Restaurant Revisited: Windseeker Restaurant by Maria Russo in Shows, January 16th, 2013
For Windseeker Restaurant in The Dalles, Ore., the problems went beyond a tired dining room and lackluster food. They had been battling negative press for years, and owner Veta Bingman and general manager Patty Taylor faced a constant struggle to attract customers to their out-of-the-way location, despite the breathtaking river views that surround them. In just two days and with a $10,000 budget, Robert Irvine and his Restaurant: Impossible team transformed the eatery into a sophisticated space complete with a high-quality menu that would improve Windseeker’s local reputation. We checked in with Patty a few months after Robert left to find out how the restaurant is doing today.
Comparing year-over-year numbers, Patty says that “Business is up by $30,000″ following the renovation, and she adds that the cost of food and wages has increased as well. Since their Restaurant: Impossible experience, the staff has not borrowed money from the restaurant.
Veta has allowed Patty to run the restaurant within her role as general manager, which recently has become more important than ever, as Veta has been in and out of the hospital. Patty is no longer bartending or cooking lunch, but she continues to be a front-of-house server and has also taken on the responsibility of ordering supplies for the restaurant. Despite these demands, Patty tells us that she was able to take a vacation in October.
More From Restaurant Revisited:
Whiskey Creek Steakhouse (January 2)
Rising Sun Bistro (December 19)
Boys & Girls Club of Southwest Missouri (December 9)
Bronk’s Bar and Grill (December 5)
Rohrer’s Tavern (November 28)
Poco’s on the Boulevard (November 21)
Oleander Bar and Grill (October 17)
Valley Inn (October 10)
Whistle Stop (October 3)
The Maple Tree Cafe (September 26)
Michele’s (September 19)
Paliani’s Restaurant (September 12)
Frankie’s (September 5)
Gusanoz (August 29)
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Tags: Restaurant Impossible
BS TERRY YOUR AN IDIOT TIFF NOES NOT HAVE A DRUG PROBLEM I KNOW I HAVE BEEN WITH HER 24 7 FOR THE PAST 6 MONTHS SHUT THE F UP
YOU KNOW I HAVE READ SO MANY COMMENTS…. 50% WRONG, I JUST WANT TO SAY TIFF HAS THE RESTARAUNT AT HEART , THIS WAS BUILT BY HER LATE FATHER AND HER MOTHER , SHE ONLY HAS THE WINDSEEKER IN MIND WITH LOVE. , WITH HER GARDENING AND THE WAY IT IS RUN AND THE PEOPLE THAT TRY TO UNDERMINE IT….PATTY IS GONE AND GOOD RIDDENS NOW THE WINDSEEKER MAY HAVE A CHANCE TO BUILD BACK TO WHAT IT WAS A NICE FAMILY RESTARANT KEEP THE DRUGS OFF THE PROPERTY…WHAT WALKES INTO THE BAR ARE STILL PATRONS AND NEED TO BE SERVED…WHICH MAY GIVE IT A NAME OF WIND TWEEKER BUT THEY ARE STILL PATRONS…UNLESS THERE OUT OF LINE OR DOING DRUGS ON PROPERTY THEY SHOULD BE 86ED
GOOD LUCK WINDSEEKER
JACK I LOVE YOU! YOU TRULY ARE THE BEST PERSON I HAVE EVER MET! I WILL TAKE IT SLOW AND CAREFUL WITH MY MOM AND WILL NOT PUSH THE ISSUE, MY MOM IN DUE TIME WILL SEE ME AS THE GIRL I REALLY AM, THE DEVOTED HARD WORKING ME WILL JUST DO THE VERY BEST IN THE GARDEN AND THE OTHER JOBS I WORK ON THROUGH THE SEASON, FAIR AND HONEST AND WITH THE BUSINESSES BEST INTEREST AT HEART! ANYONE WITH QUESTIONS ABOUT MY NATURE OR WHO I AM DONT MATTER ANYWAY! WITH PATTY MOVING OUT OF STATE THE BUSINESS WILL PICK UP AND THE ATTITUDES OF THE EMPLOYEES AND THE CUSTOMERS IM QUITE SURE WILL CHANGE DRASTICALLY FOR THE GOOD? WITH THE CONTROL IN GOOD HANDS NOW THE SKIES THE LIMIT.. I LOVE YOU!!!
If she doesn't ever come around, may you still find peace and love. Stay positive and keep making beautiful gardens :)
Do you people understand how the caps lock key works at all?
Never saw the show, so don't know what half these comments are referring to, but went there for dinner last night and this place, I'm sorry, is pitiful. They apparently had one bottle of "dark" wine left at 5:30, the service was really a disgrace, the food (although priced like the Pearl District) was below mediocre. The place was filthy with cats and dogs running around. Kind of unbelievable, even for a small town. Would it be too much to ask that the wait staff is capable of carrying two plates (even if they are cold and 1/2 hour late) without dropping one?! And sweep the floor, for crissake!
Cats and dogs? You're right. It is unbelievable. The positive comments outnumber you.
I stopped by there last week with my girlfriend. We didn't know it was on Restaurant Impossible until we complained about the poor service at a winery. There were plenty of waitresses busing tables, but none bothered to take an order. We waited 5 minutes for a glass of water, the coffee showed up after 10 and was never refilled. The salads were great (turkey/cranberry and a Caesar). We did get the bill about 60 seconds after they dropped off the salads. I think we had four different waitresses in a mostly empty restaurant.
My wife went to the Oregon coast and thought we would go to Windseekers for dinner. Food was very good, but all of the windows were very dirty and finger prints all over them. Everything was dirty, If someone come in and redid my place with $10000.00 I would at least make sure the place was spotless.The place was empty when we got there at 4:00 pm. We are from Jerome Idaho.
I do hope the place does well
I watch the show all the time and I take my hat off to Robert and his crew. Some of these people do not deserve what they get they all get them selves into these messes.it floors me to see people argue with him when there food tastes like garbage and they think it's great.keep up the great work Robert and to Tom your builder he is a good builder keep doing what your doing and do not let the stupid people get to you guys keep up the great work.
We went there on Mother's Day for dinner. Restaurant closed for 1 1/2 hours to get ready for the 'dinner service' so we were pretty surprised at how dirty it was when we got there-floor not swept, windows very dirty. The food was ok, not great, and the service was pretty poor. The gardens and the view are incredible(not sure what was up with the nasty pitcher of iced tea leaning against the gravestone?!?)-seems to me that RI gave them a chance to make a success, so now it needs someone to buy it and have a chance to make it live up to its potential.
We went there a couple of weeks after the remodel. We all got hamburgers. Two of them were rare. When I cut in to mine it was raw, not rare, but raw. There was blood all over my plate. i didn't eat it and I haven't been back.
I didn't *see any such bar, is what I meant to say.