Robert Irvine Checks Up On Every Restaurant From Restaurant: Impossible, Except For One - Exclusive

What would Food Network be without "Restaurant: Impossible"? The television series is currently airing its 21st season with its leading man, Robert Irvine, providing guidance and a major interior decor overhaul to failing restaurants. The television star and his team are given only $10,000 and two days to flip eateries into profitable businesses. According to Reality TV Updates, the celebrity chef's success rate throughout the show is roughly 40%, with 205 total open restaurants and 124 total closures.

Considering the hardships of the culinary industry mixed with a volatile economy, we'd say that's a pretty impressive statistic. In an exclusive interview conducted at the Sun Wine and Food Fest, Irvine told Tasting Table all about the "Restaurant: Impossible" businesses (352 to date!) that he still checks up on today. The show originally aired on our screens 12 years ago, but that doesn't stop Irvine from catching up with even the earliest members of his "Restaurant: Impossible" family.

Robert Irvine explained that his endeavors on "Restaurant: Impossible" have led to 352 episodes, but one particular restaurateur failed to take the chef's advice. "I check up on every restaurant we've ever done every week ... It's only one in Ohio I don't, because he didn't listen," Irvine told Tasting Table. "He went out of business shortly after I did the show because he was selling all-you-can-eat steaks at $3, and they were costing him $5. I said, 'I'll see you in bankruptcy,'" he continued.

Although Irvine did not specifically name the restaurant in question, the evidence points to Mad Cactus, the Strongsville, Ohio Tex-Mex spot that appeared on Season 2 of "Restaurant: Impossible."  After claiming that Irvine would be locked out of the place during a potential follow-up visit, Mad Cactus' owner reverted to almost all of the eatery's old ways before permanently shuttering the doors two years after the episode premiered. 

Irvine claimed that four weeks after he visited the establishment, his predictions of bankruptcy came true. What's the main takeaway from this story? Always listen to Robert Irvine when he tells you to price your offerings correctly — given the number of projects on his plate, including a spirits brand, a protein bar brand, and his numerous TV endeavors, he knows what he's talking about. It seems like we'll also have plenty more opportunities to hear his business wisdom: "We have a new HGTV pilot coming up, 'Restaurant: Impossible' is [coming] back, four new shows ... There's a lot coming up this year," he told us.

New episodes of "Restaurant: Impossible" air Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET on Food Network. Keep up with Robert Irvine's latest projects on his Instagram page. For more information about the Sun Wine and Food Fest, visit Mohegan Sun's website.