Restaurant Revisited: Soup to Nuts Diner by Maria Russo in Shows, March 17th, 2013
Soup to Nuts Diner in Tavares, Fla., was in such poor condition when Robert Irvine arrived that he promptly deemed the restaurant “dangerously dirty” and refused to let anyone eat the food coming out of the kitchen. Littered with bugs and coated in dust, this 1950s-style eatery featured a cluttered dining room with tattered seating, but unfortunately for owner Sharon Whitmore, even more serious problems were in the kitchen. There, Robert found tools and equipment caked with grease, raw meat being kept at unsafe temperatures and a complete lack of management among the cooks.
For the last four years, Soup to Nuts has struggled with decreasing business, and Sharon admits that prior to Robert’s visit she was losing nearly $1,000 per month, which resulted in the foreclosure of her home. With a $10,000 budget and only two days to work, Robert and his Restaurant: Impossible team reworked all aspects of her restaurant, deep cleaning every surface in the front and back of the house, demonstrating the how-tos of making a fresh menu and restructuring Sharon’s schedule so that she’d be able to abandon her 100-hour workweeks. At the end of what Robert called “one of the most-ambitious projects we’ve ever tackled,” Soup to Nuts reopened to hundreds of customers with in-control management at the helm. We checked in with Sharon a few months after the renovation to find out how her business is doing.
She tells us that in the weeks immediately following filming, Soup to Nuts was “overwhelmed with” a 40 percent increase in business, and now the restaurant is “up consistently about 20 percent over last year.”
While they’ve made a few tweaks to the decor like additional paint, new blinds and adding “a door from the front counter area and a wall so the kitchen is no longer seen by the dining room,” Sharon, the staff and much of the customer base have been wowed by the other changes at the eatery.
Employees are now washing the restaurant each night, Sharon tells us. “I have had to get on the cooks for poor closes a few times, but Alan is closing five nights a week to reinforce a proper, clean closing.”
In terms of management, Sharon has interviewed several applicants, but she’s yet to hire a full-time lead cook. Jeanie is still working at Soup to Nuts, as Sharon believes that she “grew from the experience,” explaining that “she is not as hotheaded.” Sharon adds that “several of the people who gave [her] the most grief are not [t]here anymore.”
Soup to Nuts is still serving its original offerings but with additional dishes from Robert’s menu, including fried green tomatoes, disco fries, salmon burgers and roasted chicken.
For the most part, Sharon is sticking to the schedule she developed with Robert. “With Alan staying and riding his bike home, the restaurant has guidance and supervision,” she explains. “I am very thankful for the privilege to have been picked for this experience,” she adds, looking back on the renovation. “I am happy personally and with my restaurant’s makeover and volume.” She is no longer living with her parents and is looking forward to what the rest of the year brings to her business.
More From Restaurant Revisited:
Caseyville Cafe (March 13)
Maniaci’s Italian Restaurant (March 10)
Dinner Bell Restaurant (February 27)
Nanny Goat’s Cafe & Feed Bin (February 20)
Sapori D’Italia (January 23)
Windseeker Restaurant (January 16)
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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More posts from Maria Russo.
Tavares is literally in the middle of nowhere; Dead center between the two coasts and about 50 miles north (and a half century south) of Orlando. I'll bet that the sheriff has mirrored sunglasses.
This was far from the most dramatic makeovers. Just cleaning up that slop house was a major accomplishment. That cook gives me the creeps.
Actually, David, our sheriff is a well-loved, community-minded man with a great attitude, a winning personality and a love for his community. Our quiet county is very public art and music oriented and is about 45 minutes from Orlando. Close enough if you need it, far enough to retain a relaxed atmosphere. Tavares neighbors Mt. Dora, known for its antiques. Tavares hosts a seaplane basin and beautiful lakes. I have never regretted moving from Orlando To Lake
county.
Well said Kathy!!! Funny how people talk out of the side of their mouths without any intelligent comments coming out of it! We'd prefer people like him not come here anyway–that's what will keep our area beautiful!
Yes, I was wondering why this cook didn't put in her teeth? It's hard to take someone seriously who doesn't look well kept.
Sorry, but have you ever had false teeth? I haven't, but I know enough that unless you have insurance or plenty of money to pay for good dentures, they give you blisters, sores, and are just generally uncomfortable. Just because she had her teeth out doesn't mean she doesn't look "well kept". My grandma was neat, tidy, ironed everything she wore, but it was RARE she wore her teeth. She despised those things, and I for one did not blame her a bit! This woman was clean, her hair was pulled back (look at how many chefs on TV NEVER do that), and far as I could tell she had good hygiene. Don't make assumptions about people based on the social "norm" it's rude and inaccurate.
I wear a partial and there are times it hurts but I would never leave my house without it.
I do not usually post but I feel that I must now. I have dentures and I can't wear them because of a medical condition. I wish people would hold their negative comments about others. How a person looks is important and I assume that everyone does their level best to look presentable. Also, I thought the cook was the only one there that knew what she was doing and how things should be done. Talk about books and covers………..
I am not wearing my teeth now…
"All I have to thay, ith that thith ith ludacrith! Thay thomething nithe or don't thay it at all!
BOOM!
Soup to Nuts is not a classy restaurant. It's a diner. That said, it is not proper to say rude things about a town that you obviously know little about except what you could figure out on a map. Most food in the south is domestic, down to earth food and served in places like Soup to Nuts, but it beats the mega chain restaurants. Some of which are just a filthy and unhealthy but don't get caught because they are big chains.
I am so tired of people trashing Lake County, FL. Yes, we are "old Florida" and central, but we are hardly redneckville here. Yes, we have some good ol’ boys in our mix (and most of them would go out of their way to welcome you), but we also have art, antiques, history, culture, great food, wine walks, the BEST Florida winery (with some of the best wines you will EVER taste) and a great (organic) Sunday farmer's market here in Clermont. Not to mention rolling hills (which you don’t find in FL) and some of the nicest people you will ever meet. We actually say “hello” and talk to each other in the grocery store. We go to church or we don’t. But we are a community. Imagine that!!!!
If this restaurant failed, it's because they failed. We’ve had excellent restaurants fail here because the economy sucks! People just aren’t going out to eat like they used to around here.
I have absolutely nothing against Tavares, its citizens, the state of Florida, Southern cuisine, good ole boys or rolling hills. My comments strictly address this one restaurant, the staff and owner there. No one and no where else.
Actually 'Tavares" means center or middle – that is why the city is called that because it is in the middle of Florida
I live here but just saw the episode so I will have to go back and check it out one day this week!
If you haven't yet, you better do it quick cause they are closing their doors on Sunday May 12th at 3pm for good.
How in the world did Soup to Nuts pass any health inspection? Ever?
We were there in the service on the show. After we did *not* get fed, we went down the road to a chain restaurant which will remain nameless. Frankly, it wasn't any better. Not taking anything away from the need to clean or what Robert and the team pulled off – it truly is amazing – but as bad as it was (I spent an hour scraping gunk off the floor under the booth seats) – it probably is more typical than you like to think. Huge kudo's to Robert: he is genuine and more real in person even than on TV – and to Tom Bury – the builder: that man works wonders with no budget and no time.
It may just be me but I dont think the owner really wants to own/run a restaurant :(
She may want to own a restaurant, but she's run two other restaurants in the area out of business. One of them was phenomenal until she took it over. Unfortunately, we had booked them to cater our wedding before she took over, but it was her crew that provided our cold, bland wedding food. Heck! The "breadsticks" we had at our wedding (it was an Italian restaurant) were just hot dog buns brushed with butter and baked! :-( Sadly, Soup To Nuts is pretty much the same as it was before.
I ate here in January. The food was definitely better and fresher. The restaurant seemed clean as well.
I have eaten there many times when I have visited Tavares and the food was good despite the condition of the kitchen. I did not think the restaurant was as dirty as portrayed in the show. I have eaten there since and they still have the same menu with some additions. I did not care for the wall decoration Robert's decorator did, it looks very plain. I will go there again next time I visit. It is not a gourmet restaurant, but has good comfort food, the service is quick and servers are polite and capable.
"….I did not think the restaurant was as dirty as portrayed in the show….." Are you saying that it wasn't as bad when you were there or are you implying that Robert and his team helped make it look worse?????
I hope it's the former, since the team from Restaurant Impossible have no need to make a restaurant look worse than it is. They just report what they see and if you saw the way the cleaning crew had to try to clean the equipment, you should have had no doubts that it was filthy. Had a health inspector walked into that kitchen, it would have been closed down.
"I hope it's the former, since the team from Restaurant Impossible have no need to make a restaurant look worse than it is."
Making it look worse is usually what happens. Everywhere you looked after the rebuild clashed. The son said it himself when he mentioned the number of decade designs he saw. The 2×4 studs they put up and painted made it look like they forgot to finish a wall. And the remaining original black and white checkerboard floor clashed with everything.
They would have been better off cleaning everything, painting the walls white, putting up a few 50's style photos and paintings and called it a day. Also, forgot the salmon burgers, prime rib and other expensive, snobby foods and do diner classics.
"They would have been better off cleaning everything, painting the walls white, putting up a few 50's style photos and paintings and called it a day. Also, forgot the salmon burgers, prime rib and other expensive, snobby foods and do diner classics."
Thank you for saying this, and I absolutely agree. In fact, the limited and frequently "upscale" menus that RI proposes for these mom & pop establishments is a major flaw of the show. The owners, employees, and customers who frequent these restaurants have far better knowledge of what customers want than Robert. He isn't helping them to improve their food or menus: He's ordering them to prepare the foods that he wants and do it his way. What '50s diner served salmon burgers? Most likely, none. And prime rib? At a diner? He's got to be kidding! People go to diners for inexpensive, familiar favorites: burgers, fries, chili, mac & cheese, meat loaf, deli sandwiches, ice cream sundaes, floats, etc. If folks want salmon burgers or prime rib, they won't head to the local diner.
You know 'what customers want' at places like this in areas like this? Something for nothing. Because that's the only people that frequent dumps like this…the food must have been cheap. But you can't sustain yourself on those customers, because there's no profit margin in them. That's why so many cafeterias and diners have disappeared over the past ten years.
The 8-location diner chain in our area serves Prime Rib.
If the 'owners knew what their customers wanted', they wouldn't be in the trouble they are in —customers want clean, interesting places to eat, good service, good food, fair prices. Freeloaders want a lot of food and want to know why they can't use two coupons at a time. If you pander to the freeloaders, you're out of business.
I agree 100%! We have places here that serve that kind of simple, 50's type comfort food and do very well. I'd eat at any one of them over a salmon cake food snobatorium any day.
You are such a troll. And laughable, too. a 'salmon burger' is 'snobby food'?
The only Epic Fail is you. If 'that's what usually happens', why do you watch? And constantly bash the show on the message boards?
Ooh…that hurts. Too bad you don't have anything valid to say.
You do realize that a third negative, non-sense comment aimed at me makes you a stalker in addition to yourself being a troll, right.
I felt the same way in regards to the design of the diner. Modern design mixed with elements of the 50's just didn't work. I don't really like any of the designs this particular designer chooses and wish she wouldn't be on the show anymore.
Also, while I LOVE this show, (don't get me wrong!) I always am amazed at how all of the designers put in major dust collectors on the walls and around the light fixtures. Was this the one that had the beams suspended over the booths, too? I mean…if these people aren't cleaning to begin with….why bring in added fixtures that will only collect MORE dust?
I never saw that much filth either. Sometimes I think it's exaggerated to make the show seem more dramatic. If it was that bad I never would have eaten there.
I am really surprised to hear someone say this. "If it was that bad I never would have eaten there". Of COURSE it was THAT BAD! You may have not noticed it, and obviously were never invited into the kitchen to see it for yourself, but the amount of filth and grimethe professionals had to clean would have taken many years to build up that badly, so, no, not an exaggeration, just filth being "pointed out".I do hope that the owner really does get around to hiring a good "lead cook", as that person, if they are good at their job, will not let it get that bad again. I wish them well, I am sorry to hear that they have gone back to just their old regular menu, and have taken Robert's off the menu, or "not ordered it yet " so probably have no intention of getting it onto the menu. While I agree that a diner would have, "diner food", not gourmet so pricing would be an issue, certainly many of Robert's recipes, even on this website, are inexpensive, good, quick and easy, and still comfort food that could easily give the place a great reputation and be a great "go to " eating area. Best of luck to them!
There was an article in the local paper today about how many health violations this place has had recently,including AFTER the renovation.And to the person who thinks salmon burgers are snobby,I don't know what you eat when you go out,but I bet fast food is it
People who have not worked in the business,…just dont get it.
I have worked in restaurants my whole life…I have seen those places. I have turned down a job similar to a place like this…a diner up in PA. It was as filthy…health codes being violated everywhere.. I took a job at a more fine dining restaurant ..Not as bad as this…but nowhere near up to what it should be as far as being clean. Took me a month, every night, with the other staff to get it to where it should be, scrubbing and cleaning. Ask someone that is a delivery driver for a restaurant supply company……….they see every restaurant. I have done deliveries as well…you wouldn't believe what most places look like……..most people never see the kitchens and never know. I think any customer should be allowed to see what a kitchen looks like and then given the choice to be able to eat at the restaurant. I bet if that started happening, you would see alot cleaner kitchens!
We should be able to see it, and if a certain number of people turn it down, that place should be shut down until its cleaned properly AND inspected by actual health code people – even if they have to be flown in!
Did you ever go into the kitchen and see all the caked on grease and filth we saw? Yeah……I didn't think so……
I live near the Restaurant and had eaten there on a few occasions prior to the renovation. The food seemed ok…the service was not very friendly. I just saw the episode, and might try eating there again. However, after seeing how the kitchen was not maintained, I must admit I am a little squeamish about giving it another chance.
All I have to say is that if Robert would've used indigenous bugs to frame the owner he would have never been caught.
"Shame on you mr. Irvine, the calliphora vomitora is native to the Midwest. Nice try."
FWIW, I was there and there were plenty of bugs stuck to all of the walls. It was not a frame job. I cleaned the light fixtures for over an hour – with solvent.
Agree. I was there as well…no frame job…just a disgusting restaurant that should have been closed rather than good money being poured into it.
Sarcasm, my hind leg! What you said was slander!
Don't try to weasel out of slandering Chef Robert and calling him a cheat, just because you got caught. If you can't write the truth, shut up and turn your computer off.
I caught the joke. The OP should've used a /sarc tag or put an LOL or a j/k, but I could tell he wasn't trying to slander Robert Irvine.
Just because you're too much of a block head imbecile to understand sarcasm when you're reading it, does not slander make. So go sit on it and rotate.
I pretty much got the joke. I thought it was funny.
Oops, never mind. I misread the post. Ah well, it's still funny.
Calliphora vomitoria is a Blue bottle fly
The blue bottle fly or bottlebee is a common blow-fly found in most areas of the world and is the type species for the genus Calliphora.
So yes it was clearly sarcasm!
haha–I'm pretty sure you can find Blow Flies almost anywhere. Don't they frequently mention them on Dexter? They feast on dead animals, human or otherwise.
I thought it was funny, but I'm macabre like that
LOL! I like your sarcasm- it's awesome! I thought that owner was crazy for trying to accuse Robert of bringing in bugs. Really???????!!!!
You are flat-out crazy to think that Robert Irvine would do something like that. No chef would plant bugs in a restaurant. The grease and filth on the walls and equipment that we saw on the program can't be planted on the surfaces. It has to build up over the years to be like that. If it were new, you could just wipe it off using degreasers and a wipe. That stuff has to have degreasers and steam cleaning, scraping, etc. to get it off. If that diner wasn't in bad shape and failing fast, the customers would have been there and they wouldn't have been able to call in Chef Irvine.
Sorry, I didn't catch the sarcasm. If you are going to be sarcastic, try using an emoticon like a smile or haha, LOL, etc. Many of us aren't from the same place you are where it might be more common to use sarcasm. Don't forget, we can't see your face when you post so we can't get any clues if you are being sarcastic. All it takes is a few moments to add a hint as to your post's intent, okay?
I have driven by this restaurant many times, am going to check it out!
I ate there Fri. nite 7:30pm fishfry, fish was reheated, bake pt. was day old, bake dbeans were cold. All 3 dinners the same, will not return