Restaurant Impossible - Marie's at Ummat Cafe Update

Photo - Food Network

Tonight on Restaurant Impossible, Robert Irvine and his crew are in Atlanta, Georgia to makeover Marie's at Ummat Cafe.  One of the reasons Marie's thinks they are struggling is because they are located next to Atlanta's oldest mosque and many potential customers think the restaurant is strictly for Muslims.  The owner Jaliwa has experience in catering, but it has not helped with running the restaurant.  Also, during the makeover of the restaurant, the design team has a fight that puts the makeover in jeopardy (Taniya vs. Tom).  As I normally do with Restaurant: Impossible episodes, I searched around the Internet to read stories, comments and reviews about Marie's at Ummat Cafe 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:

• "Went there for lunch and I was impressed. They have recently renovated the restaurant and it was very pleasant. The staff is friendly and the food was pretty good. I had the pastrami sandwich (served on whole wheat). I would have liked to have seen a little more meat on the sandwich but overall it was good...All in all, it was a good experience. Clean, friendly and free Wi-Fi."
• "I came here from out of town upon suggestion from a friend. It was a Friday so there were a LOT of people there. It took a little over 30 minutes for my food to come out but it was well worth the wait. I got the shrimp and grits and my wife got the beef stew over rice and it was VERY, VERY good! I'm in Atlanta pretty often so I'm sure I'll be going back. Oh and the server was awesome!"
• "Had the fish and grits!!! Amazing! Great atmosphere. I highly recommend it!"

Negative Reviews:

• "Unfortunately, Marie's at Ummat Cafe didn't live up to the excitement surrounding the recent Restaurant Impossible renovation. It was empty on a Saturday evening, only four weeks out from the makeover. Even though it was empty, it took over an hour for us to receive a couple dishes and they were cold. The rest of the order was never brought out. The server, though pleasant, was not knowledgeable about the menu; he didn't even know what was on the special. The only thing that was any good was the sweet tea. We ended up walking out very hungry and very disappointed because we knew the neighborhood and really wanted to support a local business. Won't be returning."

*Reviews from Google, Tripadvisor, Yelp, Urbanspoon

Other News and Links:

• Here is the Marie's at Ummat Cafe website, and here is their menu from Grubhub.
• Here is the Marie's at Ummat Cafe Facebook page, which is kept up to date.
• Here is an old Ummat Cafe Facebook page.
• Here is another Marie's at Ummat Cafe URL that says it will be the future home of the restaurant. Not sure how long it has been like that.
• There is a viewing party at the restaurant tonight for the show, which they are charging $15 a head (Link).  That event has sold out.



Photo - Facebook

• The restaurant now has a new sign that states "As Seen on the Food Networks Restaurant Impossible" (pictured right, and Link)
• The catering company that Jaliwa ran before opening the restaurant was call Buy The Dish, and here is that Facebook page, which is not up to date.
• From the Yelp restaurant profile for Marie's at Ummat Cafe "With years of experience as a quality caterer, Jaliwa Owuo opened Marie's@Ummat Cafe in January 2013.  Her experience has enabled her to prepare all kinds of dining fare, from vegan, vegetarian, New American, Seafood, and Halal Foods.  Her former catering company, Buy the Dish Catering--now run by her daughter and Cafe Baker Ndola--supplied tasty foods and decorations for numerous clients throughout the Atlanta area and beyond."

Conclusion:
There were very few reviews for Marie's at Ummat Cafe since the Restaurant Impossible makeover, and those reviews are mixed.  Who knows if that is any indication of them not being able to attract new customers, but usually a Restaurant Impossible makeover sparks local interest.  The lack of reviews makes it hard to determine how they are doing. 

The restaurant has sold out its viewing party tonight ($15 a head), which shows people are excited about the show, but that could be friends and family rather than new customers.  Also, as they have created a new sign that says "As Seen on the Food Network's Restaurant Impossible," they seem to be happy with the makeover.

UPDATE - Marie's at Ummat Cafe is now closed.


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