Wednesday, June 11, 2014

Restaurant Impossible - Portu-Greek Cafe Update

Photo - Food Network
Tonight on Restaurant Impossible, Robert Irvine and his crew are in Hudson, Florida to makeover the Portu-Greek Cafe.  The restaurant is eight years old and the owner Jordan is self described as a "stubborn owner."  There are some conflicts regarding control of the restaurant, so Robert is forced to bring the family to the beach for an exercise to force them to cooperate with each other.   Robert needs to figure out a way to take some control of the restaurant from Jordan to help keep everyone in the family and in the restaurant happy.  As I normally do with Restaurant: Impossible episodes, I searched around the Internet to read stories, comments and reviews about Portu-Greek Cafe 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):



Positive Reviews:
  • "Coming from New England, we were always looking for good seafood;  Portu-Greek was recommended for their clams.  We have been regulars ever since.  Their fried clams, clam chowder and steamers are better than most places in New England...Now that Robert Irvine has spruced up the place and was wise enough not to change the menu, the décor is as good as the food"
  • "When I heard that this place was redone by Restaurant Impossible, I had to come see Robert Irvine's handy work. The inside of the restaurant is beautiful! They did a great job. Staff is friendly and the Greek salad was pretty tasty :)....Anyone rolling thru Hudson, FL should check this restaurant out!"
  • "Recently completely remodeled with an improved menu! Whole Belly Clams and "Saganaki" (Flaming Cheese) are GREAT!"
  • "This visit was a vast improvement. Food great, and more than ample servings. Service great. Decor much improved. Clams (whole) better than any I have ever had in Florida and at least as good as any in Ipswich, Ma or Portland Me. Maybe better. Going back soon."


Negative Reviews
  • No negative reviews since the Restaurant Impossible makeover


Other News and Links:
  • Here is the Portu-Greek Cafe Facebook page, which is kept up to date.
  • A week before the makeover, all of the volunteer spots to help out were already filled. (Link)
  • In an article shortly after the makeover, it said that owner Jordan Lindiakos "pestered the network for two years before the show's producers took notice."  He was happy with the makeover stating, "This is better than hitting the multimillion-dollar lottery.  It's priceless."
  • Here are 7 restaurant inspections for Portu-Greek Cafe, with the most recent being in 2010.
  • The restaurant had new hours starting in May (a month after the makeover) and started opening for lunch.  They also started opening on Sundays for brunch (Link)

  • Portu-Greek Cafe is already listed For Sale.  Here is the listing, which states "Waterfront Restauraunt or Commercial Investment Space Available. This 5 unit commercial building has been converted to a 3 unit commercial building. The property is zoned C2. This is a great location on a canal and is near Hudson Beach. The location has high traffic and high visibility. There is parking on site and most of the units are currently rented. The building currently has a restaurant which has been completely remodeled that will go along with the sale. Restaurant also for purchase independently. If sold with the restaurant, goodwill, and fixtures included. Convenience store occupies the other unit and has been operating at this location for close to 15 years. The remaining unit is vacant. The property has a great income earning potential. Make your appointment to see this property today!"
  • The listing also said the property was listed for sale in June 2013 for $450,000 and the price was raised (or re-listed at a different price) on May 28, 2014 for $625,000.  A $10,000 renovation resulted in an increase of $175,000?


Conclusion:

There were not too many reviews of Portu-Greek Cafe since the Restaurant Impossible makeover, but the ones that existed were all positive.  Even the reviews before the makeover were positive and all of the people seem to like the food.  A few reviews said something about the location, so it may not be in the best location.

The fact that the restaurant was trying to get on the show for two years, and the fact that they are listed for sale with an increased price makes you think that they did the show for a free makeover with the hopes of increasing the value for their property.  I guess the only ones that know for sure are the owners.

UPDATE - Portu Greek is now closed.  In November, 2017, they posted on Facebook, "To all of our Portu-Greek Family and Friends. Let me be perfectly on POINT. I have been asked this many times now and I want to make it clear, OUR FAMILY SOLD THE PORTU-GREEK LOCATION ALONG WITH THE EQUIPMENT. While doing this, a lease was signed for one year and the NEW OWNER had requested to take over our phone number and menu. We agreed and a month or two later they decided, due to a leak in the roof she would use this as an excuse and move all the equipment and take many items not hers to a new location. I have heard she is saying we are still involved, which is not TRUE. I have been privately messaged and as I have suggested to all others, please make all your comments on, THEIR FACEBOOK, TRIP AD VISOR, YELP, ETC. I can't fix this problem and I am very sorry it turned out this way. We would like to thank all of our Friends and Family we gained over our ten years of service and only hope you find what you are looking for in your dining experience. Sorry for the late response as I do not follow the Portu-Greek Face Book page as often as maybe I should."


*Visit Our Restaurant Impossible Update Page to see all Restaurant Impossible updates, and which restaurants are open, closed, or have been sold. Also Like Us on Facebook and Follow Us on Twitter 

31 comments:

  1. There is no way that $10k makeover is going to net them an extra $175k and it's doubtful that land values have improved that much in the same time period either. So either they did some extra renovation after RI left, or they're freaking insane.

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  2. Or it was underpriced previously.

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  3. What a sad, sleazy stunt.

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  4. Robert changed the wood from bitter hard oak to a sweeter softer cherry. I agree I personally like hickory being from the hills of East Tennessee. However, hickory was not mentioned in the episode. If you do want real, aged-hickory smoked BBQ, then you definitely need to Ridgewood BBQ in Bluff City, TN. It is upper East part of the state in the Tri-Cities area approximately 90mi.east of Knoxville about 20-25mi. from both the VA.& NC borders. They have been smoking meat there for 50 years and was just voted best BBQ in the of Tennesee!! Think about it..this little roadside mom &pop restaurant beat out all of Memphis, one of kings cities of BBQ cookers in the country. Not to mention the rest of state like Nashville,etc.etc..
    hickorysmoked BBQ. Not to mention numerous other g-

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  5. Maybe, except it didn't sell then either. Properties that are underpriced tend to go rather quick unless there was something wrong enough to scare away buyers.

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  6. The only thing I can think of is maybe the first price wasn't for all of the units? I would think you would need a different MLS# if the property changed though.

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  7. Horrible. This really pisses me off. However, if FN did its research, they would have seen it's been on the market. Makes me think they really don't care anymore?

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  8. What I love, Matt, is that you had to add that informatiion to the FN site, because there was no way they were going to admit that they got skunked.

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  9. That really ticks me off too! I really liked these people! The wife is the only person I can remember who not only thanked Robert for the make-over, but said that what he did besides was even better. She seemed so genuine! What a spoof.. trying to sell and then upping their prices. Shame on them.

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  10. I think so....it doesn't seem to be anything else.

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  11. This place has such a dumb name. I can't believe it wasn't changed. And the second he talked about the real estate being owned I had a feeling the owners would sell as soon as they got a free renovation.

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  12. Jesus, Paula. Take a hint and go the fuck away. Most of your fans don't even own a computer, much less know how to turn one on.

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  13. Sorry you had such a struggle with the business. Best of luck in the future!

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  14. I agree. I really liked these people, especially their kids and the wife. It seems now that they did this just so they could sell the property. That might be why they worked so hard at being friendly. They KNEW FN was going to be a win-win for them. I always wonder why FN doesn't include a clause that says if the property sells within x number of weeks, months, whatever, you owe us the $10,000 plus for our time and effort.

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  15. I wouldn't pay for this concept no matter which chef was doing it, much less Paula Deen.

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  16. Great comment! *laughing*

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  17. With all her money she should retire and enjoy being a grandma.

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  18. Donna Gettings AppersonJune 14, 2014 at 1:17 PM

    I can't imagine paying for this. Good luck to her, but my wager is on a slim to none audience.

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  19. Interestingly enough, the name of this place made me think of the Portu-Grill, which was featured on Restaurant Takeover. In spite of its name, none of the food was grilled, and many of the dishes had nothing to do with Portuguese cuisine. The owner kept the redesign but fought the menu changes all the way and ultimately restored his original menu and ditched the new dishes.

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  20. I too am getting tired of FN. I used to have it on all the time. I have jumped ship to HGTV and have become very selective as to FN viewing.

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  21. It's not just the money spent on items but the hours of man-power and the skill they have. They have a whole team working on it.

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  22. Oh please, as if this is the only restaurant sold?

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  23. The vast majority are volunteers so the overall skill set isn't that high. And I remember one RI renovation where the painted tables were already showing wear aftrr a few months.

    Generally speaking, the quality of the renos these shows provide aren't the best nor do the ones on this show ever look expensive. You may squeeze a bit more than 10k out of it, but certainly not $175k.

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  24. Shame on that malaka for using the show to get a free makeover just so he can have better luck selling it.

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  25. Hope the future is fantastic for your family...first time I went in pre Irvine Bill greeted me like he known me all his life..we did a shot of uzo...beautiful daughter turned the corner said....jeez dad ....generosity is doled out many ways...

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  26. Y'all can't be this stupid, can Y'all?

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  27. Sleazy? no, I don't think so... the actual value of a makeover has to include labor costs and materials im sure that that number is more like 30k when we consider designers contractors and such.. Additionally I am not sad nor am I hurt if the owners want to sell and enjoy their lives outside of a business that has taken eight years of their lives... good for them. RI isn't loosing money or credibility here trust me for the investment they make the network is thriving I do believe the intentions are good all the way around it is truly a win win !!!


    Matt thanks for keeping up this board really nice to be able tohave some follow up after the show!

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  28. "Sleazy" is subjective; opinions regarding morality tend to vary, especially if you're not talking about something like murder. In my opinion, what the owners do are sleazy. So we'll disagree there.

    But, of course, I agree with your last statement. Matt, thanks! :)

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  29. Reading some things on the internet suggest this place once again has new owners. Might need to update?

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  30. I was really rooting for Daniel to succeed, even though he was over his head since day one. But he started so far behind, I guess he has a lot of odds to overcome.


    I really don't like how dark they painted the interior. The place was already cave-like, with echoes and everything. Seems like it would be depressing to be working there for hours on end. Other than that, the wood all over the place is lovely. Advantage to working with a lumber mill owner.

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