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The Restaurant is a reality television series that aired on NBC in 2003, with a second season broadcasting in 2004. The series had encore presentations on CNBC and Bravo. Celebrity chef Rocco DiSpirito opened the Gramercy Park, New York City, restaurant Union Pacific in August, 1997. The NBC series, it was announced, would follow DiSpirito as he launched and operated a new Manhattan restaurant. The first season revolved around the construction and opening of Rocco's on 22nd, scheduled to open in five weeks. Some 7.5 million viewers tuned in for the July 20, 2003 premiere focusing on the search for a location and construction work for the new restaurant. Among the 2000 people who showed up hoping to be hired were various actors, models and show business hopefuls. In addition to Rocco's mother, Nicolina DiSpirito, known for her famous meatballs, the show's on-camera personnel included David Miller, Alex Corrado, Domiziano Arcangeli, Heather Kristin, Natalie Norman, Topher Goodman, Lisa Wurzel, Brian Allen, Gideon Horowitz, Heather Snell, Amanda Congdon, Pete Giovine, Uzay Tumer, Emily Shaw, Lonn Coward, Carrie Keranen, Colleen Fitzgerald, Caroline Matler, Brian Petruzzell, Lola Belle, Susanna Hari, Tony Acinapura, John Charlesworth, Laurent Saillard, Perry Pollaci, Matt DiBarro and Tim Donoho.
2004
It has been six months since we last saw star chef Rocco DiSpirito and it appears that his restaurant is humming with business. But as Rocco's celebrity status rises, the restaurant begins to suffer. Financier Jeffrey Chodorow claims it has lost over $600,000 since opening, and shows no sign of turning a profit. Determined to right the sinking ship, Jeffrey convenes a meeting of his Corporate Task Force, and lays out his plan to fix the restaurant; including taking direct control of the restaurant from Rocco and sending the Corporate Task Force in to run the day to day operations of the restaurant. In the course of 24 hours, Rocco's entire world is turned upside down, leaving him reeling, but by no means out of the fight. Unwilling to give up his dream, Rocco places a call to his lawyers; setting the stage for a major showdown between two culinary heavyweights.
Six months after opening, Rocco's restaurant is losing money and owner Jeffrey Chodorow is determined to find out why. He sends in an aggressive team of consultants - his Corporate Task Force - to observe and come up with creative solutions to the restaurant's fiscal crisis. Much to Mamma's chagrin, Corporate Chef Luke immediately makes his presence known in the kitchen, while Chodorow's clueless 20-year-old apprentice, Drew, makes a clumsy attempt to play host and bartender, and soon finds himself fired as an intern. Meanwhile, Rocco avoids the restaurant altogether, choosing instead to appear at book signings and talk to school children in Harlem rather than show up at his own restaurant. Jeffrey's and Rocco's ongoing battle culminates in a dramatic face-to-face showdown in which Jeffrey gives Rocco a final ultimatum - get back in the restaurant or get out.
In the aftermath of Jeffery Chodorow's stunning ultimatum that chef/owner Rocco DiSpirito must call him if he wants to remain involved in the restaurant, DiSpirito retreats to his alma mater, the Culinary Institute of America, while Chodorow makes it clear to the staff that he is the owner of Rocco's – and his team of consultants isn't leaving anytime soon. Meanwhile, DiSpirito holds a contest at the C.I.A. to choose a new line cook for the restaurant and delivers an inspirational graduation speech before heading back to the restaurant where Chodorow begins a search for a ""Rocco Replacement,"" just in case his real charismatic partner won't cooperate. In addition, DiSpirito decides to take back his restaurant and begins legal action, takes painful measures to fire one employee and enjoys seeing how happy Mama is in the environment that he created for her – even though there is more at stake than ever before.
Unable to face the staff, Rocco slinks into the kitchen and remains until early morning hoping to find the inspiration needed to renew his fight for the restaurant – but ultimately, it is Laurent's brutal call-to-arms which reenergizes the owner/chef and drives him to confront co-owner Jeffrey Chodorow face-to-face. As they square off in front of a stunned staff and lunchtime crowd, Jeffery's restaurant changes are literally happening behind Rocco's back, causing Rocco to rebel as he vents his frustrations on the staff and Sarah, Jeffrey's key representative at the restaurant. The co-owner's ill will soon spreads like a wild fire throughout the restaurant, and with the staff at odds, a real unchecked fire rages in the kitchen.
While Jeffrey and his Corporate Task Force meet to discuss giving Head Chef, Tony a raise, Rocco is plotting to fire Tony, and take his place. News of the firing soon spreads, leaving Jeffrey outraged. Afterwards, a humiliated Tony goes straight to ChodorowÓs office, where Jeffrey assures him he still has a job with China Grill Management. Meanwhile Rocco makes a brief, half-hearted attempt to take over the kitchen. ItÓs only after General Manager, Laurent sits him down for a frank talk, that Rocco realizes the only way to save himself is to retake control and reclaim his restaurant.
meeting with a former prize fighter who can also cook the perfect meatball. While Jeffery is away, Rocco and Gavin continue to burn wood in the pizza oven. The following morning, a fire security guard is assigned to the kitchen to make sure no more wood is burned in the oven. Rocco is shocked when Gavin tells him that he doesn't want to take Tony's position as head chef and in fact he wants to quit the restaurant entirely. Rocco feels the only way out of his situation with Jeffery may be to find a new restaurant space and start completely over. Rocco and Jeffery come head to head in their final meeting. Jeffery gives Rocco two options, to buy Jeffery out of the business or to accept a check for several hundred thousand dollars and end his involvement completely with his dream restaurant. Rocco is left with a huge decision.
2003
Rocco DiSpirito is a kid from Queens who's made good. He's the chef of a three-star Manhattan restaurant, and he has a dream. He wants to open a new restaurant to get back to his Italian American roots. He's even getting his Mom to help him. The problem is he's only got seven weeks to build it and open it - and that usually takes seven months. Rocco begins to search for the ideal location and he encounters pitfalls along the way. He finally finds a space and the PR machine starts to kicks in. Following an announcement on the Today Show, two thousand people show up to interview for jobs. As Rocco trains his new staff, the old space is demolished. The building phase begins and quickly falls behind schedule. With three days left to go, the construction reaches a frenzied pitch, and tempers fray. The looming deadline looks like an impossibility, the staff has not had time to properly train, and the clock keeps ticking. In the frantic last minutes before opening, everyone pitches in. The re
The doors open for the restaurant's ""soft launch"". This is the night where friends and family test the food, but these guests are anything but sympathetic. As complaints escalate, a fire breaks out in the kitchen. Rocco extinguishes the flames, but the smoke drives away the food critic for the New York Times. Preparing for the official opening - the ""hard launch"" - Rocco fires a hostess and demotes a waiter to a runner. Paying customers arrive, and complaints about the food continue. Then one of the waiters falls and injures himself, but management doesn't care. The staff feels overworked, underpaid, under appreciated and abused. Mutiny is in the air, and Rocco doesn't have a clue as he dances with his Mama to an Italian folk song.
The morning after the official opening, one of the waiters shows up with his wounded arm in a sling and Rocco treats him badly. Reflecting the staff's unhappy mood, another waitress talks about quitting. After an apathetic pep talk - while his kitchen is going through hell, his hostesses are at war, his bartenders are understaffed, and his waiters are forced to give bad service - Rocco ignores the problems and focuses on schmoozing. Customers continue to complain, but now even Rocco and his Mama can't make them happy. The situation goes from bad to worse when a key newspaper critic is unhappy with her food, and Rocco unfairly vents his frustrations on the staff and leaves. At the end of the night, the entire front of house staff meets for a gripe-fest about Rocco. Completely oblivious, Rocco dances 'til dawn at a chic nightclub across town. The next morning, he reads the critic's negative review and realizes his restaurant is in trouble.
At the pre-service staff meeting, Rocco gets his comeuppance. Two of his top servers tell him they are unhappy with his cavalier actions. Then his general manager threatens to quit. To right the wrongs, Rocco calls in Monsignor Marchese to bless the restaurant. Then Rocco goes back to the soul of the restaurant, the kitchen. He works hard to make the kitchen better, the change is contagious, and pretty soon the whole restaurant is humming with happiness for the first time ever. Or is it?
The staff is angry that their paychecks haven't arrived - some of them can't even pay the rent. Rocco's overworked Mom gets sick. Then three of his cooks can't come to work because they got in a bloody bar fight, and Rocco wonders if the bad news will ever end. Bringing food to his sick Mom, Rocco realizes he has been pushing everyone too hard. He decides to work as a server and demonstrate he's part of the team. That night he works with Uzay. Struggling to keep up, Rocco earns the staff's grudging admiration. He also gains a new appreciation for how difficult their jobs are.
After losing part of his staff Rocco is forced to hire a new waitress, a blonde bombshell named Lauren. But it touches off a ""Battle of the Blondes"" when Heather, the current bartending blonde feels threatened and decides to make things as difficult as possible for the new girl. After Carrie takes a bad fall in the kitchen, action is finally taken to remedy the slippery situation. And Pete takes a fall of his own when Laurent and Rocco decide to demote him to dishwasher. In the kitchen, Tony gives Perry a second chance on the grill, but it will be his last chance if he messes up. After a tumultuous beginning Rocco decides things are finally starting to go well and invites his staff for a retreat in the Hamptons to reward them for working so hard. After fun in the sun and a clambake the staff gathers around a bonfire for an emotional moment. And the fun continues into the night.
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Natalie
Rocco DiSpirito
