Restaurant: Impossible

                    It is probably apparent by now that I like makeover shows.  I especially like the ones that redo either a house or a business.  There is something about watching an expert come in and help someone turn their business and life around.  It gives me hope that even though things are dark it does not have to stay that way.             

                In the show Restaurant: Impossible Chef Robert Irvine comes into struggling restaurants in an effort to turn them around.  He has only two days and $10,000 to figure out what is wrong in the business and to remodel the restaurant.  That is not a lot of time or money at all.  With the remodeling, Chef Irvine does get help from a designer and a general contractor.  The problem is some of the things the designer and the general contractor have to do eat money and time up so quickly.  There was one episode where the floor had to be dug up in order to fix what was underneath.  That is quite costly and time consuming for anybody but especially for a show with these kinds of constraints.  I have also seen episodes where nearly the entire kitchen has had to be redone along with the dining room.  With situations like these, the designer and general contractor have to get a bit inventive with how they do things.  It looks very stressful which Chef Irvine adds to by coming in and yelling when he does not like what he sees.  Either he does not like the look or he thinks they are too far behind.  No matter what is going on, Chef Irvine yells.  I do not know why as they always get it done in the end.

                While Chef Irvine does check in on the remodel, he spends very little time there.  Most of what he does is concentrated on the actual business.  Before any remodeling begins, Chef Irvine comes into the restaurant to figure out what the problems are.  He talks to the owners and then he sees a service.  After this he tries the food.  Well, he tries the food if he does not shut down the restaurant.  Sometimes he sees the kitchen and is so disgusted by the condition that he shuts the service down and refuses to try anything.  There are some truly terrible kitchens that Chef Irvine walks into.  I do not know how they pass health inspections.  Ice makers seem to especially cause health and cleanliness concerns.  They are often looked over by the restaurant, but not by Chef Irvine.  He likes a clean kitchen, every square inch.

                When Chef Irvine does try the food, he rarely likes it.  He seems to only take about one bite of anything because he does not want to eat any more.  It is not as thought he only tries one thing.  His table is usually full of food by the time he is done.  For Chef Irvine to not like anything is not a good thing.  Thankfully in his efforts to save the restaurant Chef Irvine creates a new menu.        

                Money handling is another big problem the restaurants encounter.  So many episodes deal with food costs and the difference between buying fresh and frozen food.  Chef Irvine talks a lot about how fresh is better not only in quality and taste but also money.  A lot of these restaurants would be in much better shape monetarily if they made this switch.                    

                Then there are the owners and the staff.  Chef Irvine breaks down what everyone is doing wrong and comes up with ways to fix it.  He bases this on what he hears from the staff as well as his own observations.  This does not always go well.  People get really upset, especially the owners, but it is what everyone needs to hear.       

                As great as it is that Chef Irvine fixes the business and the restaurant, I think the best thing he does is work on fixing the relationships involved.  Usually the restaurants are run by families.  As the business suffers so do the relationships.  Chef Irvine works very hard to heal the conflicts and separations that have risen.  In so many ways this is far more important than anything Chef Irvine does for the restaurant.  No matter how made over the restaurant is, if the relationships behind it are not strong, the restaurant never will be either.           

                Of course, no matter what happens, everything comes together in the end.  I do not think Chef Irvine would have it any other way.  A grand reopening is held and the restaurant hosts a packed house.  Things do not always go smoothly, but if there are any struggles, Chef Irvine jumps in to help.  It is always nice to see such a positive turn around in that short of time.

                One thing I wish the show did was tell the viewers at the end of each episode how the restaurant is doing now. I think they may have in the past, but the more recent episodes suggest the viewer refer to the show’s website. That to me is disappointing. I would rather know right away instead of having to search for it. Other than that, and the yelling, I really enjoy this show.