On tonight's episode of "Restaurant: Impossible," Robert Irvine traveled to Kilgore, Texas to visit Nancy Dupre and her failing restaurant called, "Nanny Goat's Cafe & Feed Bin." No stranger to the restaurant business, she is losing her grip on this investment. She has owned and sold four restaurants over the years, but cannot sell this one, because it is not financially independent.
Nancy's daughter, Jessica knows that her mother is a great restaurant buyer, but not a good manager. The tension in their relationship is growing, and Robert comes to the rescue. Inside it looks like a flea market of mismatched furniture and collectibles. Nancy built this restaurant from scratch, and it is her first failure. Robert asked Jessica what her duties were; she cooked, and assisted her mother. Nancy could not give Robert the answers he wanted. She could not cost out the food and Jessica made the better part of the salary at the restaurant. Nancy's numbers did not work out for him. Although she sold her last restaurant for a million dollars, she lost a lot in the Florida real estate market, and her last $70,000 was spent on this place. Asked why she did not walk away; she replied that she was embarrassed.
Nancy called her mother, her mentor and her rock. She is so sad with the questions Robert asked her, that she could not answer. Her mother gave her the encouragement to go on. Her mother talked to Robert and assured him that Nancy will get her act together, so they can proceed.
As Robert oversaw a service, the customers were dissatisfied with the food, and Sissy was also unhappy that her food was so bad. Nancy is in total denial. Robert said the food was garbage, and his order was crab cakes that were short on crab; the overcooked chicken fried steak was not good either. He said that the food was as bad as the decor. Nancy and Jessica were both in tears and ready to walk away. They made Robert the bad guy and never looked toward themselves for what was wrong in the restaurant. Sissy, Nancy's mother was the only voice of reason for the place. She told everyone to go home, because she is done.
Nevertheless, Robert got his team to work to fix the place; he asked Tanyia to try to unclutter and fix the place. Robert went into the kitchen to teach Jessica how to cook at a restaurant. Tom the carpenter was busy with Tanyia, and they got busy immediately.
Jessica went home to be with Nancy, but Sissy stayed with the staff. Robert asked what the problems were from their viewpoint. The staff agreed that Jessica was the problem, and Nancy does not stand up to Jessica.
Nancy came back the next day apologetic. Robert reminded her that she called him. When Robert explained the situation, she confessed that she did not think Jessica could find a job anywhere else and admitted that her cooking was not good. Robert met with Jessica and told her that she was the major problem, and she wanted her mother's restaurant to be successful. Jessica will stay on as the cook; provided that Robert can train her properly.
Nancy provided Robert with her profit and loss statement. He showed them how to cost a meal and what they should be charging. They were so grateful to learn this important part of their business. Robert had fun in the kitchen with Jessica and another chef.
When the family got to see the new restaurant, they were awestruck. It was so clean and fresh and with the new redesigned menu, a complete hit. The crowd outside was amazed at the transformation and above all, the good food all thanks to Robert and his crew of "Restaurant: Impossible."
At the end of each show, Robert tells viewers to check his link to see how the restaurant is doing since his visit. Feel free to add your comments, especially if you have visited the restaurant. If you liked what you read, please click on the "Subscribe" button above, and you will never miss another post from this Examiner. Thanks!
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