Restaurant: Impossible - General Discussion

[Sir RaiderDuck OMS]

This show, which originally ran from 2011-2016, returned with a new episode (one of four in its abbreviated new season) Saturday night.

Thoughts:

It was nice seeing Tom and Tanya again. Loved Tom giving Robert a gold sledgehammer, then being mortified when Robert actually used it.

We need more of this kind of owner: enthusiastic and wanting to work hard and do the right thing, just in over her head with no clue how to run a restaurant. These types of restaurants/owners usually result in a happy ending (i.e. Robert can show them what to do and how to do it).

Liked the makeover. The owner and the mom seemed genuinely touched that Tanya had included the grandma's picture in her redesign.

[blueray]

They brought this show back? I loved the original and was sad when it went off the air. I'll have to see if I could find it somewhere.

[cpcathy]

I tend to enjoy this show, but I wish Robert and Gordon Ramsey (him retroactively, I guess) would tone down the yelling. It's okay to be calm and just eat the food and say what's wrong with it, or tell them calmly that the restaurant is dirty and then what they can do to fix it. I don't need raised voices and histrionics, just show me the food and the restaurant before, then after.

[Glory]

Ever since I learned that Robert lied about his entire resume, I haven't been able to stand this guy. I just keep wondering why they're bringing him back? How about some actual cooking shows? 

[Yeah No]

I actually think this show is better now that it's back.  Robert is still douchey but at least they're toning down his counseling somewhat and concentrating on the restaurant.  Somehow the production seems a bit slicker and Tanya is outdoing herself in the design department this time around.  I wonder if the budget for that was increased.  It is great to see her and Tom again on this show.  I watch her on "The Great Christmas Light Fight" and her occasional appearance on "The Rachael Ray Show", but have missed her here. 

I don't mind Robert as long as they don't let him get super annoying, which he can easily get.  I don't care that much about his lying about his resume.  As far as chefs go that's mild bad behavior.  I worked in the corporate world and found out a lot people do that.  They exaggerate their skills or embellish their actual experience.  I never did, but a LOT of people do.  At least he was never accused of sexual misconduct like a lot of chefs.  He bugs me more for being icky and douchey, but not enough to make me stop enjoying the show.

[CharlizeCat]

Agreed. Robert seems a lot more subdued so far this season. I have only seen the first two episodes. The first one was boring. The second one was a little better because the restaurant owner had a nasty temper and huge chip on her shoulder, so the drama and fireworks started off immediately.

What's bugging me about the shows now, is that huge gaping holes in the story aren't answered. In the first episode, cleanliness was an issue and there never was any discussion about it or scenes of a crew doing a deep cleaning. (It wasn't gross like in some of the older shows, but enough for Robert to get annoyed about it.)

In the second episode, the hot-tempered owner had no clue about any of the financial operations of the restaurant and said her husband "did all the books." They'd lost more than $1 million over seven years. To me, that was HUGE! It was never brought up again and once Robert honed in on why the owner had such anger issues, he honed in on that like a dog with a bone and dragged her off to a boxing gym. So, I guess his days as a failed talk show host didn't cure the need to try to "fix" people. I was much more interested in where all the money was going. How do you lose $30K every month? 

There also seems to be more focus on RI giving cooking demos on this reboot.

I'll hang with it for a few more weeks.  I kind of miss the nasty dumps that were skating the line of being close down by the health department and the disastrous trial service runs. 

[Writing Wrongs]

I just found out they are doing a restaurant in my town. How exciting!

[HighMaintenance]

I watched the episode with the blond lady that was running the combination italian restaurant/grocery.  Not only did she have a chip on her shoulder, she also had anger issues and couldn't take criticism.  How far do you take your $$ losses before you throw in the towel and say, this is going to bankrupt our family?? 

However, Robert played armchair psychologist and said the owner was trying to show her deceased (evil) stepmother that she was a success. (OR... maybe she was a good cook but a crappy businesswoman?)

This insta-breakthrough psychology trope just bugs me when it pops it's head up in these renovation/self help shows.  This was a go-to trope on Biggest Loser back in the day.  One session with a punching bag isn't going to change behavior of a person that's been acting the same way for years (or a lifetime).  You can slap a coat of paint on the restaurant, but chances are the damaged personalities that caused the problems to begin with continue on the same path.

[Sir RaiderDuck OMS]

And we got another two (!) episodes this last Saturday.

I loved the first episode. A southside Chicago icon was just in way over her head. It was nice having an owner who gratefully accepts Robert's help. Also, Robert had no major criticisms of the food itself or the cleanliness of the kitchen. The only back-of-the-house criticism he leveled was about that terrible downstairs walk-in cooler (which Josephine probably wasn't physically able to get to, and thus had no idea of its condition).

The second episode was the debut of the new continuation series Restaurant: Impossible: Revisited. It was interesting seeing the Dodge City owners looking at eight-year-old footage and saying what they thought all these years on.

Also, here's a new interview where Robert talks about the show and throws a little more shade on Gordon Ramsay (without specifically naming him). Money quote:

Quote

“That’s a lot of pressure for me,” he said. “That’s somebody’s life we’re messing with. It’s not a TV show to me. There are other restaurant shows out there; they come up with a big truck, spend five days or whatever, they’re never there, they don’t care about the people, it’s TV. To me, it’s not TV, it’s somebody’s life.”

https://www.realityblurred.com/realitytv/2019/07/restaurant-impossible-revisited-robert-irvine-interview/

He also talks about why the "Ambush" concept was abandoned for the series reboot: apparently, they couldn't always both "ambush" the restaurant owners AND get the building permits for the renovations they wanted to do.

Edited July 24, 2019 by Sir RaiderDuck OMS

[Gramto6]

I'm glad the family finally got it together but I'm sad they painted over those beautiful wood beams on the ceiling of McLanks.

[Writing Wrongs]

McLanks is the one in my town. I've never been there and honestly, this episode didn't inspire me to ever go there.

[roughing it]

On 7/27/2019 at 11:04 PM, Gramto6 said:

I'm sad they painted over those beautiful wood beams on the ceiling of McLanks.

ITA.  I think Robert was sad too.  The beams would have broken up all of the blue (which made the room way too dark), but then the designer added cheap wood to do the same. 

[Ninamags]

I've never really seen this show before but I am aware of Robert and what he does. Has he taken care of his hearing problem?  I remember other shows where he was leaning in on one side trying to listen and I think I've seen him with some sort of hearing aid on other shows. 

Didn't notice anything in either ear in the new shows so I wonder if he's gotten an implant or something. 

In the grand scheme of things, exagerating, (or whatever he did) about his experiences is so not important. He's trying to help people now and that's what should matter. 😁

[Claire85]

He has said it’s actually an ear piece so the producers can talk to him. I think the leaning is just something he does. 

[Yeah No]

On 7/29/2019 at 6:00 PM, roughing it said:

ITA.  I think Robert was sad too.  The beams would have broken up all of the blue (which made the room way too dark), but then the designer added cheap wood to do the same. 

ITA too.  Sometimes Lynn's work isn't the best.  I didn't get the point of adding the cheap wood but keeping that awful blue.  Too bad Tania wasn't on this episode.  Her work is amazing.  She would have found a way to make the beams a different color and lighten up the ceiling at the same time.

7 hours ago, Claire85 said:

He has said it’s actually an ear piece so the producers can talk to him. I think the leaning is just something he does. 

Yeah, I see a lot of people on TV wearing those.  I haven't seen him doing much of the leaning in this season.  I notice some of his more annoying habits are gone now.  Perhaps he was told by production to make a few changes to his presentation.  One thing I wish they would do is modulate his voice to eliminate that annoying high pitched whistling sound when he pronounces the letter "s".  He sounds like the grandpa (Herbert the Pervert) on "Family Guy", LOL.

[Sir RaiderDuck OMS]

Just watched the McLank's episode. What a trainwreck family. The mom uses her kids as unpaid indentured servants, then wonders why they're not giving 100%. The daughter was acting EXACTLY like a child who doesn't want to do something and is making themselves as useless as possible so they'll be told/allowed to leave.

Brown gravy from a packet on top of a slice of lunch meat on top of a slice of white bread? Yuck. No wonder they were going broke.

On the other hand, the oldest son seemed to know how to delegate and run a kitchen. With any luck, he'll be able to learn and grow better over time.

[100Proof]

Always been suspicious of the whole turn around in someones behavior in just one day thing too. Then with all these makeover shows is the 'we just got one hour to finish' when there's still a days work left

Had to look this fellow up cuz his accent was not quite UK, not quite aussie/kiwi/SA.  Was betting australia but no, he's a brit. 

Was watching Ramsay's kitchen nightmare years back. They pan around the dining area during the first stress test thing,  I was like, whaaaaaa??? when I saw my cousins and they commented on the food as well. Weird one, lol. 

Edited August 4, 2019 by 100Proof

[Yeah No]

On 8/4/2019 at 1:53 PM, 100Proof said:

Always been suspicious of the whole turn around in someones behavior in just one day thing too. Then with all these makeover shows is the 'we just got one hour to finish' when there's still a days work left.

I know, I have been suspicious about that in some episodes myself.  Like this most recent one with ceiling and floor issues.  They couldn't possibly work on both at the same time and when Tom said they polyurethaned the floor I couldn't believe it because doesn't that need time to dry?  They were standing on it with paper over it as he said that.

Although I once witnessed a Restaurant Impossible episode shot in my local area and they did in fact complete it in the allotted time.  But that was a relatively easy makeover.

[Yeah No]

On 8/4/2019 at 1:53 PM, 100Proof said:

Was watching Ramsay's kitchen nightmare years back. They pan around the dining area during the first stress test thing,  I was like, whaaaaaa??? when I saw my cousins and they commented on the food as well. Weird one, lol. 

I had the same experience.  I saw one of my old bosses in the dining room during a Kitchen Nightmares episode being asked about the food, LOL.  I messaged him on Linkedin after that, LOL.  He was always a foodie, so it was no wonder.

I also appeared on that episode of Restaurant Impossible in my home area back in 2010.  I was given a meatball to sample and I said it tasted just like my nonni's LOL.  It actually was very good and Robert made it himself.  After that for days I was approached by virtual strangers in the halls of my company telling me they saw me on TV.  I was even IMed by old classmates on Facebook telling me the same thing!

Edited August 6, 2019 by Yeah No

[Whimsy]

9 hours ago, Yeah No said:

I know, I have been suspicious about that in some episodes myself.  Like this most recent one with ceiling and floor issues.  They couldn't possibly work on both at the same time and when Tom said they polyurethaned the floor I couldn't believe it because doesn't that need time to dry?  They were standing on it with paper over it as he said that.

Although I once witnessed a Restaurant Impossible episode shot in my local area and they did in fact complete it in the allotted time.  But that was a relatively easy makeover.

They specifically said that they had to kick everyone out at midnight no matter what so they could do the floor to give it enough time to dry.  So, that was addressed in the episode. 

[Yeah No]

11 hours ago, Whimsy said:

They specifically said that they had to kick everyone out at midnight no matter what so they could do the floor to give it enough time to dry.  So, that was addressed in the episode. 

Yes but in my experience and by all accounts online (I checked) it takes a lot longer than several hours for polyurethane to dry.  Even water based on concrete would take at the very minimum 24-48 hours for them to be safe for gentle walking, let alone a full restaurant with all that furniture.  So that's why I'm calling BS even on their "addressing" this issue on the show.

[novhappy]

I just saw the episode where the lady didn’t know anything about the finances and was angry right off the bat. I call producer shenanigans. 

She knows what show she’s going on, she knows the plot is for him to get angry about how they running the restaurant. I believe she was told say you know nothing about the finances, get angry back at him all the time. He’ll take you boxing to teach you another way to express anger, fix you and the restaurant. 

Definitely scripted plot. 

[blueray]

I just watched the new one yesterday, it was a diner in Massachusetts.  I liked that the family really wanted help.  They seemed to be mostly struggling with lack of leadership and finances.  This one, I feel like the restaurant looked fine the way it was (minus the floor which needed to be fixed and cleaned) and some of the seating needed fixing.  But the 50's look added some charm, especially for a diner.  They of course needed improvement on the food. But I disagree with Robert saying they shouldn't have the sandwich  the area is known for on their menu.  Lots of places that have a local specially and it's expected to be on the menu.

[Yeah No]

13 hours ago, blueray said:

I just watched the new one yesterday, it was a diner in Massachusetts.  I liked that the family really wanted help.  They seemed to be mostly struggling with lack of leadership and finances.  This one, I feel like the restaurant looked fine the way it was (minus the floor which needed to be fixed and cleaned) and some of the seating needed fixing.  But the 50's look added some charm, especially for a diner.  They of course needed improvement on the food. But I disagree with Robert saying they shouldn't have the sandwich  the area is known for on their menu.  Lots of places that have a local specially and it's expected to be on the menu.

Did he say that they should get rid of the sandwich?  If so I missed it.  I remember he had them taste all the competition's similar sandwiches and then told them theirs had to stand out.  So I presumed he was going to help them tweak it, but I don't remember seeing anything on it after that.

I couldn't argue with Taniya's new design for the place.  Everything she does is just beautiful.

[DVDFreaker]

Lynn’s design is shit, he made Stella’s restaurant too dark with the dark blue paint and has barely any light 

[Aunt Catfish]

Just watched the Besse's in Wisconsin episode.  The inside looked great.  Let's hope that the outside of the place gets addressed at some point.  Maybe the owner can use her chopped liver profits (Yuck!!!) to gussie the exterior up.

[cpcathy]

The restaurant looked great but the two cooks looked miserable as Robert created new recipes, they knew they didn’t want to learn new things. 

I waited the entire episode for the owner to cover that horrible tattoo with a sweater or blouse and it never happened. 

[Yeah No]

2 hours ago, cpcathy said:

The restaurant looked great but the two cooks looked miserable as Robert created new recipes, they knew they didn’t want to learn new things. 

True, but I think the owner ended up hiring a professional cook anyway.

2 hours ago, cpcathy said:

I waited the entire episode for the owner to cover that horrible tattoo with a sweater or blouse and it never happened. 

I know, she went from one strappy black dress to another.  I think she wore 3 different dresses at different times.  The final dress at the reveal looked like a ballgown.  It looked to me like she was wearing an engagement ring and wedding band but there was no mention of a husband.

[Gramto6]

I think her clothing was inappropriate from the get go. Way too reveling and too sexy for a restaurant floor person in where WI? And for sure the tattoo should have been mostly covered. Somehow I got the feeling the wardrobe was purchased for the show.

I do hope she makes a go of it and succeeds but I think she needs to stop trying to be the fashionista of the restaurant world of WI.

[Yeah No]

10 minutes ago, Gramto6 said:

I think her clothing was inappropriate from the get go. Way too reveling and too sexy for a restaurant floor person in where WI? And for sure the tattoo should have been mostly covered. Somehow I got the feeling the wardrobe was purchased for the show.

I do hope she makes a go of it and succeeds but I think she needs to stop trying to be the fashionista of the restaurant world of WI.

LOL, I hear you!  While this was airing I told my husband that in addition to the restaurant makeover, they should have recruited Stacy and Clinton from "What not to Wear" to give HER a makeover too!

[beeziebee]

Are the steaks in Wisconsin different or something?  I don't know where Robert finds beef that has sugars in it that caramelize.  I understand he was trying to educate on the importance of a good sear, but don't fabricate facts.  That's doing a disservice.

[buttersister]

Robert? Fabricate facts? Imagine that! 

[chessiegal]

And then they hired him back!

[buttersister]

At the time, Food Network said he’d taken responsibility and apologized and fans wanted him. Not as loudly said: Mike Symon’s replacement show bombed. Coincidence: Impossible!

[Yeah No]

On 9/6/2019 at 8:18 AM, beeziebee said:

Are the steaks in Wisconsin different or something?  I don't know where Robert finds beef that has sugars in it that caramelize.  I understand he was trying to educate on the importance of a good sear, but don't fabricate facts.  That's doing a disservice.

I think he was talking about the Maillard Reaction, which does involve sugars in the beef.  This quote is from Live Science:

Quote

On the outside, though, the perfect steak is browned. Browning occurs because of the Maillard reaction, a chemical reaction in which sugars and amino acids in the meat react and create new, flavorful compounds. (The same reaction occurs when you toast bread.) 

Which is similar but distinct from caramelization.  This from Wikipedia:

Quote

Caramelization is an entirely different process from Maillard browning, though the results of the two processes are sometimes similar to the naked eye (and taste buds). Caramelization may sometimes cause browning in the same foods in which the Maillard reaction occurs, but the two processes are distinct. They are both promoted by heating, but the Maillard reaction involves amino acids, as discussed above, whereas caramelization is simply the pyrolysis of certain sugars.

So I think he was only slightly mistaken, not lying.

[Yeah No]

3 hours ago, buttersister said:

At the time, Food Network said he’d taken responsibility and apologized and fans wanted him. Not as loudly said: Mike Symon’s replacement show bombed. Coincidence: Impossible!

In the years since this happened a lot of far worse things have been done by chefs making this look pretty tame by comparison.  A lot of people lie on their resumes.  Not excusing him, especially because of the grandiosity of the lies, but I guess I've softened somewhat on this since then.  And TBH, I thought Michael Symon's show sucked.

[Jaded]

I'm watching backed up episodes of the different RI shows on my DVR today. I just got done with one of the "Behind the Impossible" episodes about a restaurant named Theresa's in Bradenton, FL .  A woman named Jodi owned it who was really controlling and stubborn to the point where she was driving everyone from Robert to the behind the scenes people crazy. It seemed like she might have been inclined to change a bit by the end of the show. After reading some of the reviews I linked to from Yelp it sounds like she kept on keeping on with that bad attitude to the point where she talks back rudely to customers who wait over 20 minutes for a menu.

[Kroliosis]

On 9/7/2019 at 11:16 PM, buttersister said:

Mike Symon’s replacement show bombed. 

On 9/8/2019 at 3:00 AM, Yeah No said:

And TBH, I thought Michael Symon's show sucked.

What show did Michael Symon have?  I swear I never see any new shows - always Guy Fieri stuff.

[zillabreeze]

On 9/8/2019 at 1:23 PM, Jaded said:

After reading some of the reviews I linked to from Yelp it sounds like she kept on keeping on with that bad attitude to the point where she talks back rudely to customers who wait over 20 minutes for a menu.

It happens all the time, with Bar Rescue also.  You just got more publicity than you can ever afford, a remodel and you blow it????  No wonder restos open and close in less than two years.  Egos!

I like the premise of RI, but I wear out the FF button.  Why, oh why?  Does Irvine eat like a two year old?  Holding his utensils in a toddler fist....The smacking, spitting and chewing with his mouth open.  Why???  I once dated an otherwise awesome guy, but broke up over the table manners and noises.  I just can't.

[meowmommy]

On 9/8/2019 at 11:23 AM, Jaded said:

A woman named Jodi owned it who was really controlling and stubborn to the point where she was driving everyone from Robert to the behind the scenes people crazy. It seemed like she might have been inclined to change a bit by the end of the show.

I watched this with my DD and she was appalled at the bad behavior.  So I told her she hadn't seen anything--I pulled up on YouTube Gordon Ramsay at Amy's Baking Company.  Which, I believe, remains the gold standard for appalling behavior by a restaurant owner.

[buttersister]

On 9/13/2019 at 11:45 AM, Kroliosis said:

What show did Michael Symon have?  I swear I never see any new shows - always Guy Fieri stuff.

For a time, Symon took over “Dinner:Impossible” from Irvine 10+ years ago, you didn’t miss anything.

[CrazyInAlabama]

The Italian with Creole flair in Ridgeland, MS tonight has definitely killed my appetite.    That was one of the nastiest kitchens I've seen, even on this show it was bad.      I don't care what Robert does, I suspect the owner's issues go way beyond an anger problem.   

[LizDC]

Do these places where Robert goes not have health departments and restaurant inspections?  I worked one summer in a fast food breakfast place and we got inspected and we knew they were coming and prepared for it. We were pretty clean anyway so there wasn’t much more we had to do.

When was that last time someone checked Rossini’s out? 

Edited January 3, 2020 by LizDC

[CrazyInAlabama]

I suspect many of them aren't inspected that closely, because a lot of places just don't have the personnel to inspect regularly.     I knew someone who worked his way through college as a food inspector, and he has a huge list of types of restaurants he won't eat at.

Where I live, they have regular inspections on all of the restaurants, and kitchens.   They publish in the paper if anyone flunks, and gets closed down for clean up.    I think many other places just don't have enough trained inspectors.  

Rossini's needed the kitchen gutted, not just cleaned.   I bet it's just as bad again.     I wonder if the number of patrons will drop after this show aired?      Reading the updates about this place say that the wait staff attitudes have improved, but the food is said to be very over priced, and much of the food is not what people expected.  

[JTMacc99]

So I watched the Filomena's Italian Kitchen & Market episode before the new one came on last night, and one thing struck me that I'll never be able to un-see.

When Robert does his thing where he criticizes the food, it's absolutely ridiculous TV manufactured drama. The difference between phrasing it as "your meatballs are dry and not good" versus "We can tweak your meatball recipe to make them softer and really fantastic" is the difference between a conversation with somebody you want to work with and somebody just being a dick for the sake of being a dick.

 

[walnutqueen]

If any of you remember the Rosie's Cafe episode from last year, the owner was involved in a serious hit and run accident, and has been in the ICU since Dec. 21st.  Here's a local story about it:

https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/communities/north-county/escondido/story/2019-12-31/rosies-staff-keeps-escondido-cafe-going-while-owner-recovers-from-hit-and-run-crash

[Sir RaiderDuck OMS]

On 1/3/2020 at 11:52 AM, JTMacc99 said:

The difference between phrasing it as "your meatballs are dry and not good" versus "We can tweak your meatball recipe to make them softer and really fantastic" is the difference between a conversation with somebody you want to work with and somebody just being a dick for the sake of being a dick.

Remember that a lot of these owners are in a ridiculous state of denial about their food quality. Robert needs to be blunt to get the point across.

[Claire85]

When they rate their own food a 10, I always laugh. Oh, you poor fool. 

[Sir RaiderDuck OMS]

On 9/13/2019 at 9:45 AM, Kroliosis said:

What show did Michael Symon have?  I swear I never see any new shows - always Guy Fieri stuff.

Robert's original Food Network show was called Dinner: Impossible. It was a catering show where Robert and his team would, for instance, show up someplace and be told they had 6 hours to prepare a three-course dinner for 300 cheerleaders and their parents. They'd have to write up a menu, go buy the ingredients, then fix and plate everything.

In early 2008, it came to light that Robert had significantly embellished his resume (i.e.  saying he'd cooked personally for multiple US Presidents, when in reality he'd trained some cooks in the White House, or saying he'd personally made Charles and Diana's wedding cake when he was a high-ranking Royal Navy chef -- some of his food was undoubtedly eaten by the couple on their honeymoon, but he didn't design and bake their cake). Food Network fired him and he was replaced by Michael Symon. However, the Dinner: Impossible ratings tanked, and Food Network's outrage at Robert's fibbing was overriden by their love of $$$. He apologized, amended his resume to reflect reality, and was re-hired for three more seasons of D:I.

R:I followed soon thereafter.

[Sir RaiderDuck OMS]

On 1/9/2020 at 11:30 AM, Claire85 said:

When they rate their own food a 10, I always laugh. Oh, you poor fool. 

I remember an early R:I episode where Robert gave some restaurant's fried liver a negative 10.