Restaurant Makeover

Restaurant Makeover
Format	Makeover, Food reality television series
Starring	Chefs: Brad Long Corbin Tomaszeski David Adjey Lynn Crawford Massimo Capra Michael Bonacini Rene Chauvin Susur Lee Designers: Cherie Nicole Stinson Glen Peloso Jessica Cotton Meredith Heron Robin De Groot Brenda Bent Cheryl Torrenueva Foreman: Igor Shamraychuk
Country of origin	Canada
No. of seasons	5
No. of episodes	68
Production
Running time	30 or 60 minutes (per episode)
Broadcast
Original channel	Food Network Canada HGTV Canada
Original run	October 2, 2005 – January 2008

Restaurant Makeover is a closed television series which airs as reruns on the Food Network Canada and HGTV Canada, as well as the Fine Living channel and Food Network in the United States, TVtropolis and in over 16 other countries worldwide. The pilot episode starred designer Robin De Groot and chef Brad Long in the Coco's Cafe. Most of the restaurants involved in the series were located in the Greater Toronto Area.

Synopsis

It is hosted by chefs Brad Long, Rene Chauvin, Lynn Crawford, Massimo Capra, Corbin Tomaszeski, David Adjey, and Susur Lee along with designers Robin De Groot, Meredith Heron, Cherie Nicole Stinson, Jessica Cotton, Glen Peloso, Brenda Bent, Cheryl Torrenueva, Lisa North, and Jonathan Furlong, who perform renovation makeovers on restaurants desiring transformation.

The premise of the show is to challenge two restaurant professionals, one designer and one chef, to overhaul a struggling restaurant with a very limited budget and time. Originally the show would match funds provided by the restaurant owners up to $20,000; however, that decreased to just $15,000 as the show moved into its later seasons.

Criticism

Although the show's premise is to help struggling restaurants, a number of establishments have failed shortly after their makeover — sometimes before the episode of the show featuring the restaurant had aired, thus not allowing them to reap the benefits of added exposure. Some critics held the opinion that participating in Restaurant Makeover was a "kiss of death" for failing restaurants. However, it was noted that given the dire condition of some participants' establishments, even a significant change could not salvage the business.^{[1][2][3][4][5]}

List of renovated restaurants

Season 1

Restaurant Name	Original Name	Location	Chef	Designer	Still Open?	Notes
Babelfish Bistro	N/A	N/A	David Adjey	Robin De Groot	Yes
Coco's Cafe	N/A	N/A	Brad Long	Robin De Groot	Yes
Full Circle Cafe	N/A	N/A	Brad Long	Meredith Heron	Yes
Human Bean	N/A	N/A	Lynn Crawford	Robin De Groot	Yes
Lakes Bar and Grill	N/A	N/A	Lynn Crawford	Cherie Stinson	No
Oasis Restaurant	N/A	N/A	David Adjey	Meredith Heron	No
Pinnacle Restaurant Niagara	N/A	Niagara Falls, ON	Lynn Crawford	Robin De Groot	Yes	Now part of the Tower Hotel.
Silk Road Cafe	N/A	N/A	David Adjey	Cherie Stinson	Yes
Tara Inn	N/A	N/A	David Adjey	Glen Peloso	Yes
The Grapefruit Moon	N/A	Toronto Annex	Rene Chauvin	Meredith Heron	Yes	after reverting back to their original design
The Liberty	N/A	N/A	Lynn Crawford	Glen Peloso	Yes
The Rosedale Diner	N/A	N/A	Brad Long	Cherie Stinson	Yes
Via Oliveto	N/A	N/A	Rene Chauvin	Glen Peloso	No

Season 2

Restaurant Name	Original Name	Location	Chef	Designer	Still Open?	Notes
Aftermath Cafe	N/A	N/A	Lynn Crawford	Robin De Groot	No
Bravi Restaurant	N/A	N/A	Massimo Capra	Glen Peloso	Yes
College Street Bar	N/A	Toronto,ON	David Adjey	Robin De Groot	Yes
First Class Delites	N/A	N/A	Lynn Crawford	Cherie Stinson	Yes
High Point Restaurant	N/A	Mississauga, ON	David Adjey	Meredith Heron	Yes
Higher Groundz Cafe	N/A	Mississauga, ON	Brad Long	Glen Peloso	No	Now Raw Aura Organic Cuisine.
Innocenti Restaurant	N/A	Toronto, ON	Lynn Crawford	Meredith Heron	No	Now KiWe(King West Kitchen).
Monkey Bar and Grill	N/A	Toronto, ON	Lynn Crawford	Glen Peloso	Yes
Montana Roadhouse	N/A	N/A	David Adjey	Lisa North	No
Old York Bar and Grill	N/A	N/A	Massimo Capri	Cherie Stinson	Yes
Ossawippi Express Dining Cars	N/A	Orillia, ON	David Adjey	Robin De Groot	No	Owner declared bankruptcy in 2010.
The Empress Restaurant	N/A	N/A	Brad Long	Lisa North	Yes
The Town Grill	N/A	Toronto, ON	Jason Rosso	Cherie Stinson	No	Now Omi Sushi.

Season 3

Restaurant Name	Original Name	Location	Chef	Designer	Still Open?	Notes
Brooklyn's Bar and Grill	N/A	N/A	David Adjey	Robin De Groot	Yes
Cafe Asia	N/A	N/A	Lynn Crawford	Cherie Stinson	No
Casa Mendoza	N/A	N/A	Lynn Crawford	Matt Robinson	Yes
Quattro 4 Ragazze	Europe Planet	N/A	Corbin Tomaszeski	Meredith Heron	Yes
Forte Restaurant	N/A	N/A	Corbin Tomaszeski	Robin Fraser	No
Grappa Ristorante	N/A	N/A	Brad Long	Robin Fraser/Meredith Heron	Yes
Peridot Resto Lounge	Ithaca Restaurant	N/A	Brad Long	Meredith Heron	Yes
Jeremiah's Bullfrog Cafe	N/A	N/A	David Adjey	Jessica Cotton	No
Karma's Cafe	N/A	Peterborough, ON	Lynn Crawford	Glen Peloso	Yes
Kokkino Restaurant and Lounge	N/A	N/A	Lynn Crawford	Meredith Heron	Yes
Latitude Wine Bar and Grill	N/A	N/A	David Adjey	Robin Fraser	No
Le Cafe Vert	N/A	N/A	Massimo Capra	Cheryl Torrenueva	No	See Footnotes[6]
Lüb Bistro Lounge	N/A	N/A	David Adjey	Glen Peloso	No
Natchos Thai Thai Cafe	N/A	N/A	David Adjey	Meredith Heron	No
Peroni's Pizzeria	N/A	Mississauga, ON	Massimo Capra	Glen Peloso	Yes
Phil's Original BBQ	N/A	Toronto, ON	David Adjey	Meredith Heron	Yes
PJ O'Brien	N/A	N/A	Corbin Tomaszeski	Cherie Stinson	Yes
Reliable Fish & Chips	N/A	N/A	Lynn Crawford	Cherie Stinson	Yes
Rubicon Grill	N/A	Mississauga, ON	Lynn Crawford	Glen Peloso	No	Closure due to fire[7]
Saigon Flower Restaurant	N/A	N/A	Corbin Tomaszeski	Jessica Cotton	Yes
Side Door Grill	N/A	N/A	Lynn Crawford	Matt Robinson	No
Six Steps	Spinello	Toronto, ON	Massimo Capra	Meredith Heron	No	Now The Bowery[8]
St. Clair Village Cafe	N/A	Toronto, ON	Massimo Capra	Cherie Stinson	No
Stoney's Bar & Grill	N/A	N/A	David Adjey	Glen Peloso	No
The Boathouse Restaurant	N/A	N/A	Corbin Tomaszeski	Meredith Heron	Yes
The Office Sports Bar and Grill	N/A	N/A	Corbin Tomaszeski	Meredith Heron	No	Now The Longest Yard Restaurant & Bar.

Season 4

Restaurant Name	Original Name	Location	Chef	Designer	Still Open?	Notes
Aggie Martin	N/A	Brampton, ON	David Adjey	Glen Peloso	No
Bagel World	N/A	Toronto, ON	Corbin Tomaszeski	Robin Fraser	Yes
Nook	Bakerberry Caffe	Toronto, ON	Corbin Tomaszeski	Jonathan Furlong	Yes
Cork & Cabbage	Bistro Aubergine	Toronto, ON	Lynn Crawford	Cherie Stinson	No	Closed before show aired. Reopened under new ownership as JAM Cafe[9]
Bulldog Cafe	N/A	Toronto, ON	Massimo Capra	Meredith Heron	Yes
Calypso Hut	N/A	N/A	Massimo Capra	Robin Fraser	No
Dhaba Indian Excellence	N/A	Toronto, ON	Susur Lee	Brenda Bent	Yes
Konrad Lounge	Di and Gabby's	N/A	Massimo Capra	Tracy Kundell	Yes
Dooney's	N/A	N/A	Corbin Tomaszeski	Jonathan Furlong	No	See Footnotes[10]
The Citizen	Essence	N/A	Lynn Crawford	Brenda Bent	Yes	This restaurant was purchased and made over again by Lynn Crawford and Cherie Stinson.[11]
Golden Flame Restaurant	N/A	Richmond Hill, ON	Massimo Capra	Meredith Heron	No
Hamar Weyne	N/A	Toronto, ON	Corbin Tomaszeski	Tracy Kundell	Yes
Hollingers	N/A	Toronto, ON	Lynn Crawford	Cherie Stinson	No
Hollywood Panini	N/A	Richmond Hill, ON	Massimo Capra	Glen Peloso	No	Now Greek Xpress.
Il Papagallo	N/A	Oakville, ON	Corbin Tomaszeski	Tracy Kundell	No	Now Corks Restaurant.
Jonathan's	N/A	Woodbridge, ON	David Adjey	Glen Peloso	Yes
Kensington's	N/A	Toronto, ON	Brad Long	Glen Peloso	Yes
La Cabana	N/A	N/A	David Adjey	Glen Peloso	Yes
Massimo's	N/A	N/A	Massimo Capra	Brenda Bent	Yes	Was temporarily closed due to fire. Now a second location exists on Queen St. Renamed Vinny Massimo's.[12][13]
The Olive Branch	Mighty Mike's	Toronto, ON	Lynn Crawford	Jonathan Furlong	Yes
Rifca's Mediterranean Kitchen	Pita Stop	Richmond Hill, ON	Brad Long	Glen Peloso	Yes
Roma Ristorante	N/A	Toronto, ON	David Adjey	Cheryl Torrenueva	Yes	Under new ownership.
Flame Bar & Grill	Seashell Seafood	N/A	David Adjey	Cheryl Torrenueva	No	Now Pho 88.
The Central	N/A	N/A	Corbin Tomaszeski	Brenda Bent	Yes
The Richmond Rogue	N/A	N/A	Lynn Crawford	Meredith Heron	Yes
Waterfall Martini Lounge	N/A	N/A	David Adjey	Jonathan Furlong	No

Season 5

Restaurant Name	Original Name	Location	Chef	Designer	Still Open?	Notes
A Catered Affair's Cafe	N/A	Milton, ON	Lynn Crawford	Cherie Stinson	Yes
Cocina Lucero	Arre Burrito	Toronto, ON	Lynn Crawford	Cherie Stinson	Yes
Bacchus Roti	N/A	Toronto, ON	Brad Long	Meredith Heron	Yes
Bon Vivant	N/A	Toronto, ON	Massimo Capra	Glen Peloso	Yes
Church Street Diner	N/A	Toronto, ON	Lynn Crawford	Glen Peloso	Yes
County Fish and Chips	N/A	Port Credit, ON	Corbin Tomaszeski	Meredith Heron	Yes
De Great Iron Pot	N/A	Scarborough, ON	Corbin Tomaszeski	Cheryl Torrenueva	No
Earth Indian	N/A	North York, ON	Brad Long	Jonathan Furlong	Yes
Attilio's 1957	Gippino's	Toronto, ON	Michael Bonacini	Meredith Heron	Yes	Temporarily closed after a fire.
Joe Boo's Cookoos	N/A	Thornhill, ON	Michael Bonacini	Glen Peloso	Yes
Cluck, Grunt and Low	Riviera	Toronto, ON	Lynn Crawford	Brenda Bent	No	Now Puck 'N Wings.
Locavore	Slippery Boot	Toronto, ON	Brad Long	Meredith Heron	No	Became Trillium Bistro, now La Cascina.[14]
Tresca Trattoria	N/A	Richmond Hill, ON	Corbin Tomaszeski	Tracy Kundell	No	Now Bathurst St. Deli.

References

1. ^ Villain: Restaurant Makeover The Torontoist
2. ^ The Curse of The Restaurant Makeover Macleans
3. ^ Restaurant Makeover Chowhound
4. ^ Tribe Magazine: Restaurant Makeover Curse Tribe Magazine
5. ^ Restaurant Makeover Taste TO
6. ^ "Le Cafe Vert in the Deadpool?", [BlogTO], January 19, 2009
7. ^ "Fire closes Lakeshore Rd.", [Mississauga.com], Mar 10, 2009
8. ^ "The Bowery Launches on Colborne Street in Toronto", June 29, 2011
9. ^ The Curse of The Restaurant Makeover Macleans
10. ^ "End of an era for Dooney's Café". National Post, June 19, 2008.
11. ^ Lynn Crawford’s makeover NOW Magazine
12. ^ Massimo's To Reopen on Queen blogTO
13. ^ Vinny Massimo's
14. ^ "How Locavore became Trillium Bistro: The Death of a Fine Restaurant", [ElliDavis], August 3, 2009

External links

• Episode list from Food Network Canada
• Episode list from HGTV
• Restaurant Makeover at the Internet Movie Database
• Restaurant Makeover at TV.com