Big Tom's Backyard Grill and Bar - Restaurant Impossible Update

Tonight on Restaurant: Impossible, Robert Irvine and his crew are in Cleveland, Tennessee to makeover Big Tom's Backyard Grill and Bar.  Big Tom's Backyard Grill and Bar has turned from a dream into a nightmare and the owners Tom and Sabrina are letting it impact their marriage.  Tom is supposedly on the brink of another heart attack and Robert Irvine needs to get him to change his ways to improve both his relationship and his restaurant.

As I normally do with Restaurant: Impossible episodes, I searched around the Internet to read stories, comments and reviews about Big Tom's Backyard Grill and Bar 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:

• "Very friendly. Good atmosphere. Would go back."
• "The food was good. I had the pulled chicken with bbq sauce. The service was good as well. Our waitress was fast and friendly"
• "Oh my this is now one of my go to when I am in East Tennessee. The fried pickles were cut just right and the ranch was so good . The serve was on point"
• "Really loved the food service was amazing and the live singing was amazing."
• "Went Thursday night. Was our first time here. Thought the inside was really cute. Other than the waitress being very quiet, she did a fantastic job. Didn't take too long for food to come out and was fresh and hot. I loved the sweet potatoes fries with the cinnamon sugar and side of cinnamon butter. Buffalo wings were a good size and very juicy. Try their juicy Lucy burger. Was really good also. I have no complaints."
• "Awesome place! Great service! Our waitress was great! Everyone was super nice and down to earth. I told the waitress to surprise me with what I got. I gave her some options and she didn't let me down. Food was exceptional! Will definitely be back!"
• "Outside deck is really nice. If you didn't know better you'd think you were on the beach! Very relaxing. Friendly staff with great service. Chicken fingers and fries were delicious."
• "Awesome place to go after a hard day's work and the waiters are always friendly, keep it up Tom!!!!"

Negative Reviews:

• "First visit to this establishment after being told how great it is. Order taken for 4 and 1 entree was delivered 15 minutes after and the others never showed up. Asked our waitress 45 min into wait where our food was and she went to check. Came back and was told they lost our order but she was gonna talk to Tom. She never came back so we asked hostess if we could speak to Tom. Tom very nice but made excuses for waitress and told us he would “discount” our food. Finally did receive all meals but had to ask for water and silverware. Our total bill was discounted $14 for 4 people after horrible service. However, kudos to Tom’s son who was very apologetic and came back several times to check on us. Not sure if I will come back anytime soon."
• "I was excited to try this place and was horribly disappointed. My sweet potato fries were burnt. The pizza was hard as a rock and cold. There was barely any cheese on the pizza or my husband's sandwich. I always find something positive about my experiences, but this is the first time I just can't."

*Reviews from Google

Other News and Links:

• The Restaurant Impossible makeover happened in February 2021. 
• Here is the Big Tom's Backyard Grill and Bar website and Facebook page. 
• Big Tom's kept most of their menu and added dishes suggested by Robert Irvine. (Link)
• Here are the reviews for Big Tom's Backyard Grill and Bar from Yelp, TripAdvisor, and Google.
• The restaurant takes the time to respond to reviews online.

Conclusion:

The reviews for Big Tom's Backyard Grill and Bar have been mostly positive since the Restaurant Impossible makeover with people liking the food, service, and atmosphere.  Big Tom's has kept most of their menu and also has added the dishes recommended by Robert Irvine.


*Visit Our Restaurant Impossible Update Page to see all Restaurant: Impossible updates, and which restaurants are open, closed, or have been sold. Also Like Us on Facebook and Follow Us on Twitter

J's Restaurant - Restaurant Impossible Update

This week on Restaurant: Impossible, Robert Irvine and his crew are in Waveland, Mississippi to makeover J's Restaurant.  J's Restaurant is owned by friends Louis Fouquet and Jeff Bui and they are months away from losing everything including their 40-year friendship.  Robert has to fix their relationship and teach them how to run a restaurant if they want to continue their business and friendship.

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

Deraney's Two City Tavern - Restaurant Impossible Update

On this week's Restaurant: Impossible, Robert Irvine and his crew are in Barnesville, Georgia to makeover Deraney's Two City Tavern. Deraney's Two City Tavern is a small-town restaurant and owner Christopher Deraney is in jeopardy in losing his home, his restaurant, and his reputation.  To turn the restaurant around Robert plans to improve Christopher's work ethic and also get him to make amends to his staff and the community.  

As I normally do with Restaurant: Impossible episodes, I searched around the Internet to read stories, comments and reviews about Deraney's Two City Tavern 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):

BBQ Brawl Season 2

Photo - Food Network

BBQ Brawl is returning for a second season on Food Network and airs Monday nights at 9pm ET/PT.  This season features Bobby Flay, Michael Symon, and Eddie Jackson each mentoring/coaching a team of four pitmasters.  The twelve pitmasters competing on the show are:

• Ara Malekian
• Brendan Lamb
• Brittani Bo Baker
• Christina Fitzgerald
• Christopher Prieto
• David Sandusky
• Erica Blaire Roby
• Lu Holter
• Max Hardy
• Megan Day
• Taylor Carroll
• Terry Matthews

The judges on this season are Rodney Scott, Brooke Williamson, and Carson Kressley.  BBQ Brawl season two will be 10 episodes long with the season finale being on Monday, August 9th during a double-episode finale. 

Season 1 of BBQ Brawl aired in 2019 and featured Bobby Flay vs. Michael Symon during a four-episode season that was won by Lee Ann Whippen.  This season enters Eddie Jackson and additional competitors meaning it will be a longer season.  

I will do another post for the finale and you can discuss this season in the comments.

To see who won season 2 of BBQ Brawl, see this post. 

UPDATE 2024 - Sadly Max Hardy, who appeared on this season, passed away at the age of 40 in 2024.

The Great Food Truck Race: All Stars

Photo - Food Network

Airing on Sunday's at 9pm ET/PT on Food Network is The Great Food Truck Race: All Stars season where seven trucks have returned to compete for a $50,000 prize.  The seven trucks competing are:

• Aloha Plate – Lanai City, Hawaii (Lanai Tabura, Adam Tabura, Shawn Felipe)
• The Lime Truck – Irvine, California (Daniel Shemtob, Jesse Brockman, Mark Esposito)
• The Middle Feast – Los Angeles, California (Tommy Marudi, Daniella Marudi, Gabriel Villagrana)
• Mystikka Masala – Santa Monica, California (Andrew Pettke, Navin Hariprasad, Doug Long)
• NOLA Creations – Shreveport, Louisiana (Darrell Johnson, Aunna Johnson, Terrell Gaskin)
• Seoul Sausage – Los Angeles, California (Ted Kim, Yong Kim, Han Hwang)
• Waffle Love – Provo, Utah (Adam Terry, Jared Terry, Steve Terry)

This season is in the Bay Area and the season finale is scheduled on Sunday, July 18th where the $50,000 prize winner will be revealed. 

Feel free to discuss this season in the comments and I will have another post for the finale.

Turnpike's Rest Stop - Restaurant Impossible Update

Tonight on Restaurant: Impossible, Robert Irvine and his crew are in Springhill, Florida to makeover Turnpike's Rest Stop. Turnpike's Rest Stop is known for its large sandwiches and these sandwiches are part of the reason they are in financial trouble.  The restaurant is family-owned, and the owner and her daughter have communication issues which is negatively impacting the restaurant.

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

Best Baker in America Winner Season 4

Photo - Instagram

Tonight at 9pm ET/PT on Food Network is the season 4 finale of Best Baker in America, where the winner will receive a $25,000 prize.  This will be a two-hour finale with back-to-back episodes. The five remaining bakers competing for the prize are Caitlyn Cox, Clarice Lam, Michele Pompei, Jackie Joseph, and Katrina Tayo.  The episode description for the two episodes from Food Network states:

"In the semifinal, host Carla Hall challenges the bakers to get creative with Nevada's famous Basque cake using Southwest chile peppers as the featured flavor. Then they must turn flan and biscochitos, the official state cookie of New Mexico, into one highly original and decadent dessert. In the final, the bakers have to turn California's chiffon cake into a tsunami cake with lemons and avocado, and judges Gesine Prado and Jason Smith join Carla to choose the competition's winner after seeing -- and tasting -- the bakers' 2-foot-tall Hawaiian dessert showpieces."

Also, here is a more detailed description of the final episode:

"The pressure peaks in the Best Baker in America finale as host Carla Hall challenges the bakers to turn California's famous chiffon cake into the hottest cake sensation -- a tsunami cake -- featuring lemons and avocados, ingredients commonly associated with the Golden State. In the final bake-off, the competitors are baking to win as they each build a 2-foot-tall Hawaiian-themed dessert showpiece featuring lilikoi (passionfruit), haupia (coconut custard), malasada (Hawaiian doughnuts) and intricate chocolate work. Finally, Carla and judges Gesine Prado and Jason Smith decide which baker has earned the title of Best Baker in America!"

I will update this post after the episode airs with the season 4 winner of Best Baker in America and you can discuss the episode in the comments.

Continue reading to see the winner of Best Baker in America season 4......

Z Fish House - Restaurant Impossible Update

Tonight on Restaurant: Impossible, Robert Irvine and his crew are in Loudon, Tennessee to makeover Z Fish House.  Z Fish House was opened by New York native Ed Ziems in 2015.  The restaurant is struggling, and Robert Irvine needs to get Ed to rediscover his passion and lead his staff and restaurant to success.  

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