The best episodes of Restaurant: Impossible
Ranked by viewer rating, highs first. Vote on a placement to back it or contest it.
- 01
Robert Irvine heads to Las Vegas to work his magic at A Pizza Melody. The owner's anger issues have turned his dream of owning his own restaurant into a nightmare, and his husband has spent almost $1 million trying to make it a success, to no avail.
- 02
A model and a former poker player opened Cafe No Fur in Las Vegas, Nev., but they're so stuck in their dysfunctional ways that the restaurant is on the verge of folding after only two years. Robert Irvine must get them to change their stubborn ways or all bets are off on the restaurant's survival.
- 03
Robert Irvine arrives at Dunbar's Creole Cuisine in New Orleans to find a restaurant full of history but in dire need of his help. The livelihood of two families depends on the success of this legacy restaurant, and with no systems in place, no set roles and the restaurant matriarch refusing to change, Robert has his work cut out for him.
- 04
Robert Irvine is in Geneva, N.Y., at Cosentino's Ristorante, where co-owners Bill and Nancy are struggling to save their family restaurant. Their marriage is collapsing under the weight of an unbalanced workload while their inexperienced son, Dom, serves unappetizing food. They need to make real changes and learn to respect one another if Robert is going to save their business.
- 05
A rift between the owner of The Anchor in Louisville, Tenn., and his daughter threatens to sink the restaurant.
- 06
Robert Irvine visits Z Fish House in landlocked Loudon, Tenn., where the owner, Ed, needs a life preserver. Robert helps Ed rediscover his passion and lead his staff to success.
- 07
Robert helps two friends save their restaurant and their relationship.
- 08
Big Tom's Backyard Grill and Bar in Cleveland, Tenn., has turned from a dream into a nightmare, and it's costing owners Tom and Sabrina their marriage.
- 09
Katie has bitten off more than she can chew at Grille No. 13 in Waldorf, Md. She's $350,000 in debt and has no time to spend with her infant daughter. Robert Irvine must teach Katie to work smarter if he's going to save this Irish pub and help her reclaim her time with her baby.
- 10
At Soul Food in the Park in York, Penn., owner Audra makes up for her lack of knowledge and confidence by yelling at her husband. Robert Irvine and his team race the clock to completely renovate her rundown building and help Audra overcome her anger issues to save both her restaurant and her marriage.
- 11
Ship Inn, a fine dining restaurant in Exton, Penn., has veered completely off course and is sinking under the owner Michael's overbearing management style and $895,000 of debt. Robert Irvine has 48 hours to overcome Michael's resistance to change and repair his fractured relationships in order to right the Ship Inn.
- 12
Greg and Janice, the married owners of On The Bayou in Milwaukee, Wis., can't stop fighting, and it's destroying their restaurant and relationship, leaving them with nothing but debt and resentment. Robert Irvine must redefine their roles and rekindle their relationship to save their livelihood.
- 13
Robert Irvine travels to Milwaukee where owner Abel runs Mexican Village, a Tex-Mex restaurant. Purchased as a gift for his mother and grandfather, it's drowning in debt and destroying his relationship with his children. Robert must help Abel to make some hard choices to save his restaurant and his family.
- 14
In Orland Park, Ill., brothers Yaser and Nader are close to losing their French bistro, Gaston's. They blame the competition for their restaurant's failures, and Robert Irvine must convince these delusional owners to transform their business and accept reality or their fantasy will end in bankruptcy.
- 15
Chef Robert Irvine rolls into Colorado Springs, Colo., where the chef and owner of Momma Pearl's Cajun Kitchen is on the verge of losing his wife and his business if he can't shed his arrogant alter ego. His over-the-top persona in the kitchen has alienated family and staff and threatens to derail Robert's efforts to help him. Robert has to find the real person hidden beneath the surface if he has any chance of saving this failing business and crumbling marriage.
- 16
Chef Robert Irvine receives a plea from Stephanie, the bar manager of the Copper Still CD Vodka Lounge and Eatery in Crestwood, Ill., which hasn't turned a profit since opening eight months ago. Owner Christina has put her heart and soul into the restaurant, but its failure has strained her marriage with her husband, Dominic. When Robert attempts a double ambush by showing up unannounced, Stephanie is furious she wasn't included and refuses to help. Robert must work alone to solve the financial problems, marital woes, and also deal with an unexpected theft.
- 17
Chef Robert Irvine is called to the Cape Horn Family Restaurant in Red Lion, Pa. after receiving a plea for help from the owner Joni's husband, Barry. Joni is having trouble paying the bills and has lost control of her staff, but after Robert installs hidden cameras he realizes it's Joni herself who needs work. As Robert navigates a rollercoaster of emotions with Joni, he aims to help her face her fears and repair her self-confidence in order to change her staff and, more importantly, herself.
- 18
For his next mission, Chef Robert Irvine heads to La Casa Bianca in Whitehouse Station, N.J. to give the owner, Paul, the surprise of a lifetime. Paul's daughter, Megan, reached out to Robert for help after noticing the restaurant floundering and her father losing his passion for the business. It's up to Robert to help reignite Paul's fire and get him back in the game!
- 19
Chef Robert Irvine heads to Starlite Restaurant and Pizza in West Orange, N.J. after receiving a plea from the owner Patty's son. Patty has worked there since she was 13 years old and considers it home, but hasn't made a profit in almost ten years despite cashing in her retirement and mortgaging her home. When Robert arrives, he finds an extremely dirty kitchen and an old-school staff that is completely unwilling to change, including Patty herself. Will Robert be able to return this beloved restaurant to its former glory, or will the Starlite shine no more?
- 20
For his next mission, Chef Robert Irvine responds to a call from Tamara, whose mother Raquel owns De Rican Chef in Virginia Beach, Va. Raquel wanted a restaurant that specialized in authentic Puerto Rican food and expanded her business with help from her son, Reuben, but they are barely making a profit and their relationship is suffering. As Robert tries to get to the bottom of their problems, Raquel drops a bombshell about why she has lost her passion, leading Robert to try to heal the family and restore Raquel's love for her special piece of home.
- 21
Chef Robert Irvine receives a heartbreaking plea from Megan, who owns the BFE Bar and Grill in Waynesboro, Ga. with her husband, Mike. The restaurant is deep in debt and their family is suffering, but when Robert shows up, he also finds out that the state suspended their liquor license for not paying their taxes. Robert quickly learns he will have to pick and choose what to fix: their reputation is in the dumps, they're understaffed, and food service is painfully slow. It's a fight to the finish as he desperately tries to fix as much as he can and the owners try to pay back their taxes before the grand reopening.
- 22
After receiving a plea for help from an employee, Chef Robert Irvine and his team head to Peppino's Ristorante Italiano in Oviedo, Fla. Owners Susan and Luigi bought the restaurant hoping that their son, Nato, would eventually take over, but they feel they can't trust him due to his poor work ethic and attitude. With just two days and $10,000, Robert has his hands full with updating the decades-old menu, service, and decor, as well as figuring out whether Nato is even capable of running the business.
- 23
Sarah and Justin only opened SiP Bistro in Holly Springs, N.C. three years ago, but their business is already hurting. Though Sarah has a background in hotel and restaurant management, her husband, Justin, is demeaning to the entire staff and hasn't allowed his wife to take control or make decisions. On top of trying to mend their relationship and negotiate a healthy balance of control, Chef Robert Irvine and his team must also do a full dining room renovation and find a way to make the extremely small kitchen as efficient as possible.
- 24
Chef Robert Irvine receives a desperate plea from Ayana, the oldest daughter of Luvina and Jameel, owners of So Natural Organic Restaurant and Market in Harker Heights, Texas. Luvina and Jameel opened the business because they are passionate about healthy food, but with zero restaurant experience, they've quickly fallen into debt and cannot afford to hire staff outside of their own family. After a disastrous lunch service test, Robert finds he must not only teach the owners efficient operating procedures but show them how to turn their okay-tasting healthy food into great food that just happens to be healthy.
- 25
Chef Robert Irvine receives a pressing plea from Jamie, best friend of Cray Eatery and Drinkery's owner Crystal in Columbus, Ohio. Crystal opened Cray after being inspired by infused liquors from Cambodia, but her lack of experience and dismissive nature have led to her being unable to pay bills and begging for free labor from friends. Robert soon discovers that the restaurant is also unclean, the food service is slow, and the liquor infusions are nauseating. While the restaurant concept is unique, Robert must find a way to solve all of its other problems and help Crystal put her failures behind her.
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