Restaurant Impossible - Peppino's Ristorante Italiano Update

Photo - Food Network

Tonight on Restaurant: Impossible, Robert Irvine and his crew are in Oviedo, Florida to makeover Peppino's Ristorante Italiano.  In this ambush episode, an employee reached out to Restaurant:Impossible for help.  Owners Susan and Luigi bought the restaurant and hoped to pass it onto their son Nato, but are having second thoughts due to his poor work ethic and attitude.  Robert needs to update the old menu and decor, address the bad service, and figure out if Nato has what it takes to run a restaurant.

As I normally do with Restaurant: Impossible episodes, I searched around the Internet to read stories, comments and reviews about Peppino's Ristorante Italiano 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):

Restaurant Impossible - Pointers Grill (BFE Bar and Grill) Update

Photo - Food Network

Tonight on Restaurant: Impossible, Robert Irvine and his crew are in Waynesboro, Georgia to makeover BFE Bar and Grill. In this ambush episode, the owner Megan reached out to Restaurant:Impossible for help. The restaurant is deep in debt and the state has suspended their liquor license due to not paying taxes.  Besides being behind on taxes, Robert finds they are understaffed, have bad service, and have a bad reputation.  During the makeover he decides to change the restaurant name from BFE Bar and Grill to Pointers Grill at Hancock Landing.

As I normally do with Restaurant: Impossible episodes, I searched around the Internet to read stories, comments and reviews about Pointers Grill 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):

Food Network Related News and Links

Here is some recent news involving Food Network shows and chefs/personalities from the Food Network:

• Ina Garten announced her next cookbook will come out in October 2016 and will be called Cooking for Jeffrey: A Barefoot Contessa Cookbook.  It is available for pre-order on Amazon.
• Alton Brown listed his 1971 BMW 2002 for sale for $19,900 which had about 150,000 miles on it.  It appears the car may have sold as it no longer appears on the listing linked in the article. (Link)
• Two Restaurant Impossible restaurants were recently marked closed after being alerted by readers.  I didn't do posts as there wasn't much info, but they were Valentino's (Season 11) and  Mike La Susa's (Season 7).
• Chopped Junior is coming back for a 2nd season in April and they are already casting for a third season, so look for more Chopped Junior to come. (Link)
• Clash of the Grandma's, which had a pilot episode air in November 2015 on Food Network is now casting grandmas for the show, so it appears they will turn the show into a series (Link).  The pilot was hosted by Ryan Scott, and the judges were Nancy Fuller, Aarti Sequeira and Eddie Jackson, but I am not sure if they will remain the same for the whole series.
• Michael Chiarello has been sued by two former servers from his restaurant Coqueta.  They claim he and other managers created a sexually charged, hostile and abusive work environment.  Michael's lawyers released a statement saying he was very upset by the allegations and he will vigorously defend himself against the unfounded claims (Link).  You can also read the full lawsuit here, which has a lot of details and examples from the former servers.

Restaurant Impossible - De Rican Chef Update

Photo - Food Network

Tonight on Restaurant: Impossible, Robert Irvine and his crew are in Virginia Beach, Virginia to makeover De Rican Chef.   In this ambush episode, the owner Raquel's daughter reached out to Restaurant:Impossible for help.  The restaurant is one that specializes in authentic Puerto Rican food and has expanded with help from Raquel's son Reuben.  The restaurant is barely making a profit and Raquel and Reuben's relationship has suffered due to this.

As I normally do with Restaurant: Impossible episodes, I searched around the Internet to read stories, comments and reviews about De Rican Chef 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):

Restaurant Impossible - Starlite Restaurant and Pizza

Photo - Food Network

Tonight on the season 13 premiere of Restaurant: Impossible, Robert Irvine and his crew are in West Orange, New Jersey to makeover Starlite Restaurant and Pizza.   In this ambush episode, the owner Patty's son reached out to Restaurant Impossible for help.  Patty has worked in the restaurant since she was 13 years old and hasn't made a profit in ten years.  She has also cashed in her retirement and mortgaged her home to support the restaurant.  The restaurant has a dirty kitchen and a staff that is unwilling to change, including Patty.

As I normally do with Restaurant: Impossible episodes, I searched around the Internet to read stories, comments and reviews about Starlite Restaurant and Pizza 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):