Portu-Greek Cafe - Restaurant Impossible Update - Open or Closed?

In this Restaurant Impossible episode, Robert Irvine visits Portu-Greek Cafe in Hudson, Florida.

Portu-Greek Cafe is owned by Jordan and Anne Lindiakos.

The restaurant opened eight years ago with a fusion of Portuguese and Greek cuisine.

The took a huge risk in opening the restaurant.

Jordan decided to step away from the corporate world as he wanted a change and he had a passion for food and enjoyed cooking.

At first, the restaurant was open 7 days a week but as the business declined they reduced it to just four days.

If he loses the restaurant it will be devastating as he uses his mothers recipes.

Jordan’s father was proud of him when he opened the restaurant so he thinks if he fails he will be failing his father, who sadly passed a year after they opened.

Three of Jordan’s four children work at the restaurant.

As much as he loves his family, he finds working with them to be difficult.

They all have different ideas and no one can agree with each other.

His sons want to run the restaurant but Jordan doesn’t feel like they are ready to take over yet.

It was never part of Jordan’s plan for his wife Anne to be in the restaurant as she has a full time job.

She is supporting the restaurant with her wages from her full time job.

They have known each other since they were teenagers so Anne is used to his behaviour.

Jordan has put everything into the restaurant so he will be upset to give up and thinks they can turn it around.

Robert arrives at the restaurant and finds that it is a dark and bland space.

It was unexpected, it is dirty and there are old chairs in the dining room.

He asks the owners for a brief to find out more about the restaurant.

Jordan tells him that only three months after buying the restaurant, his Portuguese partner left.

Whenever he feels like giving up the thought of his parents are what pushes him to keep continuing.

Jordan and his wife Anne own the building so they aren’t having to pay an expensive rent.

The restaurant is currently losing $5000 each month.

Anne is a full time nurse and works in the restaurant when she is off duty.

Jordan admits that he is in full control of the restaurant and does not let her make any decisions.

Robert asks to see a service at the restaurant to see what the issues are at the restaurant.

It is clear from the comments from the customers that the food isn’t good.

The service is also poor and the customers aren’t happy.

The tension in the kitchen boils over and Jordan ends up kicking his son out of the kitchen.

Some customers have been waiting over an hour for their food to arrive.

Robert is not happy with the service and it is clear that the kitchen isn’t capable of putting out the food out quickly.

Robert asks to sample the food and he isn’t impressed with the items that he tries.

He speaks with Jordan about the quality of the food and gives his feedback on the dishes he tries.

Robert meets with his designer Lynn and they talk about the plans on how to transform the restaurant.

The design team have just 48 hours and $10,000 to transform the restaurant.

Robert calls Jordan to get the staff to help empty the restaurant ready for the design team to get to work.

Robert asks the family to have a final look at the restaurant and they get emotional at seeing it empty.

The design team get to work and Robert has a surprise for the family.

He takes them to a local beach to talk about the family dynamics.

The talk is very revealing and they realise that they don’t make long term decisions.

They try to fix issues as they arise but they have no long term plans for the future.

The family aren’t always successful at fixing issues and if they can’t they just move on and ignore the problems.

The same problems sometimes crop up time and time again and sometimes every day.

The exercise was an eye opener for the family as they weren’t aware that things are as bad as they are.

As it comes to the end of the day Robert wants Anne to do some homework for him.

He wants her to write down what she wants from Jordan at home and at the restaurant.

Jordan will be doing the same task for Anne and Robert wants him to write down how he wants to change the business.

Robert also wants Jordan to step away from the business for a week so that his children can run the restaurant in his absence.

The next day, Robert arrives and first he checks in with the design team.

He is impressed with what he has seen but encourages them to speed up in order to be finished for the relaunch.

Robert meets with Jordan and Anne to talk through their homework.

They talk through it and they rediscover their lost connection and promise to work in harmony with each other.

Robert goes into the kitchen and discovers that the kitchen isn’t set up correctly.

He has created a smaller menu for the kitchen to work with and all of the dishes are made from fresh and won’t be microwaved.

Robert takes the kitchen through two new dishes that are an improvement on what he tried the following day.

They tasted the food and loved it and they are more confident in the food for the relaunch.

Robert came up with an exercise for releasing the tension and resentment.

They will be smashing plates, when they break a plate they have to say something that they resent.

Robert reflects that he has seen a change in Jordan in the previous 48 hours.

The design team have finished in the restaurant and it is time to reveal the new restaurant to the family.

They are overwhelmed with the changes that the design team has made to the restaurant.

On relaunch, the waiting customers are let into the restaurant.

The customers love the changes to the decor and are impressed with the service.

The food is also a big hit with the customers and they promise to return to the restaurant.

What Happened Next at Portu-Greek Cafe?

After the relaunch, sales have doubled.

The customers love the new decor.

They have made further changes to the menu and are no longer using the microwaves.

The menu is now a mix of Roberts and their previous seafood dishes.

They have also sped up the food service times.

Portu-Greek Cafe closed in October 2017.

They closed after being taken over by new owners in July 2017.

The new owners kept the menu the same.

They were due to keep the lease for at least a year but closed due to a leak in the roof.

However, after a few months started operating another restaurant, taking the equipment with them.

Reviews were mixed after the show.

Portu-Greek Cafe was Restaurant Impossible season 8 episode 12 and aired on 11th June 2014.

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