Dreadlife Kitchen - Restaurant Impossible Update

Photo - Robert Irvine Facebook

On this week's episode of Restaurant: Impossible, Robert Irvine and his crew are in Hendersonville, North Carolina to makeover Dreadlife Kitchen. Dreadlife Kitchen is owned by Ray, who is an ex-con who has spent decades turning his life around for the sake of his son.  The restaurant has outdated decor, no systems, and no identity which is causing it to struggle.  Robert needs to help Ray transform his business and build his brand in hopes of turning the restaurant around.

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

• "This little hole in the wall on 64 where the autumn leaf cafe began as a "girlfriend is self destructing from the hunger, but doesn't know what she wants but I fear my time was limited" but lord I'm glad I pulled in, brisket just melts in your mouth with frys that blows 5 guys burgers out of the competition."
• "We showed up on a Saturday afternoon after snow tubing. Cold and hungry. The food was fabulous and the service was outstanding! Ages 7-53...and everyone left satisfied. Thrilled we happened upon DLK!!"
• "DLK-Small cafe, easy to miss. Heard about their chicken wings from neighbor so wanted to give them a try. OMG-haven't had wings that good in a long time. I had the hot wings and my husband had the honey garlic. Will definitely be a regular here."
• "I had the wings and they were amazing....the size of the wings are big and for a good price"
• "Wow!! These guys are the wing war champions for a reason! I got the honey bbq wings, smoked - I didn't even know that was an option! These were the most tender, and delicious wings I've ever eaten! I can't wait to go back and try ALL the flavors!! The steak loaded fries were AMAZING!! I don't know what they put on them, but it is magical! I got my order to go, so I could have a picnic. The food was ready fast, the people there were super friendly, and I had the best picnic EVER! Thank you, DLK! I'll see you again soon."
• "Awesome food, wings are fantastic. They used to have a food truck near my apt but I never knew they had an actual restaurant. Great staff, great vibes and great food. Definitely check it out"
• "Always top notch! I use them to cater for work and I love all of their specials and entrees! Business owner is a great guy and they have amazing customer service!"

Negative Reviews:

• "Their food is great, but their prices have nearly DOUBLED from what they advertise online, and you won't know until your order is cooked. My $24 wing order was now near $50!"

*Reviews from TripAdvisor, Yelp, Google

Other News and Links:

• The Restaurant Impossible makeover for Dreadlife Kitchen happened in November 2021.
• Here is the Dreadlife Kitchen website and Facebook page.
• Dreadlife Kitchen also does catering and has a food truck.
• Here are the reviews for Dreadlife Kitchen from Yelp, TripAdvisor, and Google.
• The reviews before the makeover were also very positive.
• The business received a PPP loan for $20,833 in April 2021. (Link)

Conclusion:

The reviews for Dreadlife Kitchen since the Restaurant Impossible makeover have been overwhelmingly positive.  People seem to love their food, especially the wings, and there are compliments about the staff and owner.  The reviews before the makeover were also very positive.  With Dreadlife Kitchen appearing on national television and serving up great food, they should hopefully be a success story.


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