Tonight on Restaurant Impossible,
Robert
Irvine and crew are
going to Windsor, Connecticut to makeover the Windsor 75 Restaurant. The Windsor 75 has an outdated decor, different menu's and and overworked staff. The owner George is apparently stubborn and can't get out of his own way to fix anything. As I
normally do with Restaurant: Impossible episodes, I searched around the
Internet to read stories, comments and reviews about the Windsor 75 Restaurant 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:
- "This restaurant is a gem... my daughter and I went there this past weekend and had such a pleasurable experience we will be back again and again."
- "They've already made some changes to the menu since RI & said they are going to make more to accommodate their regulars...Over all, I have to say, we had very good food & the staff & owners were very accommodating. We will go there again"
- "Wow! I'm actually surprised. This place was terrible before... They certainly turned over a new leaf; I just hope they can maintain the momentum the show gave them..... The menu is smaller, which isn't bad, but I can't see myself eating one of the same six things every time for very long before the place gets boring. They need to please their crowd as well, which is still mostly older folks and I don't have high hopes that they'll be the ones pressuring the restaurant to keep their standards up. Still, it's lots better than it was and wish them the best of luck...I'd give it another try for sure."
- "I'll jump right to the food...everything was really super, and very reasonably priced considering what they brought us to eat!...We will plan to go back with the whole family soon to try more things on their new menu. Good stuff!"
Negative Reviews:
- "The made over Windsor 75 Diner, although freshened up a bit is still the same plain establishment... Expect a hometown ordinary unpretentious ambiance."
- "This used to be one of the best restaurants in Windsor, until Restaurant Impossible showed up & just about ruined everything! Yes, the restaurant itself needed a face-lift, but the food did not. I have never had a bad meal there until I went Saturday night... I feel bad for the owners, who are two wonderful, friendly and caring people. I'm afraid Irvine may have just served them a death sentence. I'm not sure how long they have to keep this new menu, but I hope they bring back some of the excellent food they used to serve, and I'm sure I'm not the only one that feels that way. I frequent the restaurant at least 4 to 6 times a month, for all three meals, and now can say it may just not be going so much anymore if at all."
- "If another couple called and wanted to meet us for dinner at Windsor 75, we'd go back, but to be honest, despite the hooplah and make-over, and that the service staff was extremely sweet and attentive, there wasn't enough here for either of us to return on our own."
Reviews from Tripadvisor, Urbanspoon, Yelp
Other News and stories:
- Here is the Windsor 75 restaurant website, and here is their Facebook page in which they have been pushing their upcoming appearance on Restaurant Impossible. That's usually a good sign that they think they will not be embarrassed by the show.
- The location in which the restaurant is in has been a funeral parlor, a florist, and another restaurant in the past.
- Here is a story about reservations for the Restaurant Impossible reveal in which there are a lot of comments praising the owners George and Theresa and how much people love them.
Conclusion:
The reviews of the Windsor 75 are pretty average, and it seems like the locals were excited about the makeover. The customers seem to enjoy the food, and there were quite a few comments about how much people love the owners George and Theresa.
There are a few comments about the menu being too small and their not being many choices. As is usually the case after Restaurant Impossible visits, it sounds like the restaurant is slowly adding items back to their menu. Some of the regulars are upset about the changes, which also usually happens after makeovers, but new and repeat customers are what is needed for these restaurants to succeed.
UPDATE - Windsor 75 closed at the end of August 2015.
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Thanks for the link! From what I understand, Giada doesn't have a lot of experience with live television. And it's not a cooking show. It seems like, for whatever reason, she was outside her comfort zone. It's easy to get flustered.
ReplyDeleteDo you think carpentry or horticulture would be a better career option?
ReplyDeleteweb site
That's because it's old people whining and complaining, they like those enormous Greek diner menus. To be successful, they have to get rid of the older crowd and get in young people. These places often fail because they revert back to appeasing the elderly crowd that wanted cheap prices and too much food.
ReplyDeleteExactly. It's a harsh reality that a customer based comprised primarily of a demographic that is aging out and likely on limited incomes is not a good bet for long-term prosperity.I know a dive bar that skews old but the owner (who herself is in her 70s) has put her establishment on the pool league circuit and the "Texas Hold 'Em" circuit. During the day, it's the retiree crowd drinking Old Milwaukee and hitting the video lottery machines and at night, the place is jam-packed with Gen Xers ordering Fireballs and Jagermeister shots. What everyone loves is the high-caliber bar food (very little of it prepackaged). She gets an incredible amount of carry out orders to boot.
ReplyDeleteGranted, she has the advantage of the bar setting being more agreeable to younger-skewing promotions but you've got to be forward-thinking. An elderly crowd guzzling the cheapest canned beers for hours on end every day is not going to keep a business solvent.
True in all accounts....They have to bring in new customers in order to survive. Staying in the old ways is a a recipe for disaster.
ReplyDeleteWatched the episode....owner has a hard exterior which is a facade for his shortcomings which he admitted later in the show.
ReplyDelete3 episodes into Restaurant Impossible Season 7 and is averaging 1.12 million viewers and 0.3 demo rating, a huge 30% ratings/38% demo drop from last season (1.690 million-0.6,which was seen mostly on Sundays) and 20% ratings/30% demo drop from season 5 (1.458 million-0.5, which was seen mostly on Wednesdays).
ReplyDeleteto me the owner is a jerk who thinks he knows everything but in real life knows nothing
ReplyDeleteShe should probably stop doing talk shows. She doesn't seem to do very well on them.
ReplyDeleteOne of my favorite episodes to date! I love Restaurant Impossible.
ReplyDeleteArtie fun : The Ancient Egyptians were influence by the Ancient Greek
ReplyDeleteeven more so when Alexander the Great invade Egypt, the Ancient
Egyptians were encourage to wear Togas by Ptolemaic dynasty. So Giada
use Egyptians part of the question spot on. Giada would know that
because she have a bachelor's degree in social anthropology.
PS. i agree they should do a rematch i would love to see Giada and Lucy Liu team up ;)
But, then again, the only way to improve is through practice, so in reality she should do more if she wants it to be second nature to her.
ReplyDeleteShe needs to stop behaving like a teeny bopper cheerleader and act her age. It's great fun to laugh, tease and joke around, but c'mon, really? Flailing her arms, slapping, smacking, body jamming high pitched giggling and throwing her head on the table? Ugh. Self-absorbed *Drama Princess*. I feel badly for her daughter not having an adult mother figure.
ReplyDeleteWe ate at the Windsor diner last night (Saturday, Jan 11, 2013) and saw the makeover for the first time. It's a huge difference from the old décor. The owners are extremely nice people and both would give their shirts off their backs to anyone in need. This is a family owned place for affordable family dining and THAT IS THE "demographic". Families represent different generations which will ensure continued success for this restaurant over the many years to come.
ReplyDeleteGeorge the co-owner/chef is delightful with his dry sense of humor and his wife is the sweetest person you'll ever meet. Ask her to show you a picture of her grandson on her smart phone. I had the "Braised Beef" and it was absolutely delicious and tender! I could cut it with a fork. Even the broccoli had a special Mediteranean touch and the mashed potatoes and gravy were great. The portions were very generous. My wife's "Fish Sandwich with fries was fresh and the potatoes were fresh peeled. Also the coffee was very good. We live 120 miles away in Massachusetts and were returning on a trip from northern Virginia. We always include the Windsor Diner on our way home. We'll be attending the model train show in West Springfield, Mass later this month and the Windsor Diner is on or list again as usual.
This is a family style restaurant attracting all generations which will ensure a future with this business.
ReplyDelete