Restaurant Impossible - Rosie's Cafe Update

Photo - Twitter

Tonight at 9pm ET/PT on Food Network, Restaurant Impossible returns after being off the air for about three years.  This is the first of four new episodes that will air on Food Network on Saturday nights.  This episode has Robert and his crew visiting Rosie's Cafe in Escondido, California.  Kaitlyn Rose owns the restaurant and it is described as ugly and disorganized.  She has the passion to run the restaurant, but lacks the experience needed to make it successful.


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

• "Rosie's just came off their #restaurantimpossible redo, and the food, as much as it ever was, is fantastic. The new decor with the Rosie's matriarch now up on the wall in a very cool mural is perfect. Now this is the quintessential cafe. I had the build your own omelette option so I was able to get my old favorite comfort breakfast with a new twist on the salsa, which by the way Jason was delicious."
• "We just went in for the re opening. The food was amazing. The owner seemed very attentive and friendly she came herself to check on us multiple times.... The food was really really good you know like comfort food that just sticks to you just warm and full of flavor. We will definitely be back often."
• "Had a great experience at Rosie's the other day. They were more than happy to accommodate our large group of 17 people. The staff was very friendly, we even got hellos and goodbyes from the kitchen staff.They got our food out quickly, and everything was right on point. I definitely recommend the chocolate chip pancakes, probably the best I've ever had. They won't tell us why they have that orange color, but I don't care, they were delicious. "
• "Wow!! So delicious I have lived in Escondido forever and have never been here. So excited for the new ownership and they have done a wonderful job remodeling but did not compromise on the food. We went for breakfast and it was yummy."
• "Service, decor, and food 100% upgrade. A must go to for a classic weekend bfast! In the past the food was decent and the service was fair. The new makeover and new recruits are making the entire experience from good to great!"

Negative Reviews:

• "The food took a long time and half of it was cold. Not sure what the problem was this morning. The food wasn't anything special, especially for the price. The temperature inside was also on the chilly side"
• "My husband, sister and brother in law had breakfast Saturday and we won't be going back. I ordered pancakes and when the waitress bought it out the color was orange and very thin. When I asked the waitress what was in these pancakes, she went to the kitchen and she was told bu the cook it was a secret. My sister ordered gravy which tasted and smelled burnt. My husband had at Rosie's several times and likes their corn beef has, which he said was different. I don't know if there was a different cook, but it wasn't up to par."
• "The tables were sticky and the biscuits and gravy tasted too much like flour. I think it's great that they had a Food Network Makeover, but the food won't bring us back. Too bad too. We love to visit breakfast diners."
• "What a shame. We were excited about the FoodTV reboot. But apparently they focused their attention on the decor and not the menu. The new menu is a mess. What is it supposed to be? Farm to table? Nope. Comfort food? Nope. Americana? Nope. Just a weird and random assortment of items...The waitress was also completely unconvinced by the menu. We asked what was good, and she just shrugged. I asked if they still had the oversized cinnamon buns. She said yes, but that they weren't any good anymore. She implied it was only a matter of time before they went back to the old menu."

Other News and Links:

• The Restaurant Impossible makeover happened in January 2019.
• Here is the Rosie's Cafe website and Facebook Page.  Here is a link to the menu from their website.
• Rosie's Cafe has a 4 out of 5 star average on Yelp and Tripadvisor, so the reviews were pretty good before the Restaurant Impossible makeover too.  Rosie's also has a 4.3 out of 5 star average on Google.
• Rosie's Cafe has Restaurant.com gift certificates available for sale. (Link)
• A San Diego Tribune article said the makeover "involved upgrading the menu, raising the prices to a sustainable level and giving the restaurant a new identity inspired by Rose’s personal story and her New Jersey heritage."  
• Stacey Poon-Kinney from The Trails Eatery (which also appeared on Restaurant Impossible) and from Food Network Star will appear on the episode.

Conclusion:

Rosie's Cafe has a lot of reviews for the restaurant despite the Restaurant Impossible makeover happening only about three months ago.  The reviews for the food are mixed, but people have compliments for the atmosphere and service.  It looks like Rosie's Cafe has kept the recommendations from Robert Irvine about the menu and the food prices, but some regular items may be back on the menu again.

UPDATE 12/2019 - The owner Kaitlyn "Rosie" was involved in a serious hit-and-run motorcycle accident and the community is rallying to support the restaurant while she is in the hospital.  There is also a GoFundMe set up for Rosie. (Link)

UPDATE 2/2020 - Robert Irvine and Restaurant Impossible held a carnival event to benefit Kaitlyn and her family on February 17th.  They were filming the event and everybody there had to sign a waiver, so expect to see this on Food Network in the future.

UPDATE - The fundraiser raised almost $120,000 for Kaitlyn.

UPDATE 5/28/2020 - The special that Robert Irvine and the show filmed in February airs tonight.  Currently Rosie's Cafe is closed (even for take-out orders) due to social distancing regulations. They haven't posted on social media since March 25th and the phone number at the restaurant is not in service at the moment. The suspect in the hit-and-run has still not been caught.

UPDATE 6/4/2020 - Less than a week after that episode aired, Rosie's Cafe announced that they would permanently close - More info on closure.


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