In this Restaurant Impossible episode, Robert Irvine visits Mamma Lucrezia's Restaurant in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania.
Mamma Lucrezia's Restaurant is owned by sisters Maria and Stefanie Albegiani.
Most of their family have owned restaurants.
Around 10 years ago, they opened their own restaurant in memory of their mother.
Their mother passed away when they were young.
Maria is a workaholic and spends around 90 hours per week in the restaurant.
Stefanie is not the same way and spends less time at the restaurant.
Their brother opened an Italian restaurant right across the street from them.
They don’t have the best relationship with their brother.
Maria says that this is their brother’s way of hurting them by competing with them.
Maria says she can’t catch up and that there is no one on her side.
Maria says that her mom would be disappointed in her if she quit.
The sisters aren’t sure if Robert can fix their restaurant.
Robert arrives at the restaurant and thinks that it is in desperate need of a remodel.
Maria says they are behind on taxes and that she doesn’t get paid.
She’s not sure how much they are losing a month.
Maria says she is sick of working all of the time.
They were partners but Stefania didn’t want to do it anymore.
Stefania didn’t like how she felt like Maria was her boss and not her partner.
Maria says that her sister ending the partnership has hurt the business.
She explains to Robert how her brother is affecting their business as well.
Stefania says that sometimes she doesn’t need a mother figure but she needs her sister.
The customers say that the curtains and the floors look a little dingy.
Maria and Brooks, a cook make the dough for the pizza.
They cook the food faster than the servers can bring it to the customers.
The customers seem to really enjoy the food and service.
Robert is confused because they seem to have their things together, yet they are still failing.
He gets more information from the customers about their brother.
Robert decides he wants to go meet their brother.
Mike shuts down the things that the sisters say about him.
He admits that the relationship with his sisters is very bad and agrees to meet with them to discuss their issues.
Robert tells Maria and Stefania what Mike had said.
Robert sits with Maria.
Robert tells her if he can’t figure out what is really going on, then he can’t fix this.
Maria tells Robert that you don’t do this to family.
Robert tells her he thinks that she can put this all behind her and move on.
He tries a handful of the menu items.
Robert tells Maria that this is one of the best pizzas he’s ever had.
He says that the food is not the problem here.
Robert meets with his design expert Cheryl to discuss ideas for transforming the restaurant.
Robert brings in the staff to empty the furniture out of the restaurant so the design team can get to work.
Shawnee says she is Maria’s partner and wants to speak to Robert about it.
Cheryl says she wants to give this restaurant a modern spin.
Robert takes a picture of Maria and Stefania and says that this is a new beginning.
Maria tells Robert that Shawnee and Stefania hate each other.
Shawnee says that Maria should have a life separate from her sister.
Robert calls Maria to join them in this discussion.
He tells Maria that she needs to tell them if they don’t want them working here.
Shawnee says that Stefanie is codependent on Maria and that it is toxic.
Stefanie says that she wants to be Maria’s right-hand-man.
She also says that if Shawnee becomes a partner, she might leave.
She says that she feels like she is being pushed away from their mother’s restaurant.
The next day, Robert wants to focus on the issues in the family.
Robert meets with the sisters one more time.
Maria says she doesn’t want to choose between her partner and her sister.
Maria says that she is willing to give Stefanie responsibility but she has to earn it.
Stefania tells Shawnee that she wants to take the time to fix this between the three of them.
The three of them hug.
Robert checks in with the design team to check on their progress.
There were a lot of issues with the floor but they are heading in the right direction.
Robert takes the three girls out to abseil down a building as a team building exercise.
The sisters say they had fun doing this together and Robert thinks they had a breakthrough.
As they return, Cheryl is putting finishing touches on the light fixtures.
Robert meets with the sisters to show them a few things they could do to spice up their menu.
Robert wants to try to end the fight between the sisters and their brother.
Mike says he hopes he can put this nastiness behind them.
Maria doesn’t seem to be able to look her brother in the eye but tells him good luck with this restaurant.
Robert tells Mike he can’t call customers to his restaurant like that anymore.
They both say good luck with each other’s business.
Maria says that this is the first time in four or five years that she’s talked to her brother Mike.
Maria says that nothing Mike says or does will bother her anymore.
The construction crew make finishing touches on the remodel of the restaurant.
Robert brings the sisters and Shawnee to see their new restaurant.
Stefania says that if Robert hadn’t come, she wouldn’t know where her life would go.
They seem to really love their new restaurant and Maria starts to cry a little bit.
Maria tells Robert that she is so thankful for what Robert did for them.
She thought that she would lose one of them or both of them if Robert didn’t help them.
The three of them hug Cheryl.
Maria tells Stefania and Shawnee that she loves them both so much.
They open up the restaurant for the first time since remodel.
On relaunch, the customers seem to love all of the changes to the decor.
The sisters are working in the kitchen well together and the food is going out quickly.
The customers are really enjoying the food and say that they will be coming back.
One customer says that the restaurant isn’t like the other pizza places in Bellefonte.
What Happened Next at Mamma Lucrezia's Restaurant?
A few months later, business had doubled at the restaurant.
The customers love the new food and the new decor of the restaurant.
Both sisters are still working at the restaurant.
Stephanie is working in the kitchen and Maria oversees the restaurant.
They are grateful for Roberts help at the restaurant.
Mamma Lucrezia's is open.
Reviews are mostly positive with praise for the food especially the crab and shrimp alfredo.
Mamma Lucrezia's Restaurant was Restaurant Impossible season 9 episode 10 and aired on 24th September 2014.
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