Restaurant: Impossible is an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 reality

Reality television

Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...

 television

Television

Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...

 program aired by the Food Network

Food Network

Food Network is a television specialty channel that airs both one-time and recurring programs about food and cooking. Scripps Networks Interactive owns 70 percent of the network, with Tribune Company controlling the remaining 30 percent....

. It is jointly produced by Marc Summers

Marc Summers

Marc Summers is an American television personality, comedian, game show host, producer, and a two-time talk show host. He is best known for hosting the Nickelodeon game show Double Dare and currently hosts Unwrapped on The Food Network.- Early career :Summers was born Marc Berkowitz in...

 and Shooters TV and stars British chef and restaurateur Robert Irvine

Robert Irvine

Robert Irvine is a celebrity chef who has appeared on a variety of Food Network programs, including Dinner: Impossible, Worst Cooks in America, and Restaurant: Impossible.-Career:Irvine began his cooking career upon enlisting in the Royal Navy at the age of fifteen...

, and premiered on January 19, 2011. Currently, second season episodes are airing.

In each episode, Chef Robert Irvine

Robert Irvine

Robert Irvine is a celebrity chef who has appeared on a variety of Food Network programs, including Dinner: Impossible, Worst Cooks in America, and Restaurant: Impossible.-Career:Irvine began his cooking career upon enlisting in the Royal Navy at the age of fifteen...

 is given the "mission" of making the impossible possible by renovating a failing restaurant the in two days on a $10,000 budget. Irvine is assisted by HGTV

HGTV

HGTV , is a cable-television network operating in the United States and Canada, broadcasting a variety of home and garden improvement, maintenance, renovation, craft and remodeling shows...

 designers Taniya Nayak, Vanessa De Leon, Krista Watterworth, or Cheryl Torrenueva

Cheryl Torrenueva

Cheryl Torrenueva is a Canadian interior designer, best known as a personality on television shows produced by HGTV Canada.A graduate of Ryerson University, Torrenueva started in television as a contestant on Designer Superstar Challenge...

, along with general contractor Tom Bury. After assessing the problems with the restaurant, Robert Irvine typically creates a plan for the new decor, oversees the cleaning of the restaurant, reduces the size of the menu and improves the food, develops a promotional activity, educates the restaurant's owners, or trains the staff as needed by each restaurant.

Each episode opens with:

Season One (2011)

Ep. #	Restaurant	Location	Original airdate
1.1	Villari's	Palmyra, New Jersey Palmyra, New Jersey Palmyra is a Borough in Burlington County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2000 United States Census, the borough population was 7,091.Palmyra was originally incorporated as a township by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on April 19, 1894, from portions of Cinnaminson Township and Riverton...
1.2	Mainelli's	Providence, Rhode Island Providence, Rhode Island Providence is the capital and most populous city of Rhode Island and was one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the third largest city in the New England region...
1.3	Rascal's BBQ and Crab House	New Castle, Delaware New Castle, Delaware New Castle is a city in New Castle County, Delaware, six miles south of Wilmington, situated on the Delaware River. In 1900, 3,380 people lived here; in 1910, 3,351...
1.4	Salt Works II	Wilmington, North Carolina Wilmington, North Carolina Wilmington is a port city in and is the county seat of New Hanover County, North Carolina, United States. The population is 106,476 according to the 2010 Census, making it the eighth most populous city in the state of North Carolina...
1.5	Meglio's	Bridgeton, Missouri Bridgeton, Missouri Bridgeton is a city in northwestern St. Louis County, Missouri, serving as a suburb and transport hub within Greater St. Louis. The population at the 2010 census was 11,550. Portions of Lambert-Saint Louis International Airport are within Bridgeton.-Location:...
1.6	Secret Garden Cafe	Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...
1.7	Flood Tide	Mystic, Connecticut Mystic, Connecticut Mystic is a village and census-designated place in New London County, Connecticut, in the United States. The population was 4,001 at the 2000 census. A historic locality, Mystic has no independent government because it is not a legally recognized municipality in the state of Connecticut...

Chef Michael G (Giletto), who turned down the head chef position at Villari's, previously appeared on Food Network's Chopped and as a sous chef on Iron Chef America.

Season Two (2011)

Ep. #	Restaurant	Location	Original airdate
2.1	Dodge City	Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Harrisburg is the capital of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 49,528, making it the ninth largest city in Pennsylvania...
2.2	La Stanza	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
2.3	Sweet Tea	Chapin, South Carolina Chapin, South Carolina Chapin, also known as the capital of Lake Murray, is a town located in Lexington County, South Carolina. Chapin was founded by Martin Chapin in 1889. The following year, 1890, the railroad was built to connect Chapin to Columbia, South Carolina and other major regions. The population of Chapin was...
2.4	Country Fare	Stafford, Virginia Stafford, Virginia Stafford is a census-designated place in and the county seat of Stafford County in the northern part of the U.S. Commonwealth of Virginia. The population as of the 2010 Census was 4,320. It lies north of Fredericksburg, approximately south of metropolitan Washington, D.C., and about north of...
2.5	Snooty Fox	Indianapolis, Indiana
2.6	Pastori's	Ellington, Connecticut Ellington, Connecticut Ellington is a town in Tolland County, Connecticut, United States. Ellington was incorporated in May, 1786, from East Windsor. As of the 2000 census, the town population was 12,921...
2.7	Scrimmages	Wilmington, Delaware Wilmington, Delaware Wilmington is the largest city in the state of Delaware, United States, and is located at the confluence of the Christina River and Brandywine Creek, near where the Christina flows into the Delaware River. It is the county seat of New Castle County and one of the major cities in the Delaware Valley...
2.8	Mamma D's	Pipersville, Pennsylvania Bucks County, Pennsylvania - Industry and commerce :The boroughs of Bristol and Morrisville were prominent industrial centers along the Northeast Corridor during World War II. Suburban development accelerated in Lower Bucks in the 1950s with the opening of Levittown, Pennsylvania, the second such "Levittown" designed by...
2.9	Off Street Cafe	Cerritos, California Cerritos, California Cerritos is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, and is one of several cities that constitute the Gateway Cities of southeast Los Angeles County. It was incorporated on April 24, 1956...
2.10	The Trails	San Diego, California
2.11	Cap'n and the Cowboy	Port Charlotte, Florida Port Charlotte, Florida Port Charlotte is a census-designated place in Charlotte County, Florida, United States. The population was 46,451 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Punta Gorda Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
2.12	Mad Cactus	Strongsville, Ohio Strongsville, Ohio As of the census of 2000, there were 43,858 people, 16,209 households, and 12,383 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,779.6 people per square mile . There were 16,863 housing units at an average density of 684.2 per square mile...
2.13	McShane's	East Syracuse, New York Syracuse Syracuse, as a place name, may refer to:In Italy:* Syracuse, Sicily* the Province of SyracuseIn the United States:* Syracuse, New York* Syracuse, Indiana* Syracuse, Kansas* Syracuse, Missouri* Syracuse, Nebraska* Syracuse, Ohio* Syracuse, Utah...
2.14	Coffee's Boilin' Pot	Madisonville, Louisiana Madisonville, Louisiana Madisonville is a town in St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 677 at the 2000 census. It is part of the New Orleans–Metairie–Kenner Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
2.15	St. James Soup Kitchen	Newark, New Jersey

Allegations of altered conditions in a restaurant

Steve Kledaras, Rascal’s BBQ & Crab House alleged in a January 2011 interview that the dirty appearance of his restaurant was enhanced by the show's production staff. The Delaware Division of Public Health had no record of violations for the restaurant in 2009 and March 2010, although an inspection on October 18, 2010 showed one violation concerning cleaning of equipment and utensils, which was corrected before the inspector left the restaurant. In the episode, Robert Irvine called Rascals' kitchen one of the dirtiest he has seen.

External links

• Restaurant: Impossible at FoodNetwork.com
• Facebook page for the show (includes comments from various people featured)