In this Restaurant Impossible episode, Robert Irvine visits the White Mountain Tavern in Lincoln New Hampshire.
White Mountain Tavern is owned by Melissa and David.
They are a couple.
David has worked in the restaurant business for a long time.
He had memories of being at the tavern when he was younger.
In 2020 he went on vacation and found the restaurant was closed.
He decided to purchase it to keep it open.
Melissa has an addiction in her past which saw her estranged from her family.
She has developed anger issues, which she displays in her relationship and the workplace.
All of this stresses David out.
He and his wife are equal partners running it together.
Their relationship is strained and the business is losing money.
Going into this Robert was warned not to work with the couple.
He arrives to see that the tavern is part of a ski resort.
Going in he is confused by the cavernous doorway.
The large room is looks tacky with incomplete construction.
The owner has no money to complete the space.
He meets with David and Melissa.
They explain their history with the business.
They used loans and credit card cash advances to get the business and keep it open.
They are in massive debt and are losing money.
They admit their fighting has chased away staff and customers.
Robert admits he has been working close by and the community warned him about the couple.
The couple feels a tale of the backlash of a negative post against them as addicts.
Their reputation has affected them personally and the business.
The service begins and chaos ensues with Melissa running around.
They don't have enough menus and Mellissa has to leave to photocopy menus.
She is overwhelmed and the service is in disarray.
The servers have a long process with Melissa doing multiple roles prolonging the process.
Guests are left sitting for over 30 mins before the first meal comes out.
When it eventually comes out it is the wrong order.
Melissa gets into a squabble with David when telling him of the mistake.
They don't have enough food to serve everyone.
The service is a disaster and Robert shuts down the service.
Melissa has to tell the customers that they have to leave.
Robert has David come out to join Melissa to apologize.
Melissa is embarrassed and leaves the restaurant.
Robert follows her to give her words of encouragement.
Robert orders from the menu but nothing is redeeming about it.
David says he was thrown into cooking after his chef quit and it's not his skillset.
Robert gets into their relationship.
He thinks it is toxic.
Melissa says it's David's drinking and he says it's her anger.
To get started Robert sends them away and meets with his design team.
They do not like anything except the chairs, which they want to keep.
They want to make the tavern look like a proper resort restaurant.
The community and crew empty the space quickly.
Robert sits with the couple once again.
He wants them to fix their relationship and communication as the problems in the business stem from there.
He can reach them and ask them to be more open and stop bottling things up.
David shows some emotion.
They have the assignment.
They write letters to each other to remind themselves why they fell in love with each other and what they hope to do to turn the business around.
They also need to think up ways to gain back the trust of the community.
They admit it will be an uphill task to gain back the locals trust.
Robert checks in on his team.
They tell him all the changes they are going to make to bring the mountain resort into the space.
They work hard all night.
The next morning, Robert checks in on the couple.
They admit it was hard work and they have completed their assignments.
The couple read their letters to each other and are emotional.
They tearfully show affection for each other.
They also highlight roles for each other in the restaurant so the process is better.
Robert advises David to get a chef as it would help the bottom line.
The design team has done well working through the night.
The space looks significantly better already.
Robert cooks three dishes for the couple that will be added to the menu.
They love the taste of the dishes.
Robert returns to his team and helps them finish up the renovations in time for the reopening.
The couple are taken through to the restaurant that is ambient and open with more seating.
They can't believe the changes and are moved by them.
They believe they can finally have a fresh start.
They let in the community.
On relaunch, the previous regulars love the ambience.
They order from the menu.
The real test is in the interaction between the couple, which has significantly improved.
Without loud shouting matches the ambience of the restaurant is maintained and the customers enjoy their evening.
What Happened Next at White Mountain Tavern?
White Mountain Tavern is open.
Reviews are positive.
White Mountain Tavern is Restaurant Impossible season 22 episode 14 and aired on 30th March 2023.
Click for more Restaurant Impossible Restaurants
Next episode - Dutch Treat
Previous episode - The Balanced Chef
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