The Restaurant, Season 2, Episode 1: Where’s Rocco?

In case you didn’t see season one of The Restaurant, Rocco DiSpirito is here to remind you of the highlights. He opened the restaurant, a tribute to his Italian heritage, in only five weeks. He ran into a lot of problems getting started, but his financier Jeffrey Chodorow refused to delay the opening. The restaurant ran into an array of problems – cold food, bad reviews, and staff quitting. To get things going, Rocco did “whatever it took,” from cooking to waiting tables, to get the place going. He even changed the name of the restaurant to Rocco’s on 22nd instead of just Rocco’s to avoid a lawsuit. Six months later, Rocco says the kinks have been worked out. The restaurant is busy, he has a new cookbook out, and, “all in all, life’s pretty good right now.” But what’s next?

I must say, I’ve missed the fun opening credits to this show. It’ll fill the void that the great opening credits to The Apprentice left.

It’s dinnertime at Rocco’s on 22nd, and the place is hopping. One customer says that a trip to Rocco’s is a must when visiting New York. Executive chef Tony makes sure everything is moving in the kitchen, and Rocco’s Mama works the crowd. Several customers ask the question we’ll be hearing all this episode: “Where’s Rocco?”

Well, Rocco is at a book signing, promoting his new cookbook. He tells the crowd that things are progressing at his restaurant and, “I’m almost comfortable every day.” He’s especially proud of Mama’s rebirth. She’s 79 years old, and since she started working in the restaurant, she’s had the energy of the teenager. Back at the restaurant, Mama is energetically working the crowd.

Meanwhile, Jeffrey Chodorow is reviewing the numbers for Rocco’s restaurant, and they don’t look good. He calls his task force together for a meeting at 10:00 the next morning.

Rocco, oblivious to Jeffrey’s concern, does an interview for CNN. The interviewer says that the photography in his book is so beautiful that it’s “kind of like pornography for cooks.” Back in the restaurant, customers are still looking for Rocco. Is he coming back? No – he and his girlfriend Yvonne (I know; disappointing) are on their way to the airport to pick up Antonio, a chef Rocco met in Italy. Antonio will cook at the restaurant for two weeks and may spice up the menu a bit.

Antonio arrives with a box of fresh truffles. Rocco and Yvonne, foodies that they are, drool over them. In the restaurant, customers are still hoping Rocco will arrive, but hear that they’ll have to settle for Mama. That’s not a bad tradeoff. Antonio says that this is his first trip to the United States. Rocco’s birthday is coming up, and Antonio is going to make a special dinner for him.

The next morning, everyone gets to work. Mama thinks that 25 pounds of ground meat for her meatballs might not be enough, so she orders another ten. Elsewhere, Rocco picks up Antonio on his scooter.

Things aren’t so carefree in Jeffrey’s office – it’s time for his meeting with his corporate task force. Corporate Task Force is a cool name; they sound like superheroes. Jeffrey reports that of the 22 restaurants that he owns, only one is losing money – Rocco’s. And that’s in spite of the fact that the place is busy almost every night. Jeffrey sets up charts comparing the finances at Rocco’s to those at China Grill, a comparable restaurant that he also owns.

Meanwhile, a happy-go-lucky Rocco continues his scooter tour of New York with Antonio.

Scott, one of the members of the task force, says that Rocco’s is down $600,000 and has lost money since it opened. He’s worried about the costs of payroll, management, chefs, and more. Jeffrey says that he’s going to meet with Rocco that afternoon to review the problems. He says that his relationship with Rocco has been strained of late, and he hasn’t been around much. But now is the time “to get serious about this,” Jeffrey says. He just hopes that Rocco will understand that his intentions are good and will cooperate. Luke, Jeffrey’s corporate chef, is dubious. Jeffrey says it doesn’t matter because, “It’s my money. They’re my employees. I think they need some leadership.” He thinks that Rocco and his team want to succeed, so they’ll cooperate. Jeffrey tells his team they’ll have dinner at the restaurant at 8:00. He concludes, “It’s a very busy restaurant, and we’re losing money there. It’s got to stop.”

The staff arrives at work, including a new employee named Amanda. Amanda meets with the general manager Laurent and learns that she will be working the coat check. She is surprised, since she interviewed for a position as hostess. Laurent assures her that she’ll make more money in coat check. Amanda does not look happy as she heads to the coat check room. There she meets a woman who wanted to be a waitress but is instead working as a food runner. She shrugs and tells Amanda, “At least you have your own little room.” Amanda looks like the walls of that little room are about to close in on her.

Rocco takes Antonio to the kitchen and introduces him to Tony. Rocco’s assistant Diana comes and tells him that Jeffrey wants to meet with him, that it sounds important. Rocco arranges for a 4:30 meeting in Mama’s apartment. With that out of the way, Rocco shows Antonio his new signature pans. They have snazzy red handles with Rocco’s name on them. Mama arrives in the kitchen and is pleased to see Antonio, whose cooking she enjoyed in Italy. Antonio and Rocco take over the kitchen to make a new dish. Tony looks very unhappy as his turf is invaded, but there’s nothing he can do about it. Tony, who is usually in charge of the kitchen, is relegated to finding plates for Rocco and Antonio’s puree of zucchini flowers. It’s not hard to read Tony’s expression at all; he looks quite resentful.