American Diner Revival - General Discussion

[Meredith Quill]

A place to discuss particular episodes, arcs and moments from American Diner Revival.

[cooksdelight]

This show begins on Friday night at 10:30 on Food Network. Looking forward to seeing Amanda, and how her food idea coordinate with Ty's building expertise. It sounds like a fun show.

Chili Champ Revamp

Beloved diners that are in need of a makeover are spruced up as a surprise to the owner in this reality series, which begins in Norman, Okla., with a place famous for its chili, but after more than a century in business could use some updating to the decor and menu.

[cooksdelight]

LOL, the spots on the wall coincide with where someone would be sitting and laying their head against the wall. I want to hear the story about that.

[NikSac]

Just finished watching the first episode and I really enjoyed it!  It made me want to go on a road trip to small-town-USA and the diner. It's wayyyy too far, but maybe someday. I liked what they did with the place, and the food looked tasty but still approachable. Like all of these restaurant shows, I wonder how much of the new menu they'll keep and how much they'll revert to the old one.

[cooksdelight]

Since the dad is gone, I think the daughter and widow will probably stick to it. They obviously needed help with the decor, and I'm guessing they will keep some of the old staples on the menu. Amanda's idea of using brisket for a variety of dishes was super smart. It's an inexpensive cut of meat that can go a long way.

[Wings]

I fell asleep as I watched and only caught part of it.  Just as I thought, Ty is over the top, a lousy actor and obnoxious.  All these years on TV and he still has not mastered not sounding rehearsed.  Wow.  

[NikSac]

Agreed Cooksdelight, they did seem pretty open to a "refreshed" menu. Plus they really seemed to appreciate the new decor and have the community behind them. I hope they make it. I agree on the brisket, especially after I saw how tiny that kitchen was!  It's a great idea to have something they can use multiple ways that also mostly leaves the stove-top free while it cooks too.

 

wings707 Ty actually cracks me up for exactly the reasons he bugs you. He seems so over the top and rehearsed it makes me laugh. I can see how he could be annoying to some though.

 

One thing I hope this show doesn't include every episode the way so many of these remodel shows do is the "oh no the owner is coming home early!" like they did last night. I don't mind it once in awhile, but when it's every episode it gets kind of old.

[cooksdelight]

When Ty almost pops a vein because he's yelling so loud is when I laugh the hardest. If he and Guy Fieri ever get together on a show as co-hosts, lord help us!

[grisgris]

I didn't care for the first show. It was like "Restaurant Impossible" lite, with a little bit of "Trading Spaces" thrown in. I never cared for Ty and I see that his on-screen persona hasn't improved over the years. He and Amanda have zero chemistry. I'm not talking romantic/sexual, more like easy rapport. Maybe they need some time to jell.

 

Amanda. Amanda. Amanda. I really like her on "Chopped" and when she competes on cooking shows. I always wondered why FN has never given her her own show and now I see why. While she is pleasant, she is very bland. Maybe this unlikely pairing was to have calm, placid Amanda be a foil to ADHD Ty, but it just doesn't seem to work.

[cooksdelight]

I love Amanda. But she does this thing with her hands that drives me nuts. It's the way she spaces out her fingers, curls them.....something, I don't know how to describe it. But I always feel like she's a crab waiting to grab onto something.

[cooksdelight]

I have NO idea why we're getting episode #4 tonight. Did I miss 2 & 3?

[NikSac]

If so I did too, Cooksdelight. I just looked on Food Network's site and they aren't numbered that I can find, but they list some titles and places I don't remember seeing. Here's what I found:

 

- Shipwreck Rescue - I don't remember seeing this and don't see any upcoming episodes listed

- Chili Champ Revamp - this is what I remember as the first one

- Farm Fresh Fiasco - this one says it'll be aired June 5 but I'm not sure if it aired previously?

- From Bland to Glam - this is the one I saw tonight

 

The next one they list is Retro Remix on June 19. Maybe they switched the order around for some reason?  It's weird.

 

I hope this show improves. I know they'll need some time to settle in, but I found it so incredibly boring tonight (the Bland to Glam episode). I kept rewinding for stuff that I missed because I was sidetracked because I was so bored, and I finally just quit rewinding. I was bummed they did the whole "OMG they're coming back early!?!" thing again. I had hoped that was a once in awhile thing, but looks like they built it into the formula. I was also kind of annoyed by Amanda interrupting Ty to get her serving trays for her slider/shake combo. It was a cool idea, but I thought he should have done that last. Isn't it more important to make sure people have places to sit and the waitresses can get to the utensils before you have cute serving trays?  Also, how did they wash those things?  They didn't look like something that could go in your standard dish washing/sanitizing equipment.

 

Also, I could imagine sharing that slider/shake trio with someone but I can't imagine eating it all together or all myself. I hope they offer an option to get just a slider and the matching shake if you want. That final burger with the dark chocolate shake was the only combo that sounded good to me.  The Johnnycakes and "Everything" Johnnycakes did sound tasty.

 

I'll keep watching for awhile, but we'll see how long that lasts.

[Wings]

I could not get through Johnny Cakes.  I FFed to the food Amanda designed then onward the reveal.   I cannot stand Ty and I agree he was paired with Amanda because she is so soft spoken and laid back.  

 

There is a lot that misses for me.  The budget is too small to make a satisfying change in decor.  What Ty does is very Trading Spaces.  The new waitress station may have been better than the old one but did not look efficient in the least.  It looked like the low shelves you would put in a child's room for toys.  He left the hideous black and white checked floor, too.  

 

I doubt they will use Amanda's renovated Johnny Cake recipe. It was too far a departure from their best seller.  And I don't see them taking 30 mins to reduce a red wine glaze for one of the sliders in the trio.  

 

This is just a watered down version of Kitchen Nightmares without the money and freak outs.  The freak outs I don't miss, the budget and time frame, I do. 

[Momof2boyz]

I live in Nyack and visited the renovated Johnnycakes.  I was surprised they left the old floor.  It is filthy looking.  I was told that originally it was supposed to be replaced, but when they realized that the old booths were too far gone to be restored and needed to be replaced it wasn't in the budget.  I am surprised that point did not make it into the show, but it seems a lot was cut out to fit the 30 minute format.  My kids think the new menu sounds disgusting and said they don't want to go there anymore!  I did think the Johnnycakes with the smoked salmon sounded delish, but I can see it not appeal to kids.  They were horrified by the red wine reduction for the slider as well. I told them I am sure that they can still get "regular" food there!

Edited June 1, 2015 by Momof2boyz

[Wings]

I am not surprised to hear that.  Adding those items but still offering the old standbys is the way to go, which they probably do.  Their original sliders looked terrible and the new ones way too thick.  

 

I figured the floor was a budget issue.  The new vinyl flooring that looks like wood is fabulous!  My orthopedic surgeon (rotator cuff tear) has that in his treatment/xray/mri rooms and I noticed it was vinyl on the 3rd visit.  It took that long to register!  My neighbors put it in their house right over their tile that they hated.  It looks really good.   

[cooksdelight]

Thank you for the inside info, Momof2boyz. I always appreciate it when members let us know about their first-hand experience with any restaurant.

[Momof2boyz]

I am told that the owners plan to restore the floor on their own.

[autumnh]

They did our local diner, Dena's in Michigan which is due to air on 6/22. HUGE crowd the first night when we passed by...lights, camera, action and all that jazz but the next day we passed by...there were three guys sitting in the parking lot painting something and the diner chairs were out in the STREET to block cars from driving in.

 

Went in after the reveal and all they did was paint, add a bit of hardwood flooring and new chairs at the counter....some ceiling work etc but it looks the same..no great change. They also raised the prices for the damn ol' scrambled eggs and toast..(really?)

 

We did find out however that the business has been for sale for over a year....wonder if they thought the makeover would help with the value of the diner..yeah, I don't think so.

 

Big snooze of a show and they really don't do anything that would be considered fantastic so to speak.

[Wings]

Thanks autumnh.  The budget is just not big enough to make this interesting.  Amanda is one of my favorite TV chefs but she is not cut out for this style of show. .  And Ty?  No, just no.  

[cooksdelight]

Thank you for the insider info. I am not so worried about spoilers for this show since....well....it needs some spice.

[NikSac]

Thank you for the insider info. I am not so worried about spoilers for this show since....well....it needs some spice.

 

This may be the only thing that gets me to watch the episode!

[Wings]

Me too, NicSac.  A poster knowing the restaurant is the only reason I will watch!  This show is just bad. 

[NikSac]

I made myself watch "Farm Fresh FIasco."  It probably helps that I wrenched my back and can barely move plus it happened to be on the DVR.  I really, really want to like this show, but they are making it so difficult. On the upside it makes me want to go to some hole-in-the-wall diners my husband and I have run across on road trips before, so there's some nostalgia there, but otherwise this show is just so blah to me.  I did think the "after" on this one looked better than some of the ones they've shown so far.

 

Also...

 

Amanda: your food looks good but try to spice up your presentation a little bit - and I don't mean the food, I mean how you present to the camera.  Also, please don't put your hair in a ponytail and then hang it all over the food anyway.

 

Ty/producers: guess what?  The "OMG they're coming back early?!?!?!?!" thing gets old, fast, especially when it's on every episode.

 

Autumnh thanks for posting about your local experience, or this might've been my last episode of this show. Now I want to see the one you posted about.

[cooksdelight]

Ty/producers: guess what? The "OMG they're coming back early?!?!?!?!" thing gets old, fast, especially when it's on every episode

This is my biggest beef with this show, and any show Ty does where he's renovating or building. I know a family that he helped to build a house for, and he did the same crap. Even though the family was nowhere near the house. They were at Disney World. He needs to find a new gimmick that is halfway believable.

[NikSac]

This is my biggest beef with this show, and any show Ty does where he's renovating or building. I know a family that he helped to build a house for, and he did the same crap. Even though the family was nowhere near the house. They were at Disney World. He needs to find a new gimmick that is halfway believable.

 

Ha that's pretty funny. I always wondered if the last minute emergencies were fake or not. I'm sure it happens sometimes, but every single time? 

 

I wish he'd at least come up with a handful of gimmicks and rotate them.

[jcbrown]

I want to like this show because I like Amanda but I just can't get into it. There is so little substance and it's all such a formula. It's weird to me, too, there there is no part of the formula that involves Amanda talking to the diner owners or cooks about their market and what menu changes might actually work there. It's like the show is too short to get into anything interesting and too formulaic to be worth the time.

[cooksdelight]

I loved Dena's. Loved the woman, her family and friends. And her connection with Amanda through food. They could get rid of Ty and let Amanda carry this show alone, in my opinion. Find various handymen in the towns she visits and let her be the star.

[Wings]

I made myself watch "Farm Fresh FIasco."  It probably helps that I wrenched my back and can barely move plus it happened to be on the DVR.  I really, really want to like this show, but they are making it so difficult. On the upside it makes me want to go to some hole-in-the-wall diners my husband and I have run across on road trips before, so there's some nostalgia there, but otherwise this show is just so blah to me.  I did think the "after" on this one looked better than some of the ones they've shown so far.

 

Also...

 

Amanda: your food looks good but try to spice up your presentation a little bit - and I don't mean the food, I mean how you present to the camera.  Also, please don't put your hair in a ponytail and then hang it all over the food anyway.

 

Ty/producers: guess what?  The "OMG they're coming back early?!?!?!?!" thing gets old, fast, especially when it's on every episode.

 

Autumnh thanks for posting about your local experience, or this might've been my last episode of this show. Now I want to see the one you posted about.

 

 

ITA about Amanda and Ty's frantic timing, especially.  I took this off my DVR.  It is huge that I am not saving it for the 3am wake ups when I have seen all the good ones!   I am done and it only took 2 episodes.  I did not watch the most recent one.

[NikSac]

ITA about Amanda and Ty's frantic timing, especially.  I took this off my DVR.  It is huge that I am not saving it for the 3am wake ups when I have seen all the good ones!   I am done and it only took 2 episodes.  I did not watch the most recent one.

 

You didn't miss much. It was the same.  I'm holding out for the one that Autumnh posted about, just for the 'insider' perspective. Otherwise this would be off of my DVR schedule too.

 

Cooksdelight I did think this was the only time I saw Amanda as possibly being able to carry the show on her own. I have liked Ty in other shows but he's driving me nuts on this one. I can't tell if it's him or producer-initiated stuff.

[cooksdelight]

Ty needs a Valium, stat! The hollering, wild eyes, waving his arms.... ACK!!! Amanda is the exact opposite and she's pleasant to watch. Her food in this episode was delicious and perfect for Dena's diner. I've never seen poutine look so appetizing.

One thing I noticed is the HUGE amount of floor space the diner had that was empty. The row of booths, and a row of stools at the counter, with room in the middle where you could almost put small tables and 2 chairs each. Or they could have installed longer booth benches and tables. Instead of seating 4, they could have room to seat 6 per booth.

[autumnh]

Ok...Dena's is my local diner. First of all they only renovated the front part of the diner. If you look at the episode (at the end he made the barn door) well behind that barn door is the other/bigger half of the diner...they did not renovate that AT ALL...only the small front part. It is ridiculous because the front part of the diner and the other half look totally different. Dena also has the diner on the market and it has been on the market for a good while. My husband and I were commenting on the clever shooting of the outside of the diner..they shot it so that you would only think the diner is that small area....when in fact the diner can seat almost 100 people.

 

Also? Dena was well aware of the diner renovation since she was hawking it all over the community and posting about it everywhere plus it was in the local news well before the renovation occured.

 

The counter chairs are super flimsy...bring back the stools.

[cooksdelight]

Big thank you for the inside scoop!! Wow.... now I feel cheated on.

[autumnh]

Cooks, so did we!! I was like...why didn't they do the whole damn diner? the budget for the show much be very low LOL

Also? when they showed her (and I just watched it again) in her car....surprisingly equipped with a camera...her fake acting.."what the heck"? I said to my husband...i'm done lol...reality shows are so not real lol

More proof that she was well aware...

 

http://www.monroenews.com/news/2015/jun/13/owner-thankful-work-tv-show-community-refreshing-d/

Although the back half looks great...the community came together and raised funds and finished it themselves...kudos to the community

[cooksdelight]

Really, the community should have been given more applause, but if we don't see all the work they did....WTF???

[NikSac]

Aw man, guess it's time to take this one off the DVR now... I thought this one didn't air til next week.

 

The show's budget must be incredibly low, and they don't seem to be able to pull in the freebies like Taffer manages to on Bar Rescue. That's really impressive the community came together to finish the renovation, especially when the place is already up for sale.

[autumnh]

Agreed! the show took ALL of the credit for the little bit of work they did...it is deceptive and disheartening...Dena is VERY lucky that the community came together to do the work that Food Network couldn't be bothered with.

We couldn't believe that Dena actually allowed the community to donate money and do the work knowing it is for sale....search Loopnet in Monroe Michigan...it is all there.

Dena's http://www.loopnet.com/Listing/19014281/15391-S-Dixie-Monroe-MI/

[cooksdelight]

It's showing the old diner, with the ratty carpet, in the photos. That is really shady that she'd take their donated help and materials, then turn around to sell it for more than she could have made beforehand (I'm guessing). Unless she plans to share the money with the volunteers.

[autumnh]

I highly doubt she'd share lol

Well the listing is pre-renovation...but it was updated 26 days ago...well after the ADR had taken place.

[cooksdelight]

I've seen this before on other reality shows where a real estate property is involved. They use the publicity from the show to jumpstart interest in the listing.

[jcbrown]

I must have ended up watching last night's episode at least three times because I kept going to sleep. Still remember almost nothing about it other than idiot Ty cutting through a water pipe. Total snoozefest, this show, with moments of utter stupidity from Ty. Think I'm out.

[cooksdelight]

That tiny diner in Farmville, VA, I've been there before. What Ty doesn't realize is that she'll only be able to utilize the outdoor seating in the warm weather. Once it gets cold and snows, she's right back where she started. If he didn't put these ridiculous time constraints on building and remodeling, they could have added on to the existing structure with a real building. I've seen it done with Habitat for Humanity homes, it's not rocket science.

[Eolivet]

Has this show been removed from the schedule? Our family looked for it, but couldn't find it.

[cooksdelight]

The season is over, we'll see if it comes back in a few months with new shows.

[cooksdelight]

Season two is starting 11/27, they just advertised.

[NikSac]

Season two is starting 11/27, they just advertised.

 

Really?  I'm surprised they'll be bringing this one back. I'll make myself watch again for at least a few episodes.

[cooksdelight]

I just wish Ty could talk without yelling.

[NikSac]

I swore I wasn't going to watch this show anymore, but I apparently forgot to remove it from my DVR and the new episode showed up, "Grease at the Greeks" or something like that.  I thought it was great how all the customers came in to help as usual, but OMG I think I'd have a hard time eating in that place after seeing how completely filthy it was. That wasn't just normal greasy spoon - that was lack of cleaning. When Ty was talking about painting the stools black to "hide the future grease" I was grossed out. I know they kept saying everything would be easy to clean, but they didn't say if they actually WILL clean.

 

In spite of the ickiness of the restaurant itself I thought Amanda's recipes looked really good this time. I seriously want to try making that Greek Meatball Hero.

[NikSac]

Heh I think I may be the only one on here still watching this. I thought the latest one was just odd. Was the woman really going to flip out that much about yellow paint? (Which I thought looked better although maybe a bit bright) Or did they just need a reason for Ty to flip out?

I thought the menu looked pretty good but I was kind of confused. They showed the sign out front numerous times that they were open 3 to 8 on weekends. Do they also serve breakfast every day or most days? To me that was a way bigger problem than the restaurant color. If I were a tourist in particular I'd assume they were closed most of the time. I think they need to start bringing a marketing person along on these trips.

[jcbrown]

I tried to watch this last night but just could not do it without fast forwarding. I think Ty is rubbing off on Amanda. I felt like she was yelling everything she said during the menu revision process. Dial it back, everyone!

[NikSac]

I ended up watching this again tonight... <sigh> Friday nights suck for TV. I liked this one though. I was wishing we knew about that place when we drove through Vegas a couple of years ago, if it was open then. The smoked meats looked so good! I wasn't a huge fan of the changes inside the restaurant but I don't know if it would've mattered that much what they did. It was an improvement at least. The menu seemed very tasty, other than I am soooo sick of the "slap an egg on everything" trend.