syn
Senior Member
Restaurant Makeover was put on hiatus a while ago after the show was plagued by lawsuits from shoddy construction.
Renovating a restaurant in less than a week for $30,000 is a recipe for disaster (pardon the pun).
The restaurant industry is really tough and fierce, and the survival rate for a new restaurant after its first year is rather grim, and to top it off many restauranteurs don't have what it takes to run a business (especially a restaurant) and often lack the passion, skills and knowledge.
I actually like this show, it's like one part Food TV and one part HGTV. I don't agree with some of the stuff they do on the show, but it makes for good entertainment.
It's funny that almost every restaurant was done on a so-called $30,000 budget (half paid by the owners and half paid by the show), dispite how different in size, condition and amount of work these restaurants needed, and I am sure in most cases the show swallows up overages which I am sure always happens. If I was a restaurant owner, I would gladly pony up an extra $5,000 or $10,000 knowing that the show will match my dollar (that's like free money).
More often enough a revamping of the restaurant's interior and the menu doesn't cure all, as we see here.
I have also heard that Gordon Ramsey's Kitchen Nightmares also had some troubles too.
Quite a few. The reality is (as you stated) the restaurant industry is incredibly difficult. If the owners don't run things properly, a new interior and a few new menu items ultimately won't help.