Longbranch Steak and Seafood - Restaurant Impossible Update - Open or Closed?

In this Restaurant Impossible episode, Robert Irvine visits Longbranch Steak and Seafood in Fayetteville, Georgia.

Longbranch Steak and Seafood is owned by Lisa Howard and run with her husband Lindsay and daughter Lucy.

Lisa started working at the restaurant ten years ago as a waitress and a bartender.

She married Lindsay, the previous owner and he gave it to her as a wedding gift over two years ago.

Lindsay had to return to work at his manufacturing company.

He wanted to get rid of the restaurant when Lisa asked to be able to run it and see if she can make it a success.

She has no restaurant experience and Julie was annoyed when she told her that she would be taking over the restaurant.

Lucy thought that she would struggled to run the restaurant.

Longbranch Steakhouse was doing well when she first took over and it started slowing down a year and a half ago.

The restaurant is losing around $10,000 a month.

They have invested around $100,000 in the restaurant to try and keep it afloat but can’t afford to put any more money in.

The couple are both losing sleep over the restaurant and it is causing problems in their relationship.

Lisa doesn’t want to be a failure and wants to make the restaurant a success as she will lose everything if it fails.

Robert arrives and is not impressed with the warehouse decor with confusing licence plates on the wall.

He doesn't think it looks like a family run restaurant at all.

Robert calls the owners together for a brief and to discuss the issues at the restaurant.

He learns that Lisa doesn’t have any experience in the restaurant.

Lindsay says that they were making a profit of $2000 a month before he handed over the restaurant.

He tells Lindsay that he needs to remove the financial net and let Lisa take full responsibility for the restaurant.

Lisa admits that there is no control of the staff, her excuse being that they have bills to pay.

Lucy thinks communication is an issue and that no one will follow her.

She says that she also doesn't care either as it appears that her mother doesn't care.

She gets upset and asks her mom to get a backbone but she says she can't be mean and she is afraid she might make the staff quit.

Robert observes a dinner service and the customers are surprised by the old smell as it is a new building.

The food was terrible and many dishes were returned during the service including piles of incorrectly cooked steak.

The incorrectly dishes cost money to be refired and put right for the customers leading to lost profit.

One customer tells Robert that their cheesecake tastes sour.

This prompts Robert to go into the kitchen where he finds black grime over the equipment.

There is also a filthy ice machine with a cockroach stuck to an ice cube.

In the kitchen it is revealed that the ice machine hasn't been cleaned for a month.

Robert confronts the chefs about the poor food.

They lie to Robert about when a pot of chilli has cooked.

Robert discovers that nothing is dated in the kitchen and there is a bun with both freezer burn and mould.

The floor is soaking in water, all the way down the wood and is covered in mildew.

Lisa says that the kitchen staff won't clean and they say they don't have the time but Robert says the issue is poor management.

Robert finds cockroaches everywhere so a deep clean and an extermination crew is called in to get rid of them.

He is going to need to get a deep cleaning company and an exterminator in to deal with the issues.

Robert meets with Taniya who isn't impressed with the high decor or the $1300 cut to the budget due to getting rid of the cockroaches.

He asks the staff to move things out of the dining room so that the renovation team can get to work on the redesign.

Robert calls the staff together for a staff meeting to find out who isn’t pulling their weight.

The main names mentioned are Julie and Flip, who are named by multiple members of staff for being lazy, leaving early and being dirty.

They say that Lisa is compassionate and wants to please everyone so she lets people get away with things they shouldn’t.

Robert tells Lisa that she has to decide who stays and who goes overnight.

The next day, Robert arrives and checks in with the design team who tell him that the wallpaper is going up and there are now booths.

In the kitchen, the refrigerator has been cleaned and the floor has been fixed.

Lisa reveals that she has made a decision without Lindsay - the floor manager will be Julie and it is her last chance.

Michelle is now acting manager when Lisa is not in the restaurant and Rodney will be in charge of the kitchen.

Flip is very disappointed that he hasn't been promoted to kitchen manager but it is his chance to prove himself.

The kitchen is bright, clean, and ready for cooking the new menu.

Robert teaches the kitchen staff new dishes for the menu for relaunch, including a scallop dish and a tenderloin.

As the restaurant is close to opening the pergola is taking longer than normal for the design team to put in place.

As the new decor is revealed the family promise to support each other and make it a success.

For relaunch night, the staff are nervous but excited.

The customers love the new decor and the new menu.

The staff are much happier and the plates are coming back to the kitchen empty.

What Happened Next at Longbranch Steak and Seafood?

When Robert revisited, they had reintroduced some of the old favourites to please the regular customers.

They felt that the changes were a bit too dramatic for them.

Lisa had stepped up as manager and they had hired new staff.

Longbranch Steak and Seafood closed shortly after airing in August 2012.

There aren't many reviews of the restaurant after Robert's visit.

One review says they were only focusing on the regular customers.

Another review mentions issues with service as the staff adjust to the changes.

Longbranch Steak and Seafood was Restaurant Impossible season 4 episode 1 and aired on July 11 2012.

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