[QUOTE=Jeep’s Phoenix]
Hasn’t it been revealed that none of the winners were actually handed a restaurant – merely a higher-up position in the kitchen?
[/QUOTE]
I was under the impression that while nobody has been handed a freestanding restaurant, they have all (with one exception) been given senior chef/head chef positions in restaurants that are part of larger enterprises. The one exception was Michael, from the first season. Anyway, although I’m no expert, it would seem to me that if you’re head chef/senior chef of a restaurant, you’re in charge; at least until the larger enterprise of which your restaurant is a part decides that it needs to make staffing changes at the end of your contract. In other words, while you’re in charge of your restaurant, you’re still answerable to the people who don’t run, but rather own, your restaurant. So you may have a point, Jeep’s Phoenix. Still, I wouldn’t call a senior chef/head chef in this situation a “senior position in the kitchen,” but it’s sure not the same as running and owning your own restaurant.
From the Wikipedia page on Hell’s Kitchen (and edited to exclude non-essential information on premiere and conclusion dates):