Restaurant Revisited: The Maple Tree Cafe by Maria Russo in Shows, September 26th, 2012
Rookie restaurant owner Ashley Robertson needed Robert Irvine’s help to successfully run her Las Vegas restaurant, The Maple Tree Cafe. In just two days, Robert tackled poor food quality and disorganized management in order to give The Maple Tree Cafe the transformation it deserved. We checked in with Ashley a few months after the Restaurant: Impossible renovation to see how her restaurant is doing today.
Ashley reports that since Robert left, sales at The Maple Tree Cafe have more than doubled.
The restaurant’s food, she says, “is coming out great,” and she credits a recipe book in the kitchen with ensuring that all dishes are made the same way every time. She says that she has “completely delegated the prep duties to everyone in the kitchen,” and makes sure to “spend time watching plates go out.”
Ashley tells us that she’s still serving the majority of Robert’s menu, and that both the apple fritter and Cuban sandwich have been well received by customers. “Everyone raves about” the Cuban sandwich, she tells us. “It wasn’t something we had ever considered putting on our menu before, but it’s definitely a keeper.”
As for the staff at the restaurant, Ashley says that she’s been pleased with Alex’s work. She also has taken the lead on disciplining and firing a few employees when necessary. “I have changed a lot of my ways of thinking since the show, and I realized that lack of pride and responsibility just can’t be tolerated,” she tells us. She’s hired new employees who are not family members to staff both the front of house and the kitchen.
Today Ashley’s family is not offering as many critiques of her business as before. “I think their eyes were opened a little more to all of the work, stress, business, finance and babysitting that is really involved in the day-to-day,” she explains.
Looking ahead, Ashley is excited about The Maple Tree Cafe’s new venture into catering. In addition to providing boxed in-flight meals for an airline, the restaurant has teamed up with a chain of lounges in Las Vegas to provide food at two of their new locations.
More From Restaurant Revisited:
Michele’s (September 19)
Paliani’s Restaurant (September 12)
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
Thank you!! We are doing great. I appreciate the support!
I just wanted to take a moment to post my own reply…
We have been so overwhelmed by phone calls, emails, actual mailed letters, and facebook friends reaching out to let us know how much they liked the show or just wanted to say they were proud of us and wished us good luck. I appreciate that so much! Its always great to hear.
How are we doing as of this moment? We are BUSY. So busy that we added two new locations and a lot of non family employees (<– so much easier) that help keep the ball rolling. We also have added a large corporate catering business to our portfolio and continue to grow.
Having been involved with the show, I can tell you 100% of the show is un-scripted, from getting yelled at to firing my family to the tears. Being a loyal fan of the show, it's still an overwhelming process even when you think you know what you're in for. This crew genuinely cares about our long term success, and we still keep in touch with them regularly to check in and ask questions whenever situations come up and we need advice/help. I learned more in two days of this show than in the year and a half of going through the motions on my own.
Do mistakes still happen? They do. Is it Murphy's Law that those people are always the yelpers and internet guru's who post 5 page 20-point breakdowns on their experience, from the weather outside to how many seconds they waited at the door to their meal not being Food Network worthy, yep. We arent perfect, but we are LIGHT YEARS ahead of what we were doing before. Everyone is accountable and there are check and balances to make sure of it. Realistically, we have maintained double our volume since the day the show left and have MAINTAINED a large group of new customers. Probably 60% returning and 40% new customers on any given day. Thats all we can ask for.
wow! what a dream come true I bet u were feeling! I just saw the show, and Ashley, I must say I am impressed and so very proud!!!!!!!!!! I wished that was me!! great job achieving your dream pretty lady! good luck w/ everything God puts in your pathway! God Bless! —- Heather
Thank you :) I appreciate that!
ASHLEY KEEP DOING WHAT YOUR DOING GET BETTER EVERYDAY , VALUE YOUR CUSTOMERS AND DONT LET YOUR STAFF TAKE SHORT CUTS . GOOD FOOD , GOOD SERVICE , IN A CLEAN PLACE IT IS THAT SIMPLE .. GOOD LUCK YOU ARE PRETTY HOTT ALSO . TANYA IS THE BEST IN THE BISNESS . GET YOUR CHEF A CHEF COAT SO HE DOESNT LOOK SO SLOPPY
That is illegal in quite a few ways.
I didnt say she was standing in the kitchen cooking all day.. although she has helped in the kitchen also. I dont think family helping each other is illegal in any way. She was my assistant, runner, hostess, dishwasher etc etc. I didnt say I handcuffed her to the door and told her have a nice day. Maybe I should have mentioned it was WILLING time donation.
My point was, she is NOT the way she came off in the 45 minutes of show time.
She is volunteering!!! How is that illegal??? I look forward to your response!!
Illegal?? LoL… That's what's wrong with people today. When family bonds are that strong, their businesses succeed. I worked FOR FREE throughout high school & college while I had a part-time job on the side. I now own the place I GAVE my time to. I never complained and working that closely to an owner matured me faster than any minimum wage job could. Personally, I would rather be a 15 year old working closely with an owner (FOR FREE) & walking away with the tools to succeed than being another name on payroll.
Glad you're doing well. Sounds like you're among those who accepted Robert's help and learned from his experience… your comments here sound like you now have a winning formula for success.
Most definitely. Like I said, we continue to learn, have slip ups and learn. But things are truly going great for us. I try to address every concern, and apparently that comes off as excusing behavior. I have printed peoples posts from this thread and taken them to the restaurant to address them. Everyone is on their toes now. Thank you for your comments :)
Yeah but… some folks do that due to vision issues.