In this Restaurant Impossible episode, Robert Irvine visits Dreadlife Kitchen in Hendersonville, North Carolina.
Dreadlife Kitchen is owned by Raynard.
It is a Caribbean-style soul food restaurant.
He is a reformed convict who turned his life around for the love of his son and also for his love of cooking.
He started in catering and then moved into food trucks.
Later he opened the restaurant and he felt he expanded too quick.
He could not keep up or keep track of his financials but he is in debt and losing money.
Robert arrives and is confused by the exterior and the food truck parked in front.
Inside is not properly set up, it is boring with Jamaican colours.
The interior is worn with a menu board with holes in it.
Robert sits with Raynard to find out the story of the place and the food trucks.
He keeps the books but cannot interpret the information.
Robert observes the service and quickly sees they have a POS but do not use it.
Without the POS a lot of things slip.
Maria is the cook in the kitchen left alone while Ray is in the food truck.
The business is focused mainly on wings.
Robert identifies as costly as bigger companies are hoarding the bulk.
Robert views the food truck and the hygiene standards could be better.
Speaking to the customers, they love the sauce, and the wings and think that Ray is a nice guy.
Robert lets them know Ray is running a charity as he should be charging more to be successful.
Robert finally orders from the menu and Ray cooks in the restaurant kitchen.
The sandwich and the wings taste the same as they were fried in the same oil.
The wings taste the same despite having five different sauces on them.
The other meals are either overcooked, undercooked or bland.
Robert calls in all the staff and the discussion of the business continues as he gives feedback.
He points out the POS problem.
The designer Lynn and builder Tom are brought in and they decide on a direction for the renovations.
The space is emptied and it does not take long.
Robert meets with Ray alone in an outdoor location.
They talk about the POS again as it is important.
They then work out on paper the cost of the chicken wings.
He has been pricing the food too low.
Ray finally understands wings are not as profitable as he thought and he needs some new items.
Robert checks in on his team and they have started work deciding to reprocess some items.
Robert thinks Ray must be suffering from a lack of a vision and is disconnected.
Ray is tasked with finding his identity and creating a brand.
The next day, Robert meets with him first to continue the conversation but Ray is still struggling.
Robert checks in on the space and the Jamaican Shanty theme is coming together with wood and bright colours.
Ray settles on southern/Caribbean food, aiming to be the best in the area.
He communicates this to the staff and he is at first too friendly.
Robert has to remind him to be a leader and tell them how things will change.
After this Maria and Ray are shown new dishes that do not use chicken wings.
They are using more inexpensive meats that will increase their profits.
Maria and Ray love the taste of the dishes.
For the next few hours, the design team quickly finish their work.
At night Ray is taken in to see his new restaurant space.
It is brighter and colourful with clear Jamaican themes and plants.
Ray is blown away by the new look and cries in appreciation.
Ray soon lets customers in and they are astounded by the changes.
On relaunch,the staff use the new POS system and things run smoothly.
Ray is acting like an owner and is not stuck in the kitchen cooking.
The customers love all the new dishes and are complementary about the food.
Ray's son also makes an appearance.
What Happened Next at Dreadlife Kitchen?
Since the show, sales have gone up 10% and are rising.
They have taken to the new POS system.
Ray is vigilant of his bottom line and growing his business.
He is still overseeing his staff and is no longer cooking.
Dreadlife Kitchen is open.
Reviews are excellent with the food getting rave reviews.
Dreadlife Kitchen is Restaurant Impossible season 20 episode 12 and aired on 31st March 2022.
Click for more Restaurant Impossible Restaurants
Next episode - 7th Restaurant and Lounge
Previous episode - Mizz Juju's
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