Ep 2. Revisited: No Laughing Matter

In the second episode of Restaurant: Impossible's sixteenth season, host Robert Irvine revisits a New York City restaurant named Café La Maze. When Robert first visited Café La Maze, he found a family-owned restaurant that was struggling to keep its head above water due to poor management, an outdated menu, and overall neglect.

At the time, the owners, siblings Lisa and Terry, were barely communicating and had no plan in place to turn the restaurant around. Robert stepped in and gave them a complete overhaul of their menu, staff training, and a dining room makeover. Despite some initial pushback from Lisa and Terry, Robert was ultimately able to get them on board with the changes that needed to be made.

A year later, Robert returns to Café La Maze to see how the restaurant has been doing since his visit. Upon arrival, he notices that the restaurant's signage has been updated and the exterior has been given a fresh coat of paint. Once inside, Robert is pleased to see that the dining room still looks great and has been well-maintained. However, he soon learns that all is not well with Café La Maze.

Lisa and Terry are still struggling to communicate effectively, and their roles within the restaurant have not been clearly defined. Additionally, the menu has reverted back to its original state, which means they have gone back to serving many of the dishes that Robert had previously deemed unappetizing.

Robert sits down with the siblings to discuss what has happened since his last visit. He quickly assesses that Lisa and Terry are still not on the same page and are not communicating well with each other. He also learns that their mother, who had previously owned the restaurant, had recently passed away. This had been taking a mental toll on Lisa and Terry, which undoubtedly played a role in their recent struggles.

Robert decides to take a two-pronged approach to helping Café La Maze. First, he brings in a therapist to help Lisa and Terry learn how to communicate effectively and resolve their conflicts. He also gives them a lesson in leadership, hoping to help them understand how to run the restaurant effectively as a team.

Secondly, Robert gives the menu another overhaul. This time, he decides to keep some of the items that had worked well on his previous visit but updates others with fresher, healthier ingredients. He also adds some new items to the menu, like a chicken paillard and shrimp scampi, that should appeal to a wider audience.

Over the course of this episode, viewers watch as Lisa and Terry work with the therapist and Robert to make changes to the way they run Café La Maze. They learn how to communicate more effectively, delegate tasks appropriately, and work together as a team. They also see how the restaurant is transformed with a new and improved menu.

By the end of the episode, viewers will be happy to see that Café La Maze is on its way to becoming a successful family-owned restaurant. With the help of Robert and his team, Lisa and Terry have learned valuable lessons that should help them continue to run the restaurant effectively and achieve success in the years to come.