In this Restaurant Impossible episode, Robert Irvine visits The Balcony in Larose, Louisiana.
The Balcony is owned by Neely.
Neely has been working here for 28 years.
She started off as a member of staff and now owns the restaurant. .
The Balcony serves Cajun food.
Her three children work there but they don’t love it as much as she does.
They take her and the restaurant for granted.
Matthew runs the grill but he is lazy so the kitchen staff don’t respect him.
Malerie is the head waitress but she is on her phone a lot.
Macey is a waitress but she is expecting a baby any day now.
Neely’s husband also helps out but he has another job.
The owner feels abandoned by her staff.
Without Robert’s help, she will have to close the doors.
When they bought this place, Neely’s husband Stephen said that they would do this together.
Neely says that Stephen doesn’t do anything there.
Neely works over 60 hours a week and never gets a day off.
In the last four years, they have lost $140,000.
Neely often doesn’t take a paycheck.
It breaks Neely’s heart that if nothing changes they will have to close the doors.
Robert arrives and is not impressed.
The inside of the restaurant is old and the walls are dirty.
The buffet server is old and gross and the carpet is disgusting.
Robert calls Neely and Stephen to the front of the house.
Robert says that he would never step foot in this restaurant with how disgusting the restaurant is.
Neely says that whatever issues they need to overcome, she will face it because she is not a quitter.
Robert tells them he wants to see the service.
There is no organization with how the waitresses take orders.
Malerie isn’t controlling the front of the house like how she’s supposed to.
Robert tells her that he wants her to do her job but she says that she is.
The food in the fridge isn’t dated.
Neely knows about all of the things that needs to get done around the restaurant.
However for some reason she just doesn’t make her staff do it.
Robert shuts the restaurant down for the day and gathers the staff to discuss the issues.
He tells Malerie that she didn’t run the front at all.
Stephen tells Robert that the way he talks to people matters as well.
Robert gets madder and asks why it’s okay for Malerie to talk to him this way but not the other way around.
Neely says she knows it was going to be rough but she didn’t think they signed up for this.
Robert tells them that they aren’t running the restaurant the way they should.
He also tells them that he wants them to clean up and he’s going to order some items off the menu.
The fish needs more seasoning but he thinks there is a lot of potential here.
Robert calls his design team of Lynn and Tom into the restaurant.
They begin taking everything out of the restaurant.
The construction team begins ripping up the carpet.
Robert meets with the staff.
Server Kristin thinks that the biggest issue is that Neely lets her kids do whatever they want.
She says Neely is too nice.
Robert meets with Neely in the kitchen.
He gives her the materials to clean the hood system in the kitchen.
He says they won’t get started cooking until it is cleaned.
Robert was hoping she would make the staff do it but she does it herself.
Robert pulls Neely off camera and tells her that she is worth more than this.
He thinks she needs to get tougher.
Neely tells the staff she needs them to help her clean.
Neely feels like she can’t change and can’t be more tough on the staff.
Robert tells Neely he wants her to think about everyone involved in the restaurant.
Tomorrow he wants her to tell them her expectations.
Robert tells the staff they have taken advantage of Neely.
He wants Neely to feel supported by the staff tomorrow.
The next day, Robert checks in with the design team.
The floor is done but there’s still a lot of work to do.
Robert meets with Neely and the staff.
The staff have prepared letters about how much Neely means to them and they read them to her.
Stephen tells Neely he wants to be the person that she leans on.
Neely is crying and says she feels a thousand pounds lighter.
Robert says he wanted her to understand that she isn’t an island.
Neely says that it’s good to know that they are all in this together.
Robert prepares a buffet exercise to show how their cheap buffet isn’t making them much money.
Robert says they either need to create a buffet that drives people to the main menu or change the price.
Neely tells the staff what her expectations are for the restaurant going forward.
Malerie says she has never seen her mother this strong.
Robert shows Matt and Neely better ways to make the recipes he tried yesterday.
Neely thinks that people will be more inclined to order off of the menu now.
They begin making finishing touches on the restaurant.
Robert brings Neely and Stephen into the restaurant.
Neely says that this restaurant looks so beautiful.
Neely invites the customers inside for the first time since the remodel.
On relaunch, the customers love the new restaurant.
They say that it looks beautiful and is more inviting.
Things are moving quick in the kitchen and the food goes out fast.
The customers love the food and promise to return.
Neely says she is in love with her restaurant now and that this was a dream.
What Happened Next at The Balcony?
A few months later, sales are up by 52%.
Malerie continues to successfully lead the waitresses.
Matt is getting along with the staff better.
Macy had her baby and it’s a boy!
The Balcony is open.
Reviews are mostly positive.
There are a few complaints of slow service and cold menu items.
The Balcony was Restaurant Impossible season 16 episode 9 and aired on 20th February 2020.
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