[John] This sucks. That sucks.
-[Jennifer] You doing okay? -[John] No.
I'm overworked and I'm doing everything.
I feel burnt out, which sucks.
[Robert] That looks just like the way he runs his kitchen,
junk everywhere.
[Jennifer] It's super frustrating.
I just lost the energy.
So what does that mean?
[Robert] John seems like a very tormented man.
I am here to help.
All right, come on. Let's go, let's go!
Is this what you want?
Because I'm spending a lot of time and money to change this,
not to have you fail.
I'm headed to Franconia, New Hampshire
to meet John and Jennifer, owners of The Dutch Treat.
So, Franconia is a very well-known skiing area,
lots of mountains here, beautiful scenery.
You see the river by the side of me here.
Franconia is a destination,
which to me, helps a restaurant.
But again, I don't know the full story yet
till I meet John and Jennifer, so we'll see.
Okay, this is on.
I am chef-owner of The Dutch Treat.
We do, you know, burgers, pizzas, pasta dishes, kind of like everything.
-[woman] Oh, thank you so much. -You're welcome, guys.
Family-owned since '73,
and I've pretty much been running it since mid-'80s.
You're doing good.
-My pizzas are almost done. -This is terrible.
Aw, what do you mean? You love cooking.
When I met John, I was 23,
and he was working with and for his parents.
He was extremely hardworking,
very handsome, very funny.
He was definitely, uh, the hottest game in town.
[laughs] Yeah, I still think he's pretty great.
The Dutch Treat is an institution.
It's a legend in this town,
and for John, it's his family's legacy.
[John] I plan, I order, I certainly cook,
take care of all the employees, payroll, books,
clean, vacuum, pretty much everything.
John loves working for himself
and owning his own restaurant.
But he's been doing this so long
that it's no longer fun,
and he's just exhausted by it.
So four-and-a-half months ago,
I left my high school principal job
to lighten his load.
It's probably, like, six more minutes on this large pizza.
[John] I do appreciate my wife being here.
Yeah, I know it seems very romantic and all.
But we're around each other all the time,
so we never do a lot of things together
'cause we're always here.
-Jazz nights, I think, would really boost sales. -Sundays don't work.
We can't fricking do that.
Plus, now that Jennifer's here,
she needs to be compensated,
and we can't afford it
because the restaurant pretty much breaks even.
You know, we have enough to pay for what we have.
That's about it.
[Jennifer] I don't take a paycheck, which is fine for now.
But, you know, we can do it somehow.
We can figure it out.
[John] I feel burnt out,
and running this restaurant does not appeal to me anymore.
So I don't know what to do.
[bell rings]
Well, interesting, the first thing I don't like
is a carpet in here as I walk in.
I mean, this is obviously a very old place,
very dull, very outdated.
One type of table, one type of chair.
Two type of table, two type of chair.
Three booths,
this banquette kind of table,
some cheap plastic tablecloths.
Just seems like a menagerie of bits and pieces,
and some of these pieces [chuckles] date back, I think,
to the '60s or '70s, I don't know.
If it's been around for a long time,
they haven't sunk the money back into it.
Why, I don't know. I'm gonna find out.
John, Jennifer, come in the restaurant, please!
-[clapping] Good morning. -Good morning!
-[Robert] How are you? -So nice to meet you.
-I'm Jennifer. Yes. -Very nice to meet you.
-John, very nice to meet you. -Thank you for coming.
-John Opalinski. -Take a seat.
-Thank you. -Thank you.
Uh, first of all, tell me, how long have you lived here?
We've been up here since '73,
so that's 50, almost 50 years...
-[Robert] Okay. -...that my parents had this restaurant.
You were a kid, then?
Yes, 11 years old. That is true.
-So did you work in the restaurant? -Yes.
-Then you met Jennifer. -[John] Jennifer in '93,
and then we were married in '96.
We moved to San Francisco,
and I lived to San Francisco for a year.
And your parents kept this
-while you were in San Francisco? -[John] Yes.
And it was great.
I mean, that is the first time
I'd ever worked in a different restaurant,
-so I soaked in as much as I could. -Okay.
When did you return back here?
-A year later. -Yep, '97.
[Robert] '97.
-August of '97. -The parents called, said...
-[Robert] "That's it, we're done"? -"Look, we're gonna sell.
-We can't keep doing this." -[Robert] Yep.
And so at that point, I was full of ideas
and I had energy and stuff.
-[Robert] Yep. -And we were cranking then.
-We were doing breakfast, lunch, and dinner, um... -Okay.
-Six days a week, seven days a week? -Seven days a week. Yep.
-Pans on weekends. -And I did, and I did seven days a week
-up until recently. -Okay.
What was the highest revenue you did?
Might have hit $800,000 for the year.
Can somebody get me the PnLs, please?
Thank you.
Why do you feel that you went from $760,000
and then 2019, you dropped by almost $200,000?
Why do you think that was?
Well, it's kinda, you know...
We went to four days a week.
Okay. 'Cause you were tired?
-That's a big part of it. -[Robert] Okay.
[John] Uh, things were getting a little stale here.
I was getting stale.
What is your feeling about your career?
I, well, I've been like...
I've been a line cook for almost 40 years, I mean,
-or 30, whatever it is, that's what I do. -Let's be proud of that.
You know, I don't think I'm very talented,
but at least I knew if--
Why do you keep putting yourself down?
Oh, well, good...
Okay. I don't know.
Okay, so let's fast-forward.
So you got the restaurant.
You were working not at the restaurant, or were you?
-No. -So you were doing what?
[Jennifer] Teaching at our local high school for 20 years, until 2019.
-Then school principal for the past three years. -[Robert] Okay.
So when did you come into the restaurant?
-Just about five months ago. -[Robert] Why?
[Jennifer] I left my high school principal job
to help lighten John's load.
So you're not on payroll, though.
[whispers] No.
-[Robert] Uh... -I mean, eventually, we're working into that.
Okay.
So, what has your role been for five months?
[Jennifer] So I'm making pizza, which keeps me busy,
because it is somewhat hard on the servers
to have someone come in who has some ideas, right?
And I try to be gentle, but there are some things I wanted to see changed.
-But by being-- -Why are you being gentle? It's your restaurant.
-But I'm "new." You know, we do joke, I'm new. -[John] True that.
The servers, I'm not in the business to make friends.
I'm in the business to make you successful,
[inhales] and right now, this tells me you're not successful.
But I am here to help you.
So go get yourself ready.
I want to see a service.
Do not change what you do,
and let me know when you're ready, okay?
-Thank you. -Okay. Thank you.
-[Robert] Thank you. -All right.
[John] You got bacon in?
-Bacon's in. It's almost done. -Should get all of it in this oven.
[Robert] This is a big restaurant,
and all the customers file in at once and seat themselves.
Welcome! Four, perfect, okay.
Let me take a look, take a look, okay.
We're gonna put you right here.
Do you normally seat people?
-So-- -If you don't, stop.
-Okay, fair enough, okay. -[customer laughs]
Don't do something you don't normally do,
-'cause that doesn't help me. -[Jennifer] Okay. Hi, guys.
[Robert] Jennifer is trying to help,
but her role isn't clearly defined,
and that's a problem.
Hi, folks. Sorry it took me a second to get over here.
My name's Diana. What are we drinking?
Iced tea, yes, ma'am.
Folks, I'll be right back with you.
[Robert] One server, Diana, has taken eight tables,
while the other servers are only taking two each.
[Diana] Sorry about the delay, guys.
It's a little chaotic.
[Robert] This is horrible service
and reflects a total lack of leadership.
The service is very slow.
Uh, just brought out the wrong thing, initially.
[man] The nachos we ordered as for the appetizers
that came out with the meal.
[Robert] Put your hands up if you haven't got food yet.
Keep your hands up.
-You didn't have food yet? -Yeah.
[Robert] A nonexistent strategy in the front of house
has everyone set up for failure.
[Jennifer] The pizza, it's almost done.
It's so close.
It's okay. I don't care.
This sucks. That sucks.
[Robert] But John's lack of passion is the main problem.
That looks just like the way he runs his kitchen.
Just junk everywhere.
Cooked beef, raw beef, raw beef sitting in blood.
Then I've got a lemon, piece of chocolate,
a potato, money.
[laughing]
Cucumber peel, I mean...
It just, it's comical to me,
because I've never seen a kitchen like this before.
Oh, my goodness.
[Robert] John, come in here, please.
-[John] Yes? -What is this area?
[John] Prepping area. But now...
But look, look.
Sitting in blood. You know that you can't do that, right?
-No, I didn't know that, actually. -Blood has contaminants in it.
-Okay. -Has to stay in a perforated tray.
-Okay, I did not know that. -Cooked food, come on.
The front of house is in chaos
because the servers are understaffed in one room
and overstaffed in another,
and there's no leadership in place to get things on track.
-Hello. -Hello.
Who's who?
-Sarah. -Sarah and...
-Ashley. -Ashley.
So what's going on? Tell me.
We weren't overstaffed. We were just pushed into one room.
-We'll be getting base tables. -So who takes all those tables when you're in here then?
Diana.
[Robert] But she cannot run 37 people--
-[Sarah] She tries. -[Ashley] We know this.
The only reason why we did sections is so that way,
the other two waitresses would get tables.
I said, "Do what you normally do,"
and if that means seat one table
-and 60 sit outside, sorry. -So when people are going,
"Excuse me, ma'am, ma'am, I wanna take my...
I want my order taken,"
you say, "No, not now"? Is that what you're saying?
-When you bring people-- -No, I would never give you 37 people.
I would give you three tables at a time. That's it.
Will we still be able to pay our bills
with three tables each?
[Robert] Listen, if you do three tables correctly,
you're making a lot more money than you have seven tables tipping you next to nothing.
-[Sarah] Like, really? -Because if you do good service...
-Yeah. Okay. -...you get good tips regardless.
-Okay, come work here for a few weeks. -I am working here.
I'm working.
-I just watched you work this morning. -Not just your day and a half.
Well, I'm glad you asked my opinion
-and I can express it. -I did, and you expressed it.
-All right, let's, let's... -[Laurie] The idiots in here, they don't tip more than 10%.
[Robert] I am honestly confused why the server Sarah got so upset.
It speaks to the lack of structure and leadership in this restaurant.
I've seen enough.
All right, guys, thank you very much for coming.
I've seen everything I need to see,
and we'll see you tomorrow.
Different menu.
I'll do the grilled vegetable sandwich,
a meat-lover's pizza.
Then also do me up a chicken pesto pasta.
-[Diana] Okay. -[Robert] Okay?
The grilled vegetable sandwich.
Small meat-lover's.
Chicken pesto pasta.
-Thank you. -You're very welcome.
Uh, John, Jennifer. Come in the restaurant, please.
Grilled vegetable sandwich.
It's got cheese, vegetables.
It just tastes like greasy cheese sandwiches drenched in oil.
I mean, look at the cheese.
The sauce has zero flavor.
Pizza.
Pizza's got far too much cheese on it.
You can see the grease on the backside of it.
Too much pepperoni, too much sausage,
and it literally just drips in grease.
And I know that Jen is making the pizza,
um, and trying her hardest,
but the pizza is not good.
Chicken with pesto.
Pasta's overcooked. Chicken's overcooked.
Pesto tastes bought,
tastes from a container.
This would be a great dish
if you sauteed it correctly
and made it more of a decadent dish.
Add in the fresh pesto, touch in a little cream, little parmesan cheese.
I just feel it's very generic.
Very sad.
The biggest problem I have
is you...
...because you don't lead, right?
If you were leading, they wouldn't get away
with half of the stuff they get away with.
-[Jennifer] Right. -I just had an argument with one of your servers
because I said, "Oh, you should only take three tables,"
and yet, you have one person doing a whole room.
After tomorrow,
one person cannot run this restaurant.
And when you set expectations,
they have to follow them.
And every expectation you have, they do their own thing.
-Right. -And Sarah left,
'cause she doesn't like me. That's okay.
Your job is if you want me, great,
and if you don't, vote for more people.
-Right. -Because the staff have to know
that the buck stops with you, period.
Why are you getting upset?
[softly] I'm just glad you're here.
[Robert] It's okay.
Just, I think we both need your help.
[Robert] I am here to help.
All right, so, I am gonna talk with my designer and builder,
and then I'll get back with you shortly, okay?
-Thank you. Thanks. -Okay. Thanks.
John is just going through the motions of this,
and this restaurant needs a leader.
-[Jennifer] What'd you think? -[John] I mean, I know what it takes.
-[Jennifer] Right. -I just lost the energy.
So what does that mean?
I don't know what to do.
-[Lynn] Whoa. -[Robert] Hey, hey, hey.
-[both chuckle] -Welcome to the 1970s.
[Tom] This place is huge.
-[Lynn] This carpet... -[Robert] There are six different light fixtures,
there are six different chairs,
-and there are six different tables. -[Tom] Oh, my gosh.
It's so funny. If I stand here, look at this.
Oh, my gosh.
-[Lynn chuckles] -I mean, if anybody's taller than me, you'd hit it.
No, I'm definitely gonna clock that. [chuckles]
I wanna try and separate the restaurant from the bar.
[Lynn] So you wanna close it solid,
or you wanna close it so there's still access?
-[Robert] Doors, kinda sliding door... -Something, okay.
-Something they can open. -So they can have options going on, okay.
[Tom] There's a lot of these walls, like, this is...
-They, like, don't make sense. -[Lynn] Yeah, like, just to open it up a little bit.
-All right, any questions? -No.
All right. John, Jennifer!
Get your people in here, please!
[Tom] Chairs out first.
[Robert] Everything outside, please.
[John] Other than a couple things, you know, that I like,
um, I'm ready for a change.
[Robert] Take the boxes out.
Boxes have to go out.
Chase, let's get these ladders out for a second, please.
All right, everybody out except the owners, please.
You said to me this morning that you were fed up and bored and...
-Uninspired, I think, was... -Uninspired is a good word.
Yeah, for certain, for certain.
There's something you're not happy with.
-I can see it. -Okay, I'm...
-Be honest with me. Is there any way you're gonna fix it? -Yeah, no, no, no, it's good.
I have to have the mental energy,
you know, for the new start.
If I look in that mirror, I only see strength.
You look in the mirror, what do you see?
Yeah, I don't look in mirrors.
-Come here. -Okay.
What do you see when you see this silhouette of you?
Oh... [sighs]
-Now be honest with yourself, not me. -[John] Yeah.
[clicks tongue]
I don't know.
I don't need an answer right now, but we have to figure that out
so I can help you.
Yeah, I...
Definitely.
All right, take one last look around.
-Out you go, 'cause we've got a lot of work. -Thanks very much.
Appreciate it.
[Robert] Wow, that was very telling.
Um, John seems like a very tormented man.
My job is now to make John the perfect fit for this restaurant.
That's gonna be tough.
[Robert] I'm in Franconia, New Hampshire
at a restaurant called The Dutch Treat.
The interior is stuck in 1973,
so we're making major changes.
John is defeated,
and I need him to understand how severe and far-reaching
the effect of his attitude really is.
Hey, guys, come and join me.
I found some customer reviews online
that will hopefully make him realize
that change is so necessary.
You're a transient restaurant.
I want to know what people that visit this place say about you.
So I asked my producer to pull offline
food and service for the last two years.
But you read them aloud.
Read them word-for-word as they're printed,
'cause that's how they come off the computer.
Two years ago, "Diana wasn't the best server.
She kept rolling her eyes and just made my family feel awkward.
I wasn't a big fan.
She added a 20% tip to our bill by herself."
"Saying, 'Get the swears off my bar, you're not welcome here,'
by a member of staff after checking your ID should be unacceptable.
Ashley, the bartender who portrayed herself as the owner."
"Our server Laurie was not warm and fuzzy in the least.
Asked to speak to the manager and got a major attitude.
Said we were the worst customers ever.
She didn't even deserve a penny.
Hate that place, include the tip.
The waitress always sucks and treat people like crap.
Mr. Opalinski, you should take action
-against this kind of behavior from your staff." -[drilling]
[Robert] So when somebody looks for a place to eat,
-that's what they see. -Yeah.
This is not about making you look bad.
This is not about arguing with you.
This is me fixing what you do wrong.
I will admit, I lost my cool a little bit with the lady
and I said, "You can leave," after I checked her ID.
She was being very rude.
[Robert] They may be the nastiest people in the world,
but that still doesn't give you the right
to treat them the way they treat you.
What it does give you the right
is to walk to a manager,
and the manager can do that, or the owner can do that.
But right now, you don't have any management.
And if there's no leadership, there's no steering the ship.
[John] For years, the place,
and it ran without a front of the house manager.
I used to go out there and deal with stuff,
but I feel burnt out.
So I need help, plain and simple.
All right, thank you. I'm gonna check in with my design team.
-Thank you. -Okay, thank you.
-[Robert] Hey, hey. -Hey, Robert.
It already feels better right now.
Can we just take this wall out here?
-[chuckles] We wish. -I'm kidding.
[Tom chuckling] That one, you can't take out.
[Robert] Wall's gone, floor's gone.
And instead of doing plaid that was on the floor,
which I actually like plaid, just not that plaid,
we're doing plaid on the walls in the form of wallpaper.
-Real lodge, kind of like... -Oh, I like that against...
-[Lynn] A lodge vibe. -I like that against...
I like that against the wood. Yeah. I like that a lot.
So give me the overall vibe.
So, overall vibe is rustic, woodsy, inspired by the outside.
We're up in the mountains. It's a ski resort.
I want it to feel really welcoming.
We're gonna take this place from feeling like a dive bar
and make it really feel like a restaurant.
The first thing we're gonna do is rip out the old plaid carpet
and then bring in a new plaid texture
in the form of wallpaper to the walls.
I'm gonna keep the existing wood floor
and add a new concrete floor where the carpet used to be.
The main feature is gonna be on the ceiling
where we're gonna bring in these light trays
with 28 new lights to really light up the space.
The old bars become a brand-new service station
and to close off the existing bar,
we're gonna bring in some beautiful new barn doors.
And when we're done,
The Dutch Treat is gonna be ready
to treat its guests to a whole new experience.
[Robert] Good. I like the concept.
I like the idea.
-Just gotta get it done, right? -[both] Yeah.
-All right, cool. -Okay, good luck, Robert.
All right. Thanks.
While the work continues on this restaurant,
I'm focused on John,
because if his place is going to succeed,
he needs to find the energy and the passion he once had for this business.
Homework for tonight.
First of all,
is this what you want?
I know you own it, but is it what you want?
Maybe what she wants.
But it may not be what you want. I don't know the answer.
And I... I'm not saying that's the truth either.
-But you need to let me know that tomorrow... -You know...
...because I'm spending a lot of time and money to change this,
-not to have you fail. -Yeah.
[Robert] That's number one.
Number two. Your office.
-Get it cleaned. -[John] Yeah, yeah. Okay.
[Robert] And, Jennifer, what do you see role being?
And what are the steps you're gonna take to become the matriarch?
Understood.
[Robert] You've been married, how long?
Twenty-six years.
Are you happily married?
I believe so.
-I am, but I w anna see what you think. [chuckles] -No.
'Cause you're in your head somewhere thinking
whatever you're thinking right now.
And this...
...to me, is an easy fix.
You're the more difficult fix.
Yeah.
[Robert] All right. Thank you. We'll see you tomorrow.
Get some sleep after you've done your homework.
-Fair enough. -[Robert] Have a great night.
-Okay. Thank you. -Thanks.
[Robert] John, his... his energy levels are so low.
I don't know if he's just beat up
from the years of being in the kitchen
and just the grind,
or something else, I don't know.
This one's a tough one.
[Jennifer] To home.
-[John] See, this is the stuff that... -[Jennifer] It's okay.
Don't do it. I think I've got it.
-I mean... -[John] No, no, 'cause this is my mess
and I don't want you in there.
-I mean, there's a lot. I just... -I mean, it's a lot.
-[John] I just didn't like... -So, do you wanna do it alone?
-[John] I don't know. -Well, don't you wanna get out of here tonight?
[John] I don't care at this point.
-[Jennifer] You gotta... -[John] Today has been beyond belief.
-So, I don't really give a... at this point, okay? -[Jennifer] Okay.
-[Robert] Hey, hey. -[John] Yes, sir.
[Robert] What's today been according to you?
Well... But it's...
[Robert] Why have you been cursing and yelling?
[John] Well, as you probably figured out, I mean,
I internalize a lot of things,
-but you bring up so many things that... -Come here.
Oh, no, no. I don't wanna sit down.
-I don't wanna sit down. -[Robert] Sit.
I want to understand.
Um...
What do you want Jennifer to do here?
What is her role in your opinion?
[John] I don't know.
-[Robert] Oh, okay. -She always thinks she's gonna help me.
You know, and I do need help.
But this is one thing I wanted to do myself.
And... But then I said, yeah, help, that's great.
So, I am... I'm wishy-washy on it too.
But you're... You're too passive.
Why is this so important?
-Just tell me that. -'Cause it's, it's my mess.
But if you wanna be left alone in your office,
then you have to tell her that.
That's what we don't have is somebody tough in the restaurant
that, that can say no.
A leader.
[John] Yes, I do agree with Robert
that the restaurant needs a leader.
And I get his point.
But I've been doing this by myself for so long.
I will see you tomorrow.
-Okay. Yep. Thank you. -You get all your stuff done.
[John] And I'm concerned about my wife
getting involved in the day-to-day
just because of the stress.
This is not that healthy. It's not good for a marriage.
-There, we got it. -There you go.
All right, somebody cross over.
[Robert] It's day two at the Dutch Treat in Franconia, New Hampshire.
And my crew has worked through the night,
but there's still a lot to do.
John is overworked and has lost his passion.
I left him last night with the task of cleaning his office,
and also deciding whether or not
running this restaurant with his wife is what he really wants.
Good morning.
Mr. Irvine, how you doing, sir?
-I know... -[Robert] Well, it looks a lot better than it was.
-[John] For sure. -[Robert] Not perfect, but it's a start.
Let's go meet Jennifer. Let's go through the homework.
So, first of all,
before we get into homework,
I wanna hit something that, that I talked to you last night with.
And I think it's really important.
And this is where I need you to be not internalized.
-I need you to communicate with your wife. -Mmm-hmm.
[Robert] Last night, you were pissed off cleaning the office
because why? Tell her.
It's my mess, my responsibility,
and I wanted to take care of it.
And what did she do?
Eventually, she got out of there.
Do you know what that does?
I don't... I mean...
[Robert] John becomes resentful
because you've come into his world from somewhere else.
-And that's okay... -[John] Yeah.
...because that's a normal human reaction.
If it does not make your life better for me to be in here with you,
it is okay.
You know, I could do something different.
I think this would be fun, I'd enjoy it,
I'm loving learning it.
And I think it would be helpful.
[Robert] And I think you would be...
-And... -...I think you'd be a great asset here. I do.
I... So that's why I think it really is up to John.
[John] I love that you try to help me with my office.
But this was one of my responsibilities
that I felt like it was mine.
It was my baggage. I need to take care of it.
So how difficult was that to tell her that?
Not at all.
My communication skills
-are not that good. -[Robert] All right, but that's something
you know now you have to work on.
Because you're married 28 years,
you should be able to tell her anything.
I also think you need time alone
just as much as you need time together.
And that's for both of you.
-Yeah. -Mmm-hmm.
[Robert] All right. I asked you for some homework.
Yesterday, I thought you wanted out the restaurant and she wanted in.
What do you want?
You know, [exhales] um,
as we've moved on the last several months,
you know, I do realize I've needed help.
And this is my passion.
I wanna make sure it, it goes on and survives.
But also, I realize that where I am at with me right now,
the only way it's gonna work is if you are here.
I want your help.
[Robert] Good. Because life is gonna change for you after tonight.
You're gonna be busy, and you'll need somebody you can lean on.
'Cause the other people...
...they're here for this.
She's here for you.
But what do you want her to do?
I definitely want her to take care of the front and deal with all that
because I can't be both places,
and also I was never good at it.
So, the first thing I asked you yesterday,
-because that leads into my homework... -[Jennifer] Mmm-hmm.
...was how you're gonna be a leader?
-So, I thought a lot about that. -[Robert] Yeah.
Given my past experience, I feel I can execute
what you're gonna teach me pretty well...
-I'm not worried about that. -...without... without difficulty.
[Robert] All right. So, you're in agreement...
-[John] Yeah. -...with the front of house manager.
[stammers] Today.
Not only the owner,
but you're the front of house manager.
-[Jennifer] Okay. -That's the delivery you give.
Just like that.
[Jennifer] I'm thrilled to know that John wants me to be here.
I'm new. I'm excited.
I'm looking forward to this new role.
It's gonna be great.
All right. I'm gonna check in with my design team.
-I'll catch up with you shortly. -Thank you.
-[Robert] Okay. Cool. -All right.
Good morning.
-Hey. -Hey. Morning.
What a great, wet, miserable morning it is.
-Oh, so cold. -Snow and... [scoffs]
[Robert] So, let's talk about, uh, where we are.
So, what was on the floor is now on the walls,
-but way cooler. -[Lynn] Way cooler.
-[Tom] Yeah. -It fits way better.
[Robert] And I'm glad we've made the green match the tartan.
I think it's actually called "Forest Vine."
We call that tartan.
So, we would have a skirt in Scotland that's...
-looks like that... -[laughs]
...depending on the clan you're from.
So, let's talk about this highlighter here.
-So... -Yeah, the ceiling we talked about yesterday,
-Yeah. -...doing all the extra work in the ceiling,
which we are doing a ton of work.
They're simple light features.
-[Lynn] They're real simple. -[Tom] So, they have these super-little things
-with a tiny little bulb. -[Robert] And we have how many of those?
-Oh, -Oh, my gosh.
-He's about to kill me, yeah. -That's been the battle.
How many do we have? I don't even remember.
-We've gone back and... 30... -[Tom] I think it's gonna be 30...
No, it's 32 now.
[Robert] Thirty-two lights. So it's gonna be
-nice and bright in here, yeah. -[Lynn] Yeah.
Plus some track lights that we're putting in.
-Plus the pendant lights. -[Lynn] To highlight some of the art.
[Robert] For me, it looks tremendous.
-[Lynn] Awesome. -[Tom] Okay, good. [chuckles]
-Keep it up. -[Robert] All right, see you later.
John has made one very smart organizational decision.
But unless he can rekindle his passion,
this restaurant doesn't stand a chance.
I want you to recreate the pesto dish that you made me yesterday.
-[John] With the, the bought pesto? -[Robert] Yeah.
-And have fun. I'm gonna watch. -Okay.
-Go and get your stuff that you need. -[chuckles] Okay.
Okay.
It's been about a year since I made fresh pesto.
Have some fun with it. Make a mess.
As you can tell, I'm good at that.
You're good at making a mess.
You can never have enough garlic in pesto.
-You've got olive oil in here, right? -[John] Yep.
Lemon zest.
Give it more body.
Okay.
Get the onion cut.
We're just gonna saute these up.
Add the pasta.
Add the pesto.
[Robert] Was that difficult?
-[John] Not at all. About the easiest thing. -[Robert] Try it. Try it.
[John] Awesome.
[Robert] Wow. If you had've given me that yesterday,
I'd been jumping through hoops.
That is amazing.
-But did you have fun? -Yeah.
-Hell yeah. -That's cooking.
[chuckles]
I... I was never confident in my, you know, Italian cooking
because I just thought it had to be perfect
-'cause that's what they'd expect. -Well, what's not perfect?
What's not perfect about that?
[John] There's nothing not perfect about that.
Jennifer, come here.
-Hi. -Why don't you take a spoon?
Try the pasta.
Mmm.
Wow.
[Robert] Guess who made it?
[chuckles] You made it, right?
-Yes. -Nice.
I feel great, really.
I mean, honestly, I have a direction
-'cause I've been directionless. -Love it.
So it feels good to get back to my roots.
Now it makes me feel
uh, certainly more focused and hopeful.
Good job.
-That was really good. -[John] Thanks.
All right. Good. Now we're on the same page.
Nice.
[John] I'm somebody.
-Of course you are. -No.
-I always was. -You always have been.
-To a new start. -[John] All right.
-Yeah. -[John] Cool. All right.
-All right. I love you. -Love you.
[Robert] I'm at the Dutch Treat in Franconia, New Hampshire.
Jennifer is the new front of house manager,
and she needs to address the staff
for the first time in this role.
These are the steps of service.
When you gather your staff,
-you have to be in control. -[Jennifer] All right.
So, Ashley, Laurie, Diana, come on over.
I'm happy to put the pizza making aside
and to step into that leadership role in the restaurant.
I feel like we will be able to do this as a team.
You can come to me if there's a problem now.
I'm happy to go to the table.
I wanna follow Robert's service recommendations.
I hope you do too.
I think it will really bring us success.
It'll bring us more money.
-And I'm happy to help do that. -Sounds good.
Of course I'm looking forward to it.
I've always said to John,
"It's like throwing a party every night when you have a restaurant, right?"
All these great people come in.
You get to make sure they're having a great night.
And so, yeah, that couldn't be a better fit for me.
[Robert] I'm proud of Jennifer for taking control.
And now the restaurant has an inspired leader in the front of house.
It's time to show them the flavorful dishes
I've created for their new menu.
I'm gonna teach you three dishes
that I truly believe will go into your new thought process,
-just like that pasta. -Yeah.
[Robert] I'm gonna start with a portobello Parmesan sandwich.
These, uh, mushrooms have been roasted in your pizza oven
and just breaded with little breadcrumbs.
So, all's we're gonna do is fry them
until they're golden brown.
This is where the magic happens.
I take vodka cream sauce.
Tomato sauce. Vodka reduced.
A little heavy cream.
Provolone.
You're gonna put that in the oven.
All's I want is the cheese to melt.
Then I go with banana peppers.
Got a little acidity to them.
That looks amazing.
[Robert] Pesto cream.
Go for it.
-Mmm. -Perfect.
-[chuckles] -Perfect.
[Robert] Portobello Parmesan sandwich cost me $2.92.
We're gonna sell that for $15.
Giving us a 19% food cost
and $12.08 every time you make one of them sandwiches.
-Tastes even better now. -[laughs]
The next thing I wanna do
is a little off the cuff.
This is puff pastry just been baked in your oven.
And all's we've done is put holes in it so it doesn't rise.
-John, come on this side. -[chuckles]
-Yeah. -Oh.
[Robert] I'm gonna have you build something.
This is Boursin cheese and sour cream.
I want you to spread that nicely across there.
Don't be afraid. It's, uh, Italian.
-Are you Italian? -[John] Yeah.
-Are you Italian? All right. Good. -[John] Yeah.
[Robert] There we go. Okay.
Now take the Brussels sprouts
and sprinkle them all over.
Good. Then we'll take some bacon.
Sprinkle that all over.
These are, uh, pickled shallots.
Nicely. Get it everywhere.
Blue cheese all over.
-Use all that blue cheese. Don't be afraid. -[John] Yeah. All right.
-[chuckles] -[Robert] There you go. All right.
-Now stand on the other side. -It's gonna feel nice to use though.
[Robert] You're gonna put that in the oven.
Smells delicious.
[Jennifer] Mmm. The balsamic glaze.
[Robert] All right. Go for it.
-[Jennifer] Oh, my goodness. -[John] Mmm.
That's phenomenal.
[Robert] To make that cost as $3.06.
We sell it for $15.
$11.94 in your pocket with 20% food cost.
-And it's unique to you. -[John] Yes.
-[Robert] Everybody makes pizzas. -Right.
-Nobody makes this. -Yes.
[Robert] Here's one of my real favorites.
I'm gonna make you a bison ragu.
Very much like your meat sauce...
-[John] Mmm-hmm. -...except it's got bacon, carrots, onions, celery.
-Bison. No tomato product. -[John] Mmm-hmm.
[Robert] We're gonna use butternut squash, English peas.
Next goes your meat sauce.
-[Jennifer] So what kind of noodles? -[Robert] They're pappardelle.
And then toasted breadcrumbs.
All right. Help yourself.
-[John] That's amazing. -This sauce is just to die for.
[Robert] Cost as $3.18 to make it.
We're gonna sell that for $18
Then 18% food cost.
Giving us $14.82 per plate of profit.
You can take this pasta and you can be really creative.
-Yes. -This just reminds me of the early days
-when you were really excited about food, right? -[chuckles] Yeah.
-Certainly. -I mean, very unique.
So... So it's really about creating stuff that nobody has.
-Yeah. Right. -[Robert] All right.
-I'm gonna check with my designer. -[Jennifer] Thanks again.
[Robert] I will see you shortly.
-Cool, right? -Okay. Sounds great.
[Robert] So, here it is.
It's, uh, four o'clock.
We're just starting to finish
this part of the flooring.
Nobody goes on the wood except the people I told.
So now it's just scrubbing it, degreasing it
to keep the wood nice and shiny.
Lots to do, but we're getting there.
Guys, when you put the chairs down,
I want the edge of the chair at the edge of the table.
All right. Come on, let's go, let's go.
[Jennifer] Before Robert arrived,
John and I had a lot of soul-searching to do.
Figuring out whether I was gonna be a good fit in the restaurant.
How to bring back his passion and joy.
And what the next step in our phase
in our restaurant career would be.
I have now a new job, a new role.
And Robert's really helped us clarify that.
John has grown in so many ways.
I have grown in so many ways.
This experience has definitely helped us grow as a couple.
Today, I... I certainly feel different than yesterday.
At the beginning of it, communication between my wife and myself was not good.
But now, with my wife being there,
new systems in place,
and a new direction,
I feel so reinvigorated.
I can't wait to get in that kitchen and sling it out.
-[Robert] It's that time. -It's crazy. [chuckles]
[Robert] Close your eyes. Walk.
John, you're up.
Next step.
Stop there.
So, I know the last two days has been pretty tough.
But I hope you've learned something about the business.
I hope you learned something about each other.
Are you ready to see the brand-new Dutch Treat?
-Yes! -[Jennifer] Yes!
[Robert] Open your eyes.
[gasps] [whispers] What?
-That is amazing. -Holy Toledo!
Are you ready to see the brand-new Dutch Treat?
-Yes! -[Jennifer] Yes!
[Robert] Open your eyes.
[gasps] [whispers] What?
-[chuckles] Oh, wow. -Oh, my God! Look at this place.
-That is amazing. -Holy Toledo!
-[John] Oh, my God. -[Jennifer] Oh, wow.
[John] I don't even know what to say.
It's incredible.
It's so open and matching.
-[laughing] -What a concept.
-Things actually match. -[Jennifer] What a concept.
-[John] This is amazing. -[Jennifer] Wow!
[Robert] Not only do you have more tables,
you have a service station with two new point-of-sales.
[John] Oh, and the countertop.
And look at this.
Look at this. It's gorgeous.
[Robert] All new lighting and chairs,
tables, flooring.
I mean, there's nothing that's not new in here [chuckles]
except the original wood which we polished.
-Oh, and the colors are gorgeous. -Oh, my God.
[Jennifer] The layout of the plaid. That's so awesome.
-Look at the plaid. -[John] Look at all the extra seats.
-[Jennifer] This is amazing. -[John] That [chuckles] is incredible.
-I frickin' thank you, man. -[Jennifer] Aw.
[Robert chuckles]
Yay.
[Robert] I believe you can do this. You know that, right?
-Yeah, I know that. -[laughs]
-And I know I can. -[Jennifer] Yeah.
Hey, hey, guys.
-[Lynn] I lost my voice so... -Thank you so much.
[Lynn] I know.
-Oh my, God. This is incredible. -Congratulations. You like it?
-Oh, my gosh. It's amazing. -[John] It's incredible, man.
[Jennifer] How'd you come up with this?
It's perfect.
-It's perfect for so many reasons. -[Jennifer] It's perfect.
It's just incredible.
You ready to let people in?
-I guess. All right, let's go. -Okay.
-Oh, my God! -[laughs]
Welcome to the new Dutch Treat restaurant.
[all cheering]
Hi. Thanks for coming.
-Oh, yeah, staying beautiful. -Wow.
We're good. How are you? Hi!
[woman] Doesn't even look like the same place.
It's very warm and classic and has a beautiful feel to it.
Just makes you feel like you're at home.
It's a wonderful environment.
And it's really true to the Northern Hampshire White Mountain motif here.
[waitress] Okay. Are we ready to order?
I will get the bison ragu.
-[Robert] Sink it in. -[John] Let's do it.
-Here we go, yeah! -Here we go!
We're on schedule.
[Robert] The servers are doing a great job.
They're making guests feel welcome.
Hi, guys. I'm Diana. Nice to see you.
I'm glad you're coming in tonight.
[Robert] But my focus is really on Jennifer
being a good leader in the front of house...
Table eight has a complaint.
Okay, thanks. I'll check it out. Thanks.
We happen to have some great desserts back there.
What if I brought you a free dessert?
[Robert] ...and John being passionate in the back of house.
Bison ragu, up!
-[chef] Yeah. -[whistling]
[Robert] And finally, the customers responding to the new menu.
[man] The bison ragu is absolutely amazing.
It's so full of flavor.
The Brussels sprout tart was amazing.
It had crispy bacon.
The balsamic vinegarette was so good.
My very first time having a portobello sandwich, and I love it.
Thank you so much, guys, for coming in.
This restaurant is incredible. And look at this.
For a long time, John's not been smiling when he's been working.
But now, you can tell he's proud, he's excited to see people.
So I'm really excited to see what the next 10 years brings for us.
[John] How's everything, guys?
Okay! All right!
Normally, on a day like this, if we were this busy,
uh, there'd be a lot of frantic stuff going on.
But service is going great,
and I don't even know what to say
because I always thought restaurants had to be chaos.
The Dutch Treat complacency is gone.
From here on, it's gonna be amazing,
So there you are. The restaurant is great. The food is great.
John and Jennifer are set for the next 50 years.
Now, onto the next Restaurant Impossible.
See you later.
[all cheering]
-[woman] Whoo! -[man whistling]