Restaurant Impossible - Angelo's Restaurant Update

Tonight on Restaurant Impossible, Robert Irvine and crew are going to Woodstock, Illinois to help out Angelo's Restaurant.  The restaurant is right near Woodstock Square, which is where all of the outdoor scenes were shot for the movie Groundhog Day.  Cousins Angelo and Angelo are now in charge of the restaurant after their fathers opened it 40 years ago.  They still have the same menu, same decor, and lots of family drama.  As I normally do with Restaurant: Impossible episodes, I searched around the Internet to read stories, comments and reviews about Angelo's to get an idea of how the restaurant is doing since Robert Irvine visited, and here is what I found (note - all reviews are post Restaurant Impossible):


Positive Reviews:

• "I went to Angelos today for dinner and had the Greek Burger and the Jalapenos as an appetizer.... One of the best appetizers I have ever eaten. The burger was alright. I asked for it medium but it came well done. Still it was easily worth the $8.99 it cost. The decor is very nice. Nice job Restaurant Impossible."
• "My family and I ate at Angelo's for the first time since the transformation. What a great experience. The interior is clean and modern. I love the rustic but modern feel to it. The food was amazing.....The transformation was definitely a good change for the Resturant.  I'll be back again."
• "The Restaurant Impossible make-over was transformational.  How they did this in less than 3 days is short of a miracle...The reason to come to Angelo's is for the Woodstock Square, and now there is a beautiful restaurant to go along with it."  
• "I have been dieing to see Angelo's since the Food Network Remodel....I can tell you that the remodel is AMAZING!! It's a completely different place. New more up-to-date décor...In all we had a great experience and have agreed that we will be going back."
• "Decided to give the new Angelos a try and it was delicious. The menu is great and has many options for breakfast and lunch. The staff is very friendly as well. The new decor is awesome and place looks really good. Chef irvine and crew did a great job.  Will be back!!!!!"

Negative Reviews: 

• "Service was not the best....Food alright, but price overall high for what you get I think and I wouldn't avoid here or anything, but it wouldn't be my first choice either."
• "The food was fine although one of the diners with me had an order delivered wrong. We ordered sandwiches and eggs and waited an hour for a party of four. I love a sit down for a couple hours restaurant, but this is not a two hour experience restaurant. Seating is tight."
• "They redesigned the interior but the food is an epic FAIL. One piece of cheese in a grilled cheese sandwich (menu says cheese is oozing out - NOT) and the BLT had 3 pieces of bacon and more lettuce then the average salad. Woodstock resident that will not be going back."
• "The food will fill you up if you are really hungry, but food lacks flavor and owner spends more time spent smoking a cigarette outside side door than mixing with his staff or customer."
• "I have been twice since R.I. completed their project. As for breakfast......nothing has changed. Coffee is mediocre, bacon is cheap and NOT thick as the menu states. As for lunch...... fruit is NOT fresh, strawberries were obviously frozen. My wife's Cesaer wrap was made with iceburg and NOT romane lettuce. Not impressed."
• "We tried this diner because of the tv show that will be airing this weekend.  Not sure what it looked like before but I was not impressed.....We will not be going back anytime soon nor would we ever recommend this place to our friends and family.  There are lots of other places to eat where you dont end up on the toilet minutes after eating the food."
• "Our server was very poor.....When the food came it was mediocre at best...If you want the experience of seeing a place that you will see on TV, then stop in.  If you want good food and service, then this is not the place....Chef Irvine has had a number of successes on his show, but I doubt this will one of them."
• "Not sure if I'll be going back or not after multiple bad experiences. Used to love coming here, but something isn't right and it's lost the old diner feel that I loved."
• "The new Angelo's= Higher prices, smaller portions and bad customer service. I will not be returning."

*Reviews from Urbanspoon, Google+, Yelp, Tripadvisor 


Conclusion:

There are a lot more negative reviews than positive reviews for Angelo's Restaurant, and people think the food is mediocre, and that there are still a lot of problems with the service.  As far as the makeover goes, there were some complaints about the painted tables as there was paint chipping off of them, and also complaints about uncomfortable seats.

Some positive things about the restaurant are that they have started accepting credit cards after Restaurant Impossible came, and they have recently started opening for dinner service during the week.

With the good location of the restaurant near Woodstock Square, they may be able to make it work if they can improve on their food and service, however this may be a restaurant that needs to be watched.


UPDATE from a 6/30/2013 article: Co-Owner Angelo said he would do the Restaurant Impossible experience again, but would do it without family involved.  His wife actually applied to the show through a letter as a Valentine's Day gift to Angelo.  Apparently they wanted to boost business to get married in a religious ceremony rather than a civil ceremony.  As for the restaurant, they are digging out of debt 'little by little' and are starting to bring back daily specials.

UPDATE from 12/2013 - Angelo's has closed.  More information on the closing.


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