Restaurant: Impossible

Expat Lee has lost all hope and is on the brink of losing his restaurant, From Across the Pond, in Colleyville, Texas. In a very personal two-day transformation, Robert Irvine tries to help his fellow countryman realize he's capable of turning around his 15-year-long failure.

Chef Robert Irvine travels to Joshua, Texas, to save a failing Tex-Mex restaurant. Fun Time Cafe owners Carmen and Wayne are serving subpar food, and the environment in the restaurant is toxic. To top it off, Carmen and Wayne's relationship is in dire straits, too, so Robert has his hands full cleaning up this Tex-Mex mess and helping turn things around.

Chef Robert Irvine rolls into Colorado Springs, Colo., where the chef and owner of Momma Pearl's Cajun Kitchen is on the verge of losing his wife and his business if he can't shed his arrogant alter ego. His over-the-top persona in the kitchen has alienated family and staff and threatens to derail Robert's efforts to help him. Robert has to find the real person hidden beneath the surface if he has any chance of saving this failing business and crumbling marriage.

Robert Irvine heads to the Jalisco Cafe in San Diego and tackles one of the filthiest kitchens of his career. The owner, Maria, has no idea how to run a restaurant and faces endless obstacles, including bad food, complacent staff and decades of grease buildup. With only 48 hours to turn the restaurant around and give Maria the tools to lead -- this challenge might actually be impossible.

At KC's BBQ in Berkeley, Calif., Patrick has fallen into a deep depression after leading his father's 50-year legacy restaurant to the brink of closure. Chef Robert Irvine must help Patrick regain his self-confidence, treat his daughter and co-owner Kirsten like a true partner and accept change in order to save their family restaurant and create his own legacy.

Chef Robert Irvine travels to Loveland, Colo., to revive a family-run Mexican restaurant. Owners Ritchie and his mother Alma haven't made a dime since they opened six years ago. Ritchie has been running virtual kitchens to make ends meet, but they are failing too. Robert has two days to turn this restaurant's virtual disaster into a successful business or risk…

Chef Robert Irvine finds The Breakfast Place in San Jose, Calif., uninspired, dirty and close to shutting the doors for good. Co-owners Cristina and Raquel, two Mexican immigrants who have paid their dues in the service industry for decades, are struggling with the realities of owning their own restaurant. They're burnt out and don't have the confidence to lead their staff. Can Robert save their friendship and their business before it's too late?

Chef Robert Irvine travels to San Diego to save Kaiserhof, a German restaurant that's stuck in the past. The owner and chef, Peter, is afraid to make changes for fear of disturbing his late father's original design and menu. Robert has to flex some serious muscle to drag Peter into the present and keep this restaurant from going under.

When Chef Robert Irvine pulls off the highway to visit Denos I-76, a diner in Keenesburg, Colo., he finds the owner, Darlene, abandoned by her employees and working herself into the ground. Robert must help her find staff and inspiration to turn this nondescript truck stop into a must-see destination.
 

At Rest Haven in Clarksdale, Miss., owner Paula rules her kitchen, but her unwillingness to change is destroying her father's Lebanese restaurant and her son's chance of inheriting it. Robert Irvine must teach Paula to trust her son and her staff in order to turn things around and save the business and their family's legacy.

Daniel, a former NASA physicist in Huntsville, Ala., thought he could wing it in the restaurant business. His soul food spot, Mizz Juju's, has opened and closed multiple times, never made money and has no equipment. After 10 years of failures, including a broken engagement and spending his parent's entire retirement savings, Daniel needs Chef Robert Irvine's help to save his business, rebuild his life and repay his parents.

In Hendersonville, N.C., Chef Robert Irvine meets Ray, an ex-con who has spent decades turning his life around for the sake of his son. But Ray's restaurant, Dreadlife Kitchen, hasn't been so lucky. Facing obstacles ranging from bad decor to no systems to no identity, Robert must help Ray find the courage to transform his business and build his brand to save his restaurant.

In Charlotte, N.C., the owner of 7th Restaurant and Lounge, Don, has beaten all odds since becoming paralyzed after being robbed at gunpoint. As the sole provider for his extended family, Don never asks for help and doesn't want to show any sign of weakness. If Chef Robert Irvine can't convince him that running a restaurant takes a village, Don and his family could lose everything.

In Charlotte, N.C., the owner of 7th Restaurant and Lounge, Don, has beaten all odds since becoming paralyzed after being robbed at gunpoint. As the sole provider for his extended family, Don never asks for help and doesn't want to show any sign of weakness. If Chef Robert Irvine can't convince him that running a restaurant takes a village, Don and his family could lose everything.

Chef Robert Irvine heads to Smith's Soul Food Bistro in Gastonia, N.C., where the owner, Cheryl, is an ex-basketball coach on a mission to help kids in her community find their purpose through working at her restaurant. Unfortunately, Cheryl has no idea how to run the place. She's hemorrhaging money, and Smith's is on the verge of closing. Robert must teach Cheryl to run her restaurant with the discipline she learned on the court or risk leaving a lot of kids out in the cold.

Best friends Renesha and Brandy have no idea how to run their restaurant, Moondoggy's Pizza in Brunswick, Ga., and it's on the brink of collapse. Renesha feels disrespected by the staff and customers while Brandy's failure to lead or communicate is sinking them deeper into debt. With their friendship and restaurant on the line, Robert Irvine must teach them the basics of running a business and how to build a better culture among their staff.           

In Stone Mountain, Ga., the failing Sweet Potato Cafe is destroying its owners' finances and their 25-year marriage. Karen feels burnout from carrying most of the responsibilities for the business while Darrell takes a back seat. Robert Irvine must convince Darrell to pull his weight in the cafe and help rekindle Karen's passion in the kitchen or else their business and their relationship may not survive.