Restaurant Revisited: Paliani’s Restaurant by Maria Russo in Shows, September 12th, 2012
At Paliani’s Restaurant in Burton, Mich., Robert Irvine found a decades-old Italian eatery in desperate need of a Restaurant: Impossible overhaul. He had only two days to tackle the filthy interior and disorganized kitchen at Paliani’s, and help give owner Marina Bufalini the tools to improve her management. We checked in with Marina to see how Paliani’s is doing a few months after its Restaurant: Impossible renovation.
Marina is happy to report that since the transformation, sales at Paliani’s have increased. In June and July, the restaurant saw year-over-year growth of 46 percent and 32 percent, respectively.
Paliani’s has seen a mix of returning and first-time customers coming to see the makeover and taste the new food. While some longtime diners have struggled to adapt to the updated decor and menu, many new customers are pleased, as is Marina. Of the restaurant’s fresh look, she says, “I love the decor and how the light panels on the wall brighten everything and give the room more dimension.”
Marina has made a few changes to Paliani’s menu since Robert left. She is once again serving breadsticks, antipasto salad and pizzas, and is now giving customers the option of adding a salad to their entrée for $2 extra. She says that “the most popular dish continues to be pizza, followed by the chicken and then lasagna.” In the future, she hopes to start serving lunch, though she knows that she’ll need to tweak her menu to offer more traditional “daytime meals.”
Although Rob and Tony are no longer cooks at Paliani’s, Lisa continues to work the front of house. Marina says that she is looking to hire a kitchen manager, and thinks that she will promote someone already on staff.
While her son, Nico, still comes to the restaurant several days a week, Marina tells us that he will soon start attending daycare more often.
Marina thanks Robert and the entire Restaurant: Impossible team for giving Paliani’s Restaurant a second chance at success. “The process was difficult and still is on some days, but I am better for it,” she says.
More From Restaurant Revisited:
Frankie’s (September 5)
Gusanoz (August 29)
Stella’s (August 8)
Italian Village (August 1)
Zandi’s (July 25)
The Main Dish (July 18)
Longbranch Steak and Seafood (July 11)
Horton’s Kids (June 13)
Pollard’s (May 30)
University Grill (May 23)
Ristorante Barolo (May 16)
Pappas (May 9)
Mama Lee’s (May 2)
Pelican Grill (April 25)
Valley View (March 14)
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More posts from Maria Russo.
Tags: Restaurant Impossible
OMG,you can,t fix stupid,what a patehtic situation!!!!
After reading the article looks like the only advice she took was on the decor. Sounds like she went back to her old menu that wasn't working to begin with and still had her son there all the time. That's such a safety issue especially if he's allowed in the kitchen. No wonder she can't get and keep good help with that temper.
As a mother I understand how hard it is to work and raise children and how you feel guilty if you are away from them but you cannot have a child running through a restaurant. Not only is it a safety hazard for a child to be in the kitchen,but it also runs customers away. Nobody can enjoy dinner with a screaming child running through the restaurant and banging on tables. When I saw that she changed him on the prep table I was disgusted. That is such a health risk. Nobody wants to eat food that has came in to contact with a dirty diaper. Sadly I think her business will fail.
According to Yelp, this restaurant has since closed. Bummer.
I was in Flint last week for work. Went to burton and found it to be closed.
This was one show that should have never aired. In fact , it should have been obvious this woman needed to be committed instead of being in charge of a restaurant. Should have walked away from this one !
Well this episode was definitely produced for entertainment purposes only. You knew maybe ten minutes into the episode that this restaurant was doomed to fail. She said her staff is her family, she doesnt have any family without them, WTF! You cannot be someones boss and their friend let alone their "family." Talk about needy and PATHETIC! Overall IDU why these businesses refuse to do what Robert tells them to do! He's a successful chef with his own TV show giving you your very last chance at success, just do it! I agree with a great deal of these comments acutally. Everyone that posted about her kid were spot on! That whole situation made me just sick to my stomach. Yes Marina America thinks your a NUT JOB! Sorry to say but you chose to broadcast your business to the masses so now we have the right to give out opinions. These ppl with these restaurants should think through whether Robert coming to "save" their business is really worth the publicity.
She's not even really spending time with her kid. It looks like he's plopped in front of an iPad. She spends her time chasing him, getting mad at him, and punishing him for regular 2 year old behavior. She's not parenting him, she's ignoring him until she has to punish him.
These foolish owners call to get a FREE makeover. I see the same thing on Hotel Impossible and Hotel Hell. These morons get upset when advice is given, but yet they were the ones that signed up for the show. But yet, everyone is all happy and smiles at the end once they see their free makeovers. Then once the cameras are gone, the restaurant and hotel owners go back to the way they were doing things. They are too stupid to realize that nice new decor will never trump customer service and quality of food / and rooms.
Becca's just jealous since she can't find a man to have kids with! BOOM!
And then treating the staff like they are all 2 years old.
It sounds like she is raising her child the same way she is running her restaurant. Failing at both.
ya umm i would think they would put it away cuz YOU didnt take care of it. then when i asked for a refill cuz she didnt offer she brought me back pop instead of water then took another 15 min to even check on us. i was so disgusted i didnt even eat my meal because i was so mad! it was so bad we left without tipping which has never ever happened anywhere because both my bf and i have been a part of waitstaff before at restaurants. then after we left i decided to call the owner to complain about this waitress and all she could say she was new and she would say something to her. i was like seriously?! well just so she knows i will never ever return!! i ate the before the remodel and i love it cuz her son and my son are the same age and one of the times during dinner they were playing with each other and she was so sweet but after this is just pissed me off. best believe i been bad mouthing this place because of my service and her LACK OF CONCERN!
I know, how obnoxious is that? "Yeah my kid is costing you tips by bothering the people at your tables, but you're going to work for him someday, because you're "family" and will be tied to me and this crap-hole the rest of your life, so deal with it!" And that makeup? Looked like she had two black eyes.
One shouldn't bring children into the world if they can't care for the child properly.
You have lost your mind. If you are at work and you child is there with you, what you are teaching your child is that he is not your first priority and at this age he is too young to understand why. It does more damage than good.
Leave your toddler with some random person? umm, what does that even mean? you scout a daycare the same way you scout a restaurant, by reading reviews and word of mouth. anyway, personally, if I ate at a restaurant and a small child was running around like it was a playground, it would be bad enough if it was the child of another customer, but the owner? I would never return. Then she says that he will soon start attending daycare more often? I give that restaurant 6 months to live.
Besides the fact that it is extremely annoying to customers, it is also dangerous for a small child to be running around a restaurant. A well run day care facility is a much better choice. How much time can she be spending with the kid if she is doing what she is supposed to be doing, which is running a restaurant? And just so you know, you don't leave the child with some "random person". You investigate and find a proper, safe, well run facility. [polldaddy 6534460 http://answers.polldaddy.com/poll/6534460/ polldaddy][polldaddy 6534460 http://answers.polldaddy.com/poll/6534460/ polldaddy]
You obviously are not very well educated in child care. I owned my business and yes I did have my children with me in my office, when they were babies. As soon as they reached an age where they did more than eat sleep and play a little I put each one of them into a more rewarding and safe environment. My I am an awful mother.
Guest – if you cannot work without having your toddler next to you, SELL THE BUSINESS AND DO THE REST OF US A FAVOR!!! We don't need snot-nosed kids bugging us while we eat. Either ditch the kid or ditch the business – PERIOD!
Random person? Yes, I just left my beloved child with the homeless guy on the corner. NO, I checked references, educational background, certifications, etc. My daughter was able to be in a wonderful setting where childhood behaviors are acceptable and allowed, I focused on my work, and when we were home I could focus on her. There is nothing wrong with a mother working, either because she needs to or wants to. It is much better to have a child in a safe and appropriate setting than to expect behaviors the child is not capable of and punishing the child for their normal, age appropriate behaviors.
I just wanted to add that I have seen people make it work quite successfully having their children at work. My hair stylist has a dedicated play area in the salon all set up for her and her employee's children. She has spent a good amount of time and money setting up the play room. It has a TV, toys, art area, snacks, a little water fountain, etc. Customer's children are also welcome to go in the area, she says her children love to make new friends. Their children are well behaved and don't run around the shop. There is a big difference between this sort of set up and having a kid run wild in the shop.
I can see it working in a hair salon. But a restaurant is a whole different animal. A hair stylist gets to stand in one place. A restaurant owner needs to be all over the place.
That's a very good idea…to have a contained area where the kids can be and not be underfoot, because there are a lot of dangers ina hair salon, too (electrical cords, chemicals, clips and hairpins on the floor – not to mention people's hair). I personally take going to the salon as relaxing "me" time and I would certainly appreciate it if I were a customer, even if it meant taking space away from a haircut or manicure station. I hope she's doing well.
Joanne, do you eat at Archie's, Sorrento's, what about E G Nick's in Lapeer? I know Archie's has never had a good handle on children, no normally not the owners child. But the worse of the three. Reason I picked these three is because they are within a 20 mile distance from Paliani's. I am not sure if you can really go to any restaurant without chancing there maybe a couple there with there child(ren). Nor can yiu be sure they did not bring something to stimulate the child(ren). Nor be sure they do keep the child(ren) in check or stop them from acting out in a loud manner. Specially in the toddler age range which is the hardest age range to keep entertained or seated for a long period of time. So everytime you go out to eat, you chance that situation
Agreed. I worked at a couple of chain restaurants and both are family friendly. I’ve never seen a small child act like Nico where he not only runs around but goes to other tables where PAYING customers are dining at. He should be in daycare and be allowed to play with other kids. Let him burn his energy at the playground! He’d love it way more than being bored out of his mind while his mommy supposedly works.
Going out to eat often comes with the risk of dealing with unruly children, but every place I've been to will ask any family with one who are not controlling them to leave. When that child is the owner's son no one is going to get rid of that child. I've seen unruly children and their families kicked out of restaurants and told not to come back, and I've seen restaurants that don't seem to care that there are little monsters running around and annoying customers. Guess which ones I go back to?
Though I wouldn't eat at Paliani's now just because of the whole 'changing on the kitchen table' comment. Even if she doesn't do it any more, the fact that she did it at once point speaks volumes for the standards of the restaurant.
What was your business, Debbie?
Could not agree more. I was a single Mom back in the 80's and worked in an office primarily. There is NO way i would ever bring my little boy to work. It is just not appropriatae, period.
Absolutely! This poor woman brings new meaning to the word disalusioned". Very sad for her son.
Raven, if you want to run a successful restaurant, you need to focus on the establishment – not a child, period. Kudos if you've got a job where having an extra kid doesn't matter, but a restaurant is not one of them. I've been in the food industry for many decades and, speaking from experience, until she gets her personal life separated from the business, she will continue to struggle.
What???? What does that comment mean???? Don't understand what it means.