"The Restaurant" Reality Show Season 1

[hjshorter]

I was one of the actor/waiters that was hired, however I along with 95% of the rest of the staff is very expirenced. They did hire a few ditz's to spice but most of us have been waiting for years

Welcome to egullet, Zenial. Are the ditzes expected to do their share, or do the more experienced waitstaff have to pick up the slack?

[tommy]

But it wasn't a spit bucket there was a seprate bucket for spit he drank the pither of wine that was not tasted which probably didn't have taht much spit in it, but it was a shit load of wine.

zenial, that is some interesting insight and just a small example of how things aren't always as they appear on TV.

i for one am looking forward to more of your thoughts on the show, and the restaurant. welcome to egullet.

[Blondie]

Welcome to eGullet, zenial. Now please tell us more

I thought the show was very entertaining although I would have liked to see more on the transformation of the space. The staginess wasn't as distracting as I'd expected considering Mark Burnett (Survivor) produced the show.

[zilla369]

The impossible show we'd all like to see but never will:

"Getting a NY Liquor license in 6 weeks"

They didn't, exactly...

http://hospitality.careers.foodservice.com...cfm?passid=6796

[abbeynormal]

there was a seprate bucket for spit he drank the pither of wine that was not tasted which probably didn't have taht much spit in it

That's a little like saying it didn't have that much rat in it.

Cheers.

[Mark Sommelier]

I found these comments about Rocco's on Digital City:

http://aolsvc.kw.digitalcity.com/newyork/d...ype=userreviews

[Blondie]

I found these comments about Rocco's on Digital City:

http://aolsvc.kw.digitalcity.com/newyork/d...ype=userreviews

One of the reviewers, self-identified as a foodie, called the prices astronomical. I thought they seemed very reasonable.

[Jason Perlow]

I found these comments about Rocco's on Digital City:

http://aolsvc.kw.digitalcity.com/newyork/d...ype=userreviews

One of the reviewers, self-identified as a foodie, called the prices astronomical. I thought they seemed very reasonable.

twenty bucks for Chicken Parmagiana though? C'mon.

[Blondie]

twenty bucks for Chicken Parmagiana though? C'mon.

Considering most of my eating out is done in Manhattan or on the East End of Long Island, I don't think the prices are crazy.

[Jinmyo]

The prices seem fine to me. Charging a lot for warhorses like chicken p is always a good way to make up for food costs elsewhere, such as fresh fish for the crudo.

[Bothameboutasteak?]

Hey all....I am also on the TV show "The Restaurant"...as a line cook. Oh the things we can share with you all. To set a few things straight:

1. There is not a more shameless breed than the waitstaff hired at this place. "Oh!! The camera!! Me Me Me Me!!!! Guests are here? Whatever..."

2. Rocco Dispirito never once picked up a pan in the kitchen. Not one time. Not once. Opening night with the fire, NBC made sure he was filmed running around with the fire extinguisher. The man never cooked a goddamned thing.

3. The food blows. Tony walks around mashing plated dishes with a Peltex saying,"This is not a French restaurant". And the best cooks left because nobody was getting paid and the food sucked. Lots of Drama though, and like NBC told us.."The only real people are in the kitchen". No shit.

[GordonCooks]

Hey all....I am also on the TV show "The Restaurant"...as a line cook.  Oh the things we can share with you all.  To set a few things straight:

1.  There is not a more shameless breed than the waitstaff hired at this place. "Oh!!  The camera!! Me Me Me Me!!!! Guests are here? Whatever..."

2.  Rocco Dispirito never once picked up a pan in the kitchen.  Not one time.  Not once.  Opening night with the fire, NBC made sure he was filmed running around with the fire extinguisher.  The man never cooked a goddamned thing. 

3.  The food blows.  Tony walks around mashing plated dishes with a Peltex saying,"This is not a French restaurant".  And the best cooks left because nobody was getting paid and the food sucked.  Lots of Drama though, and like NBC told us.."The only real people are in the kitchen".  No shit.

You gotta be the guy who said he hated people in his interview - that has line cook all over it. I like your style

[malachi]

1.  There is not a more shameless breed than the waitstaff hired at this place. "Oh!!  The camera!! Me Me Me Me!!!! Guests are here? Whatever..."

And this is different from the norm how?

[MatthewB]

1.  There is not a more shameless breed than the waitstaff hired at this place. "Oh!!  The camera!! Me Me Me Me!!!! Guests are here? Whatever..."

And this is different from the norm how?

"Norm" as far as TV shows or restaurants?

[malachi]

Two comments:

1 - In terms of "reality" I suppose I would say it comes pretty close in that by the end of the show I'd rediscovered my hatred of both FOH staff and customers.

2 - It's clearly not a "eGullet" restaurant so I think kvetching about our usual topics is pointless. It would be like writing a review of Hard Rock or something. It's a huge theme restaurant geared at capturing a mass audience and churning out lowest common denominator food. That is not meant to reflect negatively on the Chef or anyone else -- it's a canny business move but we are simply not the target audience.

[Bothameboutasteak?]

Norm as far as restaurants I am sure....how many TV shows feature waiters? (Thank

God).

[malachi]

"Norm" as far as TV shows or restaurants?

"shameless"

"me me me"

"waitstaff"

the norm

[MatthewB]

Sounds like we should move to the FOH versus the BOH thread.

[Bothameboutasteak?]

No, I'll stay right here thanks. Jeez, are you a waiter? How come you're not on an audition?

[MatthewB]

Jeez, are you a waiter?

Not even close.

I'm assuming that your waitstaff is *worse* than most.

[MatthewB]

And, FWIW, I think the final two sentences of Grime's Sunday NYT article are spot on:

Viewers may think they're watching the painful birth of Rocco's on 22nd Street. The real story is Mr. DiSpirito's career.

[Bothameboutasteak?]

Glad to hear that Matthew.....our waitstaff was hired strictly on the basis of how much drama potential they could cough up. (spit up)...

Hopefully NBC will air how they had no idea what they were serving on a nightly basis...

and as far as the "experience" that was previously mentioned by someone else here, puhleeze. Come on now.

They bitched and moaned nonstop about their lack of tips when the cooks hadn't received a paycheck in 3 weeks.

[Jason Perlow]

Glad to hear that Matthew.....our waitstaff was hired strictly on the basis of how much drama potential they could cough up.  (spit up)...

Hopefully NBC will air how they had no idea what they were serving on a nightly basis...

and as far as the "experience" that was previously mentioned by someone else here, puhleeze.  Come on now.

They bitched and moaned nonstop about their lack of tips when the cooks hadn't received a paycheck in 3 weeks.

So after the filming finished, did the front of the house manager can all the waitstaff and find actual experienced people?

[Bothameboutasteak?]

Many FOH staff were fired. Furthermore, many left once "the cameras had left the building". There was also a dearth of diners once the show had wrapped. Of course now there will be an interest, but if this place isn't shuttered by December, I'll hang up my whites.

Rocco's has been averaging about 50 covers per night. Horrendous for such a huge restaurant with high overhead. (Food cost is nil though).

[Jason Perlow]

So why are you hanging around? Is it hard to get a decent job as a line cook in NYC now?