Photo - Food Network
Tonight on Restaurant Impossible, Robert Irvine and crew are
going to Greeley, Pennsylvania to help out the Pinehurst Country Lodge. After losing his successful corporate job, the owner Roger, who has no
previous restaurant experience, purchased the Pinehurst Country Lodge. After six months, he is now supposedly $350,000 in debt and on the
verge of losing everything. As I
normally do with Restaurant: Impossible episodes, I searched around the
Internet to read stories, comments and reviews about Pinehurst Country Lodge to get
an idea of how the restaurant is doing since Robert Irvine visited, and here is
what I found (note - all reviews are post Restaurant Impossible):
The Positive Reviews:
"Where shall I begin? Great ambiance, service was excellent. Limited
but quality menu. Salad bar was nicely stocked with numerous
vegetables, dressing choices and fresh bread....I ordered off the
nights specials, sirloin and shrimp. It was excellent, cooked perfectly
and the portion was adequate as well. I highly recommend this place!"
"There is something very special about PineHurst...the comfortable
atmosphere ...the friendly welcome .... the delicious food .... the
super salad bar .... new decor.........now serving lunch and dinner...my
favorite local restaurant....no longer lost....you must dine here..."
"Been to this establishment in the past and never really cared for it.
Now there is a new owner and the tables have turned. The food is very
good. Everything tasty and fresh. Prime rib, chicken, and seafood dishes
all up to par. Plus a great salad bar to compliment your meal. The
staff is very attentive-friendly and the owner really seems to care. I
expect great things from this cozy restaurant and can't wait to come
back."
The Negative Reviews:
"After waiting over three hours for our reservation on re-launch night
(The Restaurant was chosen for an airing of Food Network's Restaurant
Impossible), I am sad to say we walked out. The over all atmosphere
remained nice, but obviously service and kitchen were struggling
severely. I normally wouldn't leave a review, but I was terribly
disappointed that most tables that were seated were friends and family
from NY and Long Island. If you want to remain in business, and you are
truly struggling, then I am sorry, but reservations should be given to
those who you would like to return. I am not in any rush to go back for
this sole reason."
"What a shame - used to be such a pretty place - now looks like decor for
a teenager's bedroom. What is with painting everything black? Went
Sunday evening - tea was cold, food was cold. The prime rib was plunked
right on top of the mashed potatoes and made them mushy. Spagetti was
cold and lumped together with a couple of pieces of brocolli in the one
dish. Just awful - will not go back. We had been going there for over 10
years - new owners don't have a clue."
*Reviews from Yelp, Tripadvisor, Urbanspoon
Other Stories:
An article in the Wantagh Patch stated: Restaurant Impossible "will highlight how Roger and his wife Sandy decided to tackle
owning their own restaurant near a vacation home in Greeley, Pa. after
the husband lost his successful corporate job during the economic
downturn. Sandy Murray remains in Wantagh working for a company in
Melville while Roger is in Pennsylvania running the day-to-day
operations of the new restaurant."
In an article from NEagle.com, Roger said "they did a "wonderful, wonderful job" and has had good
feedback from his clientele. He says he was probably picked because his
story is a bit unusual- changing careers in mid-life and facing an
uphill struggle, not knowing what they were going to do.
Conclusion:
The restaurant was called Pinehurst Lodge before the new owners bought it and changed the name to Pinehurst Country Lodge. While there weren't too many reviews post-Restaurant Impossible, there were a good amount of reviews since Roger and Sandy took over the restaurant. Most of these reviews were 5-star reviews and complemented the new owners and how they are doing a great job. So, it looks like with the publicity and positive feedback that they shouldn't have any issues being successful with this restaurant.
What I think is interesting is how they claim to be $350,000 in debt just six months after buying the restaurant. When you have a home in Long Island, NY and a vacation home in Greeley, Pa, and have enough money to buy a restaurant, I doubt you can be $350,000 in debt. Unless you don't consider properties as assets. Also, to get picked to be on the show that quickly, they must have filled out the application right after purchasing it. While the fact that someone decided to open a restaurant rather than find another job was probably interesting to producers, I bet there are a lot more restaurants in greater need.
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