In this Restaurant Impossible episode, Robert Irvine visits The Anchor in Louisville, Tennessee.
The Anchor is owned by Robert Lane.
Robert served in the air force for around 20 years.
He says the same principles that he learned while serving can be brought into any business.
Robert retired in 2003 and had four children.
William and Cheyenne live with him.
Will turned 21 and Cheyenne will turn 28 this year.
They have been involved on and off in the restaurant business since they were younger.
In 2011, Cheyenne got extremely ill with a rare form of endometriosis.
Robert says it’s almost like a rare form of cancer.
She had an abnormal heart rate and had to undergo chemo.
Robert got divorced in 2016.
In 2018, they found the building and turned it into The Anchor.
During winter, everything else was closed but The Anchor remained open.
Things were so quiet that eventually they had to take out loans to cover the costs.
The family helped contribute.
Robert took his paychecks and put it right back into the business.
If nothing changes, they would probably have to close in the next eight weeks.
Cheyenne doesn’t work there at the moment.
She knows that she would argue with her dad way too much.
This was the reason that her father sacked her from the restaurant.
Robert arrives at The Anchor and isn’t impressed.
He points out the old ceiling fans and notices that the ceiling height isn’t consistent.
There are also different types of tables and chairs.
Nothing in the restaurant seems to be consistent.
Chef Robert calls the owner Robert into the restaurant.
He tells Robert the history of the restaurant.
Robert doesn’t own the building.
He leases it for $1,000 a month from his landlord.
They lost $39,000 in the first three months and are in $244,000 of debt.
William is in charge of the kitchen.
Robert says he feels like Cheyenne has a sense of entitlement so he let her go last year.
He says they didn’t talk for weeks after that.
Chef Robert says he wants to see the service.
The restaurant can only fill to 75% capacity to comply with state restrictions.
Most of the food is frozen and Robert isn’t doing much.
He is just yelling at his son while William is trying to prepare meals.
William says his father’s anger is a real issue in the restaurant.
Chef Robert says that this is complete chaos.
Chef Robert orders a few items off of the menu to try.
He says that the food doesn’t look appetizing.
The pulled pork dinner isn’t good at all.
The nacho platter with pulled pork isn’t any good either.
He says the pork tastes sour and makes him feel sick.
The fish sandwich would’ve been good if they seasoned it and if it wasn’t overcooked.
The ribs have potential.
The meat falls off the bone beautifully but they are overcooked.
William admits that sometimes it’s hard to work around his father.
Robert meets with his design team, Lynn and Tom to discuss the design concept.
The staff begins taking everything out of the restaurant.
William no longer speaks with his sister after she left the restaurant.
The first thing Chef Robert wants to work on is food.
He shows Robert and William how to make their own seasoning for the ribs instead of buying premade seasoning.
Chef Robert takes Robert aside to get to the root of his anger.
Robert admits to having PSTD after leaving the air force.
He isn’t on medication for it and tries to self manage it.
Chef Robert says he can help but Robert needs to try.
He tells Robert he needs to make things right with Cheyenne but Robert says he doesn’t know how.
Chef Robert meets with William to ask about how he feels about his relationship with his sister.
He says that he wants to fix things with Cheyenne.
Chef Robert has arranged to meet Cheyenne at a local coffee shop.
He hopes to fix the relationships.
Cheyenne says her brother is her world.
She says her dad is a control freak and she didn’t feel respected there.
Chef Robert tells her he appreciates her for meeting him.
He wants her to be a part of this restaurant going forward.
The next morning, Cheyenne comes to the restaurant.
Robert tells Chef Robert about the changes he needs to make.
He gets emotional while reading from the list.
Cheyenne is watching the footage in a tent and she gets emotional too.
Chef Robert has Robert close his eyes while they bring in Cheyenne.
Robert hugs his daughter.
Robert tells Cheyenne that it’s not easy for him to express his emotions but he will work on it.
Next, they bring in William.
Chef Robert says he thinks that the three of them can make this place successful.
It’ll only be successful if they take care of each other.
Cheyenne says she is really excited to be a part of the new restaurant.
Robert is going to talk to professionals about his PTSD.
Chef Robert meets with William.
He tries the ribs that William made using the new seasoning.
Chef Robert shows them recipes that he thinks will sell well on the new menu.
These recipes are improved versions of the dishes that Robert tried yesterday.
The design team begin making the finishing touches to the restaurant.
The family is working out the details of their new arrangement.
Tables are being set and the restaurant is being dressed ready for the service.
Robert brings the three of them into the restaurant.
Robert is amazed by how great the restaurant looks.
Robert invites the customers inside.
On relaunch, the customers love the changes.
They also love the food and the new decor of the restaurant.
The customers are impressed and promise to return.
Cheyenne says it feels amazing to be back.
Robert has no words to express gratitude for what Robert Irvine has done.
What Happened Next at The Anchor?
A few months later, sales have increased by 16%.
Customers are loving the new menu, especially the ribs.
Cheyenne and William are working together and have taken on bigger management roles.
Cheyenne’s surgery was a success and she’s doing well.
Robert is managing his anger and has started regular PTSD counseling.
The Anchor is closed.
They closed in November 2021.
Reviews were very mixed after the show with both praise and complaints on the food and drinks.
The Anchor is Restaurant Impossible season 19 episode 1 and aired on 13th May 2021.
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