Forks and Flavors - Restaurant Impossible Update

On this week's episode of Restaurant: Impossible, Robert Irvine and his crew are in Kennesaw, Georgia to makeover Fork and Flavors.  Fork and Flavors is owned by married couple David and Darnell and David is the chef at the restaurant. David is struggling to run the kitchen because of his husband's big personality.  Darnell's need to always be right is causing problems with the daily operations of the restaurant and Robert Irvine needs to come up with a plan to save both their relationship and their restaurant.

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

• "What an amazing evening. Great appetizers. We had the ribs, hen, and shrimp & grits. Drinks weren't watered down. Live band was amazing too. Military discount. I will definitely go back to visit."
• "Brunch on Sunday morning was a treat! The turnip greens were delicious! The music with a live DJ was on point. Wish we had room to step a little bit but we didn't. There is outside seating but the pollen was so strong that the hay fever sufferers wanted an inside table. The decor inside was warm and inviting. Love the barn door like windows that divided the room. All of the food was enjoyable. It was buffet style so you could try everything. Want to go back to try dinner."
• "Overall the food was good for a buffet style brunch. My brunch included chicken and waffles, eggs, biscuits, shrimp and grits, chicken sausage, bacon and french toast. I also ordered a prickly pear mimosa which was really good as well. I just would have garnished it with a pear slice. This establishment will also be featured on the Food Network as well. Our server Taylor did a great job."
• "WoW Wow WOW!!! I visited this amazing gem recently and it was by far some of the best food I have tasted. The atmosphere, the staff, the culture was all amazing! I will be back"
• "Great experience. The brunch menu is not extensive but everything is cooked to perfection. The DJ was a lot of fun. Dinner fare is tasty as well. Jerk ribs n Mac seems to be a signature dish. There was a live band that was really good. We met one of the owners. He was very personable and an excellent host."
• "Stopped by on the way to our kids soccer game....so just wanted a place to grab a quick bite. We were pleasantly surprised. Food was really tasty, Caribbean flavors and little bit of spice. Korean shrimp app was really good, as was the ribs and miso fish. Highly recommend."
• "The vibe is great inside. Music was on point. Our server very nice and good at his job. The food was great as well. We had the chicken skewers, baby back ribs, and spare rib and grits. All of the meat was extremely tender and flavorful. It was great experience and I think we will return."
• "The staff were very attentive and welcoming. The brunch was great with plenty to choose from and the owner was very pleasant."

Negative Reviews:

• "Let's see 1. Music beyond loud and having to scream to have a conversation. 2. Server twerking on a makeshift stripper pole. 3. Regular customers twerking with dresses so short that they showing private parts. Which children were in the restaurant as well. 4. $30 for a small buffet selection which they ran out of food before 4pm. 5. 20% gratuity added for a bill for only 2 people!! (Apparently no matter how big or small your party is)"
• "The parking lot leaves ALOT to be desired- get there early so you have time to circle around and around and enjoy the scenery. Next, walk inside on a beautiful Sunday afternoon and you are greeted with "Club Forks and Flavors", my God, the music and the DJ, honestly, it was too much, the choice and the volume level. The whole vibe felt very Friday night, not Sunday afternoon. So that was a turn off."
• "The vibe was the bomb but the brunch buffet was the worst. Everything lacked seasoning or it was over cooked."
• "The place has a great vibe and decent food, but I won't be going back. I was charged $$ for a buffet style meal that was rationed out by servers. I was specifically told that I could only have 2 shrimp for my "shrimp and grits" serving, but I was forced to pay a 20% gratuity for a table of 3. The sad part is I was going to give more bc I liked my server. I just don't feel like I got what I paid for."
• "The owners of this restaurant will the businesses downfall. Wow reading how the owner Darnell responds to his customers reviews, let’s you know everything you need to know about this restaurant. I don’t even have to talk about my experience here because the reviews speaks for themselves. Don’t eat here!"

*Reviews from Yelp, TripAdvisor, Google

Other News and Links:

• The Restaurant Impossible makeover for Forks and Flavors happened in February 2022.
• Here is the Forks and Flavors website and Facebook page.
• The restaurant will be having a watch party for the episode which is a "Red Carpet Event and Flashy Attire is requested."
• The brunch buffet is $30 for adults and $15 for kids and the menu has a warning, "We have a live DJ during Brunch, the music will be loud at times."
• In an article from The Reckoning Mag, Darnell said Restaurant Impossible contacted them in August 2021 and not the other way around.  They were thriving and filled out the application but got sidetracked until the show reached out again in January 2022.  Filming happened soon after in February. Regarding the renovation, they love what the show did stating, "We actually love it. We couldn't have designed this better ourselves."
• A May 2021 article about the couple and the restaurant said they have plans to expand to Chattanooga and Houston. (Link)
• Here are the reviews for Forks and Flavors from Yelp, TripAdvisor, and Google.
• The owners respond to many of the negative reviews on Google.  The responses try to offer their perspective of things, but some come across as excuses and they go as far as insulting the reviewers.  

Conclusion:

The reviews for Forks and Flavors since the Restaurant Impossible visit are mixed with the positive reviews complementing the food and staff.  The brunch there seems to be popular, but the reviews are mixed with some people liking the atmosphere and other people complaining about it.  Forks and Flavors responds to a lot of the negative reviews online which some customers said is off putting.

Fork and Flavors said Restaurant Impossible reached out to them and not the other way around.  They said they were busy at the time they decided to be on the show and that they are happy with how the show and renovations turned out.


*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