Ducky's Family Restaurant in Kokomo, Indiana, which was on the current season (season 7) of Restaurant Impossible has closed as of Tuesday, December 16th.Ducky's posted this on their Facebook page yesterday:
"The time has come for us to say goodbye. Thank you Kokomo for allowing us to serve you for the past 35 years. We will miss serving you. Merry Christmas! And a prosperous New Year!"There are comments referring to the IRS taking the restaurant on that Facebook post. Someone also let me know about the closing on Twitter saying that the restaurant was open for breakfast on Tuesday, and the cops came and locked the door for not paying their taxes. He also provided me with a picture of the notice on the door, which is below:
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| Photo - Twitter |
An article today in the Kokomo Tribune revealed the restaurant owes about $20,000 in back state and federal taxes. The restaurant stated they were $250,000 in debt in July when Restaurant Impossible came, and are now closer to $300,000 in debt.
You may remember Ducky's was actually listed for sale before the episode even aired, which upset a lot of people commenting on the original update. The listing price of the property at the time was $319,900, but is currently $299,900.
Ducky's Family Restaurant closed less than 2 months after their episode aired and is the first restaurant to close from the current season. The Restaurant Impossible Update Page has been updated to show this restaurant as closed.
That Irvine graveyard is gonna need an expansion!
ReplyDeleteThe official motto of Restaurant: Impossible:
ReplyDeletehttps://gs1.wac.edgecastcdn.net/8019B6/data.tumblr.com/0083e8e737589e808158bca60d22e2bb/tumblr_mmdxz96FBq1qzs4fvo1_400.gif
So, what is all this leading up to? When the last restaurant has failed, will RI come to an end? It isn't Robert's fault. Many of these folks should have never gone into the restaurant business to begin with. Irvine can show them the way but if they don't continue to practice the better techniques and advice, then he's done all he can. Think about it. In business, after the consultants leave, it's the owners/managers who still have to make it happen.
ReplyDeleteA good comparison point for RI is Tabatha Takes Over, which allows for a follow-up visit six weeks after filming. Impressively, it's not all rainbows and unicorns - I've seen her go back and find a place under new ownership since the makeover (which means the owner was negotiating a sale during the initial filming) or find so much changed that she hunted down now-departed staff to figure out what the hell went on after the reopening. Following that, she delivers a final monologue where she talks directly to the camera (outside the establishment) with her take on the process and the people.
ReplyDeleteEven though you can see the Wiki page for the show littered with failures, it's a refreshing take on the makeover process. As a viewer, I appreciate the transparency of Tabatha over the, "Robert does it again!" codas that end every episode of RI.
It's hardly Chef Irvine's fault if the owners don't pay their taxes.
ReplyDeleteExactly ('so far')...show's only been on for (almost) three years. Give him time to get there!
ReplyDeleteIf only 10% of the restaurants that Chef Irvine goes to in hopes of saving their failing restaurants keeps the doors open, then in my opinion he is doing a fantastic job, because if he didn't go there, in all likelyhood 100% of these restaurants would be closing down. So people that gripe & moan that he only has a 65% success rate need to think about what they're posting before they do so.
ReplyDeleteNo more Bobby shows please.
ReplyDeleteTHIS!
ReplyDeleteNo way, no how, in two days can anyone turn a failing restaurant around for long term success. Yeah, let's teach a kid that can't cook a couple dishes, that'll fix everything long term, and who cares the owners have zero experience in management or restaurant biz. . . etc. . . it's so comical at times.
Taxes are not Robert's fault though.
ReplyDeleteI am so flipping tired of DeLaurentis showing up everywhere. Why can't she just fall into a deep hole and be forgotten?
ReplyDeleteIt's also easier to clone a successful idea than to come up with a new one. Witness the many incarnations of Law & Order; CSI; and NCIS.
ReplyDeleteWhile that works with Law shows, somehow it's easier to saturate the audience when it's tried with cooking. It strikes me as either laziness to come up with new ideas or perhaps the network is closer to bankruptcy than they let on or if no danger of bankruptcy then it looks like pure greed and an unwillingness to spend a dime on a new show. Maybe that explains why we have so many back to back showings of DDD.
ReplyDeleteConsidering that 50 percent of restaurants close in their first year, Irvine's success rate is still pretty good.
ReplyDeleteSo far.
Of course he can't fix incompetence, but in terms of the show's marketing, that's what it is selling: ROBERT IRVINE CAN FIX THIS RESTAURANT.
ReplyDeleteThat's what makes the number of them that continue to flail and fail so entertaining.
I acknowledge that. Without taking back anything I've said, yes, the perception/hope of the viewers is that all will be better. It must be embarrassing to see so many places sink back into their old ways, even if it isn't Robert's fault. Point taken.
ReplyDeleteDucky's is a great example of a failure. The whole family was a bunch of scammers who had no more interest in the restaurant business. They owed tons of money to everyone, including the IRS, and they basically BULLSHIITED their way on to the show, and the free publicity and remodeling.
ReplyDeleteNobody can be expected to find HONEST and HARD-WORKING people at every failing restaurant. Some of them succeed in spite of the odds against them, because they really bust their balls and work hard.
First of all, let me say I am a fan and watch every episode. However, if anyone honestly thinks anyone can swoop in and fix years worth of damage in two days, they are more delusional than most of these restaurant owners. This is television! Purely for entertainment!! If Robert actually saves 10% of these restaurants with only 2 days & $10k, then that's a God-given miracle.
ReplyDeleteWho were the judges for the first episode on March 6th?
ReplyDelete