Restaurant Makeover

Canadian reality television series

Restaurant Makeover

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 Tracy Kundell 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)
Original release
Network	Food Network Canada HGTV Canada
Release	October 2, 2005 (2005-10-02) – January 2008 (2008-01)

Restaurant Makeover is a television series on HGTV Canada that currently 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, DTour 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. The series has been rebooted as Restaurant Takeover on Food Network Canada.

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	Guelph, ON	David Adjey	Robin De Groot	No
Cocoron	N/A	Toronto, ON	Via Oliveto	Rene Chauvin	No

Season 2

Restaurant Name	Original Name	Location	Chef	Designer	Still Open?	Notes
Aftermath Cafe	N/A	Toronto, ON	Lynn Crawford	Robin De Groot	No	Renamed "Events Cafe", then closed
Bravi Restaurant	N/A	Toronto, ON	Massimo Capra	Glen Peloso	Yes
College Street Bar	N/A	Toronto,ON	David Adjey	Robin De Groot	No
First Class Delites	N/A	Toronto,ON	Lynn Crawford	Cherie Stinson	Yes
High Point Restaurant	N/A	Mississauga, ON	David Adjey	Meredith Heron	No	Closed and on Lease
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	Was KiWe, now Ruby Soho.
Monkey Bar and Grill	N/A	Toronto, ON	Lynn Crawford	Glen Peloso	Yes	Re-renovated in 2015
Montana Roadhouse	N/A	Toronto, ON	David Adjey	Lisa North	No	Now The Ballroom
Old York Bar and Grill	N/A	Toronto, ON	Massimo Capri	Cherie Stinson	No	Closed Dec 23, 2022
Ossawippi Express Dining Cars	N/A	Orillia, ON	David Adjey	Robin De Groot	No	Owner declared bankruptcy in 2010.
The Empress Restaurant	N/A	Toronto, ON	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	Burlington, ON	David Adjey	Robin De Groot	Yes
Cafe Asia	N/A	Toronto, ON	Lynn Crawford	Cherie Stinson	No
Casa Mendoza	N/A	Toronto, ON	Lynn Crawford	Matt Robinson	No	soon to be condo development
Quattro 4 Ragazze	Europe Planet	Toronto, ON	Corbin Tomaszeski	Meredith Heron	Yes
Forte Restaurant	N/A	N/A	Corbin Tomaszeski	Robin Fraser	No
Grappa Ristorante	N/A	Toronto, ON	Brad Long	Robin Fraser/Meredith Heron	Yes
Peridot Resto Lounge	Ithaca Restaurant	Toronto, ON	Brad Long	Meredith Heron	No	Closed in 2014, Now Firkin on Bloor
Jeremiah's Bullfrog Cafe	N/A	Toronto, ON	David Adjey	Jessica Cotton	No
Karma's Cafe	N/A	Peterborough, ON	Lynn Crawford	Glen Peloso	Yes
Kokkino Restaurant and Lounge	N/A	Toronto, ON	Lynn Crawford	Meredith Heron	No	Closed in 2010
Latitude Wine Bar and Grill	N/A	Toronto, ON	David Adjey	Robin Fraser	No
Le Cafe Vert	N/A	Toronto, ON	Massimo Capra	Cheryl Torrenueva	No	See Footnotes^[6]
Lüb Bistro Lounge	N/A	Toronto, ON	David Adjey	Glen Peloso	No
Natchos Thai Thai Cafe	N/A	Toronto, ON	David Adjey	Meredith Heron	No
Peroni's Pizzeria	N/A	Mississauga, ON	Massimo Capra	Glen Peloso	No
Phil's Original BBQ	N/A	Toronto, ON	David Adjey	Meredith Heron	No	Close 2014, now Buster Rhino's Southern BBQ
PJ O'Brien	N/A	St. Lawrence, Toronto, ON	Corbin Tomaszeski	Cherie Stinson	Yes
Reliable Fish & Chips	N/A	Leslieville, Toronto, ON	Corbin Tomaszeski	Meredith Heron	Yes
Rubicon Grill	N/A	Mississauga, ON	Lynn Crawford	Glen Peloso	No	Closure due to fire^[7]
Saigon Flower Restaurant	N/A	West Queen West, Toronto, ON	Corbin Tomaszeski	Jessica Cotton	Yes
Side Door Grill	N/A	Toronto, ON	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	Yes	Now Pizza e Pazzi
Stoney's Bar & Grill	N/A	Toronto, ON	David Adjey	Glen Peloso	No
The Boathouse Restaurant	N/A	Woodview, ON	Corbin Tomaszeski	Meredith Heron	No
The Office Sports Bar and Grill	N/A	Toronto, ON	Corbin Tomaszeski	Meredith Heron	No	Now The Longest Yard

Season 4

Restaurant Name	Original Name	Location	Chef	Designer	Still Open?	Notes
Aggie Martin	N/A	Brampton, ON	David Adjey	Glen Peloso	No	Now Green Cup Roastery is in the space.
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	Has expanded to multiple locations.
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	Etobicoke, Toronto, ON	Massimo Capra	Tracy Kundell	Yes
Dooney's	N/A	Toronto, ON ^[10]	Corbin Tomaszeski	Jonathan Furlong	Yes	See Footnotes^[11]
The Citizen	Essence	Toronto, ON ^[12]	Lynn Crawford	Brenda Bent	Yes	This restaurant was purchased and made over again by Lynn Crawford and Cherie Stinson.^[13]
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	No
Massimo's	N/A	Toronto, ON	Massimo Capra	Brenda Bent	No	Was temporarily closed due to fire. New locations on Queen West and also College were renamed Vinny Massimo's,^[14]^[15] but were closed around winter 2014.
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	No	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	Toronto, ON	Lynn Crawford	Meredith Heron	No
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	now Grill Daddy
Cocina Lucero	Arre Burrito	Toronto, ON	Lynn Crawford	Cherie Stinson	No
Bacchus Roti	N/A	Toronto, ON	Brad Long	Meredith Heron	Yes
Bon Vivant	N/A	Toronto, ON	Massimo Capra	Glen Peloso	No	Closed in 2013
Church Street Diner	N/A	Toronto, ON	Lynn Crawford	Glen Peloso	No	For reasons which have never been publicly clarified, the restaurant remained closed for over a year after the renovation before finally reopening in 2010.^[16] They have since closed the restaurant according to their Facebook page.
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	No	Closed after a fire.
Joe Boo's Cookoos	N/A	Thornhill, ON	Michael Bonacini	Glen Peloso	No
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.^[17]
Tresca Trattoria	N/A	Richmond Hill, ON	Corbin Tomaszeski	Tracy Kundell	No	New ownership and called 'Bathurst St. Deli' which was later renamed 'Bathurst St. Bistro', which was later sold and is currently 'Capital Pizzeria and Grill'

References

^ Villain: Restaurant Makeover The Torontoist
^ The Curse of The Restaurant Makeover Macleans
^ Restaurant Makeover Chowhound
^ Tribe Magazine: Restaurant Makeover Curse Tribe Magazine
^ Restaurant Makeover Taste TO
^ "Le Cafe Vert in the Deadpool?", [BlogTO], January 19, 2009
^ "Fire closes Lakeshore Rd.", [Mississauga.com], Mar 10, 2009
^ "The Bowery Launches on Colborne Street in Toronto", June 29, 2011
^ The Curse of The Restaurant Makeover MacLeans
^ 511 Bloor St. W on check
^ "End of an era for Dooney's Café". National Post, June 19, 2008. UPDATE: re-opened "Dooney's Cafe, once an Annex icon, moves west"
^ 790 Queens St. W can be seen in front window during reveal, CN Tower seen in background of road shot
^ Lynn Crawford’s makeover NOW Magazine
^ Massimo's To Reopen on Queen blogTO
^ Vinny Massimo's
^ "Church St Diner reopens". Xtra!, February 24, 2010.
^ "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 IMDb

Food Network Canada original programming

Current

Bake with Anna Olson (since 2012)
Big Food Bucket List (since 2019)
Carnival Eats (since 2014)
David Rocco's Dolce Vita (since 2010)
Fire Masters (since 2019)
Food Factory (since 2012)
Great Chocolate Showdown (since 2020)
Iron Chef Canada (since 2018)
Top Chef Canada (since 2011)
Wall of Chefs (since 2020)
Wall of Bakers (since 2022)

Former

2000s debuts	The 100 Mile Challenge (2009) Chef at Home (2004–2009) Chef School (2008–2009) Christine Cushing Live (2004–2007) Christine Cushing: Cook with Me (2005–2006) Chuck's Day Off (2009–2011) Everyday Exotic (2008–2009) The Family Restaurant (2005–2009) Food Jammers (2006–2010) French Food at Home (2007–2010) The Heat with Mark McEwan (2008–2010) I Do, Let's Eat (2005–2007) Kitchen Equipped (2005–2007) Licence to Grill (2003–2007) Made to Order (2004–2006) Man-Made Food (2004–unknown) Recipe for Success (2004–unknown) Restaurant Makeover (2005–2009) Ricardo and Friends (2006–2009) Sugar (2002–2007) Summer's Best (2003–2005) The Surreal Gourmet (2002–2006) The Thirsty Traveler (2002–2006)
2010s debuts	Chef in Your Ear (2015–2016) Chopped Canada (2014–2017) Dinner Party Wars (2010–2013) Eat St. (2011–2015) From Spain with Love with Annie Sibonney (2011) Ice Cold Cash (2012) Nadia G's Bitchin' Kitchen (2010–2013) Recipe to Riches (2011–2012) World's Weirdest Restaurants (2012–2013) You Gotta Eat Here! (2012–2017)

2000s debuts