This Is How Many Restaurant: Impossible Restaurants Shut Down

"Restaurant: Impossible" has helped transform many restaurants over the years. The team, which has Robert Irvine at the helm, has taken on immense challenges, including restaurants coated in grease and grime, restaurants with outdated decor, and businesses staffed by hotheads with bad tempers. Throughout the show's numerous seasons, the "Restaurant: Impossible" mission has impacted many families, owners, and entrepreneurs. The show has covered over 205 restaurants in its episodes. Of those, many went on to thrive and succeed, thanks to the help from the "Restaurant: Impossible" team. Some took the helpful advice and turned their business into bigger successes than ever, but others were not so lucky or motivated.

As it turns out, sustaining a restaurant isn't easy, even with a professional team's help. As of March 2023, 124 of the 205 total restaurants have closed their doors since filming, leaving the transformative show with a 40 percent success rate. Whether the owners closed the businesses of their own accord or due to uncontrollable factors, Irvine and his team gave each one their best effort and left the owners with the choice to adapt to his suggestions for success or face a tough decision. Unfortunately, some of the fan-favorite restaurants took a turn for the worse and closed their doors for good.

Cape Horn Family Restaurant in Red Lion, Pennsylvania, was another family business that met its match in terms of restaurant ownership. The show was filmed throughout October and aired on December 3, 2015, in season 12, episode 6. Irvine and the show's team swept in to help owner Joni get things into shape. Some of the changes addressed the lazy servers, the attitudes of the staff, poor food quality, and the financial stress of the owner and her husband.

The episode ended with a happy Joni, improved staff morale, and an exciting new plan for a different menu. After filming, the implemented changes brought on new customers, a near loss of existing customers, and a few old menu items returned to the rotation to keep the regulars coming back. Unfortunately, the progress was all for naught, as Joni was diagnosed with cancer in January. Cape Horn Restaurant closed down as she battled toward recovery through July 2016. While the plan was for the restaurant to reopen eventually, that sadly never came to fruition, as Joni passed away in June 2017.

The Dinner Bell's owner Tommy stands out in viewers' memory as one of the only chefs that was brave enough (or dumb enough) to buck up to Irvine on camera. While he and Irvine intensely clashed throughout filming, the Restaurant: Impossible team ultimately made a positive impact during their visit to Madison, Tennessee. This episode was one of the most difficult to film due to its raging tempers and tantrums, but it ended on a positive note, with hope for The Dinner Bell's future.

The episode aired in February 2013, and the restaurant reportedly had already returned to its old ways. Tommy reduced the prices back to their original state (at which he was not making a profit) and ultimately closed in April 2013, thanks to the economic impact on pricing for food and supplies. Additionally, The Dinner Bell received mixed reviews after the transformation, which reflected that much had stayed the same.

Cockroaches, outdated decor, and a tired owner led Mama Lee's to the spotlight of Restaurant: Impossible, season 3, episode 8. This restaurant needed extra support, which led Irvine to call in reinforcements in the form of HGTV's "Kitchen Cousins," Anthony and John. The owner of Mama Lee's, Ken, was out of sorts and needed assistance. By the end of the episode, Irvine and his team instilled new confidence into Ken, a feeling of ownership among staff, and a newly decorated, neat, and clean space.

From the significant improvements viewers were left with, one could assume that Mama Lee's went on to lead a happy, long life of serving food. Sadly, that was not the case. A local, San Antonio-based publication picked up the closure story and reported that the final straw came very near a failed health inspection from June 11th. The inspection revealed a continuation of the original cockroach problem, some issues with food handling and storage, and reported that a few additional pests had also moved in. Yuck. With 42 inspection demerits on the scale that typically caps off at 30, Mama Lee's finally closed its doors in July of 2013.

Meglio's, yet another Italian restaurant, drew Irvine and the "Restaurant: Impossible" team over for assistance. Meglio's was based in Bridgeton, Missouri, and it was owned by John Meglio, who came from a long line of restaurateurs and entrepreneurs. His attempt to live up to a legacy had run him into debt, despair, and near destruction. Thankfully, Irvine helped bring in fresh decor, fresher food, and some marketing tactics.

In a bit of a rebellious act, Meglio brought back a dish Irvine took off the menu and did the same with a few others. He claimed that the locals wanted the old food back, although the previously interviewed locals did not seem to echo that sentiment. David Segal of The New York Times reported that Meglio had an excuse for the backward changes. He claimed that the diners in his community had eaten frozen pasta for 50 years: It's part of Midwestern culture, and too much change may freak people out. Apparently, his logic didn't hold true because Meglio's closed its doors permanently in 2015, which led to the location going up for lease.

Kaitlyn Pilsbury was perhaps destined to be a chef if her last name was any indication. She owned Rosie's Cafe, which was the focus of season 14, episode 1. Rosie's Cafe was nestled in Escondido, California. The restaurant gave off a bad first impression to Irvine due to its unsightly decor and disorganized management. In typical fashion, Irvine and his team came to the rescue and boosted Rosie's Cafe to a better standing before the episode concluded. Filming wrapped up around January 2019, leading to a year of improved success for the eatery and its owner.

In December 2019, Pilsbury was the hit-and-run victim of a motorcycle accident. Her injuries made it impossible for her to work, and they also cost a pretty penny. Irvine was notified of this unfortunate circumstance and coordinated a fundraiser to help, which it did, to the tune of $118,000. Unfortunately, even that wasn't enough to keep Rosie's Cafe in business after the pandemic struck. The unfortunate and one-of-a-kind circumstances of the pandemic led to a forced closure that later became permanent. We can only hope that Pilsbury gets another chance to shake off some of her bad luck in the future.

Snooty Fox restaurant, owned by Tim and Cathy Queisser, was located in Indianapolis, Indiana. The restaurant had 29 years of business under its belt, so one would think that things ran like clockwork, but as is the case with all "Restaurant: Impossible" stops, that was not the case. Irvine helped tackle the issue of limited clientele and various forms of debt, not to mention the fact that the restaurant's head chef had walked out: Fun.

He also worked on boosting business so the business could get back on track. Irvine also helped resolve kitchen hazards and assigns people to new roles that may have better suited the restaurant's needs. The evening relaunch brought a gaggle of customers and happy owners that turned the business around for about three months. Apparently, after a short boost in sales, online comments revealed persistent issues with service and the food. Unfortunately, the naysayers were the first wave that led to Snooty Fox's closure in October 2011. Since then, a new restaurant has taken hold of the location and seems to be thriving.

This "Restaurant: Impossible" restaurant featured a surprising dish on its menu: The Wagon Wheel in Delaware offered muskrat, and that was only one of the iffy choices available at the restaurant. Irvine rolled in to help and was not a fan of the marsh rabbit that hit his plate or the dusty floral decor. Owner Patty Gallegos ran the business and carried on a line of three family generations who did the same. Her daughter Sheila also worked in the restaurant, as did other family members.

Irvine helped the restaurant regain its standing, although he couldn't convince Gallegos to remove the muskrat dish. All things considered, he left the Wagon Wheel in much better condition than he found it. The community resisted the restaurant's new changes, which may have hindered its success. However, it is more likely that the departure Patty's daughter ultimately made the business quite unstable. Wagon Wheel went down in "Restaurant: Impossible" history as the third Delaware-based restaurant Irvine had taken on at the time, and it added to the statistics of closures. Patty decided to prioritize her health after spending 40 years of her life on the family-based business, and the Wagon Wheel restaurant closed its doors in September 2014.