Tonight at 10pm ET on the Food Network is the 100th episode special of Restaurant Impossible called Meet the Impossible. The show description states:Chef Robert Irvine and his Restaurant: Impossible team have traveled to more than 100 locations to help America's failing restaurants. Now it's your chance to hear the never-before-told stories behind the show and meet the folks that make this impossible series ... possible. Featuring an interview with Robert and Executive Producer Marc Summers; a first ever sit-down between Robert, his construction manager and all three designers; a look back at the dirtiest kitchens, most stubborn owners and most dramatic reveals and more!You may be wondering why the Restaurant Impossible Update Page only has 94 restaurants listed instead of 99 or 100. This is because charity episodes and episodes such as Holiday Impossible are not included in these statistics.
As of writing this, 51 of the 94 restaurants that have appeared on the show are still open with the same owners, while 39 of 94 restaurants have closed, and 4 have been sold but operate under the same name.
The way people look at these numbers is VERY subjective:
- Some people think Robert can do no wrong and his advice is always right
- Some people think 39 closed is terrible, while others think it is great
- If a restaurant is still open is it still considered a success even if it is still struggling or losing money?
- As soon as Robert leaves, a restaurant, is it considered a success until it closes?
The way they have been pumping out episodes recently has skewed the numbers a bit. If you look at seasons one through five (2011 through 2012/2013), 34 of 61 restaurants have closed, 3 have sold, and 24 of 61 are still open. So, more restaurants are closed than open if it has been two years or more since a Restaurant Impossible visit. It will be interesting to see if the trend continues, and if about half of the restaurants on the show now will be closed 2 years from now.
As always, visit this site to see unbiased Restaurant Impossible updates after each episode (the 'official' ones always tell you everything is great), and to keep track of any closings.