78 replies to this topic

[nottopbravo]

Anyone else catch this? It seems to show a nicer, kinder, Bobby Flay.

Considering what he had to work with---

Edited by nottopbravo, Jul 16, 2012 @ 4:06 PM.

[Bleeding Love]

I wasn't too impressed, but maybe that was more of the restaurant and that Paul guy than Bobby. I would love a menu of nothing but chicken fingers, but that doesn't seem like it would sustain a restaurant. I didn't see fries or anything else in those take-out boxes, just chicken fingers and sauce. Maybe they're aiming for the middle-of-the-night, drunk college kids crowd that doesn't care what they're eating as long as it's food?

[nottopbravo]

Maybe they're aiming for the middle-of-the-night, drunk college kids crowd that doesn't care what they're eating as long as it's food?

This was my thought exactly, no thought was given to organizing a new and different place to eat.

[Bleeding Love]

Paul didn't seem to give thought to much, to be honest, when he couldn't even be bothered to write out a menu for Bobby and just wanted to wing his restaurant. No wonder that chick and the one that cleaned up with Bobby got fed up with him.

[Tahitian Moon]

I'll be honest, I am hoping that they fail. I want the cook to get a job with Bobby because he seemed like a decent guy, but the rest were just hipster d-bags. When Paul listed all of his previous ventures I could not stop laughing. How does he get people to buy into his crap. I was surprised he even had the recipes on his phone. I'm betting that he never printed them out but had the others do that for him too. Anybody have an update on that place?

[skiperdee123]

What the hell was that??? That dude Paul had some serious ADD or bi-polar issues. When his investor had a talk with him and he came back the next day all calm, I was sure he had taken his meds. What a douche nozzle. WTF was that whole throwing sauce p.r. stunt? Their investor is an idiot for putting his fortune in the hands of that jackhole. I have no problem with the concept. In a college area if it's a small enough restaurant, it's good stoner food. But Tahitian Moon - hipster d-bags indeed.

[JR Labrador]

It seems Paul has gotten through life on nothing but his ability to bullshit. Next stop, Fail City. No matter, he flit on to his next "venture" blaming everyone else for the wreckage.

[aliyameadow]

Man, I wanted to slap Paul every time they showed his face. What a BSer! I think Bobby saw it, but everyone else was just wowed by this guy, and for no reason.

Reviews seem to be OK, and they do offer fries, but I don't know if I'd stop in. Other than the cook, it's like these people are just in it for the money, not because they love food or they saw an unfilled need in the market.

One review said it cost $9 for 3 tenders. I don't know how many college kids you're going to get at that price.

How the heck did Paul think the cook was going to cook without the recipes? Jeesh.

[JunebugTx]

I would love a menu of nothing but chicken fingers, but that doesn't seem like it would sustain a restaurant.

There is a chain here called Cane's that is only chicken fingers. They do have fries and I think maybe cole slaw and their sauce, but that's it. They seem to do ok.

As far as this place - unless someone else takes over and actually runs it as a business, I don't see it going very long. According to the video update on the FN website, they are open and have learned a lot. Paul seemed very normal in the clip. The girl (Stephanie?) is already gone.

[ElectricBoogalo]

Man, you know that you're a complete dick when Bobby Flay is side eyeing you for three days straight. I am not a Bobby Flay fan. I've been watching the Food Network since the early days, and Bobby always bothered me so I never thought the day would come that I'd side with Bobby Flay as the voice of reason. Paul was an irresponsible idiot. When two people in a business want to leave, I'd guess that the problem is the third person. I'm not surprised that Stephanie ended up quitting. It's one thing to sit around saying, "Hey, guys, we should totally open a restaurant! With chicken fingers! Yeah, that would be awesome!" It's another thing to actually have to work with someone who can't even do a simple thing like come up with five different chicken fingers and sauces.

[Tucson]

In addition to the irritation that was Paul, I had to bail after 15 minutes as I just couldn't stand the way Stephanie talked. Valley Girl wanna be. Her voice was like fingernails on a chalkboard. Did Bobby end up yelling and screaming like Gordon Ramsey or Robert Irvine? I'd like to see a restaurant make over sans the fake drama. I'll give it one more shot.

[nottopbravo]

Nope, no yelling or screaming like Irvine or Ramsey. If there were it would have been a death knell for this show (at least for me).

At least not yet--

[blackcat]

The thing I enjoyed about the ep was that it didn't feel sugar-coated, but avoided also feeling contrived with manufactured drama. Paul really was that oblivious to how he was comporting himself. He really had no clue that he was full of BS. Bobby didn't descend into screaming and shouting to get anyone's attention, he just took everyone's measure, did his best to bring out what little strengths there were with that crew, and focused on what could actually be accomplished. As frustrated as Paul made him, he didn't put on a dramatic response in return, though he clearly thought about it a couple of times. He tried getting through to Paul a couple of times without stampeding over Paul, and figured out a way to finally make a tiny dent in getting through to Paul by going through the money man/best friend, because he realized that Paul simply was not going to listen to him. That is good PR in action. Efficiency and effectiveness over drama.

I felt really sorry for the cook -- I totally would have walked away long before Bobby showed up on the scene. At least the cook did get the experience of actually working in a kitchen with Bobby Flay and seemed to truly appreciate the experience and example Bobby set in that kitchen.

The thing I didn't enjoy about the episode was just how stupid Paul was. I hope future episodes feature start-ups that have crews that are just ignorant, not idiots. Ignorance can be educated -- which is the point of having a Bobby Flay come in and show them the ropes. Idiocy is just hopeless. I would bet that the only reason Sticky Fingers is still open today is because of the crew around him, not because of Paul.

My favorite Bobby element of the episode was when he was asking what flavor profiles they wanted to go with, etc. and stated that it is his goal to make sure it is their food they are serving. He could have easily walked in and give them his own menu ideas or recipes, but he didn't. Just sampled their ideas and helped them tweak out some of the errors so their own dishes were improved but still their own.

[Auruor]

Anyone else feel like Stephanie was kind of in love with Paul? The whole story about "We started as best friends... now we have more of a, um, boss-type relationship?" I hope she's gotten over that. Also, my husband pointed out that her voice was highly reminiscent of the woman who plays Kim Kardashian on SNL.

I'll definitely watch this show again. It's really interesting. Couldn't have picked a less deserving owner for the premiere, though. Paul seemed like an un-self-aware jerk.

[aliyameadow]

No comments about the grilled cheese truck? I give it two months, if that long. The accounts person doesn't want to handle the food, which might be ok in a large restaurant, but they've got a truck. They all have to help. I couldn't believe she didn't understand how important it was to the BUSINESS that they stay up and taste the food. I guess Bobby is committed for three days, 'cause he shoulda turned around and gone home when he learned they hadn't done their part of the deal.

Was this a new truck? Couldn't they have gotten one for less than 50k? They were so disorganized, I was expecting to find out they hadn't gotten a vendor's license or something that simple. And no pens/pencils to take orders? No thinking through the packaging? I thought a large paper pocket would have worked well; you could hold the sandwich in the paper pocket and your fingers wouldn't get messy and it would be less of an environmental issue compared to the Styrofoam.

And the day someone says 'dial it down, clown' to me is the day I end the partnership. What a shrew.

[Ginandtonic]

Paul must have had a serious case of ADD, he was all over the place. I just wanted to smack him, no way this restaurant isn't going to fail. He wouldn't let anybody else talk, he just kept rambling on. I have no idea why people would invest money with someone with so many failed businesses.

[Bleeding Love]

I have more hope for the grilled cheese truck then I did for the chicken fingers restaurant, but not much. It seemed to me like those two girls opened a truck because they thought it would be fun, not because they actually wanted to do all the work involved so they wouldn't, you know, lose their houses. And how long are we giving it before Uncle Willy (was he actually related to either of them?) quits for good?

[Ginandtonic]

I have a feeling that Uncle Willy is going to be more familiar with the bar they're parked in front of then the food they are serving.

I'm not really sure I understand all of the concept of this show, are all these people really not prepared 3 days before they open, or have they waited until 3 days before in order to have Bobby help them? It just seems like they would know they aren't ready to open at the point when we first meet them, so I'm not sure how much is real life & how much is created drama.

[Kali12]

I'll be honest, I am hoping that they fail. I want the cook to get a job with Bobby because he seemed like a decent guy, but the rest were just hipster d-bags.

I just saw the sticky fingers episode and hated everything about it except Bobby. So happy to come here and find i'm not the only one who felt that way. How could people be that unprepared, unfocused and unprofessional and actually think they're opening in 3 days? Why do people like that deserve help from Bobby Flay, and all the free publicity from FN (and all the media Bobby contacted for the idiotic "event"?)

By the end, I wanted to see these spoiled unprofessional immature (yes, hipster d-bags) get the lesson they really deserved--to have their restaurant fail. That's harsh, but they seemed so unappreciative of the opportunity and in great need of a dose of humbling reality.

At least "Restaurant Impossible" and "Kitchen Nightmares" havee people who have paid their dues, been struggling and working hard, and don't understand why they're failing. I want to see people like that get helped. Not people like these (other than the cook who deserves better than this group).

Edited by Kali12, Jul 22, 2012 @ 4:10 PM.

[Rdnzl]

I just caught the chicken fingers episode, and the cheese truck episode. Sweet lord, WHAT makes these people think they can run a business with zero experience in the food industry? Are they really that clueless?

The chicken fingers people had my eyes rolling with their "zany" promotional stunt. Someone should have told them that a bunch of models squirting hot sauce at each other is hardly a shocking sight to see on the streets of New York. If they put as much work and enthusiasm into their product as they did their gimmick, maybe Bobby wouldn't have stared at them with that murderous glint in his eyes. I'm surprised they managed to open on time, but I'm not surprised that the girl ended up leaving the business. After all that dramatic crap about making her feel like she was a part of it, how else could it have ended?

The cheese truck broads...*sigh* What can I say that hasn't already been said? That one woman didn't want to get her hands dirty and help with the food? She just wanted to focus on serving and the accounts? Well, if that's how she felt, she shouldn't have started a lunch business. Go work in an office somewhere if you think preparing food is so beneath you and your manicured nails. The other one wasn't as bad, but something tells me they started doing this because they thought it would be a cute, fun way to make money, not because they give a damn about the work. Same deal with the chicken fingers kids; people think opening a restaurant will be easy because they love to cook at home. Well, if it were that easy, everyone would do it, wouldn't they?

I feel bad for Bobby Flay, then I remembered the paycheck he must be getting for doing this show, and any sympathy I have for him goes out the window. Still, courage, Bobby. Courage.

Edited by Rdnzl, Jul 27, 2012 @ 5:59 PM.

[Enychica]

I'm not really sure I understand all of the concept of this show, are all these people really not prepared 3 days before they open, or have they waited until 3 days before in order to have Bobby help them? It just seems like they would know they aren't ready to open at the point when we first meet them, so I'm not sure how much is real life & how much is created drama.

Considering the #s for how many businesses have failed after 4 years, I'm not surprised at what we're seeing. I think people get into things with far less planning than we assume someone with a tad bit of common sense would have. There's a huge difference between fantasizing about doing something and making it happen and I think some of these start up owners are like people who want to be successful singers, dancers, actors but don't know they don't have the chops and haven't done the needed work even if they did.

[Ginandtonic]

I just watched the Licari's episode, & I really feel bad for that wife. It's so obvious that she doesn't want to be in the restaurant business, she wants to be a hairdresser & see her kids. I don't see any way that she is going to be happy continuing to work there, she just sacrificed herself for his dream. When I saw his "special" pizza I thought YUCK! that did not look good to me at all, I'm glad Bobby changed it, but I hate goat cheese, so I still wouldn't eat it.

[Paxton]

I don't know what to think about this show. I have to say I don't really like it, because I find watching woefully unprepared people really stressful. They're either the most incompetent people in the world or the editing monkeys are making them seem worse than they are--either way, I don't find it entertaining. I would rather see Bobby pop in for one day three months ahead, then two months, then one month and then opening day (which yes, I know would actually be four days). I don't see how realistically he can fix things like the Licari's food quality problems in 24 hours and by giving them one pizza recipe and getting the mom to cough up her family secret recipes. I did laugh at Bobby casually cracking the sauce code, but I mean, really? They go from his pizza being #47 to a successful open in two days? The thing is, Bobby obviously does have a wealth of experience and knowledge regarding running successful restaurants, so I'd like to hear more from him about how it's done, like the nitty-gritty stuff: how many dishes should be on the menu? How do you order the right amount of food to have on hand? How can you avoid waste? What is the health inspector going to be looking for? How much insurance should they carry? Etc., etc. There are a lot of interesting issues with respect to how to run a successful restaurant, but I don't feel like this show really gets into any of that.

[patty1h]

What I found really wacky is the mother holding her 'secret' recipes hostage from her son, until 2 days before opening. Did she think Barilla was waiting in the wings to offer her millions for her sauce that she'd withhold it from her son?

[Nightlark]

What I found really wacky is the mother holding her 'secret' recipes hostage from her son, until 2 days before opening. Did she think Barilla was waiting in the wings to offer her millions for her sauce that she'd withhold it from her son?

And also, they talked about the Aunt coming in. And my MIL passed away without my getting her fried chicken and potato salad recipes and I still regret it five years later. Write down recipes people! Especially with a restaurant. I've even written down my chili recipe which used to just be a seat of my pants/different every time thing.
And that double crust pizza looked bad but the one with fresh mozzarella on opening night looked good.

[backformore]

And that double crust pizza looked bad but the one with fresh mozzarella on opening night looked good.

I cracked up at how he put white truffle oil on the top of the pizza. any chef using that ingredient on "Chopped" or any other, judged cooking show, has the judges recoiling in horror, 'Oh no! not truffle oil! don't use it!"

I don't think this couple is smart enough to run their own business. If they succeed, it will be because other family members decided to help them.

[Kromm]

COMMENTS ON the Chicken Fingers episode ONLY (I HAVEN'T SEEN ANY OTHERS YET)

Okay, I'm outright angry if this is the show.

They could have had a show where Flay went into serious businesses and helped.

Instead, they cast for a wingnut (or maybe he's just a con-man, and an epic jerk) and a trainwreck. "Ringleader"? REALLY?

Paul is a user and abuser of people--a piece of shit I not only wanted to fail, and badly, within the first few minutes of the show, but who I think should be sued, pummeled, mocked around the whole Internet, and blacklisted so nobody ever works with him again, and certainly never gives him money again.

I don't even get the usual sense I get (sort of a reality show Spidey sense) when some "villain" is playing to the camera. This piece of crap isn't playing to the camera, you can see the cues that this is how he really is.

There's the "friend", Jonathan (more like "victim" than "friend") he conned out of an 80K investment into a concept that Paul the User is "making up as he goes along". Then there's that poor pathetic girl Stephanie who gave up her life basically to help this asshole, for free, because she clearly was in love with his looks (clearly he was stringing her along). And Tommy, another hard worker working mysteriously for free. These three are sympathetic, but look like fools because they allowed themselves to get conned by the likes of Paul. I have to balance wanting Paul to fail, and badly, with hoping these other folks get out with a tiny bit of pride intact (if not their money and time investment, which is long gone).

If every episode "casts" and picks the businesses this way... I'm out. I want to see serious businesses helped, not slimebuckets.

The thing I enjoyed about the ep was that it didn't feel sugar-coated, but avoided also feeling contrived with manufactured drama.

Okay, I can see this point, and to a degree I agree. But the flip side is that since it WAS un-manufactured, it means this guy really IS that unsympathetic and that undeserving of help. You're in a Catch-22. If you seek out people who create their OWN drama rather have a show that over-emphasize/manufactures drama from lesser sources, and the viewers can sense it as clearly as I think we were able to, then the show/host has to take the lumps for who they choose to help. "Its real, but he doesn't deserve it" is all that was going through my mind, at least with this first episode.

Edited by Kromm, Jul 30, 2012 @ 12:28 AM.

[aliyameadow]

A+ and a big gold star to Kromm. Nice post.

I knew people who got burned working for stock options during the dot com boom; no way would I work in the hope that there might be a pay off at the end. Even a minimal wage is something and should have been figured into the cost of setting up and running the business.

Paul was a premier jerk, but he musta had some kinda Jedi mind skills 'cause he sure got people to follow his manic schemes.

[TarheelJTK]

Watching the Licari episode was hilarious. That stuffed pizza with all that ham that ended up being soggy looked terrible. I hate soggy pizza and it wasn't surprising that it was soggy with the type of ham that was used because that type of ham seems to be filled with water when you cook it.

What I found really wacky is the mother holding her 'secret' recipes hostage from her son, until 2 days before opening. Did she think Barilla was waiting in the wings to offer her millions for her sauce that she'd withhold it from her son?

I thought she was only keeping them secret from the staff. The son had a notebook full of the "amazing" recipes that he didn't put down the first part of the show. It all changed when Bobby guessed the 5 ingredients of the recipe, making them both look stupid and the recipe look generic.

After watching the chicken finger and grilled cheese episodes I wasn't sure if these were actual people opening restaurants or just people that Food Network found entertaining who were willing to pretend to open restaurants. The Licaris actually seemed to be real people that were just in way over their heads. I'm still not sure what these people did to deserve help from Bobby Flay and if they signed a contract requiring them to be so completely unprepared to open. At least with shows like Restaurant Impossible, the people have been trying to run a restaurant and managed to get one open without needing a celebrity chef to help them with a health inspection.

[Brooklynista]

I just watched The Cove lounge in Harlem. I wanted to care but just couldn't. I'm really over the Food Network and its schtick shows.

One thing I did notice was how Melba of Melba's restaurant sat at the bar chomping down on the seasoned french fries. Anybody remember her from Fat Chef? Another one of the Food Networks gimmick shows. Looks like that show was a bust too.