In this Restaurant Impossible episode, Robert Irvine visits Moondoggy’s Pizza in Brunswick, Georgia.
Moondoggy’s Pizza is owned by Brandy and Reneesha.
It has been in the headlines for a violent crime in recent times.
They are business partners and friends who grew up in completely different settings.
The restaurant is Brandy’s dream and she started with other business partners.
She brought Reneesha on board as a partner and made changes to the restaurant.
The restaurant has never been profitable with a debt of $300,000.
Brandy does not reveal a lot of information to Reneesha leaving her isolated.
Reneesha has her son working there but faces prejudice from the customers often.
Robert likes the first space and thinks the tables and bar are good.
There is an overflow room that is not properly used.
He meets with both owners to find out more about the business.
They only invested $30,000 and made 8 million dollars in 8 years.
Their costs are out of control and they have always been operating at a loss.
It is revealed they previously had 4 restaurants.
They all failed and Reneesha had no idea how much debt they had.
She is treated more like a staff than an owner.
The service begins and Reneesha is cooking.
It seems that not all the staff are being used properly.
The food produce is all questionable.
Robert shuts down the use of soda at the bar as the soda gun is dirty.
There is so much wrong in the kitchen that he warns the customers that they are at risk if they eat the food.
Reneesha is upset by all the criticism and takes a breath outside.
Robert meets with her and Brandy to clearly spell out what their problems are from the food costs to bad practices.
They are both left in tears at his feedback.
Robert wants to see the dishes on their menu, assessing them from sight as he cannot eat it.
There are no redeeming dishes and they are all served on plastic plates.
The design team of Tom and Lynn are brought in.
They like the main space but hate the overflow room.
They decide to focus more on the 2nd space to make it on par with the main room.
They empty out this space and plan to connect both areas.
Robert also wants to teach the ladies how to run a business.
As Robert is busy, the prep cook lets him know about the prejudice of the customers that come in.
He tells him about a staff member that used a derogatory word to refer to Reneesah and he was not fired.
It seems Brandy is not adequately supporting Reneesha.
Robert meets with Reneesha to find out more about the situation.
She has been so badly affected that she decided to work in the kitchen to hide from the problematic customers.
Brandy is brought into the conversation.
She is reminded that she needs to think of them as a team and act for both of them.
Reneesha reveals her feelings about the business that Brandy was unaware of.
Robert meets with the staff and reprimands them for not cleaning properly.
Their challenge will be to clean the main restaurant as he will not be making any changes there.
He meets with his design team who break down all they are going to do.
Robert meets Reneesha’s sons, who are 15 and 20, on how their mother is at home.
He then gives Brandy and Reneesha homework to list out their role and responsibilities.
There is an extra task for Brandy to figure out how she can better support Reneesha.
They spend some time talking together and Brandy is unhappy she never saw how much her friend was suffering.
The next morning, he meets with them and they have divided the main roles and responsibilities between each other.
They have resolved to meet weekly over coffee to get on the same page on the business.
Robert takes them to address the staff and Reneesha takes charge using her voice as an owner and a leader.
They also outline a 3-strike rule for staff.
There is a new policy to show disrespectful customers the door to enforce a space of kindness.
Robert checks in on the space and work has progressed with a wall mural of pine trees already up.
Robert meets with the owners again.
He finds out they have regular happy hours that run for 4 hours.
However, they are losing more than half of their income on it.
He reminds them it should be when it's quiet and not for longer than an hour.
He shows them some new recipes making meals from fresh produce.
He makes a sausage pizza, a meatball marinara and an italian take on shrimp and grits.
They are excited by the taste of the food, especially Reneesha.
A few hours until opening, the team rush to finish up the work they have done.
By nightfall Brandy and Reneesha are let in to see the new space.
The space has been given life with warm colours, murals of a moon and the name on one wall.
There is also a mural of pine trees and the moon on another wall.
They have added 12 more chairs, which will mean more potential to make more money.
They get over their shock and love the new space.
On relaunch, they let customers in.
The regulars love the changes and so does Reneesha’s sons.
Brandy is helping in front of the house.
When the staff come to her for an issue she directs them to Reneesha and she organises an audience later.
The service is smooth and Reneesha is no longer trapped in the kitchen.
What Happened Next at Moondoggy's Pizza?
After the show, the restaurant lost some of its regulars due to the Happy Hour changes.
Their profits went up 260%.
Brandy continues to support Reneesha through open communication and daily meetings.
Moondoggy's Pizza is open.
The reviews are mixed with both complaints and compliments on the food and service.
Moondoggy's Pizza is Restaurant Impossible season 21 episode 2 and aired on 5th May 2022.
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Next episode - Forks and Flavors
Previous episode - Smith's Soul Food Bistro
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