In this Restaurant Impossible episode, Robert Irvine visits Boil and Roux in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Boil and Roux is owned by Maurice.
He opened the restaurant in 2015, breaking some records in his community.
They serve Cajun food.
He previously had a barber shop and the businesses complemented each other.
They made a profit and saved money in the beginning but in 2018 the decline started.
It was due to bad customer service and the staff attitudes severely damaging the image of the business.
The downward trend kept on going and he is now in trouble but does not want to give up.
Robert arrives and he is confronted with worn furnishes and clutter.
There is a back room that has different furnishings and is bland.
Robert meets Maurice and he has a dislocated knee and is using crutches.
Robert confronts him about the state of the walls before hearing his story.
He blames his staff for the downturn not taking any of the blame.
Robert looks through the numbers.
He counters everything Maurice is saying as they are doing poorer than he imagined.
Maurice owes $400,000 at 22% interest at the bank, $20,000 to vendors and $27,000 in taxes.
Robert decides to start service and he watches Maurice get in trouble as only 1 out of 3 servers showed up.
Customers are let in and the one server who showed up is doing great.
Robert notices the glasses are dirty and the food served is suspect.
He checks the kitchen and the ice machine is contaminated.
The food is not stored properly in the fridge and also the food on the side.
Many of the food items are not fit to serve and he has to shut the kitchen down.
The customers are let out and Robert gives Maurice the feedback on the poor hygiene.
Robert orders from the menu and will review it without eating it as he does not want to get sick.
While he waits he meets the server Lex and compliments her.
The food arrives and all the dishes have old and pungent smells.
Robert gives Maurice feedback and also tells him he should also be firm with his staff.
Maurice is upset at all Robert has pointed out as he had been oblivious to it.
Robert concludes he has given up and he needs to work on that.
Tom and Taniya are brought in to see the space they will be working with.
They have their work cut out with 3-4 rooms they want to open up so the space is cohesive.
The space is emptied out by the staff and volunteers.
Robert rallies the staff to clean the kitchen with Maurice supervising them.
Work has begun in the larger space and Taniya explains the work they will be doing.
The kitchen staff work for hours until nighttime and they are still at it but the kitchen is looking better.
Robert pulls Maurice to the side and tries to work on making him a better leader.
He gives him an assignment to write a plan for motivating staff.
The next day, Robert is called for an emergency meeting with his team.
All the servers have not shown up to the restaurant.
Robert says if they do not show up there will be no service that night.
He meets Maurice and he is doing the assignment he should have done the night before.
Robert is not happy with his passive nature and tells him he needs to get staff in before 2.30pm.
Maurice is motivated to call his staff one-by-one and look for others to fill in where necessary.
Robert sees the space and progress has been made and the kitchen is clean.
It is 2.30pm and Maurice has come through with staff for the service.
Maurice gives the team a motivational speech and he is firm which they respond to.
Robert sits with him to figure out how he can get out of his $450,000 debt.
He shows him the numbers and how much he has to make to break even and eliminate the debt.
Robert takes Maurice and the cook through making red beans and rice fritters, a shrimp ‘boil’ and grits and a smoked turkey pasta.
The team is still working in the space and they are doing the final touches and cleaning the floors.
The staff preps the silverware for the tables.
By evening they are ready and Maurice is taken into the new space.
The restaurant is clean, open and upscale with a statement accent green and brick wall.
He is happy at the changes and excitedly lets in customers.
They love the new ambient space and Maurice is on top of his staff correcting bad behaviour.
He is committed to holding his staff accountable.
On relaunch, the new dishes are doing great coming out to perfection.
They come out quickly to the compliments of customers.
What Happened Next at Boil and Roux?
After the show, sales increased 20%.
Maurice continues to lead his staff properly.
The community are continuing to support and patronise the restaurant.
Boil and Roux is open.
Reivews are mostly positive with some negative reviews on the food and service.
Boil and Roux is Restaurant Impossible season 22 episode 5 and aired on 26th January 2023.
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Next episode - Big Dawg's
Previous episode - Pimanyoli's Sidewalk Cafe and Catering
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