In this Restaurant Impossible episode, Robert Irvine visits Foxfire Grill in Alexandria, Virginia.
Foxfire Grill is owned by Terri and Jackie.
They have put their life savings into this restaurant.
The restaurant is an American grill and they have a little bit of everything on the menu.
They also have a full service bar.
Terri runs the front of the house and Jackie runs the back of house/kitchen.
Jackie says that Terri has a serious need to make others happy.
Terri is working every single day and says that she loves the community.
Terri says that this restaurant is her family.
They haven’t been able to make a profit in 16 years.
They are heavily in debt and owe around $500,000.
Jackie has invested over $150,000 of her money into the restaurant .
Jackie says that she basically pays to keep the place open.
She continues to be a part of this restaurant because it is Terri’s dream and she wants to make her happy.
They are quickly running out of money.
If nothing changes, they will close in around six months.
The bank suggested that they file for bankruptcy but Terri says that that is not an option.
Terri says she would rather work until she dies than close down the restaurant.
Jackie says that she will stand by Terri for whatever it takes.
There are times where she wants to sit and cry and says she can’t do this anymore.
Robert arrives and thinks that the floors and tables look decent.
Robert says there isn’t personality but it’s not a bad restaurant.
Robert calls Terri and Jackie to the front.
They sit at a table for a brief about the restaurant.
Terri owns the restaurant, she bought it for $560,000 in 2003.
In their first year, their revenue was $723,000.
They lost around $200,000 the first year.
They haven’t taken a paycheck in a while.
Terri has been in the restaurant business for 30 years.
Jackie is executive chef, despite having no prior experience.
They couldn’t afford to hire an experienced chef.
They wanted this restaurant to be comfortable and inviting.
A lot of their menu items are comfort food.
Terri gets a little frustrated at the state of the restaurant.
She tells Robert that she doesn’t know why they aren’t getting any business.
Terri says that Robert is harsh with his criticisms.
Robert wants to see a service to see the issues at the restaurant.
The kitchen is soon swamped with orders.
The longest ticket time is thirty minutes.
The customers only come here for the low priced meals.
It gets more difficult to come here after being disappointed each time.
The service is so bad that Robert shuts it down and Terri breaks down.
Robert says he’s glad that she’s crying because that means he is breaking her down.
Jackie says it is very rare that Terri cries.
Robert has identified the issues during service and now he wants to try the food.
The meatloaf has no flavor and the onion rings are soggy.
The green beans are raw and the pork is unseasoned.
Overall, the food is bad.
Robert brings his design team, Taniya and Tom to discuss the vision for the remodel.
Robert is thinking about a patio theme.
They begin taking everything out of the restaurant.
Jackie says that this is bittersweet but she can’t wait to see the end result.
Robert believes that this change is for the best.
Terri doesn’t trust Robert to make the right changes.
Jackie says she wouldn’t be doing this if she didn’t trust him.
Terri says she doesn’t know Robert well enough to trust him.
Robert meets with Terri and Jackie to discuss how their menu items are losing money.
Their break even point for every day is $1,000.
On Monday, they only made $643 and the rest of the week is just as bad.
Taniya says with a name like Foxfire, they need to brighten up the restaurant.
She can’t wait for this place to be done because it will be “fire”.
Robert meets with Terri.
He tells her that he feels she knows this stuff but she hasn’t used it in 16 years.
Terri won’t let Robert in, and he asks her why.
She admits that she doesn’t like asking for help and is afraid of letting anyone down.
Terri hugs Robert and he tells her to go home and relax.
Robert meets with Terri and Jackie.
Terri says she will have a hard time letting go of being the one who does the finances.
Robert has Terri and Jackie practice putting up tickets and calling them out.
Jackie seems lost but Terri knows what she’s doing.
She calls the orders out perfectly.
They both admit that Terri would be best for this position.
Jackie realizes that she is much better at handling the numbers.
Terri has accepted that she needs to switch roles with Jackie.
Robert shows them some recipes that will be added to the new menu.
Terri says that the food is delicious after sampling the food.
Robert shows them a way to make the parmesan chicken better.
Terri and Jackie try it and say that it is delicious.
Robert took their menu items and turned them into unique dishes.
Robert tells the cooks to clean up and get ready for service.
Robert says it is time for Terri to take charge of her restaurant, and it starts with the service.
Terri tells the servers that if the service is poor then the customers will not come back.
Jackie says that Robert has made a difference.
They begin making finishing touches on the restaurant.
They are ten minutes behind schedule, but it’s okay.
Robert hasn’t had time to set the table yet.
There are a lot of people waiting to be let inside.
Terri says she feels like they needed to be reminded about what they are good at.
Terri says she is very grateful for Robert.
Robert shows Jackie and Terri their new restaurant.
Jackie and Terri are amazed.
Terri says that she now trusts Robert and knows he had her best interests at heart.
Jackie and Terri invite the customers inside.
On relaunch, they can’t believe that this is the same restaurant.
The customers love the food and the ticket times are very good.
Jackie is feeling good about her new role and Terri loves expediting.
Terrie says for the first time in 16 years she loves her restaurant.
What Happened Next at Foxfire Grill?
Foxfire Grill is closed.
They closed in October 2023.
They closed due to not being able to renew their lease due to an increase in the rent.
Reviews were mostly positive.
There were complaints of overcooked, dry and bland food and poor service.
Foxfire Grill was Restaurant Impossible season 16 episode 5 and aired on 23rd January 2020.
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