In this Restaurant Impossible episode, Robert Irvine visits Loyd Have Mercy in Titusville, Florida.
Loyd Have Mercy is owned by Andrew.
His main passion is being a pastor.
Andrew says that everyone always said they loved his cooking.
He loves seeing people eat and this is why he opened the restaurant.
His mom, sister, and wife Mary all work at the restaurant.
Mary is a server.
Andrew says things were going well.
He hired a general manager so he could focus on church and things started to decline.
Andrew came back but the damage was already done.
He invested over $200,000 of his life saving into the restaurant.
Mary says that the stress of this business has really taken a toll on Andrew.
Robert arrives and thinks that the restaurant looks very small.
There are multiple leaks in the ceiling.
Robert calls Mary and Andrew to the front of the house.
Andrew’s love of food came from the amount of time he spent with his grandmother in the kitchen.
There are five members of staff.
They spend $2,500 on food every week and take $6,000 a month on food sales.
They are losing $4,000 a month when all costs are taken into account.
Robert says that Andrew should fire himself right now.
He asks how Andrew makes money and he explains that he is a pastor.
Mary looks after the administration for the church.
Robert says he wants to see a service.
They don’t have any pulled pork and they only had one order of oxtail.
They seem to be out of a lot of food items tonight.
Robert can see that the front of the house isn’t working.
There is not much going on in the kitchen either.
Robert says there is zero energy in the restaurant.
Customers are left waiting a very long time for their food.
Robert says it’s unbelievable.
He’s been watching the service for an hour and many people are waiting for their food.
He says Andrew seems to be sleepwalking through making the food.
Robert says Andrew needs a wakeup call.
They begin arguing in the kitchen as the staff grow frustrated over the waits.
Andrew says he has an anger problem and he doesn’t want to do that here.
Robert says he cannot keep running the restaurant this way.
He says if he keeps things this way then he doesn’t want him to run it.
Robert is glad he finally got some emotion out of Andrew.
Robert stops the cameras.
Andrew doesn’t know where his passion for this restaurant has gone.
He says he thought he completely lost his passion.
Now he realizes that it’s still there.
Robert tries a few of the items off the menu.
The meatloaf is moist and has flavor but Robert says he wishes it had texture.
The oxtail and collard greens have no flavor.
The mac and cheese is generic.
The chicken is beautifully moist, crispy and nicely salted.
The cornbread is excellent.
Robert gives his mixed feedback to Andrew.
He tells Andrew he needs to raise the prices as they are far too low.
Robert meets with this design team of Taniya and Tom.
Taniya says the restaurant looks like a Greek restaurant.
The staff and the volunteers begin taking everything out of the restaurant.
Andrew says the changes are necessary if the restaurant is going to survive.
Robert takes a look at the finances.
Andrew does the books but doesn’t know how much it costs to keep the place open.
He doesn’t know the costs of the insurance, electric or any bill.
Andrew has $20,000 on a credit card.
Mary says she already knew about that but Andrew looks surprised.
Robert wants Mary to write down all of the bills to find the break-even point.
That is her homework for that night.
The next day, Robert checks in with the design team.
Taniya wants to add a modern twist to the restaurant.
She also wants to bring the bar back to life.
They don’t really have a clear idea on what the concept will be.
Taniya tells Robert that they won’t let him down.
Robert says this isn’t enough to convince him but he’s going to trust them.
Robert meets with Mary and Andrew.
He gives Andrew homework that he must inspire his staff through a sermon.
The next day, Robert arrives and meets Andrew.
Andrew says things will be changing from today and presents his homework to his staff.
He apologizes to his wife and tells the staff that teamwork makes the dream work.
Taniya decided to go with a theme that resembles a grandma’s kitchen.
Robert meets with Andrew and Mary to discuss how their prices need to change.
He shows Andrew how the low prices don’t cover the cost of labor and materials.
They are losing money with each dish they serve.
It costs $593 just to open the restaurant before any food is served.
Andrew says that he and Mary will do this together and make this business successful.
Robert shows them better ways to make the recipes he tried earlier.
He also shows them some things he believes would sell well in the restaurant.
They begin making finishing touches to the restaurant.
They are cleaning the floors and tables are being set.
Robert is very excited to show Andrew and Mary their new restaurant.
Andrew says the last two days have been a rude awakening for him.
His ego was so big that he was missing the help that he needed.
Now, he feels like a changed man.
Mary can see a big change in her husband.
It was very frustrating for her that he wouldn’t let her in on the finances.
When they come together, they make a really good team.
Robert takes Mary and Andrew into their new restaurant.
They are amazed by how beautiful their restaurant is.
Andrew and Mary invite the customers inside.
On relaunch, the customers love how the restaurant looks now.
Some say that it feels like home.
The food is coming out fast and it looks much better.
The customers love the food and promise to return to the restaurant.
What Happened Next at Loyd Have Mercy?
Two months later, sales were up 60%.
Andrew never ran out of food and he was able to hire extra staff.
Due to the pandemic, the restaurant was only able to open for takeout.
They are determined to keep the business open.
Loyd Have Mercy 2020 Revisited episode
In 2020, Robert Irvine revisited Loyd Have Mercy.
He visited owners Mary and Andy back in 2019 for season 16.
They were 30-40% up but due to COVID-19, they are back where they started.
Mary says they were paying off bills but five weeks later COVID hit.
Andrew says it was devastating and scary.
Robert arrives and says he doesn’t know what they are going to find inside.
There is nothing on the floor or tables about social distancing.
Robert says he doesn’t feel comfortable in the restaurant.
They didn’t change anything after Robert left and their revenue went up 75%.
Andrew says that he was devastated when COVID hit.
They had to lay off the staff and can only fill 50% capacity.
They do take-out but lost 75% of their revenue.
Robert tells them that they don’t do enough to make people feel safe.
Mary asks how they can get the staff to listen.
Robert says to tell them three times and if they still don’t listen, fire them.
Robert says there is a problem here and the owners are the problem.
Robert wants to try the to-go menu and sets a timer for twenty minutes.
The fish is overcooked and cold as the food doesn’t travel well.
Robert says there is a lot to fix.
Robert meets with Andrew to discuss how he needs to hold the staff accountable.
Robert will now work on COVID protocols.
He shows the staff how the way they run things isn’t safe for customers during the pandemic.
Andrew realizes he will not have a successful business if he can’t lead his staff properly.
He says that it’s been eye opening for him.
Andrew says he is thankful for Robert’s help.
He thanks the staff for being a part of this wonderful team.
Robert says Andrew is ready to put this restaurant back on track.
Robert shows Andrew foods he believes should be on the to-go menu.
The food needs to travel well.
Robert is going to redo the pork chop dish with short rib.
He will set another timer for 20 minutes to see if it travels well.
Andrew says the food is amazing.
The text message system is working and the customers love the to-go food.
Robert wishes them all the luck in the world.
Seating capacity is still at 50% but revenue is up 65% from before Robert’s latest visit.
Loyd Have Mercy is open.
Reviews are mostly positive with some diners wanting the return of the old menu.
Most are loving the new menu and new decor.
Loyd Have Mercy was Restaurant Impossible season 16 episode 13 and aired on 14th May 2020.
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