Ep 3. Find the Leader to Follow

Restaurant Stakeout is a reality TV show where expert restaurateur Willie Degel visits struggling restaurants to help them improve their service, management, and atmosphere to attract more customers and increase profits. In the season 1 episode 3, titled Find the Leader to Follow, Willie visits a Greek family-owned restaurant in Brooklyn, New York, named Parrot Café. The establishment has been around for more than 25 years but has recently been going downhill, losing regular customers and facing financial troubles.

As Willie explains, the key problem with Parrot Café is that the owners, brothers Zisis and Tom, and their cousin George are not working as a team and lack clear leadership. While Zisis is the head chef and creative force, Tom is in charge of the front-of-house operations and customer service, and George handles the finances and bookkeeping. However, they often clash and don't communicate effectively, leading to disorganization, poor service, and unappealing food. Willie's mission is to observe and analyze their behavior and find a way to bring them together to turn things around.

Willie starts his stakeout by installing hidden cameras and microphones throughout the restaurant and watching the live feed from a nearby van with his team. He observes how the staff interacts with each other and customers, how they handle orders and complaints, and how they clean and maintain the space. He also sends in two undercover diners, who pose as regular customers and report back on their experience, including the food quality, presentation, and taste, as well as the atmosphere, lighting, and decor.

Willie quickly notices that the Parrot Café is in disarray, with servers ignoring customers, dishes piling up in the kitchen, and food being served undercooked and cold. He also sees that Zisis is often absent from the kitchen and leaves his younger brother and George to fend for themselves, causing them to feel overwhelmed and frustrated. When he confronts the owners, they admit that they have been relying on Zisis too much and haven't been taking responsibility for their own roles and mistakes. They also reveal that they have been arguing over money and ownership rights, which has created tension and mistrust between them.

To resolve the issues at Parrot Café, Willie decides to hold a team-building exercise, where he puts the owners through various challenges to test their leadership skills and communication. He assigns them different roles, such as head chef, maître d', and accountant, and forces them to work together to cook, serve, and run the restaurant. He also brings in a professional chef, who teaches them new recipes, techniques, and flavors, and helps them improve their menu and presentation.

Throughout the exercise, Willie coaches the owners on how to work as a team, communicate effectively, and listen to each other's ideas and concerns. He encourages them to be honest and transparent, to have respect for each other's skills and opinions, and to put the customers first. He shows them how to delegate tasks, prioritize goals, and manage time and resources efficiently. He also praises them when they succeed and gives them constructive feedback when they fail.

At the end of the exercise, the Parrot Café owners have gained a newfound respect and appreciation for each other. They realize that they all bring unique talents and perspectives to the table, and that they need to work together to make the restaurant succeed. They agree to split their responsibilities more evenly, to hold regular team meetings to discuss progress and challenges, and to implement the changes and improvements suggested by Willie and his team.

The final test comes when Willie sends in a group of mystery diners to evaluate the Parrot Café's service and food quality. This time, the diners are impressed by the friendly and attentive staff, the clean and inviting atmosphere, and the delicious and authentic Greek dishes. They praise the owners for their creativity, passion, and hard work, and promise to spread the word about the improved Parrot Café.

In conclusion, Restaurant Stakeout season 1 episode 3, Find the Leader to Follow, is an engaging and insightful episode that shows the importance of leadership, communication, and teamwork in running a successful restaurant. Willie Degel's expertise and guidance, combined with his team-building exercise, help the Parrot Café owners overcome their differences and achieve a common goal. Viewers will learn valuable lessons about customer service, food quality, and restaurant management, and will be inspired to follow their own dreams and passions.