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
Man, what a cluster this place was.
You tell it, Ashley. People have no business commenting on you, especially. You're a lovely woman who knows that family is everything. And the man who he said he got special pie from you is a pig.
I was following Tom's posts and was excited to see RI was going to be doing a reataurant in Vegas just a few weeks before my trip. I went the first weekend in August, way before the show aired. The decor was great and Robert's shrimp appetizer was great. However, the attitudes of the servers had not changed. Though we came in just before the 2:00 closing time and were the only table in the restaurant, I felt I was imposing on the staff'. They were too busy talking, texting or rolling silverware in the dining room to bother waiting on us and I had to find someone to check us out. The girl said she was Ashley's neice and although she did not appear on the show, she had nothing good to say about Robert or RI. Quite the opposite. She did say Ashley was starting another restaurant in a nearby bar. I say she needs to stick with one restaurant and learn to run it well first,
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The operation is done over 2 days. It is a 30 minute show. There has to be serious editing!!! I don't know why you call it staged. Ashley's tear were staged. Pls keep in mind, it boils down to entertainment! And, if you check out how they are doing after the show, most are doing well. I think what Robert does in TWO days and with only $10,000 is amazing. I wish he would come to my business. He could stage all he wants!
Correction, Ashley's tears were NOT staged!
The operation is done over 2 days. It is a 30 minute show. There has to be serious editing!!! I don't know why anyone would call it staged. Ashley's tears were not staged. Pls keep in mind, it boils down to entertainment! And, if you check out how they are doing after the show, most are doing well. I think what Robert does in TWO days and with only $10,000 is amazing. I wish he would come to my business. He could stage all he wants! And, I want Ashley's Apple Fritters on my Hotel's breakfast bar!!!
Hi Ashley! My wife flies to Las Vegas about twice a year on business. We own a little hotel in the Adirondacks. I will ask her to stop in and see you the next time she goes there. Her name is Alicia!!! Give her some fritters to take back! Al
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I'll give it a try (Maple )
Oh my gosh… don't bother…I watch and love Robert's show, but this place is awful. Went there last weekend… indescribably disgusting…go read all the reviews on Yelp, if you don't trust me. I think he wasted his time and efforts on this place, seriously.