Ep 12. Grand Opening Stakeout

Restaurant Stakeout season 5 episode 12, titled "Grand Opening Stakeout," follows renowned restaurant consultant Willie Degel as he travels across the country to help struggling restaurant owners turn their businesses around. In this episode, Willie is called to assist a new restaurant in its grand opening.

The restaurant in question is owned by two partners who have invested their life savings into the venture. However, as the weeks go by, the owner's initial excitement is replaced by frustration and worry as the restaurant fails to generate the anticipated revenue. Desperate for a solution, the owners reach out to Willie for help.

Willie arrives incognito and observes the restaurant from a distance to identify the issues. On his first visit, he realizes that the owners are inexperienced and have overlooked critical areas in the restaurant's setup, including the kitchen, menu, and service. The restaurant's location is also a problem, as it is not easily visible from the main road. These factors have contributed to a lack of customer flow and low overall morale among the staff.

In his second visit, Willie installs his hidden cameras in the restaurant. This allows him to monitor the staff's actions and identify any issues that may be hindering the restaurant's success. He also conducts an in-depth interview with the owners to understand their goal and get a picture of their vision.

Willie quickly discovers that the restaurant's problems are not limited to the basics. The owners have not taken into account the current market trends and have designed the menu in a way that is not appealing to the targeted demographic. Willie helps the owners understand their customers' preferences and designs a new menu that will attract them.

Willie also digs deep and exposes a motive that one of the partners has been hiding from his colleague. This is causing the restaurant to lose its focus and causing disharmony between the partners. Willie helps solve this issue with an eye out of bringing lasting peace between the two.

During the grand opening night, Willie and his team anxiously observe the restaurant's flow and staff interactions using his advanced camera system. As the night progresses, the staff members gradually become more confident in delivering on the restaurant's promise while the customers start leaving with both smiles on their faces and empty plates. As with previous 'grand opening stakeouts,' Willie's plan leads to success with the restaurant seeing a surge in business.

At the end of the episode, Willie reveals his true identity to the owners and gives them practical tools and resources that they can use to keep the restaurant thriving. The mood is lightened by the success, and the owners, staff and Willie celebrate together by sharing a meal at the restaurant.

Restaurant Stakeout season 5 episode 12 is an entertaining and educational episode that will inspire novice restaurateurs looking to establish and keep thriving businesses.