Restaurant: Impossible - Italian Village Update

Tonight's episode of Restaurant: Impossible is at Italian Village in Milmont Park, PA, so I decided to take a look at the reviews the restaurant has received since its April visit from Robert Irvine. 

• A story back in April from a local writer who went to the big reveal had some negative tones in it in which the locals from Delaware County, PA did not appreciate and disagreed with.  

• It seems as if the local people give the restaurant good reviews, while the people visiting just because Restaurant: Impossible was there seem to have more negative reviews.

• It looks like the normal menu items aren't on the menu right after the big reveal, but the restaurant owners slowly incorporate them back into the menu at the request of the customers.  As expected, people resist change when they have been eating the same menu items for years.

• The restaurant website listed on Yelp is listed as http://www.ivrestaurant.com, which if you go to it says "Don't Eat @ The Italian Village Restaurant in Milmont Park, PA." and has a bunch of negative reviews listed about the restaurant with the positive ones omitted.  I would say someone either has it out for the restaurant or their old domain name expired and someone bought the domain name in hopes of selling it back to the restaurant.  I am thinking it is the latter.  The new restaurant site is http://www.italianvillage.us/

I am sure we will hear after the episode airs tonight that business has picked up as it always does after Restaurant: Impossible visits.  The media coverage and curiosity of locals will always result in an increase in sales for the first few months after the show comes and does their makeover.  The true test will be if the people keep coming back after the show stops airing and the press stops, which will not happen for a bit.  This is the reason why I think the 50th episode celebration scheduled to air on August 22nd will be interesting to watch.  While the episode will most likely focus on the positives, it will be interesting to see if any restaurants have closed since Restaurant: Impossible visited.

Show Description:

Restaurant: Impossible - Premiering Wednesday, August 22nd at 9pm - "Behind the Impossible"
Restaurant: Impossible celebrates its 50th episode with an in-depth look at what it takes to make Restaurant: Impossible, possible. Over the course of 49 missions, millions of viewers have watched the drama unfold as Chef Robert Irvine combats failing restaurants. This episode unveils never-before-seen footage, including some of Robert's and his team's favorite, funniest and most frustrating moments. In addition, Robert visits several of his toughest restaurants to get updates on how they are doing today.

UPDATE from 1/29/2013 - An article in the Delcotimes said that 'business picked up from mid-April to September, and then it went back to the way the economy went.'  It also said the restaurant is 'holding its own' and has attracted more customers by 'couponing with Restaurant.com, expanding happy hour daily from 5-7 p.m., offering $2 domestic draft beer and half-price appetizers, and the recent addition of psychic counselor “Jeanann” on the first and third Monday of the month.'

UPDATE 7/2014 - Italian Village has closed - More information on the closing.