[man] This was supposed to be
mostly for business people and for aviation enthusiasts.
[screams]
[Robert Irvine] If I'm the pilot
of one of these beautiful planes,
I'm not stopping here.
[man] We can't seem to make any money.
You don't paying yourself.
That's correct.
[man] We're in survival mode everyday.
[Robert] Everything you had
12 years ago, has to come back.
[Robert] We're going to do something unique,
that will alleviate the number one problem.
[man 1 laughs] Oh, my God.
[man 2] It's so good.
[Robert] Are you ready?
-I'm very ready. -Yes.
[Robert] Open your eyes.
[man] Whoa!
[Robert] I'm over Greenville, South Carolina,
flying into the Greenville Downtown Airport.
I'm here to help a restaurant
located at the most unique place
we've ever visited on Restaurant Impossible.
I'm going to meet Mike and Lem,
the owners of the Runway Cafe.
You don't often find a full-service restaurant at small airports.
So this is a first for me.
And I'm excited to see how I can help the owners take flight.
[screams] Whoa!
Greenville Downtown Airport.
You got to do that at least once in your lifetime.
At least once in your lifetime.
Heads up, hot stuff.
I'm Mike Bliss. I'm the co-owner here,
at Runway Cafe with Lem Winesett.
Runway Cafe opened in 2010.
We serve mostly American fare.
We serve lots of burgers and fries.
Sandwiches, salads, wraps.
Mike and I, we do everything we can
to keep it running.
We cook, we wait tables,
bussing, washing dishes.
You know, whatever.
[woman] Top Gun burger all the way?
Our sides today are pasta salads,
potato chips or fries.
I went to college at Clemson.
That's where I met Mike.
We were tailgating buddies,
drinking beer, watching football.
Before we opened the restaurant,
I was trying to flip houses.
But it was bad timing on that.
Then got my plumbing license.
That wasn't working out as great as it could.
So that's when I started bartending in a restaurant.
[Mike] Before I got here,
I had a small cafe in a bookstore.
I got to be a little more creative.
I made some chicken parmesan,
chicken marsala, did some steaks.
It was a lot of fun.
But the bookstore shut down in 2009.
And, then, a customer of mine said
"Well, the airport has been looking for somebody
to start a restaurant here for years."
I said, "Well, it's good timing for me."
I got the green light to go ahead
and start the restaurant.
And then, once I got into
a lot of the construction phase,
it was a daunting project.
It was just overwhelming.
That's when Mike said,
"Hey, you want to come do this with me?"
And I was at the right point in life,
that I was like, "Yeah, man. Let's do this."
When we started this restaurant in 2010,
this was supposed to be
mostly for business people,
and for aviation enthusiasts.
[Lem] We wanted to serve great food,
and make people happy, you know.
I think that's, kind of, why we got in it for.
But then, everything changed.
[screams]
[Mike] After we opened it up,
they built a park and playground next to us,
and we have a lot of families now that come out,
and people with four-five kids.
And that kept a lot of people away
that, normally, would come in.
95% of our business is from the playground.
I've got two kids. I love kids.
But if you knew how to reason
with a five-year-old, let me know.
You gonna order off the kids' meal?
Typical service includes standing on the tables,
throwing things, ketchup on the chairs.
I'll get that, okay?
[Lem] It's loud. There's kids running around.
It's not really the best spot
to have a meet with a client,
or to have, you know, a quiet conversation.
[Mike] At the cafe in the bookstore,
I always would do soup of the day.
I got an Ethiopian groundnut which is really good.
It's a peanut based soup.
Russian borscht.
But now, we'll do chicken nuggets and French fries,
and that's what we've become.
Top Gun burger right here.
With that park and playground there's nonexistent profit.
Because you can only get so much for a kids' meal.
We are on the line. We're right on the line.
We'll have to break out the credit card
to buy groceries.
Our air conditioner breaks and it costs $8,000.
Or, you know, if it's a rainy day, we have no business.
And then, in the winter, we have no one in here.
You just keep getting things piled on you,
and we have less and less staff.
So Sherry is not coming in.
Oh. Not coming in at all today?
She's not going to...
I guess you're back doing the--
I'll help you up front. Let me drop this food
-and I'll take it back there. -Okay.
Things are more and more expensive,
and payroll's higher.
And, yet, we can't seem to make any money.
If we shut down, well, what's the next step?
It's a quarter of my life, has been here.
And it's not just me. It's my wife, it's my two daughters.
I'm 50. I'm running out of time.
My little girl's already talking about college,
and, you know, I'm thinking,
"Wow," you know, "I have no plan for that."
I want my kids to be proud of me,
and know I succeeded,
and know I tried hard.
And never, ever say,
"I think Daddy failed."
This restaurant is my vision
and my dream and my legacy,
but the entire time that we've been here, 12 years,
Lem and I have made no money since day one.
And it's worn on us,
and now, it's just gotten to...
We're in survival mode every day.
If nothing changes here,
we cannot last another six months.
Period.
[Robert] Just the sign alone looks beat up.
[exhales]
First thing I see is a "Order at the counter" sign.
So, obviously, it's not a service-oriented restaurant.
They give you a table number,
and you sit down, I suppose.
Planes hanging from the ceiling.
Lots of pictures.
Leaks in the roof.
Tables and chairs, whoever is doing it, don't care,
because look at the state of that.
"No bikes, trikes, or skateboards inside..."
[continues reading]
That sounds like a lot of unruly kids.
To me, it's just like a box with tables and chairs in there.
Where has their passion gone?
Because it doesn't look like any passion is in this place.
So, we'll find out.
Mike, Lem!
Come in the restaurant.
-Good morning. -Good morning, Robert.
-Good morning. -Nice to meet you.
Wow. So who's who?
-I'm Lem. -Mike.
-You're Mike. You're Lem. -[Mike] Yes, sir.
-How long has the cafe been open? -Twelve years.
Why did the airport come to you?
I actually approached them.
I had a restaurant about a mile down the street
-in a bookstore that went out of business. -Okay.
The bookstore did, not the restaurant.
What type of restaurant was that in the bookstore?
Um, it was a lunch counter.
What kind of food was there?
We had special of the day.
We had soups of the day. You know, fillets.
Some lasagna, chicken cacciatore. That kind of thing.
I had a great run.
Lem, what was your...
I've been in the restaurant business my whole life.
-Doing what? -[Lem] Bussing tables.
-You know, dishwashing, as a teenager kid. -[Robert] Okay.
[Lem] Bartending, that sort of thing.
So, the first year revenue was what?
I think we made about $200,000.
After paying yourself?
Nope.
You don't pay yourself?
No.
I'm sitting here, you're telling me
you had this restaurant for 12 years,
and you made no money?
-That's correct. -Yeah.
What do you serve?
We just sell burgers and fries,
sandwiches, salads, wraps at lunch.
-[Robert] That's it? -That's it.
-We were open for dinner-- -You said "were."
We were. We're not...
We haven't been open at night for three years now.
[Robert] And why not?
When it's dark here, people don't come out.
Why?
[Lem] The families, the kids, they're going to school.
[Robert] I don't understand that.
You have an airport, okay?
That planes fly in and out of.
When we first opened, they built a park and the playground,
which completely changed our customer base.
Now we're doing families and kids.
You know, when you're sitting out beside a playground,
we sell stuff we're going to sell,
and it's just... It is what it is.
[Mike] You know, this wasn't what it was supposed to be.
We wanted it to be a nice restaurant.
Some steaks and pork chops, and what not.
[Lem] Check averages are a lot lower with the kids' meals.
So how do you live?
-You must have good wives. -We do.
-Wonderful wives. -Both our wives are teachers.
And, um...
Yeah. [sighs]
You've lost focus,
you've lost passion.
-It's getting harder and harder. -Yeah.
-You know, to... -Absolutely.
So do you want to do it or you don't?
I mean, you got to tell me.
We hang on thinking we've turned a corner
-and then, you know-- -Lem, Lem, Lem.
-[Lem] What? -You're making no money.
-What corner have you turned in 12 years? -Yeah.
I think there's a lot of potential there
but potential only comes from you, not from this.
-All right. -Okay.
And if you're not into it, it'll never happen.
All right. Get yourself ready.
We're going to have a service. Bring some people in.
Okay? [clicks tongue]
-[Mike] Fair enough. -All right, appreciate it.
Let me know when you're ready to open.
-All right. -Thank you, sir.
[Robert] They're burnt out, they're tired, they're fed up,
but I need their energy
for me to do what I do.
And if I don't get their energy, [scoffs]
I'm done. We'll see what happens.
[Debbie] Hey, guys. Come on in.
Menus are on that middle table.
You just line up to order.
You're going to be table number 12, okay?
-[man] Top Gun? -[Debbie] Top Gun.
Uh, nothing but the pickles.
-[Debbie] Cheese, so? -[man] Cheese.
[Debbie] No tomato.
No lettuce, no onion.
-[man] The lime dressing. -[Debbie] Okay.
[man] And a drink, please.
[Debbie] All right, love. Got you.
We don't have chocolate milk, I'm sorry.
Something tells me this is not going to be fast.
[Debbie] Fries, okay.
Do you need any dipping sauce,
other than ketchup or mustard?
-Y'all are at the same table? -[man] Yes.
-[Debbie] Okay. -[man] Boyington.
[Debbie] Boyington barbeque burger.
So, Top Gun, no tomato, no onion.
[billing machine beeping]
[Mike] Got a big salad.
Right here.
[Robert] Ten tables, one served.
Not a great track record so far.
Uh, let me make sure I got...
Wildcat, yes ma'am.
[Robert] The energy in the front of the house
is non-existent.
I'm curious to see what it's like in the back now,
that orders are starting to pile up.
I've seen libraries more alive than this kitchen.
But after meeting Mike and Lem this morning,
I'm not shocked.
Hey, guys, are you having fun
or you just going through the motions?
Twenty two minutes,
and you got five tables out.
-[Mike] Okay. -[Robert] I don't know why.
It's burgers and French fries.
Let's face it. It's not that technical.
[Robert] Mike and Lem better pick up the pace
because the clock is ticking.
[shouting]
[Robert] And the diners are melting down.
[Robert] I'm at the Greenville Downtown Airport
in South Carolina,
at the Runway Cafe,
where the customers are losing their composer
because of the slow service.
-[baby crying] -Boyington burger.
-Your burger? -[man] Thank you.
[Robert] But Mike and Lem seem oblivious to this disaster.
It's what it looks like, no pickles.
And we got a salad here, blue cheese dressing.
If I'm the pilot of one of these beautiful planes,
I'm coming here to eat,
I'm not stopping here.
I am not stopping here.
It'll be, uh, probably, [chuckles]
probably like 20 or 25 minutes, okay?
[Robert] It's been over an hour
and there's still people who haven't gotten their food.
Get me the two owners.
[Robert] It's time to give Mike and Lem
a painful dose of reality.
[Robert] So let me ask you a question.
Who would come back here,
based on their experience today?
Do you want table service?
Do you want service?
Do you want dinner service? What do you want?
[man] Because at night time,
and you can see the planes and the lights. It was beautiful.
But you have to be able to open for it,
for customers to come and enjoy it.
You do want to sit down for dinner?
If you had more of that kind of a draw
for pilots who do flying here,
they may choose this airport because of the restaurant.
I have done the PR for Greenville
for 12 plus years now.
I have never sent a journalist or any other visitor
-to this restaurant. -Why?
It's mediocre at best.
Um, okay. I'm done. That's enough.
Thanks for coming. We'll see you all tomorrow.
I'm sure. Don't look so worried.
-It'll be way better than this. -[customers laugh]
[Lem] We've had some bad services,
but, we've never been told
to the extent that he just said.
So, it really does hurt, you know.
That was rough.
[Robert] I watched how they serve,
now I want to taste what they serve.
What can I get for you?
All right. The Top Gun,
the Doolittle,
the Lindbergh,
and a Wildcat.
And a salad.
[sighs]
Mike, Lem!
You can see, what I call, plastic meat.
Which is processed, it's not even real turkey, right,
with some dressing that we buy.
The salad is useless.
Um, this is the Top Gun burger.
It's overcooked to death.
No seasoning whatsoever.
This is no good.
It... I'm just disgusted.
I'm honestly disgusted.
The food is awful.
The locals, they want something at night.
And you should open for dinner.
But, why would anybody come in here for this food?
This emulates this.
But you can be successful,
if you have the right attitude to be successful.
Do dinner, because the minute
you started doing better food,
a lot more people will come,
and that's the only way you make money.
[exhales]
All right. I appreciate it.
Um, I'm going to meet with my designers,
and we'll have another chat
when I've gone through this,
and empty this place out, okay?
Because we're really late.
-Thank you very much. -Thank you.
Maybe he hit it on the head.
Maybe we're kind of bland now.
We've lost our spark,
and we're just going through the motions.
[Lem] We're still fighting but,
I don't know how long we can fight.
-[Robert] Ah! -Hey, cheers, Robert!
-[Tom Bury] Wow. -[Lynn Kegan] This is a cool location,
-with all the planes. -It's amazing.
-Isn't it great? -Yeah, wow.
This is the most unique place
that we have ever done
on Restaurant Impossible.
-Awesome. -I mean, look at that plane, right there.
[Robert] So that is a World War II plane.
-[Lynn] This is a busy airport. -It's very busy, right?
-This place should be booming. -That's amazing.
It's not.
The biggest let-down here is this restaurant.
Here's my thinking.
Maybe, this should be the "quasi-tower",
and that, you know, we're looking--
-That's the view right there. -That's the view.
Rather than looking in...
That's really what's so important.
[Tom] Oh, it's like we're in the control tower.
-Yes! -It's like the control tower restaurant.
I hate these...
[Lynn] When they enclose pictures in the table.
[Robert groans] Oh, it drives me nuts.
I hate the planes on the ceilings.
I would love to create the service counter.
Like, I want to block this kind of area.
Any questions?
-No, let's get everything out. -Mike, Lem!
-I'll get the guys on this one. -Bring your staff in here!
-All right. -[Robert] Come on, let's go.
All the chairs, tables out, that way.
[Tom] You're going out that one door, right here.
There's a lot of chairs in here,
let's get them all out.
[Lem] Please be careful with those models.
Somebody made them.
[Mike] We're taking down 12 years of history.
It hurts me to take it down.
I'll put these somewhere safe.
Get out! Everybody out! Close the door!
-Twelve years of your work. -[Mike] Gone.
Everything you had 12 years ago,
has to come back.
I would love to find that again.
All right. One last look.
Out the door.
You won't be back until tomorrow,
when I give it back to you tomorrow night.
But we got a lot of work to do.
Off you go.
Now I have, literally, less than 36 hours
to change the restaurant and Mike and Lem.
And it boils down to one thing,
their energy and their passion for this restaurant.
Do they want to do it? They don't want to do it?
And it starts now. Lot of work.
[Robert] I'm at the Runway Cafe
at the Greenville Downtown Airport
in Greenville, South Carolina.
After years of treading water,
owners, Mike and Lem, are exhausted
and close to giving up.
Looking at their profit and loss statements,
I can see exactly what's worn them down.
But before I go over their numbers,
I want to dig deeper,
because I feel there's more
than just a playground full of kids,
that's holding them back.
Oh, dearie, dearie me.
What was the passion
that made you get into that old, little
restaurant you had before, right?
It was a small counter, right?
-And you enjoyed it. -I loved it.
What was the love about that?
Being creative.
I like to cook different things.
Specials, everyday.
Whatever soup I wanted to make.
-Flip over to you now, Lem. -Yeah.
-What excites you? -Similar to that.
I mean, making people happy.
But, you know, our lives
have changed dramatically in the last 12 years.
-So, now, my-- -Because of?
-[Lem] Family, kids. -Family. Okay.
-How old are your kids? -Ten.
Just turned 10 and seven, about to turn eight.
Okay.
For five years my wife and I tried to have kids,
and we could not have kids.
And a month after I started construction here,
she was pregnant.
-So you have one child? -[Mike] Three kids.
-Three kids? -Yeah.
[Lem] After 12 years of this grind
and the frustration with no money,
we've shifted our focus more to our families,
and lost this side of our lives.
Imagine your wives weren't working.
[Mike] Mm-hmm.
And you couldn't provide for those kids.
Right?
Then what?
I'm going to prove to you a dinner
will literally yield you so much money,
you'll be kicking yourself in a minute.
So I want to show you average for dinner in Greenville.
$23, a person.
If I open this place
and did 50, 5-0 dinners,
a day at $10 more, average check
would be $503,128.
All right. So, then I hear
what you're going to say now,
-because I can read your mind. -[Lem chuckles]
Kids from the park.
[Lem] Adults can barely hear each other.
We're going to do something unique,
that will alleviate the number one problem
of kids getting crazy, loopy.
And we'll change the menu for dinner.
People will come if you give them exciting food.
If you do what I'm telling you to do,
you'll get paid $100,000 a year, so will you.
But to succeed,
-there's a double commitment, right? -[Lem] Mm-hmm.
Because, there's a commitment
to your wife and your kids.
There's your commitment to your business.
-Right. -Right?
I want you to, both, call your families,
-I want to meet your families. -Okay.
I need to figure out,
how do I get that creativity back from you?
What was the biggest thing you loved to create?
-Soup. -Soup?
I want you to go make me a soup.
Okay. Any soup you want, okay?
-All right. -Okay.
[Lem] Robert said we need to open
for dinner to be profitable.
But, to be honest with you,
I don't know if we can make this work.
[Robert] While Mike and Lem have doubts
that dinner can make a difference,
I have some ideas that could change their minds.
But anything I suggest won't work
unless they can rediscover their passion.
I hope that being creative
will a light a fire under Mike.
So what is this?
This is a black bean corn and bacon soup.
I'm, kind of, improvising here
what's in the kitchen at the moment.
It's actually very good.
I just wish it was reduced down enough.
to add body to it, or you made it with a roux.
I wanna show you something.
Mike's soup has a lot of potential.
And with a few tweaks,
I think it could be something special.
-Bread. -[Mike] Right.
[Robert] Tomatoes.
Hot sauce,
and some mushrooms.
Taste.
Mmm. That's very good.
It's got body.
-Flavor. -[Robert] It's your soup,
-not mine. -It's good.
You made this soup.
You just created something from nothing. You had the base.
The difference is knowing how to take it one step further.
It all goes back to passion.
By the way, I would put that soup,
I would put that soup in my restaurant.
-That's fun. -Few croutons.
-Yeah. -A little chopped parsley.
Merry Christmas.
It feels very good to go back to the cooking aspect,
and, uh, and being creative and making something.
Um, I'm very proud that Robert liked the flavor, and he liked the base.
Now this is exciting, this is what,
this is what fuels me and makes me happy.
[Robert] I'm finally seeing a little enthusiasm from Mike.
But I still have some work to do
to get both owners back on board with their restaurant.
Hey, guys. Come on in.
So, I asked them to bring their families,
because the changes I want Mike and Lem to make will impact everyone.
So, Mike, who is this young lady?
This is Liz, my wife of 17 years.
-Nice to meet you, Liz. -[Liz] Nice to meet you.
-Lem? -Beautiful bride, Michelle.
13 years, or so, somewhere in there.
-Something like that. -13, 14.
So, you know those numbers like you know these numbers.
-Yeah, yeah. -[Michelle chuckles]
-[Lem] Pretty much. -Very good.
First of all, uh, thanks for coming.
And you made this.
Um, it is a black bean, corn and bacon soup.
[Robert] When I put Mike in the kitchen,
all of a sudden, he lit up.
[Michelle] This is very delicious.
It is good.
Good job, Mike.
[Robert] To rekindle the fire that Mike and Lem have lost,
they're going to need the support of their loved ones.
The two young men have been beaten down by the restaurant.
He's just worn out. There are days where he's despondent,
and I get up super early, so I'm exhausted at night, too.
So, now, you know, we got both parents that are tired and...
It wears you down.
It affects marriage, it affects kids, 'cause that's what these do.
But unfortunately, this is like a big kid.
[both] Mmm-hmm.
[Robert] It takes nurturing, it takes training.
It takes time.
But you have potential for a million dollars.
If you do what I'm telling you to do,
I believe this restaurant, within a month,
can be profitable. Just me.
I'd like to have the money to do the fun things,
to, you know, to see what we wanna see.
To have the flexibility financially.
[Robert] But the only way it's gonna work is if you're whole heartedly in it
and you wanna make it work.
I'm asking you to open from 5 to 8.
And if you don't do dinner service, there's no way you'll survive.
Homework.
You four, collectively,
have to decide giving this up,
or do you wanna invest time to reinvent,
to reinvigorate, to reemphasize.
-That is a sacrifice, right? -Mmm-hmm. Yes.
Lots of tough decisions.
[mouthing] Yeah.
Yeah.
So when you go home, think about that.
Mmm-hmm.
[Robert] And I will see you back here tomorrow.
All right. Sounds great. Thank you.
[Robert] Tonight's gonna be a long night.
Now, they've gotta think about it. Is it worth it?
Are they gonna stick it out and see where it can go?
I hope they choose to stick it out and see where it can go.
But I don't know. I really don't know.
[engine whirring]
[Robert] It's the end of day one at the Runway Cafe, in Greenville, South Carolina.
Mike and Lem have gone home with their families,
to think about the future.
But my work isn't over.
I still need to see how the airport
has inspired Lynn and Tom's design plans for the restaurant.
Hey, guys. Wow.
-[Lynn] How goes it? -[Tom] Hey!
[Robert] So, we started this morning, with this...
...box.
My mindset is
looking out from the tower, right?
-Get that. -Correct.
So, overall,
what are, what are we thinking?
[Lynn] This location is so cool and unique.
I wanna bring all of that into the space.
So, the first thing we're gonna do is build a new divider wall,
and we're gonna put a radar graphic on that, inspired by the tower.
We're gonna get rid of the existing counter and build a new counter,
covering it in corrugated metal,
so it gets that industrial vibe of an airplane hangar.
And to keep the whole airport theme going,
we're bringing in some new HELI fans, inspired by helicopters.
We're really gonna light the space up with new, bright blue chairs
and some stainless steel table tops.
And when we're done, the Runway Cafe is gonna be ready for takeoff.
I'm also bringing in wallpaper that looks like blueprints from old vintage planes--
You actually see, right behind you. Right there, look.
-Will pop. -See the airplane?
[Robert] Oh, okay.
I love it. Back wall?
We're putting up what would be considered airplane hangar windows.
When they're all up, it's gonna make it feel like it would be a full set
-of windows inside. -And we're gonna put
lights in it, too. So it's really gonna sell it.
-Cool. -Okay.
-All right. Thanks, guys. -All right.
Okay, good deal.
[Robert] It's day two,
and last night, Mike, Lem, and their wives, had to decide
whether they were willing to make the hard sacrifices it takes to succeed.
If they can't fully commit to the restaurant,
there's no way I can help them turn it around.
Good morning.
-[Lem] Good morning. -[Mike] Good morning, chef.
So, how did we sleep last night?
Uh, pretty good till about 3:30, 4:00, and then, you know--
-[Mike chuckles] -Had a lot to think about.
Your homework. Do we do what Robert says
or do we walk out with nothing?
And it's as simple as that.
[Mike] I talked to my wife last night, and, um,
she was optimistic, I think. You know, I think that, uh,
she sees that this could really turn a corner for us.
And I know that my kids are excited about, you know,
not giving up on it yet.
I've, I have enthusiasm. I mean, I'm, I'm optimistic, I'm looking forward to it.
Both wives are very supportive.
Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely.
But, I mean, I...
You know, like I said, I still have the hang-up
with the park and the playground, and, you know,
losing the business clientele.
[Mike] Yeah, the, the playground is problematic.
[Robert] Your biggest worry is unruly kids.
Look, I'm gonna show you things today that, that will
ease a lot of your pain.
-Mmm-hmm. -[Robert] Have you ever
thought about putting something on the table, the minute they walk in,
that's a giveaway.
So they don't get hangry.
So, we're gonna do something unique.
-[Mike] Okay. -Right? I think...
I, I don't know what it is yet,
but we put it right on the table
the minute they walk in the door.
And also, why don't we make lunch boxes for the kids?
And then, and then we can bring it to the playground and put an apple...
I mean, a sandwich, a bag of chips.
And again, that's another source of revenue,
but it does another thing.
-Grab and go. -[Robert] To our...
They're not at the restaurant, they're not sitting in the restaurant.
That sounds fantastic to me.
I've brought some boxes for... Kids' boxes.
Make 20 of 'em, and see what the kids say.
I will see you shortly.
-All right. -[Mike] Thanks, chef.
[Robert] Hopefully, box lunches for kids outside,
and a fast, free appetizer for the kids inside,
will make Mike and Lem excited about the restaurant going forward.
-[drilling] -[indistinct conversation]
-[Robert] Good morning. -[Tom] Hey.
-[Lynn] Hello. -[Robert] Looks different
-than it did yesterday. -I hope so.
[Robert] I love this blueprint wallpaper.
-I like that a lot. -[Tom] Me, too.
Don't tell me, 'cause I know what this is.
[Tom] I mean, we just... [chuckles]
You wanted the inspiration, and here it is. We're in the control tower, so...
We're in the tower looking out to the airport.
[Robert] So, I got blueprints and planes, I got my radar.
What's going on the top?
Airplane gauges.
-They're all different. -[Robert] Love, love, love.
But, I'm missing...
[chuckles]
-[both] Oh, the fans! -Yes.
Yeah, two fans, and they're gonna be...
The bigger ones are gonna go right there and right there.
-It's really, really cool. -[Robert] I got goosebumps.
-It's one of a kind for us. -All right, cool. I love it.
-[Tom] Okay. -All right. Good.
-[Tom] Thanks, Robert. -[Robert] Catch you in a bit.
I set up Mike and Lem with everything they need
to make box lunches for the playground.
There's no better way for them to see if this can work
than by running their own personal focus group.
[Mike] You have these labeled?
[Lem] Yeah, everything is labeled.
-Got 'em? -Got 'em.
Robert says we have to embrace our customer base,
and since that's the little ones,
take lunches out of the restaurant... [chuckles]
...and, uh, and take to the park.
Yeah, so, we'll see what happens.
So, how are y'all doing today?
-[kids] Good. -[Lem] Good.
-[Mike] Excellent. -[Lem] So, we're gonna try
having a box lunch available to people out on the playground.
And so, we're gonna... We wanted to give you guys these
and, and see if it's something y'all would be interested,
when you're out on the playground.
-[Mike] Nice and easy. -[Lem] Got peanut butter,
jelly, and then ham or turkey.
There you go. You got it?
-[man] What do you say? -Thank you.
-You're very welcome.
-[kid] Turkey. -[Mike] Turkey!
-Turkey! -[Lem] We can do that, too.
Ham, we got a ham.
[Mike] Here, you got a sandwich, you got an apple, you got a drink.
With the convenience of it and, you know, the quickness,
keeping it, like, the $7, $8 range,
you know, to keep it, you know, reasonable.
-It's a good idea. -[Mike] All right.
Even the price range, everything is good.
-[Lem] Perfect. -[woman 1] I think this is
-an amazing idea. -[woman 2] I do, too.
-Yeah. -Thank you very much.
All very good feedback. Yeah, we really appreciate it.
-[Lem] Thank you. -Thanks so much.
Yeah, and enjoy your lunch.
[all chuckle]
-[Mike] It's a genius idea. -[Lem] Yeah.
[Mike] I wish we had thought about it a long time ago.
Yeah. This will actually be an asset for us.
You know, make the park an asset.
Yesterday, I'm like,
"I'm done with this." But maybe,
we need to give it a chance. We need to give it more of a chance.
[both] Mmm.
That's good. Mmm.
-I would pay $8 for this. -Yeah, yeah.
[Robert] Exhausted and demoralized,
Mike and Lem have been on the edge of giving up.
But now, they realize
there are solutions to their problems,
and I'm starting to see the energy and enthusiasm.
A new, exciting menu just might put an end
to any doubts they still have.
So, I'm gonna show you dishes that I think belong in your menu,
and you'll see how simple it is. All right.
First thing I'm gonna do is...
Remember we talked about
-kids, right? -Yes.
Some kind of giveaway for 'em?
[Robert] Yeah. Pita bread, little cheese on it.
-Cut it up. -[Mike] I like that.
Keep 'em quiet out there.
[Robert] Little tomato sauce.
-[plate clangs] -[Robert] Take a piece
and dunk it.
It's so inexpensive, I didn't even cost it out.
-Great. -[Robert] Told you, right?
-Kids are gonna love it. -Yep.
-[Lem] Excellent idea. -[Robert] Right.
You're trying to transition into a dinner place.
So we gotta attract them pilots and them people to come in here.
My take on, on fish.
You can use any type of fish. I'm using cod.
I've taken, um, panko breadcrumbs and sesame seeds.
That goes with English peas.
Peas I'm warming up.
Bacon vinaigrette goes into peas.
[sizzling]
White grits. Gonna put in some cream cheese,
and some, uh, cheddar.
[Lem laughing] Oh, my God! That is so sexy!
[Robert] Mint yoghurt with herbs, fresh herbs. All right.
When you... I want you to bite through the fish,
get the, the peas and the grits together.
It's hot, be careful.
-[Lem] Fabulous. -Oh, it's delicious.
[Robert] All right.
[Mike] Awesome. Very good, chef.
Here's the beautiful thing about that.
$4.55 to make that whole plate.
We're gonna sell it at $16.00,
putting $11.45 in your pocket every time you sell one of them.
-Gotta be proud to sell that. -[Robert] All right, next one.
The chicken sandwich, uh, chipotle flavored.
It's marinated in buttermilk, because buttermilk breaks down the protein.
This is a chipotle mayonnaise.
It's a healthy portion, huh.
Got a little okra, tomato, cucumber, and red onion pickled.
-It's a good looking sandwich. -Yeah,
it is a good looking sandwich.
[Robert] All right. Chipotle chicken sandwich. Go for it.
Wow.
[Robert] Watch, you'll get it all over you.
-Mmm. -[Lem] Oh.
Fabulous, man. Great.
It's so good. Tender.
Wow, love the flavor in that.
-[Lem] Yeah. -It's bright.
[Robert] Chicken sandwich, $2.56.
We sell it at $16.00, then, by the way,
$13.44 in your pocket every time you make that.
It's very good.
[Robert] Now we're gonna go upscale a little bit.
This is what I think people will fly in for.
This is called a baseball steak.
Salt.
Pepper.
-[sizzling] -[Robert] Looks like
-a fillet, right? -[Mike] Yeah.
[Robert] Except this is about a third of the cost of a fillet. [chuckles]
-[Mike] Is it really? -[Robert] Yeah.
On top of that, I have
potatoes we just boiled, we just mashed them.
[Mike] Like fingerling potatoes?
[Robert] Just regular potato. It can be anything you want.
-[Mike] I gotcha. Gotcha. -Broccoli rabe
that's already been blanched.
[sizzling]
This is just eggplant pureed.
I have potatoes.
I got a romesco sauce made with almonds.
[smacks lips] Bistro steak. Feel free.
Get some of the eggplant, get some of the...
It's tremendous flavor. It's really good.
[Robert] So, here's the coolest thing about this.
That whole plate costs $7.82.
We're selling it for 24 bucks, $16.18 in your pocket every time you sell one.
Or, you can go a different way.
You could put mushrooms and onions on this steak.
You know, again, you could be
really creative, and people will go nuts on it.
Yeah. I'm, I'm, I'm excited to see that.
When we sat down at your house--
-Yeah. -...13 years ago,
this is what we... This is what I imagined.
This is what, this is what we pictured.
This is what we envisioned. Yeah.
-But it's not what we've done. -No.
You can eat what you wanna eat,
-do what you wanna do-- -Awesome.
...and, uh, I will see you shortly.
When we reopen, we don't have to just stick to our burgers
-and, uh-- -Right. Making more
-of an option-- -Chicken tenders now.
-Change is night and day. -Yeah.
[Robert] I think Mike and Lem are finally convinced
that changes will turn around their restaurant.
But I'm not finished. It's two hours until we open,
and we're nowhere close to being ready.
Let's go! Let's go!
I don't have all day.
I need to keep pushing, but I still have a lot
I want to teach Mike and Lem about turning a profit.
That is your minimum sale.
-[Mike] Yes. -[Lem] Hmm. Yes.
Minimum. I do prix fixe on every holiday,
because I can control the cost.
[Lem] I cannot tell you how much I love that idea.
[Tom] Ouch.
-[slams] -[Tom] Ahhh!
[Robert] Oy! Let's go! Got a restaurant to open!
Everybody that's doing nothing,
let's start picking up all the paper,
all the paper from around there.
Let's get the tables in here! Let's go!
[man] All right, guys, hurry up. Hurry it up.
[Robert] All right, if you're not supposed to be in here, get out.
[Lem] Today everything changed.
It's a once in a lifetime opportunity for us, so,
we would be stupid not to continue on.
It's gonna be awesome.
[Mike] Before Robert, I was seriously considering selling this place,
and, uh, you know, it's still in the back of my mind.
But Robert has given me a lot of hope going forward
that maybe I can turn this thing around,
and, and I'm excited.
[exclaims] It's finally that time.
Oh, yeah.
[Robert] Come over here.
Hands on the shoulders. I'm gonna hold your hands.
There you go. Keep walking.
Are you ready to see the brand new Runway Cafe?
-I am very ready. -Yes. Very.
[Robert] Open your eyes.
[Robert] Are you ready to see the brand new Runway Cafe?
-I am very ready. -Yes. Very.
[Robert] Open your eyes.
Whoa.
-[Mike] Holy-- -That is unbelievable.
-[Lem] Doesn't look the same. -[Mike exhales] Yeah.
I cannot believe it.
[chuckles] Oh, my God. That is unbelievable.
This is crazy. It's... It is insane.
You can walk.
Uh, it's fantastic.
-[Lem] Doesn't look the same. -[Mike] At all.
-[Lem chuckles] -[Mike] Like 100% different.
[Lem] I'm speechless. It's just, like, incredible. It's incredible.
-Look at these walls. -Oh, my God.
I don't believe this.
How? How?
-[Mike laughs in disbelief] -[Lem] I mean, seriously.
[Mike] This is the coolest thing.
This is the tower. This is the radar.
-[Mike] Yeah. -[Lem] It's incredible.
These are the windows from World War II on the hangars.
Brand new fans, these are propellers.
- New lights. -[Mike] Oh, wow.
[Robert] New tabletops. New chairs.
These are actually blueprints of real aircraft on the wall paper.
[Mike] It's amazing!
A whole different feel.
You feel like you're walking into a hangar.
[Robert] Yesterday when I arrived,
despondent was an understatement, right?
[Lem and Mike] Mmm-hmm.
[Robert] Today, I saw a change.
You know, it was building and building.
Just everything. It just kind of all came together.
I could stay here forever.
[softly] Wow.
I have two amazing people, and every time, they amaze me.
-Every time. -Hey, guys.
-Magicians. -Good work.
-[Tom] Hey, how's it going? -[Lem] Oh, man.
[Mike] This is insane.
-You're awesome. -[Lynn] Ready for the next
-flight to take off from here. -[Tom] You love it?
-[Mike] Oh, my God! -[Lem] Appreciate it.
-It looks bigger. -[Tom] Thank you so much, man.
-It looks nice. -This looks fantastic.
-I dunno-- -It's bright.
I don't even know where to begin.
[Robert] There's nothing you can't do.
There really isn't. It's really up to you both.
All right. We're gonna let some people in, right?
[Mike] Let's do it.
[Robert] Off you go.
-[door opens] -[Lem] People!
Are y'all ready to see what we got in here?
-[all cheering] Yes. -This is amazing!
-Come on! -[Mike] Come on in
to the new Runway Cafe.
Oh, wow.
[boy1] It's awesome.
[boy2] Is this the same restaurant?
I'm just so proud of my husband.
This was his dream, this was his creation.
It's just amazing.
I like it, this is wonderful.
I haven't seen Lem this happy at this restaurant in a very long time.
Just to see the passion,
it's worth everything. Everything.
I'm in awe. I'm in awe.
It's beautiful. I love it.
Now the way it is, it's so beautiful and so fun.
It's just, we're really excited about it.
This is so perfect because it's a great distraction and it just makes
the overall meal so much more enjoyable.
[Robert] Now that the counter service is a thing of the past,
it's time to put full service to the test.
-[indistinct chatter] -[server] Ready to order?
-[customer] Yep. -[waiter] Okay.
What can I get ya?
[Robert] All right, order in.
[sizzling]
[Robert] I've got a fish and a steak...
Sells me the next ticket.
A fish sells me.
-[man] All right. -[Robert] Nice.
Chicken sandwich.
Goes to table five.
[waiter] There you go. You're welcome.
[Robert] But getting the food out fast,
was only one of Mike and Lem's problems.
I want to see them passionate and excited.
They need to run their restaurant, engage their customers,
and most importantly, enjoy themselves again.
[smacks lips] Very good. Tell you what, though.
Little bit more cheese, little bit more pepper,
but it's almost spot on. Thanks, man.
I wanted to let you know, since you have two young kids,
we are starting a, uh, box lunch sort of thing, for, uh...
Just be out on the playground playing,
you don't have to take a time out and go eat and then come back.
-[man] That's awesome. -Well, it's a new--
[man] Thanks for letting us know.
Thank y'all so much for coming in tonight.
[laughing]
[Robert] Mike and Lem have new energy and enthusiasm for the restaurant.
But it won't be enough if the customers don't love the food.
[customer] The flavors are amazing.
For this to come out in five, 10 minutes like it did tonight, perfect.
My dish is fresh. It's got a lot of complex flavors that come together,
and I'm really enjoying it.
It's so good. And 10,000 out of 10.
To have a unique place like this,
it's open for dinner, that you can come in and enjoy in downtown Greenville,
it's, it's an awesome experience.
I don't think I've been this happy
since the first year I was here.
It's like day one again. We'll see what happens.
But my cheeks are starting to hurt... [laughs]
...smiling so much.
Thank you, thank you so much.
I feel the adrenaline pumping.
I feel the passion. I feel the fire.
There's just no way we can leave. There's no way we can sell.
What more can we say, except, you know,
thank you. [chuckles]
I'm happy for you.
What I expect is to be successful.
We are thankful. Beyond what you can imagine.
This is... This has been amazing.
I'll be checking in with you in a week.
-[Mike] All right, one week. -[Lem] Be waiting for ya.
-Good dude. -Yeah. Yeah.
-[speaks indistinctly] -Absolutely.
[lively chatter]
[man] The Balanced Chef was started as a simple way to eat well.
I got two meals going up.
You're feeding food
in a restaurant
that's microwaved.
[retches]
[Robert] It's gonna be very difficult for you,
'cause you think that you're right on everything.
-I'm burning out. -Why are you burning out?
I have brain cancer.
[Robert] They know you're sick.
But if I'm too soft, this fails.
I don't wanna be that person.
Well then, you need to change.
Come on, let's go!
[man] I'm ready for change.
[Robert] We're gonna start a change in the kitchen.
[man] Absolutely incredible.
[Robert] Open your eyes.