In this Restaurant Impossible episode, Robert Irvine visits 333 Restaurant in Grenada, Mississippi.
333 Restaurant is owned by Allyson.
They serve seafood and soul food.
It was previously owned by her father, who ran it as a bait shop and beer joint.
She renovated it when he retired and he supported her until he passed.
Business had been good for years until the community started declining with the closing of military bases.
The community started getting smaller and they had less customers.
Allyson started teaching art to make money and keep the business afloat.
This upsets her husband Cary.
Allyson is controlling and when she is not on site.
The manager has to call and text for approval, which is frustrating the staff and customers.
Allyson has no more savings or retirement left as it all went into the business.
Robert drives to the restaurant and sees nothing but trees around it.
He wonders how the restaurant has any business.
Inside the restaurant is worn with patchy ceiling, sagging fans and worn furnishings.
He sits with Allyson and he uncovers the tarp covered tables.
She tells him about the history of her business and her experience in the restaurant business.
Allyson explains how she runs the restaurant while she is away teaching 5 days a week.
He tells her she cannot be an absentee manager and she is clearly holding on.
Robert gets them to start the service so he can see the problems.
Robert runs into Cary in the restaurant and talks with him about the business and his wife.
Chaos ensues in the restaurant as Allyson sits in a corner.
There is no POS system and customers do not want to eat their meals.
Their soda machine is down so they use commercial bottles of soda.
In the kitchen a burner is not working and the orders are mixed up.
They run out of some of their produce so several dishes have to be removed from the menu.
After over an hour there is chaos and too much of a backlog.
Robert decides to shut down the service and sends the customers home.
Robert sits and orders from the menu and samples the food in front of Allyson.
The food is not seasoned properly and mostly tastes bland.
The steak is not cooked correctly and the best thing on the menu is the cheese on toast.
Robert calls for all the kitchen staff and asks them about the kitchen.
The manager has no knowledge of the costs because Allyson does not share.
After getting feedback from Robert, the kitchen manager Angela quits
She does not want to wait for Allyson to blame it all on her.
Robert tells Allyson her cooks need training.
He thinks that she puts too much pressure on them with no training and the wrong tools.
Robert has to figure out what would help.
He sends Allyson to speak with Angela and hopefully get her back.
The design team of Tom and Lynn are brought in.
They think that the space is too dark, the floor is too deli and the furnishing is not appropriate.
There are 2 areas and they have to focus on the bigger area.
The staff and volunteers empty out the space quickly.
Robert sits with Lisa the manager and finds out if they are ready to run the restaurant fully.
Allyson seems to be more committed to her teaching.
Lisa says she needs more support to be able to run it effectively.
She will walk if things do not change at the restaurant.
Robert meets with Allyson to let her know what was said and she needs to change or she will lose all her staff.
Robert meets with his design team who have a clearer view of what they want to do.
Allyson manages to get in touch with Angela.
She comes to meet with her at the restaurant parking lot.
She says she is not keen on working with Robert.
The conversation goes nowhere and Angela decides to go home and think about coming back.
The next day, Robert arrives and sits with Allyson and Cary who tell him Angela will not be coming back.
Former kitchen manager Mike will be coming back to train on the recipes and open with them at relaunch.
Robert and Allyson review Lisa’s role in the restaurant and how restrictive it is.
Cary is still sceptical about Allyson holding on to the restaurant.
Robert checks in with the design team, who have progressed with their steakhouse theme.
Allyson finds Lisa and apologises to her for her previous actions and accepts some changes Lisa puts forward.
Mike comes in and meets with Robert, who likes him instantly.
Robert talks to them both on reducing the items on their menu.
It would be better to offer fewer dishes that they do very well.
He demonstrates making crawfish alfredo, chicken fried pork and a baseball steak.
They both love the taste and flavours.
While the team finishes up the work, Robert works with the servers while Mike preps in the kitchen.
After it is completed, Robert does the final touch by putting up Allyson’s father’s picture in a place of pride.
At sundown, Robert takes in Allyson and Cary to see their new restaurant.
They see a proper steakhouse with a clean and ambient atmosphere with gorgeous lighting and textured walls.
They love it all and thank Tom and Lynn when they come in.
They both let the customers in.
On relaunch, the regulars love the new look and they quickly order from the menu.
The serving staff are doing alot better with the new systems in place.
Lisa makes decisions on her own and Allyson is comfortable with how she handles a situation.
Allyson is happy the plates are coming back from the front of house empty.
What Happened Next at 333 Restaurant?
After the show, sales increased by 40%.
Angela returned a week later and is co kitchen manager with Mike.
Lisa is now fully managing the restaurant.
Cary is also happy with the changes.
333 Restaurant is open.
Reviews are mixed after the episode was filmed.
333 Restaurant is Restaurant Impossible season 21 episode 8 and aired on 17th June 2022.
Click for more Restaurant Impossible Restaurants
Next episode - Eddie's
Previous episode - Amistad Grill
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