The Hidden Chaos Chefs Face On Diners, Drive-Ins And Dives

When a restaurant appears on "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives," viewers only see a 5 to 10-minute edited segment showcasing the establishment's best dishes. Guy Fieri cooks a dish or two alongside the chef, tastes the results, offers enthusiastic commentary, and scene. It might appear that DDD runs without much friction — aside from a few cringe moments – and that Fieri casually drops in during business hours and films for an hour. In reality, appearing on Fieri's Food Network show is a months-long process, and he is known to make last-minute changes and sample nearly the entire menu.

Even after taking months for the show to select which restaurants to feature on the show, not all is set in stone. Even if restaurants have spoken with the production team and have an idea of which dishes they will prepare, Fieri can switch this up.

One of the untold truths of "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives" is that restaurants must agree in advance to prepare any dish Fieri requests when he arrives. The restaurant owner of Casper and Runyon's Nook in St. Paul told Twin Cities Business, "I think we cooked every item on the menu three times with Guy. He wanted to try everything on the menu, just about. Then they decided what to feature."

As much as a restaurant can try to prepare for a DDD visit, they can clearly still be caught off guard by these last-minute changes. On top of this, restaurants must shut down for a few days to accommodate the filming. Despite these challenges, appearing on the show is worth it for most restaurants. Twin City Business reported that Minnesota restaurants featured on the show saw sales increases ranging from 30% to 500%, both short- and long-term.

Some didn't see much of a change, particularly in the short term. Two restaurants even reported losses of $12,000 and $15,000 due to food and cleaning costs. Even if this isn't true for the majority of restaurants that appear on the show, these are hidden risks that should be considered beforehand.

There are super fans who take road trips to specifically visit the best restaurants that have been featured on "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives"; they might have never visited these restaurants had they not been on the show. While increased business is generally positive, a sudden surge can strain restaurants as they hire staff, add seating, and manage a new influx of customers.