"The Restaurant" Reality Show Season 1

[Jinmyo]

To shift topic slightly:

Hesser riffs on Rocco's.

Her theme is temperature:

In the middle of a busy night, Rocco DiSpirito, the chef at Rocco's, did his best to halt the stream of cold food coming from the kitchen, hollering at his team of cooks: "Guys, I'm sick and tired of people telling me the food's cold! Stop serving frozen pasta, and get the food up there hot!"

[Kerouac1964]

Thank you Tony...I needed that.

=R=

And don't forget to bitch-slap Rocco as you leave. He's gonna work poor Mamma into the hospital.

Edited August 21, 2003 by Kerouac1964 (log)

[tommy]

And don't forget to bitch-slap Rocco as you leave.  He's gonna work poor Mamma into the hospital. 

hasn't rocco suggested that mamma works when she wants to work, and he really can't stop her? i don't think he's got a whip to her back.

[Tim D]

Thank you Tony...I needed that.

=R=

We all did . . . Tony's like a breathe of fresh air . . .

[Ruth]

A number of our great chefs have good business heads and know how to run a restaurant or even several. Rocco, unfortunately, is not one of them. Now he has made a fool of himself and it will be a long time, if ever, before he retrieves his old reputation as one of the most innovative and talented chefs in the country.

[2shoes]

Insert here something about selling one's soul to the devil. Unfortunately he has recieved fame without the respect of his peers....

[tootallfortoques]

Now he has made a fool of himself and it will be a long time, if ever, before he retrieves his old reputation as one of the most innovative and talented chefs in the country.

If that's what he wants.

If he wants to be rich and (in)famous, with his face plastered on magazine covers, he's doing everything right.

[tkserino]

It really is a train wreck of a business in my opinion. It just doesn't seem to fit because, as Bux indicates, Rocco obviously had his shit together or he wouldn't be where he is today. How could someone who got it so right before get it so wrong this time around? Do most successful people in the restaurant business have a few spectacular failures and Rocco's happens to be on camera?

For more dirt on Jeffrey Chodorow, follow the link to a short article written by a disgruntled employee:

http://www.corporatemofo.com/stories/03081...7resturaunt.htm

[Jason Perlow]

New peice on The Restaurant on MSNBC:

http://www.msnbc.com/news/954983.asp?0ql=c7p

[2shoes]

Thank you tkserino. I enjoyed that.

"If there were a Heisman Trophy for the Emotionally Stunted, he (rocco) would have been a four-time Varsity Contender. " was my favorite.

[Jim Dixon]

you do not want Tony's foot up your ass. 

are you speaking from personal experience here, Jason?

Jim

[I. Reilly]

Thank you Tony...I needed that.

=R=

We all did . . . Tony's like a breathe of fresh air . . .

Maybe, but Tony's breath is heavy with stale beer and raw meat.

[DPadrona]

If indeed the joint was not paying their cooks anywhere near on time there can be only one explanation: good "drama".  And it's unforgivable. Real people who have to pay real rent to real fucking landlords take it in the twins to make it more exciting for the principals? Shameful if true.

My hard and fast rule as a line cook--and for line cooks:

Cooks show up five or six shifts a week on time--and give it their best. In return, the house, ONCE A WEEK (or as agreed) pays the agreed upon amount. ON FUCKING TIME. Cooks are not lenders, nor investors--nor stupid enough to operate a business where they can't pay their help. They should get paid--and don't give me any of that wait-until-the-banks-close-on-Friday-so-I get to kite checks for the weekend shit either.  You're late with my money? Fine. Just know that the next time, I won't complain, I won't ask, I won;t beg--I'll simply take off my apron and leave. And if you are Jeffrey fucking Chodorow and are drowning in cash and own half the restaurants in the Western world and you're late with my money? You are getting my foot solidly up your ass.

Right on...

[herbacidal]

I am so appalled.  I would never step foot in that place under any circumstances.  Boycott!

i would. i'd angle for a seat at the bar where i could watch the dining room and have a few drinks.

chaos is fun, and educational.

don't know the layout though, so not sure if this is possible.

[WHT]

Egad, do you really want me to bore you with the details of the HIPAA Privacy Rules that govern patient privacy???  This is some of what I do for a living!!! 

I have been trying to find a link to post showing the whole HIPAA. Some of it seems to go off the deep end.

[WHT]

Well, we thought it was pretty shafty to not be paid for working and holding up our end of the employer\employee agreement. 

I am surprised that people did not file complaints with the Labor Board. Unless there was something in the contract for the show forbidding it. His whole tirade at the end was unprofessional and pathetic.

[ronnie_suburban]

New peice on The Restaurant on MSNBC:

http://www.msnbc.com/news/954983.asp?0ql=c7p

Very interesting article...especially given the fact that it appeared on a web site that's essentially NBC.

=R=

[DPadrona]

Well, we thought it was pretty shafty to not be paid for working and holding up our end of the employer\employee agreement.

I am surprised that people did not file complaints with the Labor Board. Unless there was something in the contract for the show forbidding it. His whole tirade at the end was unprofessional and pathetic.

Frankly, I wouldn't have known where to begin filing a complaint, and waS So intimidated and exhauSted by the whole thing that all I knew waS nobody even had the caSh to get to work. (Thank God for family meal!)

The only thing we Signed for the Show waS a releaSe to uSe our imageS that they quickly whiSked away from uS before the ink waS dry. Savvy, we were not.

We were completely taken off guard by the tirade at the end. For the firSt time, we had juSt Sat with Rocco for a lucid converSation and were floored at the Mama crying Speech. Recognizing it aS yet another manipulation for the cameraS,we didn't anSwer hiS accuSationS with any further drama for NBC, we juSt took our kniveS and left .

In retroSpect, it might have been better for uS to defend ourSelveS at that point, but NBC probably wouldn't have aired it anyway.

[tootallfortoques]

Frankly, I wouldn't have known where to begin filing a complaint, and waS So intimidated and exhauSted by the whole thing that all I knew waS nobody even had the caSh to get to work. (Thank God for family meal!)

The only thing we Signed for the Show waS a releaSe to uSe our imageS that they quickly whiSked away from uS before the ink waS dry.  Savvy, we were not.

We were completely taken off guard by the tirade at the end.  For the firSt time, we had juSt Sat with Rocco for a lucid converSation and were floored at the Mama crying Speech. Recognizing it aS yet another manipulation for the cameraS,we didn't anSwer hiS accuSationS with any further drama for NBC, we juSt took our kniveS and left .

In retroSpect, it might have been better for uS to defend ourSelveS at that point, but NBC probably wouldn't have aired it anyway.

Is your "s" key tied to your Shift key? Or is this some post-traumatic, Rocco's StreSS induced thing?

I'm glad you didn't go down the whole "Mama cried" road that those manipulative bastards were so trying to lead you down.

[DPadrona]

LOL!! Actually, my dog (unbelievably enough, named Rocco), knocked a key off of my keyboard, but I just cut and pasted another one onto my clipboard, so it is remedied!

[WHT]

I'm glad you didn't go down the whole "Mama cried" road that those manipulative bastards were so trying to lead you down.

Mama is a big girl. If she can’t take the heat or stress she should leave. So Guidoesq in his “made mama cry.” Speech. He is the one that should be ashamed, as he is the exploiter. Not only of his staff and himself but Dear ol’ Mama.

I would start with the state and see what they can do. I seem to remember they have laws as to how long it can take to get paid. 14 days if weekly, etc. Federal wage and hour if there is overtime pay involved. It could put a big dent in his ability to remain open. Fines for violations can be steep.

I hope all works out for you.

[Rachel Perlow]

Listening to the radio in the car today, I heard (yet another) ad for Amex Open/Rocco's. It concluded by asking other small business owners for feedback on OpenRocco.XXXX, where Rocco is posting a weekly journal. I posted a question asking about their payroll issues (doubt it will be approved). But at least we know why Rocco hasn't shown up here (besides the obvious).

[jhlurie]

Good lord Rachel, that site is hilarious.

For example, Rocco sez:

First off, I want to thank everyone who responded to my “performance” in last week’s show. I’d really like to post all of your spirited responses, but this is a family site. I mean, come on, folks, you’re watching a TV show and there’s TV reality and then there’s real life reality.

Way to make friends, Roc!

[bourdain]

Allow me to congratulate corporatemofo author (the link Jason posted) on a truly wonderful-and frighteningly well-written account. You want to know what the NYC restaurant world can TRULY be? Check it out. The real thing--shockingly, scathingly and fearlessly portrayed. Beautiful.

[JesseNYC]

Just saw an article in the New York Post today. Apparently NBC has already made an offer to Rocco to do another season with a new restaurant.

Good Lord.