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While RI might put to much time into the predictable decorating drama, restaurant decor is very important. It can break or make a high style restaurant and should reflect the experience and prices the owner wants to have.
Don't like Irvine since I found out he cheated about cooking for the Queen and lots of other resume lies. Apparently Food Network just winked at those lies and let him continue.
And of course the restaurant shows are as scripted as any of the other "reality" shows. Do you really think a server or cook who walks out the back door with a $50 piece of ham and takes it to the pawn shop next door is going to allow his crime to be taped and broadcast?
Since I'm a bit of a customer service stickler, I do like those other restaurant shows in which they spy on servers and staff and find really bad behavior. Most restaurants seem to tolerate terrible service ont he part of their employees, and I'm often reporting things, positive and negative to restaurant managers.
Robert doesn't do enough of that, IMO. That's my only problem with RI really, is that they spend a lot of time on decorating "drama" (oh no, the paint will never be dry by 6pm! Oh no, we suddenly don't have enough flooring material! Of no, that custom art piece costs too much!) and not enough on staff behavior.
I like some decorating shows, but I go to HGTV for those, not to Food Network. I think the decor stuff dilutes the important stuff on RI.
The other thing I'm a little annoyed by is that they no longer have that blurb at the end when they tell us how the restaurant is doing today, since the show was recorded. They just refer us to their website, and there is usually very little info. I wish they would do a RI: Revisited episode (I think they might have done that once, right?)
I thought they did RI: Revisited at least once.
I hate those "spy on the staff" shows because they are so fake. Not saying those things don't happen, I just thing the way it is presented is false.
It is amazing when you see these people who are really clueless. I'm also always curious to know how some of these places pass inpsection. Not every restaurant is really dirty, but some are so filthy you think they would be shut down by the health department.
I think Restaurant Stakeout started off more realistic, with staff getting caught doing the very common things like texting, ignoring customers, flirting, not checking IDs for alcohol.
But then it quickly got very over-the-top scripted, with people getting into fake fights on camera, wrestling/breakdancing in the dining room, and taking kickbacks on wine, commiting actual crimes, etc. I stopped watching because it just became fake scripted drama and not real problem-solving.
I guess the dirty kitchens on RI are proof that 1.) government agencies are mostly not efficient or effective and 2.) government inspectors are often paid-off to look the other way.
Do you think you are not eating frozen or canned food at the chain restaurants? Surely you don't think there are culinary trained chef's in white hats chopping and dicing fresh ingredients in the back at The Olive Garden, etc., regardless of what the commercials show.
My daughter worked at both Ruby Tuesdays, and another popular chain. She said almost everything is frozen or pre-packaged, then either put in the convection oven or nuked in the microwave before being delivered to your table. The "house" wine comes from a box.
Where I live, the best and freshest food usually DOES come from the Mom and Pop places, or independent places, when done right.
I've noticed when chain restraunts open, the food is really good. There service is too. Give it about a month and its starts to slip. They know that when a restraunt opens more people will come to try it out, so they do their best. I'm sure some of it at least IS fresh then. After a while you get used to going. Then the same old sets in.
I agree, the small mom and pop places probably don't make as much in volume but they are more likely to be unique and the food better. I've found that as I cook with meat from a small meat market and fresh except for tomatoes (Hunts canned tastes fresher and more like a tomato than tomatoes) I don't much care to eat out unless its mexican, and I don't know enough about the spices for that.
As far as them really revamping the physical restraunt, its really IS vital. The food is new, the atmosphere and rules are new and you need old patrons who don't go there anymore to feel like its a new place too, and get that 'newly opened' bloom. You want peope to psychologically feel the place has changed and is starting over.
And making it less maintaince, removing cobweb attracting decoure for instance, is going to make it more likely it maintains that atmosphere.
I used to live in Riverside California, and that county was one of the first to 'grade' restraunts. Works like this. Health dept shows up unannounced and does an inspection. They list the violations and their severity. They assign a grade. D or F means the restraunt is closed until it reaches at least a C and the health dept clears them. C means the most minimum minum passing. B means they had small problems. A no violations.
People liked this a lot. A LOT of places had to clean up their act (literally) but just a B will detur some patrons from eating there. C means you have an empty restraunt. This ofcorse doesn't address canned or fresh or how its cooked (except for health related concerns) but it does give the patron an idea of what goes on behind closed doors.
A lot of other counties have picked up on this. Los Angeles did and the first week a number of popular restraunts were closed while they cleaned up. Its become an important thing to maintain that A now too.
I think if a program like that was used commonly it would make the dining out experience a lot more safe and enjoyable for many. A number of the restraunts he walks into would end up with an F.
I got the sense that the poster was leery of going to non-chain restaurants not just because of the non-fresh food, but for other reasons that RI makes us aware of.
To me, a chain restaurant would probably have much more oversight of things like cleanliness and food temperatures. They probably have pretty strict corporate policies, unlike a locally owned "mom & pop" place. In no way am I saying that chains are preferable, but they at least are expected to have more consistency.
Exactly, TracySam, thanks for "getting it". I knew I was gonna get slammed by not going into more detail, but it was late and I didn't feel like making a loooooong, descriptive post about exactly what I meant.
I do know and realize that chains use frozen foods. Chains offer "specialty" foods, unique to their chain. I go to them for those dishes/foods. For something I wouldn't make at home.
Mom and Pop restaurants I would go to for "homemade" comfort food, or unique comfort foods. Things I wouldn't make, or do not make, at home, either because of no time or no interest. I don't like to cook, so I cook easy but tasty. Usually Mom and Pop restaurants market the term "homemade" in their advertising, signs or menus. I EXPECT tasty food, not boxed potatoes or frozen fries, bagged salads or bottled salad dressings.
My city DOES have the Health Department reports on the local TV newscast, with full disclosure. Just about every one of them that fails the inspection is a non-chain restaurant, usually a dive. I don't know (without checking the website) if any chain restaurants (in my city) have ever failed the Health Dept. inspection.
The grossness of the restaurants on RI is mindboggling. And I will add I don't intend to stay at any non-chain, one store hotel or motel either. Ever watch Hotel Impossible?
Exactly, TracySam, thanks for "getting it". I knew I was gonna get slammed by not going into more detail, but it was late and I didn't feel like making a loooooong, descriptive post about exactly what I meant.
I do know and realize that chains use frozen foods. Chains offer "specialty" foods, unique to their chain. I go to them for those dishes/foods. For something I wouldn't make at home.
Mom and Pop restaurants I would go to for "homemade" comfort food, or unique comfort foods. Things I wouldn't make, or do not make, at home, either because of no time or no interest. I don't like to cook, so I cook easy but tasty. Usually Mom and Pop restaurants market the term "homemade" in their advertising, signs or menus. I EXPECT tasty food, not boxed potatoes or frozen fries, bagged salads or bottled salad dressings.
My city DOES have the Health Department reports on the local TV newscast, with full disclosure. Just about every one of them that fails the inspection is a non-chain restaurant, usually a dive. I don't know (without checking the website) if any chain restaurants (in my city) have ever failed the Health Dept. inspection.
The grossness of the restaurants on RI is mindboggling. And I will add I don't intend to stay at any non-chain, one store hotel or motel either. Ever watch Hotel Impossible?
I love cooking, even if sometimes the experiments are not completely successful. For me, eating out itself is a treat. But usually its pizza or mexican. If I go to a regular one I'll still usually get something I'm unlikely to make.
The really good thing about the a through f grades is the health dept findings aren't held in a storage room and if you didn't watch the news you didn't miss them. You've never heard of the restraunt or are new to the area and you know the restraunt is at least compliant to health standards currently and to the degree. It became quickly something which could kill a restrraunt if they flunked so it became important not to. It combined public disclosrue and surprise inspections worked. That's the problem that just having reports on the news creates.
Of course it doesn't tell you how good the food is, and we should remember that what's wonderfully flavored for one person is too overdone for someone else. But it gives the public a chance to tell. And some of the chains did flunk or get C's. One was closed for a week before they could reopen.
I'm a big fan of this show. I do think many places need a BIG makeover sometimes! Like the above poster, I stopped eating at chain restaurants when I started eating at local ones and realized the difference in Quality. When I go to restaurants I am always looking for cleanliness and judging the food like Robert, haha.
Anyone else a fan of the other restaurant shows? Such as Restaurant stakeout and Mystery Diners?
I like the restaurant shows as well.
Restaurant Impossible is a favorite of mine. It does seem like the things he talks about are pretty fundamental things like keeping the place clean, food fresh, friendly service, etc... Plus, I think Taniya is just beautiful.
I'm not a fan of Mystery Diners because I find the host to be Captain Obvious. "Did you just see that? He took money out of your register!"
But overall, out of all the food shows, Diners, Drive-In's and Dives is my favorite. I just love the small mom & pop restaurants. They have so much character and soul with them.
Restaurant Impossible is a favorite of mine. It does seem like the things he talks about are pretty fundamental things like keeping the place clean, food fresh, friendly service, etc... Plus, I think Taniya is just beautiful.
I'm not a fan of Mystery Diners because I find the host to be Captain Obvious. "Did you just see that? He took money out of your register!"
But overall, out of all the food shows, Diners, Drive-In's and Dives is my favorite. I just love the small mom & pop restaurants. They have so much character and soul with them.
Diners, Drive-in's and Dives always makes me SO hungry. I want to go out and find some of these places. I live when Guy has his son too. And Guy is quite a fun guy to watch, especially the basic joy in good food.
I loved Dinner Impossible with Robert. It was the true measure of his experience and even more his creativity. My favorite was the "Lost" episode.
I wish, at least around here, the restaurant inspections were made more public.
the Mystery Diners guys is pretty fake but it cracks me up. I wouldn't be surprised if that show was scripted. (One of) Last night's episode was about the guy playing poker in the Morrocan restaurant. Did anyone see that? how he was ''falling asleep'' when the owner was telling him about the catering customer coming in??
I adore Gordon Ramsey and his over the top drama!
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