In this Restaurant Impossible episode, Robert Irvine visits Chez Olga in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Chez Olga is owned by Olga.
It is a Caribbean restaurant run by her and her daughter Dodlie.
They do not get along and there is a lot of tension from working together.
Robert arrives the restaurant and the outdoor looks like a set in a fantasy movie.
Inside, the restaurant looks worn out.
Robert meets with the mother and daughter.
Olga tells her story of how it was set up to honour her mother and heritage.
The restaurant has been open for 10 years.
Dodlie is the head chef and manager.
Neither of the two know what the business is making.
Dodlie is resentful for working in a role she had no experience in.
She feels like she lost a part of her life working at the restaurant.
They are both moved to tears by the conversation.
Robert ends the discussion so they can begin service.
He watches Dodlie heat premade items to be able to serve food quickly.
They are losing money buying premade food rather than making from fresh.
Service is also a problem as the service times are so high.
The customers are walking out without being served.
Robert sits down to try the food and thinks the food all tastes the same.
He says they can solve the problems with the food by cooking from fresh.
Tanya and Tom are brought in as the design team and they are puzzled by the exterior.
The floor is worn and there is a false ceiling over a tin ceiling that they want to expose.
The space is emptied out by the staff and volunteers.
Robert meets with staff and they say Olga does not allow them to do their jobs.
They think that she does not trust them to do their jobs.
Robert has advice for Olga and he is called aside by Dodlie who wants to sit with him alone.
She tells him she is done, the spark has gone and she feels she would be happier if she quits.
Robert tells her she should seriously think about it overnight and let him know the next day.
The team have started to work and the ceiling is giving them problems.
They are having to hide the wiring and patch things up.
There is also a water leak interrupting Tanya’s work.
By the time Robert comes in to inspect, some progress has been made.
The ceiling is almost complete and some of the painting has been completed.
The floor has not been started yet.
Robert meets with Olga to tell her Dodlie’s decision to potentially leave the business.
It is clear that she needs to work on her relationship with her daughter.
The next morning, Robert meets with the mother and daughter first to find out what Dodlie has decided.
Olga has decided to give Dodlie 50% of the business as equal partners.
Dodlie is happy to be recognised and decides to stay and work with her mother.
Robert shares roles between the two so they do not overlap and they can work together.
After this, he meets with his team and checks on their progress with the restaurant.
They have made progress with the floor, have completed the ceiling and are working on murals on the walls.
Robert teaches them about how they are losing money buying premade items over fresh items.
He takes them to their kitchen to demonstrate their new menu.
He makes some of the new dishes that they love when they taste them.
He also lets them know how much it cost and how much profit they can make by upselling.
By 5pm the team is still working and they are way behind schedule.
They are behind with painting and the floor is still not finished.
They have to bring in furniture as the areas are completed to speed it up.
The mother and daughter are taken into their new restaurant.
They see all the colour and warmth and are shocked beyond words at the changes.
There is a beautiful mural along one wall with a green ceiling and another mural of a truck.
This moves Olga to tears as her mother drove that kind of truck back home in the Caribbean.
Both Dodlie and Olga invite in the customers and they love the changes and the vibrant colours.
On relaunch, Olga is working in the front of house while Dodlie is at the back.
They work together seamlessly with good food going out that the customers love.
Dodlie and Olga both thank Robert for what he did for them.
What Happened Next at Chez Olga?
A few months later, it is revealed the restaurant is doing better.
Sales have increased and food costs have come down.
The mother and daughter relationship is getting much better.
Chez Olga is open.
There restaurant has very positive reviews.
Reviews prior to Robert's visit are also very positive.
They changed their opening hours and changed to reservations of parties of 4+ only at weekends to meet the demand.
This annoyed some of the regulars who would dine in smaller parties.
Chez Olga was Restaurant Impossible season 15 episode 5 and aired on 3rd August 2019.
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Next episode - Audia's Family Restaurant
Previous episode - McLanks Family Restaurant
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