[Renus] I was coughing up blood.
It came up to congestive heart failure.
It was hard.
-[Ludi] Sit down and catch your breath, okay? -Okay.
He had a full lung removal
and it's just one thing after other. [screams]
He's stuck and I have to be stuck with him.
I want to be strong for her but I can't right now.
I can't take all the health problem back,
but the way you live your life,
you can change that.
Come on, come on. You gotta move.
[Robert] The only way to get out is to get through.
It takes communication.
-[Renus] Ready to do this? -[Ludi] Yes.
[Robert] This is your own little piece of Hawaii.
-[Ludi] Wow. -[Renus] Wow.
[Robert] Open your eyes.
[screams]
How's everything going?
-[man] Great day. -Good?
My name is Renus Domingo.
I am the owner of Island Kine Grinds in Nampa, Idaho.
I was born in Honolulu, Oahu in Hawaii.
So, because Hawaii is this melting pot,
we serve a variety of different foods.
Portuguese, Japanese, Filipino, and Hawaiian.
[Ludi] Order's up.
[Renus] I run the restaurant with my wife, Ludi Domingo.
We met at the company that I worked for in Hawaii
and we just became good friends.
Went on lunches,
then we just fell in love with each other.
We lived with each other for about a year
back home in Hawaii
[Ludi] The Renus that I met was very, very active
very adventurous, I loved that about him.
-And he was very, very kind-hearted. -Okay.
In 2006, about seven months into dating,
his birthday just so happened to land
on my best friend's birthday who lived in Idaho.
So I asked him,
"Would you like to go to Idaho to celebrate your birthday?"
And he loved it.
Two weeks later, we packed and moved to Idaho. [chuckles]
The lumpia, that's it.
When we first moved here, I ended up working
retail, and so did Renus.
But we missed our food so much and I thought like,
"Oh, why not share it with Idaho and..."
-Table ten. -[Renus] So we took a chance.
We decided to take out all of our savings,
401(k) and came up with a restaurant.
[Ludi] I've always had a passion for food.
And Renus had a passion for people
and I thought it was a great combination.
But we have no restaurant background, nothing.
We dove into it by blind faith.
And Renus and I got married in 2011
on the grand opening of the restaurant.
So, it was just Ludi and I for about three years.
I was a server and she was a cook.
We end up doing really well.
[Ludi] And then in 2017, one day,
we were at the movies and he fell flat to the ground
and he could hardly move.
Renus was diagnosed with a tumor on his cervical behind his neck.
It was causing body paralyzation.
Very scary, yeah, very scary.
[crying] Went into surgery about three days later and
they didn't take it all out
[Renus continues speaking]
It was rough, uh.
I was in the hospital about three months.
And then they released me and I was bedridden for another three months.
[exhales heavily]
Um, so I had to learn how to walk,
use my hands, uh...
I have nerve damages in my hand,
and some in my legs for now.
The doctors had to keep remind me, "It's gonna take time."
Even just general things like cleaning house,
vacuuming, I had to take breaks.
-You should go sit down and catch your breath, okay? -Okay.
-Let's get some chairs over there. You'll be okay? -Yep.
It was very, very scary,
like, "How do I deal with this?"
I didn't wanna feel like I was neglecting him if I was here.
And if I was there, I'm neglecting, like, our livelihood,
like, you know, this was our only source of income.
And then 2021, Renus got sick again.
I was coughing up blood, um, for about a month straight.
It came up to congestive heart failure
I was sedated for 19 days.
[voice shaking] I had open heart surgery, um...
It was hard.
It was like back to square one again.
[Ludi] It's just one thing after other and
it kind of put him in a... in a depressed state of mind.
[Renus] Took a big toll on our relationship
because I felt like I was a burden.
I want to be strong for her.
[breath trembling]
But I can't right now.
I'm very worried everyday that I wake up, I see
he has emotionally checked out. [screams]
If he doesn't get better with his health,
it's... it's definitely gonna be me shouldering everything.
We have managed to get in debt,
I wanna say, over 250,000.
We've had to totally solely rely on our life savings,
which we've exhausted completely.
We'd fought so hard to have the business,
and to just...
watch it all go away.
I told him, "You gotta get better because I... I need you back."
[Renus] You know I'd be lying to you
if I said I'm happy right now, but I'm not.
[Robert] This looks kind of interesting because
what I was expecting to be a coffee shop,
based on the name, is actually
some kind of Hawaiian-ish restaurant.
We'll see.
So I walk into the restaurant.
Garbage containers,
refrigeration straight to my left, soda.
The floor in need of a dire cleaning.
Low ceiling, very distinctive windows.
We've got these mangy tables
you can see it's started to peel off.
Look at this.
Some broken tables,
you see they're all beaten and battered up.
Chairs, meh.
There's nothing descript about this restaurant whatsoever.
Renus, Ludi, come on in here!
-Good morning. -[Renus] Hi, Robert.
-[Ludi] Good morning, aloha. -How are you? Nice to meet you.
-Renus. -Aloha.
I'm Ludi, nice to meet you. Thank you so much for coming.
-Don't be thanking me right now. -[chuckles]
What does Island Kine Grinds mean?
Um, kine and grinds is kind of like a slang
from Hawaii. So kine is like a variety.
And grinds is to, like, get your grub on.
I honestly thought it was a coffee shop.
I see that.
What type of food do you do?
We're a Polynesian restaurant
and, um, we thought that
by having Hawaiian restaurant in Idaho,
it would be like an attention getter.
-Um... -Oh, you got my attention.
-Who cooks? -[Renus] She's the cook.
-What do you do? -I was a server.
I like to talk. I like to talk to people.
Have you ever run a restaurant before?
-[Ludi] Absolutely not. -We haven't.
What did you do for a living before you got into the restaurant business?
Oh, I worked for retail. That's how we met.
-Are you married? -[Ludi] Yes.
-Yes, correct. -How long you been married?
-Going on... -[Ludi] As long as the restaurant.
-The restaurant opened, yep. Ten years. -Okay.
Who does the books?
-Mostly him. -I do.
So you have no clue, 'cause I'm just looking at you right now.
-You have no clue. -I admit it, I don't.
Don't you think that's a problem?
-Yes, it is a problem. -[Ludi] Yes, absolutely.
Somebody get me P and Ls please. 'Cause you have no idea.
-Correct. -[Ludi] Yes, you're right.
Oh, my God.
What is this?
I've got a piece of paper with some numbers on it.
-These are useless to me. -I know.
How do you know what you're making?
You pay taxes, right?
-Yes, but we're behind. -Yes.
How much are you behind?
Overall debt of the restaurant is probably about 250,000.
We stopped doing numbers as of, like, four years ago.
[exhales sharply]
Why?
You're astounding me right now.
2017, Renus was, um, Life Flighted to Utah.
He had a tumor on his cervical.
And he spent about six months in recovery.
[Robert] I'm sorry about that.
Are you feeling better? You okay?
Somewhat.
-He was hospitalized twice back to back... -[Renus] Yeah.
...during the course of being open here from 2017 to 2021.
What's going on with your health now?
Just last year, I was hospitalized again
for congestive heart failure.
I was coughing up blood.
He hid it for quite some time
to where his body got so sick and so he was Life Flighted again.
So he had a full lung removal.
Why are you hiding health problems?
Didn't wanna...
worry anybody.
So how do you think she would have felt
if you'd have keeled over on the floor and she found you.
How do you think she would have felt then?
Uh, bad.
Yeah, I would say so.
Renus was very active, he was 250 pounds
lesser, he was very fit until his illnesses.
He just kinda checked out emotionally.
[whispers] Yeah.
It's overwhelming. I've had to shoulder a lot.
It's a struggle for us to keep the restaurant
viable and alive, let alone our own--
But your restaurant's not viable looking at these.
You're right.
Do you pay yourselves from here?
Couple of times, but that was it.
So how do you live?
We've exhausted our savings, family.
I know the numbers shows we really shouldn't be in business
and there's no reason to continue,
but I refuse to give up now.
The reality is you're officially bankrupt right now.
[exhales sharply]
Okay, You don't know how to run a restaurant.
You don't know how to run a business.
I can teach you that.
Right now, it's a hole-in-the-wall restaurant.
Yeah.
All right, let's see your service.
Let's see what food you do.
So I get a feel of how the restaurant runs.
-Okay. -Okay. Thank you, chef.
[Robert] Renus has so many health issues.
The restaurant is in debt. They're clueless in Idaho.
How's it going, guys? Come on in.
[waitress] Aloha. How are you?
Here's a menu for you.
It doesn't really feel like I'm in Hawaii and I would love that.
[man] I've been coming since they first opened.
Food seemed to be a lot better back then.
Sometimes it's good, and sometimes it's not.
It would be nice to have actual plates and silverware.
[Robert] They're giving plastic knives and forks,
and plastic cups to the tables.
Don't know why. It's a restaurant, right?
The back is waiting for menus, too.
[Robert] You don't have enough menus?
No.
I know.
Do you guys like pot stickers, lumpia?
One thing that strikes me kinda strange is servers go to a table,
take the order, come back to the one machine here,
put the order in, print it, then give it to the kitchen.
So it's three times the work instead of going with a handheld.
Put it in and it goes straight to the kitchen
The receipt. Don't have a printer thing to do in the back,
-so we just ring the bell. -Why not?
Didn't get time to hook it up.
[blows raspberry and groans]
[Robert] The front of the house is a mess.
There's a new ticket?
[woman] Any new ticket I've been placing it here.
I know, but it's been...
[Ludi] Get this out. Get this out.
[Robert] And the back of the house isn't much better.
-[Ludi] Where's the three piece lumpia? -[man] No, no.
Right here. She get it right now.
[Robert] What is the system? This looks very unorganized.
Why don't you have printers in here?
Um, good question.
[sighs and exclaims]
[Ludi] You had the one piece. Did you grab any for table two yet?
[woman] Order's not even complete.
[Robert] There's no cooking done.
Most of it's already prepared.
[Ludi] Everyday, we prep everything.
-But you're not cooking, it's already done. -Yes.
[Robert] Everything's on the steam table already cooked.
They make it fresh everyday,
but they freeze it and then they cook it.
[snickers and groans]
Why does it look like nobody knows what's going on?
That never came through yet.
It's disorganized. It's usually not like this.
Who ordered these? I don't have any.
It just happened 'cause I'm here, right?
No systems. The food looks like eh.
They're lost and so is she.
Oh, my God.
So congratulations. You have a totally messed up restaurant.
All right. I've seen enough. I've seen enough. I've seen enough.
The fact that you are microwaving,
the fact that you are dumping on paper plates and paper cups,
it's not an experience that I expect from a restaurant.
That's why you're failing.
The restaurant business is a brutal business.
It is.
All right, guys. Thank you very much for coming.
Now gonna figure out a plan to fix it.
-Thank you, everybody. -[Ludi] Thank you, everybody.
It's humiliating, and if it's not obviously good enough
for the client, then... then I'm failing.
[woman] Hello. What can I get started for ya?
All right. Uh, do me a chicken katsu,
pineapple meatballs, Da Grinds mix, whatever that's supposed to be.
-A loco moco, the Spam... -Spam musubi,
pineapple meatballs. Enjoy.
Ludi, Renus!
Pineapple meatballs.
When I think of Hawaii, I don't think of pineapple meatballs.
Sorry, I don't. This is a Hawaiian macaroni salad.
Flavorless.
The loco moco.
Beef patty with brown gravy and an egg.
The gravy has zero taste at all.
You know, bland is an understatement.
So this is the Da Grinds mix,
which is a kalua pig. Look at that.
It was dead when they cooked it.
Now look at it. I mean, it's dry, shriveled up.
That is salty as hell.
Spam.
Look at the size of the spam.
Look at the... the amount of rice and the seaweed.
I just want to climb cry under the table now and scream.
-None of this is good. -I agree.
I'm not blaming you.
But something's gotta give. And it has.
The service.
The food. I think you've just given up.
As much as you may like to cook,
you're no good to me in a kitchen.
You're not a restaurant cook.
-You can run this from out here. -Yeah.
Right now, the way you run it, absolutely not.
Why are you so down on you?
Not happy with myself.
What are you not happy with?
Coming from, you know,
being able to do things
and not being able to, plays a lot in here.
I understand that, but then you have to change that narrative.
Yeah. Yeah. You're right.
Your culture, the Aloha Spirit is everywhere.
-It is. And I-- -But it's not in here.
I had that passion before. We both had that passion.
I want that passion again.
-Don't know how to. -But you gotta work for it.
I just feel like he stopped living.
'Cause I'm frustrated.
He's stuck and I have to be stuck with him.
And I wanna move forward.
I've had to shoulder everything
and having to provide that drive for him,
is really, really hard. [sniffles]
Are you starting to resent him?
Yes, absolutely.
Renus, if this closes and you go bankrupt, what happens to this?
It will end in divorce, I guarantee it. Right?
Yes. But quite honestly, I can't fix him.
-No. -So it has to come from within him.
[Robert] You're defeated. I get it.
Renus, I can't take, you know, all the health problems,
-I can't take that back. -[Renus] I know.
-But the way you live your life... -Yeah.
...you can change that.
-Can you take your hat off for one second? -Yeah.
You know, this restaurant is never gonna work
unless we figure out what it is to make you
-love yourselves. -Yeah.
There are things that you could be doing
-to relieve the stress on Ludi. -I want to.
She can't burden you and this on her own.
-It's just not possible. -Yeah.
The burden has to be borne by both of you.
-And it will give you a feeling of self-worth. -Yes.
I am willing to throw everything and a kitchen sink at it.
'Cause I think you can do it.
-But it's gotta come from you. -Yes, sir.
She needs you as much as you need her.
Okay. Go grab a cup of coffee.
I'm gonna meet my design team, figure out what we do with this.
[Renus] It would be upsetting to lose this and our marriage
so things need to change.
It's gonna take time but I think if I can pull through what I went through,
I can see it happening. Yeah, making it work.
[whispers] Thanks.
Aloha.
I just saw it when I walked in the door.
Where's Tom?
He's not feeling well, so
it's gonna be you and me on this one and the rest of the D9 design crew.
Okay.
Welcome to Island Kine Grinds.
What does that say to you?
Uh, coffee shop?
That's exactly what I thought when I was driving up here.
-So it's Hawaiian inspired cuisine. -Yes.
But there's just no vibe of anything in here.
It starts with this.
[Lynn chuckles]
Change the name.
Of the whole restaurant.
Wow. That means the exterior sign,
the signs that were in here, the menu, everything.
-Do you have a name in mind? -I do.
Aloha Island Grille.
I wanna bring the island into the restaurant.
If we took it to the next level Polynesian tiki vibe,
it'd be really cool.
Make you really feel like you're coming
-to a Hawaii destination. -I wanna experience it.
[Lynn] We'll get on it. Let's get it emptied out.
All right, cool. Ludi!
Renus, let's go! Bring your people in here.
Take all the stuff off these tables.
All the stuff here has to go.
[Lynn] Start with the chairs. Everyone, grab a chair.
[Robert] Yeah, all that goes.
[Lynn] Come on, come on. Let's move.
All the things up in a corner.
It is sad. Ludi and I put our heart and soul into this.
And for it all coming down, it's certainly heart-wrenching.
[Lynn] There we go. [exclaims]
That's called "the Aloha muscle."
You made it look easy. I will give it to you.
[Ludi] It's bittersweet that it all has to end this way,
but it's kind of like a rebirth.
[Robert] I don't have time to talk.
I gotta move. I got a restaurant to fix.
All right. Everybody else, out!
Everybody out once you got the cushions off, please.
-[Ludi] Wow. -[Robert] What do you feel right now?
I'm sad, but I'm excited.
This is the new beginning to an end.
-If that makes sense. -Yeah.
-Yes. -Does to me.
But are you ready for a new beginning?
I am, Robert, I'm ready. I'm ready.
Do you believe him?
I do.
I know he has it in him.
I'm gonna ask you to do things you've never done before.
And dig really deep in here.
'Cause we can speak and say things, that doesn't mean anything.
-I want actions. -Mmm-hmm.
Not only for your health, but also for the health
of the restaurant and the health of your marriage.
-Okay. -I hope you're ready.
I'll be ready.
Okay, take one last look around you.
-[Ludi] Hmm. -This place will not look like it tomorrow.
Head on out. Well, I only hope that Ludi and Renus
are ready for this. I think Ludi is.
I'm not sure if Renus is yet.
That could be the challenging factor.
This is gonna be a tough fix.
[Robert] I'm in Nampa, Idaho, where owners Renus and Ludi,
have a restaurant and a marriage that's on the brink of collapse.
Some big changes need to be made
but I'm starting with the basics.
All right, let's talk some simple things for you.
Teaching them the fundamentals of restaurant finances.
Starts with the recipe.
Cost, times it by three, gives you a selling price.
-Wow. Wow. -I can do that.
[Robert] I also need to reconnect the menu to their Hawaiian roots.
So I've asked my executive chefs
to join us for a brainstorming session.
Hawaii.
When you close your eyes, and think of Hawaii,
what do you think of?
Family.
-What else? -The smell of the flowers.
I think of the ocean, and the lush greenery.
What do you think about Hawaii?
In regards to food that are sourced on Hawaii.
Pineapple, obviously.
-[Robert] Avocado. -[Tito] Coconut.
And tuna.
[Robert] Tuna.
-Chicken. -Chicken.
Spam, eggs and rice.
-[Robert] Okay. -[Renus] Loco moco and
shoyu poke.
Okay. This is where the creativity comes in.
-I can take the same ingredients... -Mmm-hmm.
-...and do something unique with it. -[Renus] With it, yeah.
[Robert] Tuna is huge.
What else comes from the ocean?
Seaweed.
What if I take tuna and seaweed...
Tuna poke?
-Yes, but everyone does poke. -[Brian] Yeah.
[Tito] Everyone does like a bowl. We could do like,
-like a wrap meal? -[Robert] Right.
-Ah! -[Renus] All right.
[Robert] Wrap.
Now I've got something different.
That's one dish that represents Hawaii.
Yes.
We have to put that feeling you both just had,
-in here. -[tapping on whiteboard]
So it becomes a vacation for them every time they walk in the door.
-[Ludi] Right. -[Renus] Makes sense.
We never really broke it down like that.
Never broke it down like that.
We mimicked a lot of the food that was being served in joints like this in Hawaii,
but we're not in Hawaii.
We have to bring Hawaii to the Idahoans,
It's time to evolve.
[whirring]
-It actually does look really cool. -Hey, hey.
[Lynn] You came in at the perfect time.
We got a live, living wall here.
It actually looks so real.
It is real. You know...
This is the best quality you can get
and it's gonna go with the whole Kauai, flora destination.
Okay. So, let's talk about overall.
[Lynn] The first thing I'm gonna do
is take the ceiling from white to a rich dark brown,
which is gonna make the entire space actually feel bigger.
We're gonna keep the existing booths
but reupholster them with a new basket weave fabric
and add hand-painted bamboo detail.
Along the side booths, I'm gonna build a tiki hut structure
with authentic thatched roof to really give us that island vibe.
Along the kitchen wall, we're bringing in island inspired flora
to add some color and give us that rainforest feel.
In the center of the space, we're gonna add a new planter
with totem inspired poles,
new lights and some jungle flora.
When we're done, Island Kine Grinds
is gonna live up to its new name of Aloha Island Grille.
-All right. I love it. -[Lynn] Got a lot of work to do.
-[Lynn] Lots of work to do. -[Robert] Get to work.
All right.
[tools whirring]
So, how are we feeling?
[Renus] Learned a lot today.
Feeling excited and hopeful.
Okay, I'm gonna give you some homework.
-Okay. -The first thing, for each of you,
I want you to write a list of your frustrations with each other.
I want you to really be honest when you're writing.
-[Renus] Okay. -[Robert] Renus, for you,
what do you see your role being in this restaurant?
Okay.
My last thing is,
tomorrow I'm gonna surprise you with something.
You are going to begin something new tomorrow.
So, you better start wrapping your head around
-you getting fit. -Okay.
I'm gonna start you on the road,
and then you're gonna continue it.
My whole goal is not only make the restaurant healthy,
but also make you healthy.
So you can assist in running the restaurant.
I need that.
-[Robert] Okay? -I really do.
I'm gonna dig deep.
I mean, it's sink or swim.
I'm not trying to sink anymore, I'm done.
I'm done.
Good. I wanna see that passion tomorrow, okay?
All right. See you tomorrow.
[Ludi] Thank you, Chef.
I am starting to see a little bit of change in Renus.
However, it's gonna be a long process and I really hope that
tomorrow he can be a complete partner for me.
[Renus] It's hard getting out of that rut,
but, um, there's a word that we say in Hawaiian,
it's called mana, having that power within.
And, I have that.
I wanna move forward not only for myself
but for our marriage and the restaurant.
[Robert] It's day two in Nampa, Idaho,
where a failing restaurant has put owners Ludi and Renus on the brink of bankruptcy.
How much are you behind?
Probably about 250,000.
[Robert] Ludi has been carrying a heavy load.
Trying to support a sick husband
while also running the entire restaurant by herself.
-Okay. You should go sit down and catch your breath. Okay? -Okay.
[Robert] But she's at breaking point,
so Renus has to dig deep to turn his life around
for the sake of the restaurant and the woman he loves.
His time to bounce back is now.
Or he and his wife will lose it all.
[tools buzzing and whirring]
-[Robert] Good morning. -[both] Morning.
So, I assigned some homework.
-[Renus] Yes. -Right?
The first thing I asked for both of you
was to write your frustrations down.
So, who would like to go first?
[chuckling]
Okay, Renus.
This is probably one of my biggest frustration, is that
your lack of engagement in our marriage and in the business.
And I've kept quiet [sobs] because of what you've gone through but...
When you're hospitalized, I'm hospitalized.
When you're sick, I'm sick. It's a domino effect between us.
I'm in a lot of pain, emotionally,
because this is like, the love of my life and you're the love of my life.
And I felt like both is failing.
And I don't know how to [sniffles]...
Come out of it.
And you can see, obviously, she's feeling this, right?
And for the last four years, Ludi has felt alone. Right?
-But I've never voiced out until today. -[Robert] No?
I want you to voice it because I want him to understand where you are.
So, what are your frustrations?
Not having a strong communication about things.
-[chuckles] -Good or bad.
Okay, we both feel that way so obviously there's an issue
-with you and me, so... -Yeah.
One of my solutions was, during the day,
take at least 15-20 mins and sit like this and talk about it.
But we don't. We're just constantly battling each other.
And then it continues and then we go home and we're arguing, you know.
I don't like going to bed mad.
Yeah, this doesn't work for me and I need to communicate that to you.
What do you think?
Yeah. I'm all for it. [sniffles]
But I need you to be all in.
Oh, I'm all in. I have to.
There's no going back.
You don't have to. Do you want to?
No, I do want to. Yeah, of course I want to.
Yeah.
It takes communication. It takes--
Frustration, frustration, equals...
-Solution. Yeah. -[Robert] Solutions.
If this works, and this works together,
this will be a huge success. If you stick together.
The other piece of the homework was "What is your role?"
-[Renus] Yes. -Convey it.
Number one thing is for me to help with the front of house and trading,
and paperwork.
Do the weekly sales, receipts. This will help us know
what we're making for the month and everything gets taken out.
[Robert] Absolutely.
All right, what else?
Um, engaging more with customers like I used to,
and talking about my culture.
That's what made me happy with myself.
[Robert] All right, I'm gonna check in with my design team.
I've got something planned for you this morning.
-Okay. -I'll check in with you shortly.
[drilling]
[hammering]
[Robert] Hey, hey!
-Good morning, Robert. -Good morning. Oh, that looks good.
[Lynn] This is a tiki totem pole.
Wow, look at that!
This is wallpaper, right?
[Lynn] This is wallpaper.
It was really hard to find but I think it fits the space perfectly.
Okay. My, uh, utopia?
-It's good, huh? -It's the island of Kauai right there.
We brought in the jungle, the rainforests.
I love it. This is what's gonna carry the straw, right?
Yeah. So, we're gonna LED light the top, then we're gonna install all the straw.
It'll hang down like a nice tiki...
-[Robert] Okay. -[Lynn] Yeah.
I know Deb is working on a new logo, right?
Yeah. For the Aloha Island Grille.
-[Robert] Yeah. -[Lynn laughs]
All right. I'm gonna meet the family.
-Okay. -Appreciate it.
[Angelo] Let's get it done.
All right. So,
I told you I was gonna take you on a little journey.
Yes.
Stand up. And we're gonna walk this way.
Mind, body and soul.
Repeat after me.
-Mind, body and soul. -Watch your step.
-Mind, body and soul. -Mind, body and soul.
I'm curious. Maybe it's gonna be a work out thing,
I'm actually nervous, a little bit.
Mind, body and soul.
But, hopefully it'll make me feel more confident.
'Cause that's a thing that I lack of, is confidence.
Mind, body and soul.
[Robert] In Nampa, Idaho, owners Renus and Ludi
are struggling with their restaurant and their marriage.
Renus' health troubles have left Ludi running the business all by herself.
But after learning how much she's been suffering,
It's really, really hard. [sniffles]
[Robert] Renus is committed to changing his lifestyle.
It's time to put his words into action.
So, before we left, I asked you to repeat something. What was it?
Mind, body and soul.
Why did I keep saying mind, body and soul?
If the mind's right,
soul and the body ready.
One of the easiest ways to get fit,
outside of a gym, is water.
Because there is no stress on the body whatsoever.
I'm gonna have him walk across the shallow part of the pool very slowly.
Now, the coolest thing about this is,
-you have no weight on you now. -No.
Right? So, there's no pressure on your knees.
-Mmm-hmm. -Your back, your hips, your ankles.
So I want you, in your own time,
-walk slowly. -Okay.
Just slowly, to your wife.
Nice and slow.
-Oh, it feels good. -[Ludi] Mmm-hmm.
Yay.
-How's that feel? -Good.
-When you're ready... -Yeah.
-...same thing. -Okay.
[Robert] Nice and slow. No rush.
Come on, dude. You're doing awesome.
-You're doing awesome. -[water splashes]
There is no rush on this.
But you have to keep doing it.
And I wanna keep doing this. This is the only way
it's gonna work and...
Not feeling all the weight on me...
-Mmm-hmm. -...makes it a little easier.
-Good. -And, it's motivation. Yeah.
This was the first time that he's actually done anything in four years.
So, I'm very proud of Renus for taking this first step.
He did a really, really good job.
It has to start somewhere and it started today.
Thank you, Robert. [laughing]
Seriously, thank you.
Bit exhausted right now, but it's a good exhaustion.
It helped a lot on my knees and my feet.
-And, it just felt good. Overall, good. -[water splashing]
I wanna continue doing this to, you know, better myself, and my health.
And for us.
Good job, baby. I'm proud of you.
-Thank you. Thank you. -[chuckling]
[Robert] I'm proud of Renus for starting his physical recovery,
And now it's time to make both Ludi and Renus proud of their new menu.
[Robert] All right!
What I'm gonna show you are three dishes that I think
are gonna really take you to a different level.
The first one is gonna be my take on an island fried chicken.
-[oil sizzling] -[Robert] I'm gonna be using rigatoni,
I'm gonna warm it slightly.
Into that, I'm gonna add some raw carrots, celery.
I'm gonna say gochujang sauce.
Right?
I'm gonna then take my cucumbers. So, I've salted these.
Almost like Korean kimchi.
[Ludi] Mmm.
[Robert] My chicken.
[oil sizzling]
-[Ludi] Wow. -[Robert] Ponzu sauce.
Scallion.
I wanna try it.
[Robert] Go for it.
-Oh, my gosh. -[muffled] Wow.
-Lot of flavor. -[Ludi] Delicious.
The beautiful thing about this dish
is that it cost me $2.35 to make this dish.
We're gonna sell it for $12. And it puts in our pocket,
$9.65 every time we sell it.
[both] Wow.
[Robert] Okay. Next one. Poke wrap.
I'm gonna take... our poke.
Take our pineapple.
Edamame.
Wow.
[Robert] Some sesame seeds. Some seaweed.
-Poi vinaigrette. -[Renus] Oh, wow.
[Ludi] Oh, my goodness.
-Mmm. -[Robert] All right.
A spinach tortilla.
Little sushi rice.
Poke.
[Ludi] My mouth's watering. [chuckles]
Then... seaweed.
Basically what you wanna do is just warm this up.
-Give it a little toasty-toasty. -[oil sizzling]
-[Renus] Ah. -[Ludi] Ooh.
[Renus] Look at the color.
-It's sexy. [laughs] -[chuckles]
All right. Go for it.
[muffled] Oh, my God.
-Mmm. -[muffled] I've never had it that way before.
But that's really good.
[Robert] Poke wrap. The cost was $4.21.
We sell it at $16.
Profit of $11.79.
-Wow. -[Ludi] Wow.
Cha-ching.
[Robert] So, we go onto the next one.
Your loco moco.
Ground beef, seasoned.
-My pan is hot. Little grapeseed oil. -[oil sizzling]
While that's happening, we've got brussels sprouts.
[sizzling]
[Robert] Little crispiness.
Finish with just a touch of butter.
Warm up my sauce.
-I've got some eggs to make, right? -Oh, yeah.
My coconut rice.
Brussel sprouts.
My patty.
-My mushroom, bacon, and onion sauce. -[Renus and Ludi] Wow.
[Robert] Perfectly cooked egg.
Scallions.
-Yum. -[Robert] All right.
-[Renus] Oh, yeah. -[Ludi] Oh!
-Wow. -[Renus] Just like back home.
[Robert] Now go into it.
[muffled] Wow.
[muffled, indistinct]
That is loco moco.
[muffled] Wow.
[Robert] It cost us $3.04 to make.
We're gonna sell it for $13.
Giving us $9.96 in our pocket.
-I love it. -When you eat that,
are we in Hawaii?
I'm back home.
I'm gonna check in with the design team,
-and I'll catch up with you shortly. -Yes.
Oh, it's so good. [laughs]
[drill buzzing]
-[Angelo] All right. -That's perfect.
It's already 5:30 in the afternoon.
For the centerpiece, you can see we're painting it, we're filling it.
We're trying to get this finished
'cause it's a huge part of the restaurant.
[Lynn] Okay. Shove that in there.
As much as a small space it is,
to create something spectacular, it's taking a lot of layers.
Er, put it outside for me.
Move this paper, please.
Just don't hit any of the walls, guys. Please.
All right, guys. You gotta move.
I need the scrubbers, squeegee, and the towels.
Chairs. Get chairs. Where's the menus?
[Ludi] For Chef Robert to have given Renus that push,
that is his inspiration to go for it.
And, from now on, the sky is the limit.
[Renus] It was a good journey.
I learnt how to love myself again.
It's either you throw in the towel or you just keep pushing.
Um, for me, I need to keep pushing.
For not only myself. For Ludi and the restaurant.
It's exciting, you know.
It's like it's a new beginning.
[Robert] I want you to turn around and look at the front of your building.
-Wow [laughs] -Oh, my gosh.
Your new name is The Aloha Island Grille.
-I love it. Love it. -Love it.
Ludi, stand in the front here.
Put your hands on her shoulders. Close your eyes now.
And start walking slowly.
Walk in straight.
I'm just gonna turn you this way.
Are you ready to see, the brand new Aloha Island Grille?
-Yes, Chef! -[Ludi] Yes!
Open your eyes.
Are you ready to see, the brand new Aloha Island Grille?
-Yes, Chef! -[Ludi] Yes!
Open your eyes.
[shrieking] It is beautiful!
-[Renus] Amazing. -[Ludi] Oh, my God! [laughs]
-I'm in disbelief. -[Renus] This is Hawaii.
What a transformation. Unbelievable!
Look at the booths. Wow!
The bamboo was all hand-painted.
-Wow. Wow. -Oh, my gosh!
The colors are beautiful.
-I love this. -I love that.
-Love, love, love, love that.
And then the pillar. Gorgeous.
This is your own little piece of Hawaii.
I think we're gonna stay here tonight.
-[Ludi laughing] -[chuckles]
What are you think right now, 'cause I can see you crying.
These are happy tears.
I'm grateful. I'm ready.
And, I thank you very much, bottom of my heart.
Aloha!
[all laughing and exclaiming]
-[Ludi] Mahalo. -You match the wall!
-How are you doing? -Good.
Thank you, thank you, thank you.
-How are you? -Thank you so much.
[Lynn] What do you guys think?
-Oh! -Oh, my God.
It's beyond, beyond what I was even imagining.
He said he wanted us to turn this into a destination.
-Yes! -And I think that's what we did.
[Renus] It is. More than a destination.
We have something for you guys.
-Okay. -It's the Hawaiian way of saying thank you.
-Thank you. -Thank you.
-You'll make me proud, right? -Yes.
-I know you will. -Definitely.
-[Ludi] Thank you so much. Mahalo. -[Lynn] Oh, mahalo.
Thank you as well.
-[muffled] Thank you. -We're so happy for you guys.
-Thank you. -[Robert] Well, I think there's only one thing left.
-Ready to let the people in? -[Renus] Yes.
-[Ludi] Yes. -[Renus] Ready.
Go let them in.
-Oh, my God! -[laughing]
-[Ludi] You ready? -[Renus chuckling]
[faint cheers]
-[Ludi] Ready? -[both] Aloha!
[Ludi] Thank you for coming! I hope you enjoy yourselves tonight
Mahalo. Come on in!
[crowd cheering]
Wow.
Hi, welcome. Aloha.
Thank you for coming in. We're gonna serve it to you guys, okay?
Looks great! It kinda brings out the aloha spirit.
[man] I like the little tiki huts.
I like the centerpiece as well.
It's just a completely different place.
How are we doing, boys? Server come to you guys already?
-[woman] Uh, he's getting our drink. -Okay. Sounds good.
[Robert] So, today I'm looking for Renus to share the load in the front of the house.
Let me take over for you, all right?
-Aw, really? Thank you. -Yeah. Go out there.
-Thank you. Okay. -Yeah.
[Robert] And Ludi can still check in on the kitchen.
-You're doing a good job, Emo. -Thank you. Thank you.
[Robert] But he needs to oversee
the entire service as a manager.
Oh, the new poke wrap is delish.
Thank you, for giving us a second chance.
The kitchen is doing a great job, our servers are having fun.
I can't ask for anything more.
-[man] Yum! -[girl] Yes!
[server] Enjoy.
My poke wrap is delicious. I will definitely be back here.
I ordered a loco moco. It's outstanding!
I ordered the island fried chicken. It's delicious.
Renus is doing great. He's even taking the time to talk to customers,
which is something that he used to love doing.
The future is as bright as the sunshine in Hawaii.
-That's "shaka", that means hang loose in Hawaii. -[laughing]
-Thank you. -Thank you, guys.
[Renus] The aloha spirit, it's alive.
Good food, good family. That's what I want here for my restaurant.
I'm getting goosebumps. [laughing] So...
[Hawaiian music playing]
[Ludi] Hey, Robert.
[Robert cackling]
[crowd cheering]
[Ludi] All right. Go dance with Danielle.
[Robert] Are you ready for this?
[dancer] Put your hands up.
[crowd laughing]
[cheering and applause]
Go right.
[cheering continues]
[Hawaiian music playing]
Thirty minutes in with no food.
My mom's always micromanaging.
You want me to turn this empty pot off?
Don't take the dirty plates to the other table.
No sugars and creamers in the dish tub.
I finally left.
I just feel really alone.
So, I'm here right? You're never alone. That's for sure.
All right, let's load it out, guys.
I don't think it's too late for you to say
you've co- found the restaurant.
David, I am truly sorry.
[Robert] Quick, quick, quick. Let's go.
-[woman] That's really good. -Oh, that's phenomenal.