"The Restaurant" Reality Show Season 1

[tommy]

Banzai was *very* entertaining. i wonder if it will get old fast though. i think i need to log on and play along next time.

[Lreda]

I don't know. Next weeks race between the artifical leg & arm seems entertaining.

I'll take the arm for a buck.

[Jason Perlow]

Lreda: lets keep this on one topic, thanks, I already had to merge a half a dozen of these to date.

[jhlurie]

Poor Rocco. He was ashamed of being Italian.

No, not poor Rocco. He inked a big TV deal on it.

Why does he have a dopey red and blue cap with a big "G" on it?

Edited July 21, 2003 by jhlurie (log)

[guajolote]

I'll write more later, but first I have to take my Mitsubishi to the strore to buy some Coors Light with my Amex .

I would have chosen the "QUEEN" belt buckle.

[Holly Moore]

"The Restaurant" rocks. Great show so far.

Wish they had spent another episode or two on getting open.

My issue with Rocco is that he let himself be pressured into opening a multi-million dollar restaurant before he was ready. They need at least a week after the construction types depart. Penny foolish.

[goyatofu]

I think the song with women singing "Rocco cook my food" (or something like that...) was over the top cheesy!!

Anyone else think that Mark Burnett was in Canada and watched some episode of "Opening Soon" and just decided to copy the idea?

[tommy]

I'll write more later, but first I have to take my Mitsubishi to the strore to buy some Coors Light with my Amex .

it's worse than i had expected. towards the end, when he's talking to that woman about finances, he's like "Call amex, they have Open, it'll be fine". c'mon.

and, who drinks regular coors anyway. jeesh.

and the freakin "open" sign on the restaurant is an Amex ad. i suppose some places do that, but i haven't noticed one yet.

but, i loved the Pink Panther theme every time the building owner came around. couldn't help but chuckle.

Edited July 21, 2003 by tommy (log)

[Jason Perlow]

Man what a mess.

Did anyone else get extremely nauseated when that loser drank an entire pitcher full of wine spit? Augghhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

[zilla369]

As entertainment, i really enjoyed it. Can't say for sure i'd want to work there, though. The tension was making me crazy just sitting on my sofa watching it.

Must be nice to be able to afford such a huge staff, though. 100 people? My god.

[ErinB]

Overall, good show. Product placements: really annoying ... but i guess i should start getting used to them. But, seriously, did anyone count how many times Coors was mentioned or shown?

Also, i'm pretty sure Rocco was forced to stick to the deadline, to heighten the drama of the show. The NYTimes article mentioned that normally a restaurant opening can be and is delayed ...

And - yes -- the pink panther music was hilarious ... hehehe. Are all landlords in NYC that serious? He was seriously out of control. What does he expect? He has a restaurant that's being filmed on TV. I'm surprised he allowed it in the first place. OH - that's right, he probably needs the rent money.

Zilla: they had to hire 100 people to make up for the large amount of incompetent people that they've hired.

Edited July 21, 2003 by ErinB (log)

[zilla369]

Zilla:  they had to hire 100 people to make up for the large amount of incompetent people that they've hired.

Heh. Yeah, i'm a little bit worried about samba-girl.

I liked the part where they fed the guy that waited in line overnight to apply.

[Bux]

and, who drinks regular coors anyway.  jeesh.

People who are paid to drink it? What do they call a TV program where everyone is paid to promote the sponsor? Does this qualify as an infomercial or commercial?

and the freakin "open" sign on the restaurant is an Amex ad.  i suppose some places do that, but i haven't noticed one yet.

Too often it struck me that the restaurant was there to sell a beer and a credit card. Curiously absent was any interest in the food to be served. I suppose it will come, but truthfully, Rocco driving around with one hand on the wheel and the other on his mobile phone left me wondering about the attitude towards safety in the kitchen. Oh yeah, there's the fire. I was thinking sanitary safety. I didn't think it was a flattering portrait. I thought Rocco came off better on the Today show.

[Jason Perlow]

The problem as I see it is that NBC and Rocco and his business partner have to balance what's good TV with what would be considered to be good business practices. It looks like they hired a lot of people based on their looks or their wacky personalities instead of people who are experienced in the restaurant biz. Probably the only people who know what the hell they are doing are the kitchen staff -- the front of the house looks like a freak show.

The other question I have is, how the hell did this place pass inspection (health, fire, electrical, you name it, insurance, etc) by New York City to be able to serve food to people? I realize this was a "soft" opening, but still?

[bloviatrix]

but, i loved the Pink Panther theme every time the building owner came around.  couldn't help but chuckle.

Did anyone else notice that on the day the restaurant was to open, as the building manager departed the premises he was carrying a what looked like a doggy-bag?

[Aurora]

Woo hoo to Matt the publicist for sticking to his guns and making Rocco stick with the program, get his a** over to the radio station and do the interview that Matt probably moved heaven and earth to arrange. Matt didn't cave, and he didn't kiss behind. My kinda PR guy. Rocco was stressed, but shame on him for not kissing Matt's feet for the Today Show appearance. That's a coup.

The money made from the product placement between American Express, Mitsubishi, and Coors would be more than enough to carry them if the opening of the restaurant was delayed a day or two.

Did they finally get their arugula?

[Special Ed]

I quite liked it. It's far better than ANYTHING on FoodTV.

The kitchen manager impressed me the most (especially after digging for rats).

[Sixpack4521]

What was up with the belt buckles and did you notice that they had one that said "Mama." I didn't care for the uniforms either.

[Jaymes]

For those of you wondering why Commune closed - was it just me or did anyone else hear the building manager say that the previous tenants wouldn't seal up the holes, or do anything else about the rat problem, and the rats and grease and odors and everything else were all creeping and seeping up into the rest of the building?

So he tossed them.

Too bad. Sure sounds like a place I'd like to eat in.

Edited July 21, 2003 by Jaymes (log)

[Mark Sommelier]

Curiously, I liked the first show. I actually wept when they played the Largo al Factotum from Rossini's "Il Barbiere di Sevilla" in the beginning with Rocco driving on the West Side Highway. I also wept during casting call segment. Been in the business for 35 years, couldn't help it. I've helped open several restaurants. Nothing sucks more.

[pjs]

Great Show!

For some unexplicable reason I had to go out and buy a case of Coor's Light at the conclusion of the show with my American Express Tin Card.

Since I had no intention of actually consuming the Coor's Light, I dropped the case off under the bridge where the homeless gather to overnight.

Only one can of the piss-water beer hit my car. I was getting away as fast as I could.

PJ

Edited July 21, 2003 by pjs (log)

[John W.]

I thought it was a piece of crap. Never in my limited experience of opening restaurants (4 in less than 2 years) have I seen construction happening 4 hours before you open. It is simply not allowed. Where is the health/fire inspections? That is a very traumatic experience, even with NBC/AMEX/Coors/Mitusbishi and whoever else backing you. For anyone who has suffered through an opening, and to watch that (oh, just put it on my amex), is a big slap in the face. The over the top commercialism and sensationalism (dig the changing room t+a scene) is just too much. Not enough 18 hour days and obvious alcohol abuse for me. Hope it makes for great viewing. Makes me want to rush out and open another one because it's sooooooooooo easy.

[tan319]

Overall, good show.  Product placements: really annoying ... but i guess i should start getting used to them.  But, seriously, did anyone count how many times Coors was mentioned or shown? 

Also, i'm pretty sure Rocco was forced to stick to the deadline, to heighten the drama of the show.  The NYTimes article mentioned that normally a restaurant opening can be and is delayed ...

And - yes -- the pink panther music was hilarious ... hehehe.  Are all landlords in NYC that serious?  He was seriously out of control.  What does he expect?  He has a restaurant that's being filmed on TV.  I'm surprised he allowed it in the first place.  OH - that's right, he probably needs the rent money.

Zilla:  they had to hire 100 people to make up for the large amount of incompetent people that they've hired.

And - yes -- the pink panther music was hilarious ... hehehe.  Are all landlords in NYC that serious?  He was seriously out of control.  What does he expect?  He has a restaurant that's being filmed on TV.  I'm surprised he allowed it in the first place.  OH - that's right, he probably needs the rent money.

That building is a serious pain in the ass. I looked at an apartment there once and that was even a hassle.

I wonder if the BM had anything to do with former tenents closing up shop?

Oh, there's a lot of noise hassle there too. I believe there used to be signs posted to keep it down when leaving in an former incarnation.

Dug the show, even if the good stuff,like chewing on peoples butts isn't coming till next week. Should be good.

Question: In one of the Amex spots, Rocco said he already has 2 restaurants.What's the other one besides UP and Roccos?

Edit: concerning rats. Many places there have tremendous problems with them The place I worked in spent 4 months trying everything to get rid of them, which cme about eventually. Sometimes you have to excavate around the building and put a plastic shield to encase the foundation to keep them out.

There were a few times when I saw something flash across the floor though!

Edited July 21, 2003 by tan319 (log)

[Jaymes]

That building is a serious pain in the ass. I looked at an apartment there once and that was even a hassle.

I wonder if the BM had anything to do with former tenents closing up shop?

Probably bad form to quote myself from earlier in this thread, but since it appears that you missed it:

  For those of you wondering why Commune closed - was it just me or did anyone else hear the building manager say that the previous tenants wouldn't seal up the holes, or do anything else about the rat problem, and the rats and grease and odors and everything else were all creeping and seeping up into the rest of the building?

So he tossed them.

Too bad. Sure sounds like a place I'd like to eat in.

Edited July 21, 2003 by Jaymes (log)

[tan319]

Sorry 'bout that.