In this Restaurant Impossible episode, Robert Irvine visits Zoog’s Caveman Cookin’ in Port Hadlock, Washington.
Zoog’s Caveman Cookin’ is owned by Brett and Michelle Forsberg.
It started out running a roadside barbecue stand nearly five years ago.
Two and a half years later they moved to the restaurant after it came up for sale.
It was initially a big success and making a profit.
However, a year ago the business took a downturn and they had to let staff go.
They have used their retirement savings and have lost their home just to stay afloat.
This led to depression and arguments between the couple.
Robert arrives and he is not impressed with the outside of the restaurant.
Inside there are worn out with worn carpets, faded walls, old pool tables and a disgusting bar.
The fireplace is a dangerous trip hazard and there is a disgusting smell in the air.
Robert meets the owners and their daughter Holly.
Robert confronts them with the state of the place.
They explain how they got started in the business.
They are losing $9000 each month and are nearly $100,000 in debt after taking out several loans and credit cards.
They also live above the restaurant after they lost their home.
Michelle and Holly tell Robert that Brett has given up on himself.
He goes to work in flip flops and does not follow proper hygiene in the kitchen anymore.
Robert watches their service and the customers are not happy with the cleanliness of the restaurant.
Robert finds many hygiene problems at the bar.
The kitchen is also in a state with grease, rust and dust everywhere.
The fridge and refrigeration unit are not working properly.
Inside there are no labels on items so it is hard to tell what items are or how long they’ve been there.
His son-in-law Zach is not proud of the state of the kitchen but just goes with the flow.
The storage of produce is so bad that Robert confronts Brett.
He tells him to shutdown the kitchen and stop serving food.
Brett apologises to the customers and sends them home.
Robert has to restructure his plans as he has to have cleaners in before the renovations can start.
He sits with Brett to figure out if he still has any passion left for the business.
He wants to sample the food but doesn’t want to taste it so wants to check the appearance.
Brett makes five dishes from the menu for Robert to see.
The dishes are a Cave Feast, Mac and cheese, Philly Cheese steak, a BLT and Catfish.
Visually Robert does not like the presentation in baskets.
He thinks it would be better on actual plates rather than the baskets.
Just before they get started with the work a federal official comes to the restaurant.
She has come to collect some owed back taxes and they agree on a payment plan.
Robert meets with his designer Cheryl to discuss plans for the restaurant.
She finds the space dark and dingy and they will be working on brightening it up.
They plan on keeping the pool table but reupholstering it.
Tom and the team work to clean out the dining room and there is so much clutter.
The cleaning team comes in to deep clean the kitchen before it can be used.
While Robert is in a meeting, Holly and her sister Sarah come talk to him.
They let him know that Brett has been drinking heavily at the restaurant.
Brett is finishing a keg of beer in a week and warned the family not to let Robert know.
The kitchen is so dirty that they have to use a blow torch to warm up the caked dirt so it is easier to remove.
Robert sits with Brett and uses Poker to confront him on all his issues including the drinking.
He wants him to see that all he is doing is not going to get him back to where wants to be.
Robert says he can only help with a few of his problems and Brett needs to work on the remaining ones himself.
He is to take the night off and figure out how to end his drinking habits.
The renovation continues all night long.
The next day, Robert arrives and is amazed at how much they have done overnight.
The smell has gone and the space is looking much brighter.
The kitchen cleaning took over 14 hours to complete as the space was so filthy.
Robert and the staff are happy with the cleanliness.
There have also been repairs made to faulty equipment that they can finally use after being broken for so long.
Robert sits with Brett and his family after inspecting the kitchen.
Brett tells his family that he will be more of a leader and stop hiding in the kitchen.
He will trust his staff more with sending out better food and he will stop drinking on the job.
Robert decides to drive it all home by showing how much Brett is losing by drinking his inventory.
From six months of drinking, he could have bought over 50 cartons of Portobello mushrooms.
Robert creates a dish using the mushrooms that can be added to the menu as a reminder.
Robert leaves Brett to tell Zach the news on him taking the lead in the kitchen.
The renovations are finished and the family are taken into the new space.
They are shocked at the renovations that the team have completed.
It is like a brand-new restaurant and is more open and modern, clean and classy.
The bar top is wood from their former tables with ‘Zoog’ branded on all the wood surfaces.
Robert introduces his team and they explain all they did.
On relaunch, the Customers waiting outside are let into the restaurant.
They love the new space saying is homier and inviting.
In the Kitchen Zach is in charge.
Robert is watching and sees all is going as it should.
The customers love the food and cannot stop complimenting it.
Holly and the family are so happy at the turn around and the happiness of their customers.
What Happened Next at Zoog's Caveman Cookin?
A few weeks later it is revealed Brett had a heart attack but is recovering.
He drinks less, splits his time between the smoker and talking to customers.
Business is up 20% and the restaurant has stayed clean.
Zoog's Caveman Cookin closed in March 2015.
They closed after losing their lease.
They had planned to reopen the food truck but this does not appear to have happened.
Bret now plays professional poker.
Reviews after the show were mixed.
Zoog's Caveman Cookin was Restaurant Impossible season 10 episode 6 and aired on 4th February 2015.
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