Tonight is the season five finale of Restaurant: Impossible, where Robert Irvine is
going to the Soup to Nuts Diner in Tavares, Florida. The restaurant is very dirty, and the owner Sharon is losing so much money with the restaurant, she is in jeopardy of losing her home to foreclosure. As I
normally do with Restaurant: Impossible episodes, I searched around the
Internet to read stories, comments and reviews about the Soup to Nuts Diner to get
an idea of how the restaurant is doing since Robert Irvine visited, and here is
what I found (note - all reviews and comments are post Restaurant:
Impossible):
The Positive Reviews:
"Went after the makeover from food network , the new update to the decor
was pleasing to the eyes. Looked a lot cleaner compared to the dirty
surroundings before.... Overall a wonderful
change compared to before."
"Attentive server, drink refills, prompt service. Added a To Go order,
and it came out quickly. Nothing fancy here, but hopefully Robert
Irvine's advice has been heeded and they will continue to serve good
local food to everyday local folks."
"Luv..luv..luv this place. Makes me feel at home. It is home cooking in a
family atmosphere with out taking a bite on the family budget. Luv the
new look."
"Overall we will return and eat there again. Casual atmosphere with good
food. I hope the owners take care of this place and clean it up a
little. The Bathrooms could use a little TLC."
"Been here 3 times and have had great service and excellent food!"
The Negative Reviews:
"Heard this place was on "Restaurant Impossible", so decided to give it a
shot. If it's improved I'd hate to see what the food was like before
the makeover! Floor was dirty, you could see right into the back of the
kitchen where they were washing dishes. Food is not fresh at all."
"Very disappointed! We were super excited to try this place again after
Robert Irvine stepped in to save their failing restaurant on his show,
Restaurant Impossible. We can see why they were failing...and since
their relaunch, have gone back to a lot of their old ways..... Will I eat there again?? My answer is NO."
"This place was revamped recently but prices were increased. They still
have to get their act together because I waited over an hour for the
food."
"The fries were frozen and breaded...so the server offered to bring me
mashed potatoes instead. I said ok, gave them to my husband. Good thing,
they were instant potatoes, from a box. Yuck! Everyone else's meals
were just the same way...quick, easy to make, lacking vital nutrients
and freshness. Wondering what Irvine would say if he could see it now.
Won't be going there again...."
"We specifically came to this restaurant after hearing it had been
involved with a tv makeover. Our service was bad. Had to ask for
numerous things that should never have had to ask for - drink refills,
ketchup, crayons for my daughters coloring page and the cheque. The
floors and bathroom were filthy.....The Mac and cheese for my daughter off the kids menu was plain old Kraft
dinner seemingly just warmed up in the microwave. Gratefully, the
prices were low."
"I was super disappointed overall and cannot recommend and will never go back."
"Place has gone downhill since Restaurant Impossible has been here. Still
4 weeks without blinds. Been there twice to have burnt food. Decor is
modern and out of place. Go to Sunrise Grill across the street instead."
"Sorry!! But the food still sucks!! Restaurant impossible, nothing accomplished!!"
Conclusion:
One thing to note is that many of the reviews on all of the sites were from people that only had one review total, and many of these were the good reviews (a lot got filtered by Yelp). It also seems like a people have a problem with the owner Sharon for her being rude in the past (from these comments).
Many people do not think the makeover was that great and that the restaurant is still dirty and that the bathrooms are still filthy. Also, it seems that the food is not that great and not fresh. It seems as they still have some work to do if they want to turn around their restaurant.
As this was the season finale of season five of Restaurant Impossible, I will be posting an update of ALL restaurants that have appeared on the show. It will have which restaurants are open, closed, sold, etc., so look for that sometime soon. New episodes of season six of Restaurant Impossible will begin in April.
Reviews from Tripadvisor, Yelp, Urbanspoon, and Foursquare