In this Restaurant impossible episode, Robert Irvine visits Rosie’s Diner in North Chelmsford, Massachusetts.
Rosie’s Diner is owned by Rosie and Bridget.
The owners are also mother and daughter.
Rosie used to be a waitress and bought the diner 13 years ago after selling her house to raise the money.
Bridget works in the kitchen along with taking care of the business paperwork.
She left her career to help her mother out at the diner.
The diner was initially successful with the simple food being a huge hit.
The breakfast service used to be the busiest.
They are both in trouble financially and could be homeless at any time.
Robert arrives and see the diner is off a major road and should get a lot of business.
However, the diner is a mishmash of worn chairs with a dirty floor.
The ceiling is falling apart and they have ugly wall paper.
Robert sits with Rosie and Bridget for a brief.
They tell him that Rosie bought the diner for $180,000 13 years ago.
They think that they were ripped off with the price due to their inexperience.
They have also put in $250,000 from taking out loans.
The restaurant is losing $10,000 a month and they are two months behind on bills.
They are emotional talking about Rosie’s late husband who had a big part in decorating the restaurant.
The lunch service starts and the restaurant is in chaos.
Orders get lost, customers are left waiting, customers are seated at the wrong tables.
Bridget cannot restore order to the service at all.
The customers complain about the food when it eventually comes out.
The food is bland and does not taste like it was made fresh.
Robert is forced to shut it down as customers are left without food for over an hour and thirty minutes.
Robert is served food from the menu and he is not impressed.
He compares the canned corned beef to dog food.
Only the ham sandwich is okay as it is made using fresh ham.
The tuna sandwich is made using canned tuna.
The French toast is soggy and drenched in melted ice cream.
The mother-daughter team are not happy with the criticism and do not have pride in any of their dishes.
Robert has to hug them to calm them down.
Robert meets with his design team Tanya and Tom.
They are bought into the restaurant to see the space and come up with a plan for the redesign.
Robert tells them that there are 5 competing diners in the area and they need to stand out from the crowd.
He tells them that they have to keep the diner counter.
Rosie’s husband built this and it is still solid.
The staff and volunteers come in to empty out the space quickly and Rosie is sad to see it all go.
Robert meets with staff telling them all he saw during the service.
He criticises them for the slow pace and disjointed approach to work.
It turns out the staff have not been trained and Rosie apologises for not doing that.
Robert meets with the team who have outlined what they want to do to update the diner.
They want to have a herb garden in the space, which inspires Robert for the menu.
Robert has Rosie and Bridget do a taste test of five sandwiches.
They chose their favourite, which was not from their restaurant.
Robert leaves them with an assignment to go and make a list of five things their restaurant is known for.
At the end of the day, the design team has started on the redesign.
The next morning, Robert meets with the mother and daughter.
They outline some food items that represents them and they want to work on to be their signature items.
Robert takes the information and promises to help them make a menu they will be proud of.
He helps define the roles of the owners.
Rosie will be in the kitchen and Bridget at the front of house because she can interact with customers better.
Robert meets with the design team who have made good progress with the work.
He has the staff all work together planting and learning about herbs for the restaurant.
They spend the time bonding and it will hopefully translate into better communication in the restaurant.
Robert takes Rosie and Bridget outside to demonstrate their new menu.
They make sandwiches from fresh as well as French toast and an Irish dish.
They love the taste of each of the dishes.
Robert has a surprise for them, the staff’s herb garden is for their use in the restaurant.
Bridget is told to run the front house that day and she starts by giving her staff instructions.
Robert leaves them to check on the progress of the design team.
The kitchen has been finished and the front of house is having the final touches done.
Robert takes Rosie and Bridget in to see the diner and the place has been transformed.
It is open and modern, brighter with accents of colour and roses everywhere.
There is a new floor with Spanish tiles and the herb garden at the front window.
They love the space and especially love the floor.
They meet the team who worked on the space and then let in customers.
On relaunch, the servers are working well together.
The food going out quickly.
The customers love the food and have many compliments.
What Happened Next at Rosie's Diner?
Two months later, the restaurants sales have doubled.
Fresh herbs are still being used in the dishes.
Both of them have caught up on the their bills.
Rosie's Diner is open.
Reviews are mostly positive.
Some reviews complain of a long wait for service and poor quality food.
Others compliment the improved cleanliness and renovation of the dining room.
Rosie's Diner was Restaurant Impossible season 15 episode 9 and aired on 17th August 2019.
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Next episode - Al's Seafood
Previous episode - Audia's Family Restaurant
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