In this Restaurant Impossible episode, Robert Irvine visits Cafe No Fur in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Cafe No Fur is owned by Kevin Chan.
They serve burgers, chicken and Philly cheesesteaks that are made with no meat.
It is a vegan restaurant and all of the food is plant-based.
The owners have no clue how to run the restaurant.
Kevin wants to encourage people to eat vegan more often to save the animals.
Ten years ago, Kevin was a poker player.
He was one of those kids who was very good at math.
He took the poker money and bought an ice cream store.
He experimented with vegan flavors, which he liked.
They began to get popular.
Kevin sold the ice cream store and bought the restaurant in 2018.
He invited Yhessa to own part of the restaurant.
All of Yhessa’s savings went into the cafe.
Kevin soon realized how hard it is to run a restaurant.
Yhessa had no experience waitressing but was responsible for training the servers.
The restaurant is losing $5,000 a month.
Kevin had to take out title loans of about $20,000 and a $90,000 reverse mortgage.
Kevin’s house is tied to the restaurant and he could lose everything.
Kevin is willing to make sacrifices to make sure his staff gets a paycheck.
Robert arrives at the restaurant.
The walls, tables, and chairs are all very run down.
Robert says they should shut down the restaurant right now because of how bad it looks.
Robert calls Kevin and Yhessa to the front of the house.
Robert tells them this restaurant is disgusting.
Kevin sold the vegan ice cream place for $200,000.
Yhessa owns 20% of the business.
She is a social media influencer and helps bring in customers by promoting online.
Robert tells them that if the health department came here today, they would get shut down.
They make only $4,000 a week but payroll is $2,000 and food cost is around $1,200.
In the three years they’ve been open, they have lost $80,000.
In a couple of months, they will run out of money.
Robert says it doesn’t look like they care about the restaurant.
Robert says he wants to see the service to find out the issues at the restaurant.
Yhessa is upset because she didn’t know how much money the restaurant was losing.
Robert asks Yhessa to clean the restaurant.
Due to state restrictions in Las Vegas, they can only seat up to 25% capacity.
They don’t know it but Robert has invited one of the most tough food critics in the area.
The decor isn’t warm and inviting.
Charlie manages the kitchen.
She gets into it with Yhessa because they have different management styles.
Kevin is hiding in the kitchen.
They serve processed food that they cook in the microwave.
The food critic says that this is the most bizarre food he’s ever had.
It’s very clear that the food isn’t made fresh and is trying to be something it’s not.
Robert meets with his designer Lynn to discuss the design concept.
Tom isn’t here because he is spending time with his new baby.
The staff begins taking everything out of the restaurant.
Robert wants to go through the numbers with Kevin.
Yhessa says that Robert doesn’t know her story.
Robert overhears this and asks her about it.
Robert says he will talk to them the way he feels.
Robert mentions how the walls are dirty.
Yhessa says they don’t have the funds to fix it.
Robert tells her they could simply clean it.
Yhessa says they are grateful for Robert’s help.
Robert says he wants them to know how to run a business properly.
He says taking pictures on social media isn’t running a business.
Robert sits with Kevin to discuss the numbers of the restaurant.
Kevin’s goal for food cost is 30%.
In 2018, their revenue was $48,000 but the cost to make that was $82,000.
Robert tells Kevin how making food from raw products will help with food costs.
Kevin isn’t a cook and he realizes he needs to learn how to cook properly.
Robert talks to Charlie about Kevin’s leadership skills.
Charlie says that Kevin is spineless and doesn’t put his foot down.
There are no rules or procedures because he wants the staff to like where they work.
Their reputation for customer service is bad.
Kevin needs to learn how to lead, teach, and delegate.
Robert shows Kevin the online reviews of the restaurant.
The reviews show that Yhessa should be fired.
Robert gives Yhessa two choices.
She can either take her money and go somewhere else or she can become an employee and work.
He tells her to figure it out tonight.
The next day, Robert talks to Kevin about how he needs to hold people accountable.
Robert comes up with recipes to make for Kevin and Yhessa.
He’s hoping it’ll inspire them.
Yhessa says she wants to stick with the café, and she will take direction from Charlie.
Kevin tells Robert about the things he needs to work on within the restaurant.
Kevin has come a long way and is now taking responsibility of the restaurant.
Robert shows Kevin and the cook recipes he believes would sell well in the restaurant.
These recipes are low cost and are very delicious.
They begin making finishing touches on the restaurant.
Kevin tells the staff to learn the new menu so they can try to upsell.
The tables are being set.
Robert takes Kevin in to see his new restaurant.
Kevin is crying and says he is so grateful.
He also says that he is in shock right now.
Kevin invites customers into his new restaurant.
On relaunch, the customers love the new look of the restaurant.
They also love the new food and service.
The feedback is excellent and they promise to return.
What Happened Next at Cafe No Fur?
A few months later, sales have increased by 25%.
Yhessa is working well with Charlie.
She is taking pride in keeping the restaurant orderly and clean.
Cafe No Fur is open.
It appears in 2022 that they changed to takeaway only and closed dine in.
Reviews were mostly positive with customers loving the food with the milkshakes and wings prior to 2023.
In 2023, there has been a string of 1 star reviews online about the restaurant since they closed the dining room.
Cafe No Fur was Restaurant Impossible season 18 episode 4 and aired on 25th March 2021.
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