control to his son Jon.

Gordon heads for Capbreton, a popular coastal town in south west France, where Tim and Debbie are struggling with their three-year-old restaurant Le Deck. The couple have poured close to a million euros into the place, sinking every penny of profit from their previous successes with ski restaurants. Gordon discovers staff management issues, a bloated menu, massive overheads and chaotic leadership, as he grapples with one of the most volatile characters he's ever met.

Gordon travels to the stunning whitewashed mountain village of Gaucin, half an hour from the Costa del Sol, and a brand new up-market restaurant that is already heading for disaster La Granada Divino has only been open for eight weeks. The restaurant is owned by architect Milan and former model Gina, who have never run a restaurant and have sunk their savings and retirement fund into the project. Their head chef is not the man they thought he was. Their relationship with him is at an all-time low and the restaurant is losing 4,000 euros a month, despite there being many hungry tourists on their doorstep.

Gordon visits a family run restaurant in the Costa Blanca that's losing 3000 euros a week and won't make it through another summer, unless Gordon can help. Former London cabbie Del and his wife Sue emigrated to Spain 10 years ago, using their retirement money to set up a business for their kids to run. Unfortunately, the kids are running the business into the ground. Brothers Joe and Terry are at loggerheads, unable to agree on whether the business is a bar or a restaurant, and little sister Ruby is caught in the crossfire. All three children face unemployment, and mum and dad are terrified that their three kids might even have to come back to live with them again.