Here's What Happened To Gaston's Bistro After Restaurant: Impossible
No one shoots like Gaston, makes those beauts like Gaston, or apparently needs a remodeling like Gaston — at least the folks at "Restaurant: Impossible" thought so.
For a bit of context, "Restaurant: Impossible" is a show hosted by Robert Irvine. As Food Network explains, Irvine's mission in the show is to take a failing restaurant and, in the span of a few days, turn the place around through an exhaustive overhaul. After a brief "hiatus," the show returned to TV earlier in 2022, continuing its trend of trying to help struggling restaurateurs make their businesses work. It's similar to the style of Bar Rescue and Kitchen Nightmares, which also involve failing restaurants, stubborn owners, and plenty of sweat and tears.
One such restaurant is a place called Gaston's Bistro. Located in Orland Park, Illinois, the bistro serves French-American cuisine, sandwiches, and appetizers like quesadillas. According to Patch, the bistro has been owned by brothers Yaser and Nader Elkayyal since 2002 and, at the time of their appearance on "Restaurant: Impossible," the brothers were close to losing the cafe — something they had been blaming on competition in the area. Yaser described the experience with Irvine as "memorable" and seemed excited to see the episode for himself, hinting that there was some optimism about what Irvine had in mind for his and Nader's restaurant. But did Irvine's expertise and the resulting overhaul really have an impact on Gaston's Bistro or were Yaser and Nader doomed from the very start?
Reviews have been mostly positive
If you found yourself having sympathies for Yaser and Nader Elkayyal, you'll be happy to know that Gaston's Bistro seems to have recovered since Robert Irvine's intervention. According to Food Network Gossip, reviews for Gaston's Bistro seem to skew mostly positive, including one that reads, "Wow!!! I stopped in today to grab lunch and couldn't be happier!! They just remodeled the interior – really nice seating area- the food was phenomenal and the service was fantastic! Portions were extremely generous and tasted just like homemade – Definitely recommend." Another person wrote, "They just remodeled and it's great! ... I thought it was cute before but someone did a great job on this remodel."
Not all reviews were super positive, however. Some reviews on Yelp disliked the interior and the food, even after the 2021 remodel. "Been wanting to try this place for a while now and we'll it was underwhelming," wrote "Jen P.," who also complained of cleanliness issues and being unhappy with her breakfast, but admitted that the service she received was friendly. Another user, "Karen G." noted that her lamb shank seemed to be "reheated" and chewy. "Nothing like a real French Bistro! Not the same place I remember from the past!" said "Phil H." "Will not return and nor should you if you went here 10 years ago!"
Still, despite Irvine calling them "delusional" Gaston's owners have at least been able to keep the ship afloat since their appearance on "Restaurant: Impossible."