Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Caseyville Cafe - Restaurant Impossible Update

Caseyville Cafe Restaurant Impossible
Photo - Food Network
Tonight on Restaurant: Impossible, Robert Irvine is going to the Caseyville Cafe in Caseyville, Illinois to provide help to a failing restaurant.  The owners, Diane and Robin have been overrun by the kitchen and servers, which is costing them thousands of dollars.  Robert gives the staff an ultimatum to decide who is in and who is out at the restaurant.  As I normally do with Restaurant: Impossible episodes, I searched around the Internet to read stories, comments and reviews about the Caseyville Cafe 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):




There were not too many reviews, but here were the few that were out there since Restaurant Impossible visited:

Good Reviews:
  • "Try their new strip steaks they're great"
  • "We love eating breakfast here every weekend."
  • "Much better since the front has been redone."
Bad Reviews:
  • "I've eaten at this restaurant a several times and the food has always been cold, the waitresses not friendly.  I have tried to give the restaurant a chance but it seems that they can't keep a consistency on the food.....I would not recommend this restaurant to anyone. "
  • "We ate there a few times after the makeover and the food was terrible.  Service was even worse. The server was very unfriendly...almost hostile. Will not be going back."
  • "We had been there before the makeover and then stopped in again after.  Both times the food was less than stellar, the soup was cold & tasted sour, the server was very rude & the restroom was in need of a good cleaning. I think that TV show wasted their time trying to help this cafĂ©, they surely didn’t do much accept make it look different."
  • "I still will not eat at the place."
  • "We used to go once or twice a month.  We've only been once since the makeover.  Liked the food better before the makeover.  I got the chili for lunch.  It was hot and cold.  It was tasty but one bite hot and the next cold.  Hope they work out their quality control problems."
Other Details:
According to this article
  • "Three cooks quit over disagreements in the kitchen -- two during filming and one a day later. Servers endured criticism for not being friendly or efficient enough and wearing jackets on duty."
  • "Robert arranged for installation of a $5,000 commercial gas range in the kitchen, over and above the $10,000 budget."  So they actually spent $15,000 on this restaurant.
  • The restaurant owners claim they always have had a reputation for good food, but bad service. 
  • "The "Restaurant: Impossible" buzz seemed to boost business at Caseyville Cafe for a few weeks, but January and February were slow. "
People on a forum stated:
  • "A lot of people quit going there because Len Black and Bob Romanick hang out with Van Looser there. Most people do not like this bunch. When they get a good cook, they change their scheduled hours and then they leave. Really like Cathy, Michele and Candy!But the Happy Cow does have better food in a timely manner."
  • "Couldn't agree with you more. A lot of people in town wont go in there because of brad and his goons. That's why their business is so bad. The cow is always packed. That should tell ya right there."


Read more here: http://www.bnd.com/2013/03/10/2525228/tune-in-to-caseyville-cafes-tv.html#storylink=cpy
Reviews from Google, Yelp, Foursquare, and bnd


Read more here: http://www.bnd.com/2013/03/10/2525228/tune-in-to-caseyville-cafes-tv.html#storylink=cpy
Conclusion:
Sounds like there are more bad things to say than there are good things regarding the Caseyville Cafe.  The complaints seem to be the service, food, and the customers who visit the establishment.  It also seems like the employees have taken advantage of the owners, and that may end up being one of the big issues.  Many reviews said they would rather go to the Happy Cow, which is also a restaurant in Caseyville.  The owners do seem appreciative from all the help they received from Restaurant Impossible and have said they would do it again.

Read more here: http://www.bnd.com/2013/03/10/2525228/tune-in-to-caseyville-cafes-tv.html#storylink=cpy

Also, there is one more episode left of the 5th season of Restaurant Impossible.  I plan to have an update of which restaurants are still open and which are closed (and why) from ALL seasons after this season is complete, so look out for that. UPDATE- Here is the update of ALL restaurants from the show.

Read more here: http://www.bnd.com/2013/03/10/2525228/tune-in-to-caseyville-cafes-tv.html#storylink=cpy


Read more here: http://www.bnd.com/2013/03/10/2525228/tune-in-to-caseyville-cafes-tv.html#storylink=cpy

UPDATE 2/2014 - Caseyville Cafe has closed.  More information on the closing.


Read more here: http://www.bnd.com/2013/03/10/2525228/tune-in-to-caseyville-cafes-tv.html#storylink=cpy
 

11 comments:

  1. They need to lose the old hags and get some hot young waitress's for this new joint

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  2.  I would go there more often, but the food is never the same quality each time. I go to the Happy Cow more, because they do have a friendly staff and the food is always the same quality. Also, they didn't keep the foods that Chef Irvin showed them how to make. They have went back to the same old menu.  I hope the Caseyville Cafe makes a go of it. Time will tell.

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  3. It amazes me how owners and workers of restaurants like this just don't get the basic concept that their goal should be to turn every customer into a repeat customer. That means good service and good food at a good price. Consistently. Few businesses can afford to let a potential steady stream of income walk out the door and never return.

    It was obvious from the start that neither owner knew how to operate a business. Their accounting system is bags full of pieces of paper? Why even bother keeping them?

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  4.  So true.  I can usually tell when it's the owner's wife or girlfriend that does all the hiring :) That doesn't apply in this case but the fact that the waitresses are hired by women really comes as no surprise to me...

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  5. I don't get why some people would open a restaurant when they never worked in such a business in the first place. The mother thought she would be successful just like her own mom who ran 4 restaurants. She's also such a sucker and lets her family and employees use her as a doormat. They are running her business to the ground and these fools run amok doing what they want to do at her expense. Get a staff who CARES (plus the owner needs to take responsibility in making sure of it).

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  6. I'm guessing you are an old (male) hag yourself and no "hot young thing" who didn't work on tips would give you the time of day.

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  7. Wow, sexist much?

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  8. Me and my husband ate there the day after the premier on restaurant impossible and it was awful . I was so excited to be going to a restaurant that he had redone but I honestly think that he wasted his time. Our food was not good. They didn't have the shrimp dish that he had introduced to them on TV. Our waitress was incredibly rude and not helpful at all. The owner was over in the corner at a table with other people lounging around not acting professional. Our food was very bland and tasteless. I also either got a stomach bug or food poison that night. Don't know which one yet.
    Needless to say we were very disappointed and upset by our experience there. Sorry chef Irvin that people don't take your advice seriously or change their ways in order to improve their food, business, life....

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  9. I think it's called honesty. You should try it sometime...

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  10. Holy Crap, this place is a a mess, beyond anything, this place is going to fail and it is going to do so in insane fashion, check out the facebook war of words between the owners and the chef and the employees, WTF ????


    https://www.facebook.com/RestaurantImpossible/posts/484880004894459

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  11. We tried it before it was shown on tv. It was decorated nicely. (we had never been there before) but the service was terrible, the food was awful. (how can you screw up spagetti and a hamburger steak?) We didn't even eat our food it was so bad......we paid the bill and walked out. We then went to a fast food place and ate. Never to return. I can't believe it is still open today (October 2013). How do they get people to come back there? When I made a derogatory comment on their facebook page, they deleted it!!!!!!!!

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