Dutch Treat - Restaurant Impossible Update - Open or Closed?

In this Restaurant Impossible episode, Robert Irvine visits Dutch Treat in Franconia, New Hampshire.

Dutch Treat is owned by John and Jennifer.

They are a couple who have been running it since the 80s.

It was passed down from John’s family.

Jennifer met him whilst working for his parents at the restaurant.

John is owner and chef and does almost all of the roles.

Jennifer had to leave her career to help him.

Their marriage is strained as they spend too much time together.

John cannot afford to pay her.

Robert arrives and sees the place is old and outdated in furnishing and decor.

He calls the owners and sits with them.

They tell him their story of how long they have been at the restaurant.

They tell him that they did an all day service, 7 days a week until recently.

Robert asks for the PnLs and he sees a drop in revenue.

John explains that this was when they went to 4 days a week.

John says he is tired from working long hours.

Robert has heard enough and decides to see their service.

Robert sees customers seating themselves.

Jennifer quickly comes to help but he cautions her to not do anything she doesn't normally do.

It is obvious Jennifer has no clearly defined role and jumps in where she can.

There is an uneven distribution of tables to the servers with Diana getting 8 and the others getting 2 each.

This makes the service slow and disorganised with food going to the wrong tables or not coming out fast enough.

The kitchen is equally as disorganised with food kept improperly and random items in the open.

Robert calls John’s attention to the area which he calls the prepping area.

Robert finds Sarah and Ashley in another section of the restaurant doing nothing.

They say they were put in that area.

They both get upset when Robert talks to them and they leave.

Robert ends service and sits to order from the menu.

He gives feedback to John and Jennifer directly that the food is greasy, flavourless and generally made incorrectly.

Robert puts it on John about the behaviour of staff and how imbalanced the table allocation is.

Tom and Lynn are brought in as the Builder and designer and they see how outdated it all is agreeing with Robert.

They call in the community and crew to help empty the space.

John is happy to let it go for some change.

Robert feels John is still holding back and is determined to find out more.

Robert decides to give the couple and staff the feedback customers have about the business.

Most of the feedback was negative against Diana, Ashley, and Laurie.

The staff are the worst part of the business.

It is pointed out there is no front-of-house manager to control the staff and their interactions with customers.

Robert meets Tom and Lynn, who have started work and have ideas for the renovation.

They want it to make it look more like a ski lounge than a dive bar.

They want to bring in the outdoors with rustic elements.

Robert sits with the couple once again and he wants to get to the root of John’s defeated nature.

They have the assignment of John finding out what he wants and also to clean out his office.

They immediately get to work in the office.

They bicker because John doesn't want Jennifer’s help.

Robert overhears them and joins them.

John opens up a bit and admits he wants to do it all himself.

Getting his wife involved is a challenge for him as it might not be good for their marriage.

The day ends and Robert leaves him to it.

The next day, Robert checks in on John and his office is okay.

The couple sit with Robert and the talk of the previous night is brought up again.

Jennifer says she wants to help but it is okay if John does not want her in certain areas.

As for the assignment John says the restaurant is still his passion and he admits he wants help.

Jennifer is finally given a role to manage the front of the house.

Jennifer will be bringing in her leadership qualities from her former career to the role.

Robert checks on his design team and they have progressed.

They have got rid of the tartan on the floor and put it on the wall, which looks a lot better.

Light fixtures are being put up and murals are being painted.

Robert leaves them to work with John alone in the kitchen.

He asks him to prepare a Pesto dish in the hopes of reigniting his passion.

John has fun making it, and Robert and Jennifer enjoy the dish as well.

Robert takes Jennifer through the process of managing the front of house.

She addresses the staff to set expectations.

For the new menu, Robert demonstrates making a portobello parmesan sandwich, a puff pastry pizza and a Bison ragu.

The couple taste the dishes and love them with John feeling inspired.

By 4 pm the crew is running late and Robert has to step in to help.

They barely finish in time.

By nightfall, the couple along with staff and customers are gathered outside the restaurant.

Robert takes them in to see the newly renovated space.

It looks so different, it is open with more tables, bright and ambient while also upscale.

The only thing they did not change was the floors which they polished.

The customers are let in and the regulars love the new look.

On relaunch, orders come in quickly.

Jennifer steps into her role as manager of front of house managing the servers and customers.

On the back end, food is made quickly and received with great feedback.

John is less stressed and has time to greet some customers.

What Happened Next at Dutch Treat?

After the show, sales are up 66%.

Jennifer is still in her role and now takes home a weekly paycheck.

John’s passion for cooking is still going strong.

Dutch Treat is open.

Reviews are mostly positive with some compaints on the food.

Dutch Treat is Restaurant Impossible season 22 episode 15 and aired on 6th April 2023.

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