In this Restaurant Impossible episode, Robert Irvine visits Pimanyoli's Sidewalk Cafe and Catering in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Pimanyoli's Sidewalk Cafe and Catering is owned by Yolanda.
The restaurant is mainly soul food and barbeque.
Her and her husband Pepper opened the restaurant in 2008 and an article was written about them.
They did really well with the publicity until Pepper got cancer in 2013 and passed away in 2014.
Yolanda did not come to work for almost half a year, leaving her staff to run things.
She came back as a very different person.
The business was not the same as before it took a dive.
They have tax debts, a loan of about $250,000 to pay back and the business is close to shutting.
Robert arrives and he is confused at the decor choice as it looks like clutter.
There are also two different names on the wall and the entrance mat.
Robert meets Yolanda and she tells him about her day job, her late husband and their business.
They used to make $42,000 a month but now only $2,600.
She breaks down in the middle talking about how she misses her husband and Robert consoles her.
He wants to see a service and customers are let in.
He notices Yolanda is too passive.
There are obvious product shortages so most items on the menu are not available.
There is a loud soda machine that the customers are interrupted by.
Robert follows Yolonda, who hides in the kitchen.
He inspects the kitchen and finds waste from vermin on the floors.
The staff keep a board of items to be replaced but Yolanda has missed the order for the week.
Robert gives Yolanda feedback and ends the service, sending the customers home.
Robert has problems ordering from the menu as some produce is not available.
He has a problem with all the food he was served except the tamales.
He gives the feedback on the food to Yolanda.
She tells Robert how the tamales recipe is her family’s recipe and a special her and her husband cooked.
He also finds out they are open daily from morning to 2pm only.
Taniya and Tom are brought in and they are also confused by name.
They hate the scribble wall and are shocked by the noisy soda machine interrupting them.
They all quickly empty out the space.
While the team are left to work Robert sits with Yolanda to find out why she is down, apart from her husband passing.
She reveals she was in an abusive marriage before Pepper.
Robert reminds her to be thankful for the 30 years she enjoyed with Pepper.
Robert meets with his team as he has news.
The space needs to be fumigated for the vermin but the exterminator can only come at 5am so it will eat into their work time.
They also commit to installing a new soda machine.
Robert meets with Yolanda and her sister, Wanda, to add some new tamale dishes to the menu.
He leaves Wanda with his chef so he can give Yolanda her assignment.
He wants her to write questions to Pepper so she can move past her grief and rediscover her strength.
The next day, she has written a full letter to Pepper and reads it out to Robert.
It is a beautiful letter and Robert advises her to keep the letter and reread it anytime she needs to draw strength.
Robert checks in on his team and the restaurant has been fumigated for 5 hours.
The space is in good condition with no dead roaches.
They still have a lot of work to do and get straight to it.
Robert goes through the numbers with Yolanda.
He coaches her on why her business’s limited hours are hurting her business.
She is losing money by letting the building stay empty instead of making money.
She resolves to open the restaurant longer, until 7pm.
Robert takes Yolanda and her chef through making some new dishes.
They make a bacon salad, a barbecue pastrami sandwich and Cajun pork fried rice.
Yolanda is happy, smiling and joking while tasting the food.
Wanda arrives with a tray of tamale dishes and they agree for it to be on the menu.
Yolanda also takes charge of her staff giving them a speech on how the business will be run moving forward.
They are all supportive and agree with her.
The team is pushing it in the space and close to the reopening time they have not even brought in the furnishings.
Finally, they finish and in the evening Yolanda is let in.
She cries even before she opens her eyes.
The restaurant is upscale and modern with muted tones and warmth.
The name of the restaurant is on a large neon sign hanging above the bar.
He shows her Pepper’s hat hanging in a place of pride and the new soda system.
She cries all through and is emotional saying she hopes customers do not write on her walls anymore.
On relaunch, she lets in the customers and Wanda is first to enter.
They are all pleasantly shocked saying they feel like they are in New York.
The staff work well taking orders, the kitchen works fast through all the tickets sending food out in time.
Yolanda is greeting customers and supporting her staff.
The customers love the food and promise to come back.
What Happened Next at Pimanyoli's Sidewalk Cafe and Catering?
Shortly after the show, the restaurant closed because of the rising costs and Yolanda’s debt.
She is optimistic she can use the skills Robert taught her in future.
She is focusing on rest for now.
Pimanyoli's Sidewalk Cafe and Catering is closed.
They closed in January 2023.
Owner Yolanda blamed a lack of customers following the pandemic and increasing costs.
Pimanyoli's Sidewalk Cafe and Catering is Restaurant Impossible season 22 episode 4 and aired on 19th January 2023.
Click for more Restaurant Impossible Restaurants
Next episode - Boil and Roux
Previous episode - Island Kine Grinds / Aloha Island Grille
No comments:
Post a Comment
Comments will be moderated prior to being published. Those with spam links, offensive language or of an offensive nature will not be published. All comments are the opinion of the commenter and do not represent the opinions of the website owner.